The Early Years 1965–1972 is a box set that compiles early recordings by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 11 November 2016. It was released by Pink Floyd Records with distribution held by Warner Music for the UK and Europe and Sony Music for the rest of the world.
The box set comprises seven volumes over 33 discs, including CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and vinyl records, plus memorabilia including photos, posters and tour programmes. It contains early non-album singles plus unreleased studio and live recordings. Although Volumes 1–6 have been available individually since 24 March 2017, Volume 7 – 1967–1972: Continu/ation, remains exclusive to the set. A two-CD compilation, The Early Years 1967–1972: Cre/ation, was also released.
Due to an error, a CD edition of Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii was also included in the box set in place of the 2016 mix of Obscured by Clouds which was placed inside the set in a cardboard wallet at the last moment. The standalone edition of 1972: Obfusc/ation contains both CDs as standard.
In 2019, a number of Blu-ray discs in the set began to fail due to manufacturing defects. Warner Music and Pink Floyd announced a recall programme on 1 October 2019, which ran until 1 January 2020.
Contents Volume 1: 1965–1967: Cambridge St/ation Track listing:
Disc one (CD) – studio recordings from 1965 to 1967
1965 recordings: "Lucy Leave" – 2:57 "Double O Bo" – 2:57 "Remember Me" – 2:46 "Walk with Me Sydney" – 3:11 "Butterfly" – 3:00 "I'm a King Bee" – 3:13
1966–1967 recordings: "Arnold Layne" – 2:57 "See Emily Play" – 2:55 "Apples and Oranges" – 3:05 "Candy and a Currant Bun" – 2:45 "Paintbox" – 3:48 "Matilda Mother" (alternative version) (2010 mix) – 4:01 "Jugband Blues" (2010 mix) – 3:01 "In the Beechwoods" (instrumental) (2010 mix) – 4:43 "Vegetable Man" (2010 mix) – 2:32 "Scream Thy Last Scream" (2010 mix) – 4:43
Tracks 1–6 were recorded as The Tea Set around Christmas 1964.
Tracks 1–11 are mono.Tracks 12–16 are stereo.Tracks 1–6 saw a limited release in 2015, first time available on CD.Tracks 7–8 & 12 were previously released on An Introduction to Syd Barrett (2010).Tracks 13–16 are previously unreleased.
Disc two (CD) – Live in Stockholm and John Latham sessions
Live in Stockholm 1967: "Introduction" – 0:25 "Reaction in G" – 7:18 "Matilda Mother" – 5:34 "Pow R. Toc H." – 11:56 "Scream Thy Last Scream" – 4:00 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" – 7:17 "See Emily Play" – 3:16 "Interstellar Overdrive" – 8:57
Live in Stockholm has barely audible vocals, rendering the performance almost completely instrumental. It was mastered for this release with the stereo channels out of phase and a silent gap mistakenly inserted. The original recording is ambient, so it is of lower fidelity than a typical live release.
John Latham studio recordings 1967: "John Latham Version 1" – 4:32 "John Latham Version 2" – 5:06 "John Latham Version 3" – 3:45 "John Latham Version 4" – 2:59 "John Latham Version 5" – 2:48 "John Latham Version 6" – 3:17 "John Latham Version 7" – 2:36 "John Latham Version 8" – 2:49 "John Latham Version 9" – 2:38
The John Latham recordings are of one long extended improvisational piece split across nine tracks, it is similar to that of the extended improvisation often played during the middle section of "Interstellar Overdrive". The piece was recorded as the soundtrack for Latham's 1962 film Speak.
Tracks 1–8 recorded live 10 September 1967 at Gyllene Cirkeln, Stockholm, Sweden.Tracks 9–17 recorded at De Lane Lea Studios, London, 20 October 1967.
Disc three (DVD / Blu-ray) "Chapter 24" (Syd Barrett, Live, Cambridgeshire, 1966) / (Live at EMI Studios, London, 1967) – 3:40 "Recording Interstellar Overdrive and Nick's Boogie" (London, 1967) – 6:36 "Interstellar Overdrive: Scene – Underground" (London, 1967) – 4:15 "Arnold Layne: promo video" (Wittering Beach, 1967) – 2:54 "Pow R. Toc H. / Astronomy Domine: plus Syd Barrett & Roger Waters interview: BBC The Look Of The Week" (BBC Studios, London, 1967) – 9:22 "The Scarecrow" (Pathé Pictorial, UK, 1967) – 2:05 "Jugband Blues: London Line promo video" (London, 1967) – 2:58 "Apples & Oranges: plus Dick Clark interview" (Live, Los Angeles, 1967) – 4:51 "Instrumental Improvisation" (BBC Tomorrow's World, London, 1967) – 2:11 "Instrumental Improvisation" (Live, London, 1967) – 4:32 "See Emily Play: BBC Top Of The Pops" (Partially restored BBC Studios, London, 1967) – 2:55 "The Scarecrow (outtakes)" (Pathé Pictorial, UK, 1967) – 2:07 "Interstellar Overdrive" (Live, London, 1967) – 9:33
Personnel:
The Tea Set (The 1965 recordings): Syd Barrett – lead vocals, guitars Bob Klose – guitars Nick Mason – drums, percussion Roger Waters – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on bridge of "Walk With Me Sydney" Richard Wright – keyboards with: Juliette Gale – vocals on "Walk with Me Sydney"
Production: David Gilmour – supervision of 2010 mixes.
