Pink Floyd to Release 27-Disc Box Set,'The Early Years: 1965-1972'
On Novermber 11, Pink Floyd will release a deluxe new 27-disc box set, The Early Years: 1965-1972.
The box set—which will be released by Pink Floyd Records via Sony Legacy—will contain TV recordings, BBC sessions, unreleased tracks, outtakes and demos that span 12 hours, 33 minutess of audio (consisting of 130 tracks), plus more than 15 hours of video.
The set will feature more than 20 unreleased songs including seven hours of previously unreleased live audio, plus seven hours of rare concert footage, along with meticulously produced 7-inch singles in replica sleeves, collectable memorabilia, feature films and new sound mixes.
Previously unreleased tracks include 1967’s "Vegetable Man" and "In the Beechwoods," which have been newly mixed for the release. The set includes:
• Unreleased demos, TV appearances and live footage from the Pink Floyd archives
• Six volumes plus a bonus exclusive ‘Extras’ package across 27 discs
• More than 20 unreleased songs including 1967’s "Vegetable Man" and "In the Beechwoods"
• Remixed and updated versions of the music from Zabriskie Point
• Seven hours of previously unreleased live audio
• Fifteen hours 35 minutes of video including rare concert performances, interviews and three feature films
The Early Years" 1965-1972 will give collectors the opportunity to hear the evolution of the band and witness their part in cultural revolutions from their earliest recordings and studio sessions to the years prior to the release of The Dark Side of the Moon, one of the biggest selling albums of all time. From the single "Arnold Layne" to the 20-minute epic "Echoes," fans will see the invention of psychedelic progressive rock via an insightful collection that explores the Pink Floyd story from the time Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and Syd Barrett met at London’s Regent Street Polytechnic through to Syd’s departure and David Gilmour joining to form the iconic lineup.In addition to the deluxe set, a 2-CD highlights album, The Early Years: CRE/ATION, also will be available November 11 through Pink Floyd Records via Sony Legacy. Each individual book-style package will be released separately early in 2017, except BONUS CONTINU/ATION. which is exclusive to this box set.
Here's a handy product overview:
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1965-1967: CAMBRIDGE ST/ATION
Covering Syd Barrett’s time with the band, from the pre-EMI demos, through the non-album hit singles and related tracks, the first volume also features previously unreleased tracks like Vegetable Man and In The Beechwoods (newly mixed), plus BBC session recordings. Pink Floyd have also acquired the tapes of an unreleased 1967 concert in Stockholm. The DVD/Blu-ray includes historic TV performances plus some of Pink Floyd’s own film material.
1968: GERMIN/ATION
This volume explores the time immediately after Syd Barrett’s departure, when Pink Floyd were still writing singles and at the same time developing their own unique, more instrumentally-based style. There are non-album single releases, plus a recently discovered session at Capitol Records studios in Los Angeles, additional BBC sessions and other tracks. The DVD/Blu-ray includes the recently restored promo clip of Point Me At The Sky, some international TV performances and a selection of song material from other television shows.
1970: DEVI/ATION
At the end of 1969 and in the early part of 1970, Pink Floyd recorded and mixed their contribution to Michelangelo Antonioni’s alternative view of US society, ‘Zabriskie Point’. Three songs were released on the soundtrack album, and an additional four tracks were added in the expanded CD edition in 1997. Never released on one Pink Floyd disc, this volume compiles remixed and updated versions of the ‘Zabriskie Point’ audio material. In the same year, Pink Floyd scored their first UK Number One album with ‘Atom Heart Mother’, a collaboration with Ron Geesin. The audio includes the first performance for the BBC, featuring an orchestra and choir, as well as, on DVD, the original Quad mix. The video material includes a full hour of Pink Floyd performing live at San Francisco cable TV station KQED plus extracts from historic performances of ‘Atom Heart Mother’, and material from French TV coverage of the St. Tropez festival in Southern France.
1971: REVERBER/ATION
In 1971 Pink Floyd recorded the ‘Meddle’ album, containing the track ‘Echoes, which took up the entire side of the LP and is regarded by many as laying the groundwork for ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, and, as such, is an important part of the Pink Floyd canon. This package includes part of the original demos, when the project gestated from ‘Nothing’ to ‘Return Of The Son Of Nothing’, as well as a contemporary BBC session recording. Audio-visual material includes the original unreleased Quad mix of ‘Echoes’ as well as material of live band performances in 1971, including songs performed with Roland Petit and his Marseille ballet company.
1972: OBFUSC/ATION
In 1972 Pink Floyd travelled to Hérouville, north of Paris, to record at Strawberry Studios which is based in the town’s Chateau. In a remarkable two weeks, they wrote and recorded one of their most cohesive albums, ‘Obscured By Clouds’, the soundtrack to Barbet Schroeder’s ‘La Vallée’. 1972 saw the release of ‘Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii’, a film of the band performing without an audience in the historic Roman amphitheatre of Pompeii, directed by Adrian Maben. The video material includes the performances from the ‘Live At Pompeii’ film, edited to new 5.1 audio mixes, plus material from contemporary French TV as well as performances from Brighton Dome in June, 1972 and further performances with the Roland Petit ballet company.
ALSO INCLUDED:
7” VINYL SINGLES IN REPRODUCTION SLEEVES :
— Arnold Layne C/W Candy And A Currant Bun
— See Emily Play C/W The Scarecrow
— Apples And Oranges C/W Paintbox
— It Would Be So Nice C/W Julia Dream
— Point Me At The Sky C/W Careful With That Axe, Eugene
BONUS: CONTINU/ATION (Exclusive to The Early Years: 1965-1972 box set)
A bonus CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc package includes a CD of early BBC radio sessions, the audio tracks from the film ‘The Committee,' Pink Floyd’s live soundtrack to the 1969 NASA moon landings, and more.
Audio-visual material includes three feature films: ‘The Committee,’ ‘More’ and ‘La Vallée’ (Obscured By Clouds), plus more live footage and festival performances by the band.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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