I was browsing Pink Floyd discs tonight and stumbled across a used disc called "Relics", which apparently wasn't part of the current reissue program. I came home and Googled it, and see that it is a (possibly) hard to find disc, but one of no fewer than four official Pink Floyd releases that compile early singles that I don't think are found on any of the new remasters:

1. Relics
2. Works
3. The Early Singles (the bonus disc from the "Shine On" boxed set, apparently officially released by itself somewhere overseas)
4. The bonus disc with the deluxe version of "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn."

Do any Pink Floyd fans out there want to weigh in on the relative merits of these or any other compilations of Pink Floyd rarities? Also, exactly what previously released songs were not included on any of last month's Pink Floyd releases? Off of the top of my head, I recall that "A Collection Of Great Dance Songs" contained a re-recording of "Money" and an edited version of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".

From Amazon (where you'll also find 89 reviews):

"This compilation and "greatest hits" package has the odd distinction of being released well before the band hit its stadium-filling prime in the mid-to-late '70s. This album essentially bridges the considerable gap between original leader Syd Barrett's baroque psychedelic pop-single bent (exemplified here by the band's first chart hit "See Emily Play" and the cross-dressing mini-epic "Arnold Layne," both stellar singles left off the band's debut album) and the more ponderous musical pretensions of Roger Waters, the band's de facto leader after mental illness sidelined Barrett early on. It's a good introduction to the band's foundations for Floyd novices, and the inclusion of the early singles and two early outtakes ("Julia Dream" and "Biding My Time") make it a must for aficionados. --Jerry McCulley"

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002U0D/?tag=imwan-20

I have a question as well:

Is "The Early Singles" set the only place where you can find the songs "It Would Be So Nice" and "Point Me at the Sky" on an official commercially released Pink Floyd CD?

Unless you count the many traders compilation CDs of singles the answer is yes.

Quick guide of tracks omitted from the recent Discovery Box and where those tracks can be located. Note that I did not include alternate versions such as the re-recording of Money or other various versions.

1. Arnold Layne (Shine On/The Early Singles, Relics, Echoes, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Bonus Disc)
2. Candy and A Currant Bun (Shine On/The Early Singles, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Bonus Disc)
3. See Emily Play (Shine On/The Early Singles, Relics, Works, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Bonus Disc, Echoes, A Foot in the Door)
4. Apples and Oranges (Shine On/The Early Singles, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Bonus Disc)
5. Paintbox (Shine On/The Early Singles, Relics, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Bonus Disc)
6. It Would Be So Nice (Shine On/The Early Singles)
7. Julia Dream (Shine On/The Early Singles, Relics)
8. Point Me at the Sky (Shine On/The Early Singles)
9. Careful with that Axe, Eugene (Shine On/The Early Singles, Relics)
10. Biding My Time (Relics)
11. Embryo (Works)

The recent An Introduction to Syd Barrett compilation includes a number of those Pink Floyd early singles too.

I felt it was a major oversight that the Discovery Box come with a companion disc with all of the official missing singles/songs. Now our only hope to get these songs with new mastering (to match the rest of the catalog) is for a separate disc (perhaps an expanded Relics) to cover the missing tracks, but I doubt we'll see anything. Music labels never fail to disappoint...

Guessing the majority of this material (songs 1-7 in the above list) was held back so it could eventually become bait for consumers in a possible The Piper at the Gates of Dawn/A Saucerful of Secrets Immersion box set? Songs 8-11 held back for experience editions of More and Ummagumma?

Thank you very much. Are there any PF tracks that have never made the leap from vinyl to CD?

Or to rephrase, Music labels never fail to find a way to milk us for a few more dollars.

I believe they are getting worse with the bonus material being offered.

Once upon a time labels provided great bonus material such as The Who Deluxe Sets & The original Layla Deluxe Box, Jethro Tull 20th Anniversary Box and others from the late 1980s to about 2005 when bonus tracks became more in the minority compared to price.

Avoid the bonus disc that came with "Piper." It sounds about as eh as that release did and, besides, has fewer tracks than the Shine On bonus disc (which can be found separated from the box quite easily; either the thing was pirated like mad, or they made wayyy more than they ever intended to box, or both).

In the latest Uncut (at least the one I got from B&N a few weeks back) there were a few things in the Nick Mason article which seemed to contradict previous things he has said regarding unreleased material. The article indicated that there were acceptable tapes of the Animal tour, whereas I thought NIck said specifically on his Sirius interview / call-in show that the band specifically did not tape either the WYWH (75) or Animals tour. Also, something was mentioned about an unreleased ambient album that was produced around the time of A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Has any one heard about that one. And yes, it sounds like there will be an Immersion edition of Piper at The Gates of Dawn, given the amount of early Floyd stuff Mason mentioned.

I would not be surprised at all if Thw Wall Immersion Box is the last thing you will ever see in this series of remasters.

Looking at my iTunes Pink Floyd playlist I see that there is some need for Relics and Works. An inexpensive used copy of Relics will get you the following singles/rarities; Arnold Layne (Mono), See Emily Play (Mono), Paintbox (Stereo), Julia Dream, Careful With That Axe Eugene and Biding MyTime.

I also bought a used copy of Works and recall theat I originally added two tracks to my PF playlist but eventually deleted "Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict." Only "Embryo" has made the cut to stay on the playlist. By the way, Works has some wonky fake stereo versions of Arnold Layne and See Emily Play that are pretty bad.

It appears that used prices on Relics and Works have gone up but you can still acquire them from Amazon for under $15 shipped.

I don't have any experience with The Early Singles or the second Piper disc so I will defer to others on them.

Cheers,

I certainly think that sales for anything after The Wall would be minimal (with the possible exception of a 3 or 4 disc Pulse).

The most recent issue of Sound+Vision magazine has an interview with Nick Mason (who seems to be the only member of PF doing press for these releases) in which he makes statements that leads the reader to conclude that there are no other Immersion Editions being readied for future release after The Wall. They are merely considering them.

It doesn't seem as though Pink Floyd would be one of those bands that would have a bunch of unreleased studio material stashed away in the proverbial vault, which makes sense--I can't imagine them cutting multiple full band takes, or simply jamming away with the tape rolling. I would imagine that they would more likely have quite a bit of solo demo material such as that found on the 6th DSOTM Immersion disc. I'm just guessing though--I could be wrong.

Release "Vegetable Man"!!

Release "Scream Thy Last Scream and The Final Cut alternate single edits as well" !!

I would very much love to see/hear an Immersion box set of "Animals," even without the unlikely unreleased songs or studio jamming. Between the original album remastered, surround sound mixes, the live concert from Oakland (which I have on a very good sounding bootleg), and cool packaging based on the original album sleeve, they would have my money. Plus, I'm sure Roger must have demos of all the songs (although demos of "Pigs On The Wing" probably sound exactly like the album versions). And is there any high-quality video footage from that era?