Although compilations by Pink Floyd had been part of their legacy before this compilation release, there had not been a single disc compilation that accurately represented what Pink Floyd was specifically about. That changes with this 7 November 2011 release by Pink Floyd. It aims to cover exactly what Pink Floyd (both with and without the presence of Syd Barrett and Roger Waters) was about in a single disc, just as the group began remastering some of their classic songs. In just over an hour’s running time, we can hear some of the masterpieces of Pink Floyd’s lengthy career represented to millions of fans. Pink Floyd consisted of Syd Barrett (until 1968); Roger Waters (until 1985); David Gilmour (from 1968 onwards); Richard Wright and Nick Mason. Let’s jump in and listen to the artistic brilliance of Pink Floyd over the decades on a single disc compilation.

1. Hey You is an iconic track from The Wall (1979). It begins with a chorus heavy acoustic guitar, and audible bass guitar and launches into a soul-searching piece of music that sounds really great. Roger Waters sings brutally about life’s ills. At the time, the UK had just elected Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister, which was the beginning of the end of the Socialist cause in the UK. Roger Waters wishes us to ignore such a reality in the gargantuan concept album The Wall. Nonetheless, this song is a touching and moving one emotionally. The guitar solo is very moody and deep. David Gilmour proves himself to be an excellent guitarist and a master of the Fender Stratocaster. A fantastically moving song, although seemingly a little out of place for a compilation by Pink Floyd. All the same, this is a great song to listen to. Out of the context of the mammoth concept album that The Wall is, this is a little hard to get. All the same, this is a great song, period. It wraps up with the iconic lyricism and singing by Roger Waters, stating: “Together we stand, divided we fall!” which is a left-wing rally cry. Well said.

2. See Emily Play is a Syd Barrett-era song. It is a musical masterpiece of the late 1960s that is totally underrated. It begins with some awesome slide guitar and launches into an artistic and Psychedelic masterpiece that sounds truly brilliant. If this doesn’t make you smile, then Pink Floyd is not your cup of tea. A short, sweet and lovely tune that makes you want to literally become a Hippie, this is a tripped-out tune that sounds simple, melodic, enjoyable and fantastic. You can hear the brilliance of Syd Barrett throughout this song. The rest of Pink Floyd also are fantastic in this song. A real winner of a piece of songcrafted music. Totally awesome to listen to.

3. The Happiest Days Of Our Lives begins with helicopters and is from The Wall (1979). It launches into an excellent piece of music with delayed guitars throughout. This is a suspenseful and awesome listen throughout and is a cynical examination of the horrors of the school system. A dark and psychologically disturbed observation of things, with a wicked conclusion. It leads into the next tune.

4. Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2 is one of the most famous Pink Floyd songs from The Wall (1979). It is a rant against the interrogating school system, set to an awesome tune with some iconic lyrics. “We don’t need no education”, indeed. All in all, this music and singing is fantastic, with some awesome guitar parts by David Gilmour. Some schoolkids choir chanting is present as well. A winner of a tune, and something that was a hit single at the time. Illuminating the worst of the psychological experiences of the dreaded school system, this song is a fantastic listen throughout. Very, very good. In the second half is a fantastic and clean guitar solo by David Gilmour on a Gibson Les Paul with P-90 pickups. A great, great song to listen to. Wonderful to hear, even if it is a bit depressing at times to listen to. The guitar solo is fantastic throughout and the song is a quality tune. It ends with some schoolkids playing and some overdubbed vocals giving commands.

5. Have A Cigar is from the Wish You Were Here (1975) album release. It begins with some awesome guitars and bass guitar playing, launching into a great and cynical attack on the music industry bosses back in the 1970s. In fact, the situation with the music industry bosses today is far worse, to be fair. Roy Harper sings this one, and he does a great job of articulating Roger Waters penned lyrics. A fantastic and underrated song to listen to, showcasing the fact that Pink Floyd had it up to their ears with the poor treatment of musicians in the music industry. A fantastic and awesome song to listen to, with a not-so-subtle stab at rich CEOs. This sort of approach as a pseudo-political attack is less popular, but much more necessary in today’s world. Musically, it is fantastic as well. David Gilmour’s guitars sound absolutely awesome to listen to, and this is a sweet and awesome tune to listen to. Perfect for sitting down at the end of the day after your 9-5 Monday to Friday job and smoking something strong, this is a legendary song to listen to. Very funky sounding as well, this tune is very legendary to listen to. Top-notch music. A winner of a song. It is mixed into a radio speaker output at the end, before leading into the next song.

