OH BY THE WAY...

Santa was a nice chap this Christmas, leaving this little duesy in my sock (which is now unwearable, after being turned into a huge square sock). What we have here is the latest offering from the money machine that is Pink Floyd, the 40th Aniversary Boxset, which includes every studio albums released by the band. Certainly, a piece of their catalogue likely to be ignored by the age-old Floyd fan, who already hasall those albums and probably more. So, musically, what do we have here? Well, every CD is the latest available version of the record, which includes the 2003 mix of Dark Side of the Moon, the 2004 mix of The Final Cut, and the 2007 remaster of Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. There is nothing new in here, singles, outcuts, unheard tracks, etc... No extra disc with documentary material or whatever. Just the 14 studio albums of the band. Is that enough to get you to spend the 150£/200? it costs? Probably not.

So how does one make this boxset sell? The marketeer answer would probably be put it in a nice package - and so they did. Inside a hard cardboard box, 14 exact replicas of the original UK vynil releases are stored. And I mean EXACT - or almost, since they are now the size of CD's (whose cover is itself a replica of the vynil centre stickers - nice touch). This includes the superb Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here packages. Again, what use is this to someone who already has these CD's or, even better, the original LP's? Absolutely none.

Apart from an aniversary poster and what seems to be two oversized coasters, there is nothing else in here. There was a DVD announced, but the idea was cut. There is no book, like there was on the Shine On boxset 15 years ago. So what good is this boxset for? Basically, it is perfect for new fans who might be interested in getting the band's catalogue all in one shot, and just as they were originally released, only updated to new times of the digital age. It is also a perfect gift. Sure I had some Floyd CD's (nealy all, actually), but I found myself cheerfully getting rid of those ugly plastic boxes, by offering them round as Christmas gifts.

So, how to rate it? This boxset is quite near to useless, and you might hate it for it. But it is visually stunning (and, it is never enough to say it, it's also musicaly stunning), and for that you might simply fall in love with it. In terms of extras, it is miles away from the much-critisized Shine On boxset.

We cannot give multiple stars to one single entry, so how to rate it? It is not a thing for completionists, however it could be so for collectors and avid fans, hence 2 stars would seem fair. But how can one neglect that inside is some 28 years of music produced by Pink Floyd? That alone is worth 5 stars in my book. So I guess I will give several scores:

New to Pink Floyd? -> 5 stars (Just get it)

Avid fan, interest in artwork? -> 4 stars (Get it and sell or give away your old CD's)

Casual fan, have some albums, want the rest? -> 3 stars (Get it and sell or give away your old CD's)

Old git with everything by Floyd? -> 2 stars (Get only if you're a nutter and must have EVERYTHING by Floyd)

Hate Floyd, no money to spend? -> 1 star (Forget it)

Since I fit in the second group, that's the score I'm giving in this review. Did I mention that I love it?

Share this PINK FLOYD review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Kotro
• Report this review (#156692)
• Buy PINK FLOYD music online with PA partners
• Show all PINK FLOYD MP3/Stream
• Go to PINK FLOYD page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Oh By The Way... page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for PINK FLOYD related discussions