A concise, if somewhat haphazardly sequenced, introduction to Pink Floyd's first era (1967-73 on EMI's Harvest label), this collection documents the band's evolution from their creative force Syd Barrett's tinkly psych-pop (represented here by the standout singles "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play") to the ubiquitous, world-beating strains of Dark Side of the Moon's "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse." It's a decidedly different band than the one familiar to fans of The Wall, The Final Cut, and its post-Roger Waters incarnations, one with an experimental bent that fueled an eclectic mix of driving space-rock ("One of These Days"), Roy Harper-esque folksiness ("Fearless"), and free-form sound collages ("Several Species"). Ironically, this is also the Pink Floyd for whom younger, alt-rock schooled music fans may find an unlikely affinity. --Jerry McCulley
Includes full art scans
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