6. Wish You Were Here is the title track of the 1975 album release by Pink Floyd. It begins with some random radio music samples and launches into the song, played through a crackly radio. This song is likely devoted to Syd Barrett, who walked in on Pink Floyd making this album back in 1975. Perhaps someone tipped off Syd to do so? We will never know. The guitar playing is awesome here, and it mixes acoustic guitar strumming with slide guitar on another acoustic guitar. Fantastic, and very moving. Roger Waters sings about missing the presence of a person, probably Syd Barrett and wondering where they are now. A great song to listen to at home with headphones on, this is a fantastic song that sounds well played, constructed and very amazing to this day. A really very legendary tune with acoustic guitar melodies and emotional singing. “How I wish…How I wish you were here, we’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year…” is a sad lyrical line. Nonetheless, this is a fantastic listen throughout. Absolutely awesome to hear, and worth checking out the main album for. Brilliant.

7. Time is from The Dark Side Of The Moon album (1973). It is a shortened version segued in from the previous track and cuts out the intro to the song, unfortunately. Having said that, it still sounds great and listenable throughout. The rolling drums and other sounds present do sound really amazing throughout. It is a very forward-thinking piece of music that sounds totally awesome, emotional and pretty. Pink Floyd was a master of the iconic and Psychedelic/Progressive Rock music listening experience. Eventually, the song kicks into action and Roger Waters sings about the mundane and ordinary nature of life. A really awesome and powerful tune that has an impressive listening journey path throughout. The guitar solos by David Gilmour are life-affirming, and he plays a very great guitar solo throughout. It is a timeless and magical listening experience that is truly unforgettable throughout. This sounds mind-blowing and awesome. The vocals, textured sounds and musicianship are world-class. A really great song to listen to, this has some common observations about life and what happens as we age. A very timeless and catchy song, this song is a legendary one. Fantastic and iconic, this music is a wonderful listen. It launches back into the Breathe (In The Air) section to conclude with, and sounds tripped out and excellent with wah-wah guitar by David Gilmour and iconic lyrics and musicianship by Roger Waters and the rest of the group. It wraps up and segues into the next song.

8. The Great Gig In The Sky is the piano-based instrumental with Clare Torry’s iconic and wordless singing throughout from The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973). This is the best song about the evocation of death, which is unavoidable for all of us in life. Nonetheless, this sounds really fantastic, with voice sampling about the fact we should not fear death. Soon enough, Clare Torry gets singing in a single take with just wordless melodies that sound absolutely fantastic throughout. The music is perfect for such vocals, and this is an awe-inspiring and emotional listening experience. A really great tune to listen to and it sounds magical and moving. The vocals settle a little bit when the music gets quieter in the midsection, as this continues to evolve as a piece of music. An absolutely theatrical and divine-sounding piece of music. Pink Floyd knew how to make epic songs of fantastic proportions. Towards the end, it just has vocals and piano moving this piece along, which sounds really cool. It wraps up nicely at the end, before heading into the next song. Absolutely beautiful music, and ingenious too.

9. Money is the hit from The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973). It begins with some sounds of cash registers and coins rattling before a funky and awesome music groove enters on guitars. It launches into a marvellous and extremely catchy tune that sounds fantastic. A really lively and top song about the nature of money, and exactly how it works in the real world. A really top-notch tune, mixing a realistic concept with fantastic and catchy music. Indeed, as the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping once said: “To get rich is glorious”. Which it absolutely is. That aside, this is a truly great song to listen to and bop along to. If you need a Pink Floyd song that is poppy and fun to listen to, this is it. Dick Parry plays a saxophone solo on this song, sounding awesome and amazing throughout. A real joy to listen to, this music is sensationally good to hear. In the midsection, it launches into a fantastic set of guitar solos to kick back and hear after slaving away at your job, regardless of whether you love that job or hate it. It sounds absolutely awesome to listen to and enjoy throughout. Headbanging inducing and awesome to hear and enjoy, this is a real winner. A thoroughly sweet and adventurous tune to hear and enjoy, David Gilmour shines bright with his guitar playing throughout. Awesome to hear. It finishes up with the final verses and Roger Waters sings about the need and greed for one’s own share of cash. A fantastic song and Roger Waters clearly understood what money is about. It ends with the dialogue wrapping up the song. Sweet.

