Few bands have been more successful at burrowing into the heads of an audience than the Floyd -- be it via headphone listening sessions, laser shows, or live spectacles And even though the cerebral vision of {|David Gilmour|} and {|Roger Waters|} was off the beaten path, Pink Floyd have been a mainstay on rock radio for the better part of three decades. While the...
Read moreFew bands have been more successful at burrowing into the heads of an audience than the Floyd -- be it via headphone listening sessions, laser shows, or live spectacles And even though the cerebral vision of {|David Gilmour|} and {|Roger Waters|} was off the beaten path, Pink Floyd have been a mainstay on rock radio for the better part of three decades. While the band's classic-rock radio staples are certainly well represented on this double-disc retrospective -- from the sinuous chug of "Money" to the creepy chorus of "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" -- Echoes also offers plenty of great uneasy listening for those seeking sounds from off the playlist. Delving deep into Floyd's {|Syd Barrett|} era, this compilation offers up the swirling acid-pop of "See Emily Play" and "Arnold Layne" as well as the screaming guitar digressions of "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun." Some of the earlier Gilmour/Waters-led efforts get short shrift, aside from {|Ummagumma|}'s "Astronomy Domine," but the set leans on the mid-'70s releases, culling heavily from the troika of {|Wish You Were Here|}, {|Dark Side of the Moon|}, and {|Animals|}. Most of the material contained on the second disc is relatively familiar, but the inclusion of "When the Tigers Broke Free," which was lost in the shuffle when {|The Final Cut|} was transferred from vinyl to CD, should tickle the ears of any digitally minded Floyd-head.