10. Comfortably Numb is the famous song about drug use by Pink Floyd from The Wall (1979). This is based on a real-life experience by Roger Waters, although many thought it was supposedly about heroin use. It’s not, but nonetheless explains the glory and experience of using drugs to relieve internal pain. Anyone who has tried an illicit drug or been hooked on any substance of any sort will certainly understand this song. It is also a very beautiful song to listen to and an absolute classic in its own right. A fantastic and visionary listening experience about dealing with substances to deal with emotional pain. The Wall itself is a fantastic album and cuts such as these songs are absolutely fantastic to hear and to listen to. The lyrics, music and sounds throughout are extremely timeless to listen to. A wonderful listen that will be relatable for many people out there. A seriously awesome tune to hear and to enjoy. The guitars in particular sound really great here and are extremely beautiful to listen to, as is the string section present. If you need a shot of Floyd, just ask Pink. This is a truly fantastic and gorgeous song that is extremely memorable throughout. Are drugs all bad? Depends on how you view it. This song articulates drug use in a positive light, all the same. Great music too, the guitar soloing at the end is truly amazing. Great job Pink Floyd. A very solidly memorable song.

11. High Hopes is from the post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd era album The Division Bell (1994). It begins with the looped sound of church bells and nature sounds. Piano enters, and this piece gets going nicely. This sounds very deep and meaningful. David Gilmour sings nicely on this song, and he brings a different sound for Pink Floyd, minus Roger Waters. A really cool and interesting song that is quite underrated in its own way, being a seven-minute-long epic. A fantastic listen throughout, this music is sweet and enjoyable. The music present is seriously cool, and this tune is a golden winner for what it is. A really lovely and inspired piece of music, although this is a bit out of place on this compilation. It is indeed a good song, but something more representative of Pink Floyd could have been here. The acoustic guitar and marching drums sound truly cool, though. In the midsection of this song, it goes back into the piano and church bells that sound really great. David Gilmour sounds extremely inspired and artistic on this tune. A really awesome and emotionally moving tune, this easily could be placed onto a film of sorts. A fantastic tune to listen to, this has a sweet slide guitar solo as we approach the end of this album. A great tune to enjoy. Very, very awesome to hear. A deeply emotional listen throughout. Very cool and heartwarming. A great song, period, to listen to. It fades out at the end with church bells chiming.

12. Learning To Fly is from A Momentary Lapse Of Reason (1987) release. This is a fantastic but very dated 1980s-sounding tune from the start. It has layers of fantastic drumming, keyboards galore and David Gilmour singing away very well on this song. A really top and awesome tune to listen to, this has a very awesome chorus. This is a song based on the fact that David Gilmour took lessons to fly aeroplanes as a pilot. Yes, you read correctly. This music is absolutely wonderful and anyone with ears will love this glorious and positive tune. A really cool listen, there are some mock vocal samples stating flight conditions as well. A really fantastic and inspired tune to hear and enjoy, this music indeed has some extraordinary and joyous power to it all. This isn’t as consistent or as solid as other earlier Pink Floyd songs, but this is easily forgivable. David Gilmour sings with treated vocals the verses in the second half, and Pink Floyd excels with the Psychedelic/Progressive Rock experience at hand. A truly enjoyable song, and worth your time, even if this isn’t the greatest Pink Floyd tune ever. It ends with a sweet guitar solo and fades out.

13. The Fletcher Memorial Home begins with some evocative vocals by Roger Waters and launches into a tune from The Final Cut (1983) which was a deep and scathing attack on Thatcherism of the 1980s. Depending on who you talk to, Margaret Thatcher was either a hero or an evil person, depending on who you chat to about her politics. It is a rather Orwellian-sounding listen about the nature of evil power, and how it is used and abused in modern life. Thatcher may have been against the so-called “social contract”, which Pink Floyd disliked, but we have more evil politicians today on both the left and right of politics than her. That is the sad reality of things. This song is about murder and other evils that politicians in power do. The second half is a loud and punchy Rock jam that sounds really great. David Gilmour solos away in a fantastic sense, and the parent album is also worth revisiting for Pink Floyd fans. A really awesome and fantastic listen that has barely aged, but an oddity on this compilation for sure. It wraps up after four minutes. Different.

14. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-5) begins with some iconic keyboards and is the opening track from Wish You Were Here (1975), and is devoted in its own way to Syd Barrett, their original band member. This sounds extremely moving and beautiful, with some incredibly iconic sounds and playing from Pink Floyd. The music present is sensational good. David Gilmour plays some lovely Fender Stratocaster licks for us all to hear, and he is truly the king of anti-shred melodic guitar players. A really fantastic listen from the start, and something incredibly gorgeous and suspenseful. A really great and solid winner of a tune, this is obviously an intelligent and amazing exploration into the deep journey of sound. The music gets quiet for a little bit, just before the iconic four-note guitar riff occurs. A really awesome and great tune to listen to, this gradually repeats and builds up with drums. A seriously fantastic and emotional listening experience to hear, Pink Floyd at their best understood how to make truly wonderful and beautiful music. A killer tune with a deep and emotional vibe, the mixture of sturdy drumming by Nick Mason, David Gilmour’s guitar soloing and Richard Wright’s excellent keyboards, with Roger Waters thumping bass make for a wicked combination musically. This sounds very fantastic. The midsection is a little quieter, but it sounds great with the latest and greatest electronic keyboards of the time sounding marvellous. In any case, the music present is a golden moment for Pink Floyd. It quickly moves into the song section, with Roger Waters singing nicely about the memory and desire for the presence of their old friend, Syd Barrett. This is extremely moving, and accurate about their once prominent band leader and friend. A logical and heartfelt ode to the great Syd Barrett, this is an absolute winner of a song. David Gilmour’s guitar playing is extremely sweet in this song. A really iconic and glorious song to listen to. For this song’s length, this never gets dull or boring throughout. A fantastic listen, Syd Barrett turned up at Abbey Road studios whilst Pink Floyd was recording this song, an eerie coincidence. Dick Parry plays a gorgeous saxophone solo over the top of the outro of this Pink Floyd classic. If you haven’t heard this song, do listen to this right now. The outro is solid gold music and sounds truly beautiful throughout. This piece of music is thoroughly fantastic. Worth every moment. It fades out with a squealing saxophone at the end. Awesome.

15. Brain Damage begins with chiming guitars and is cut from The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973). It discusses the fact that, at heart, we are all lunatics in this life. A great and iconic song about the fact we all have some weird and unusual about ourselves, set to a great music backing, this is a gorgeous and iconic song that sounds absolutely awesome. The chorus is fantastic and has some great female vocal singers to mix in with this song. A really top tune about madness itself, this is extraordinarily great to hear. All of us experience a form of madness at some point in our lives, and this song points that out. Nonetheless, a great song. “I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon…” indeed. A great and timelessly iconic song to listen to. It wraps up with repeated guitar figures, sampled conversation and spacey keyboards. Sweet, it segues into the last song of the compilation.

16. Eclipse is the final piece of this compilation and also on The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973). It begins with an extraordinary organ sound and is absolutely great. It has some simple and life-affirming lyrics, matched with a tasty concoction of sounds. Pink Floyd defines the Psychedelic/Progressive Rock experience better than any other group in existence. This song confirms that, and this is a good way to conclude a decent compilation. Nonetheless, a wonderful listen. It finishes with the sound of a heartbeat and a sampled voice, stating: “There is no Dark Side Of The Moon really, as a matter of fact, it’s all dark…”

This is a good compilation, but unfortunately, it isn’t perfect. It does have some brilliant songs on it, but having said that, the song choices feel like a rushed compromise and also, some of the tracks could have been replaced with better songs. No compilation will ever do Pink Floyd justice, having said that. This is still worth listening to though, but all the same, you’d be a bit better off doing a bit of research into the different Pink Floyd albums, particularly starting with The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973). Still, should you listen to this compilation? If you are up for it, go ahead but just bear in mind, this is not the best way to experience Pink Floyd.

A good but flawed choice of tracks.

7/10