Pink Floyd (1966 onwards): Syd Barrett – lead vocals, guitars Nick Mason – drums, percussion, lead vocals on "Scream Thy Last Scream" Roger Waters – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" Richard Wright – keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Matilda Mother" and "Paintbox"
Volume 2: 1968: Germin/ation Track listing:
Disc one (CD) – studio recordings from 1968; BBC Sessions from 1968
Tracks taken from the "Point Me at the Sky" and "It Would Be So Nice" 7-inch singles: "Point Me at the Sky" – 3:40 "It Would Be So Nice" – 3:46 "Julia Dream" – 2:34 "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" – 5:46 Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, 22 August 1968: "Song 1" – 3:18 "Roger's Boogie" – 4:35
BBC Radio Session, 25 June 1968 "Murderotic Woman (Careful with That Axe, Eugene)" – 3:38 "The Massed Gadgets of Hercules (A Saucerful of Secrets)" – 7:18 "Let There Be More Light" – 4:32 "Julia Dream" – 2:50
BBC Radio Session, 20 December 1968 "Point Me at the Sky" – 4:25 "Embryo" – 3:13 "Interstellar Overdrive" – 9:37
Tracks 5–13 previously unreleased.
Disc two (DVD / Blu-ray)
‘Tienerklanken’, Brussels, Belgium, 19 February 1968 "Astronomy Domine" – 4:16 "The Scarecrow" – 2:03 "Corporal Clegg" – 2:56 "Paintbox" – 3:42 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" – 5:02 "See Emily Play" – 2:47 "Bike" – 1:49
'Vibrato', Brussels, Belgium, February 1968 "Apples and Oranges" – 3:03
'Bouton Rouge', Paris, France, 20 February 1968 "Astronomy Domine" – 2:45 "Flaming" – 2:43 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" – 4:31 "Let There Be More Light" – 3:45
'Discorama', Paris, France, 21 February 1968 "Paintbox" – 3:40
'The Sound of Change', London, UK, 26 March 1968 "Instrumental Improvisation" – 2:15
'All My Loving, London, UK, 28 March 1968 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" – 2:40
'Release-Rome Goes Pop', Rome, Italy, April 1968 "It Would Be So Nice (excerpt)" – 1:21
'Pop 68', Rome, Italy, 6 May 1968 "Interstellar Overdrive" – 6:59
'Tienerklanken – Kastival', Kasterlee, Belgium, 31 August 1968 "Astronomy Domine" – 3:26 "Roger Waters interview" – 0:22
'Samedi et Compagnie', Paris, France, 6 September 1968 "Let There Be More Light – 3:11 "Remember a Day" – 2:42
'A L'Affiche du Monde', London, UK, 1968 "Let There Be More Light" – 1:53
'Tous en Scène', Paris, France, 31 October 1968 "Let There Be More Light" – 3:44 "Flaming" – 3:03
'Surprise Partie', Paris, France, 1 November 1968 "Let There Be More Light" – 6:35
Restored promo video, UK, 1968 "Point Me at the Sky" – 3:19
Personnel: Syd Barrett – guitars, lead vocals (appears on audio only of Tienerklanken’, Brussels, Belgium, 18–19 February 1968, as the band are miming to the original tracks) David Gilmour – guitars, lead vocals Nick Mason – drums, percussion, lead vocals on "Corporal Clegg" Roger Waters – bass, lead vocals on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and "Roger's Boogie" Richard Wright – keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on "It Would Be So Nice", "Paintbox", "Let There Be More Light" and "Remember a Day"
with: John Peel – DJ for the BBC Sessions
Volume 3: 1969: Dramatis/ation Track listing:
Disc one (CD) – More non-album tracks, BBC sessions and live in Amsterdam
More non-album tracks: "Hollywood" (non-album track) – 1:21 "Theme" (beat version) (alternative version) – 5:38 "More Blues" (alternative version) – 3:49 (despite being named "alternative version", it is actually an extended version of the track which appears on the album, More.) "Seabirds" (non-album track) – 4:20 (despite being named "Seabirds", this is not the song "Seabirds" which appears in the film but is actually an alternative form of "Quicksilver" from the More album.) Other tracks: "Embryo" – 4:43
BBC Radio Session, 12 May 1969: "Grantchester Meadows" – 3:46 "Cymbaline" – 3:38 "The Narrow Way" – 4:48 "Green Is the Colour" – 3:21 "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" – 3:26
Live at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, 9 August 1969: "Interstellar Overdrive" – 4:20 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" – 12:25 "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" – 10:09 "A Saucerful of Secrets" – 13:03
Tracks 1–4; 6–14 previously unreleased. Track 5 previously released on the Harvest Records sampler LP, Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air (1970) and on the compilation album, Works (1983).
Disc two (CD) – The Man and The Journey live Amsterdam, 17 September 1969
Part 1, The Man: "Daybreak" ("Grantchester Meadows") – 8:14 "Work" – 4:12 "Afternoon" ("Biding My Time") – 6:39 "Doing It" – 3:54 "Sleeping" – 4:38 "Nightmare" ("Cymbaline") – 9:15 "Labyrinth" – 1:10
Part 2, The Journey: "The Beginning" ("Green Is the Colour") – 3:25 "Beset by Creatures of the Deep" ("Careful with That Axe, Eugene") – 6:27 "The Narrow Way, Part 3" – 5:11 "The Pink Jungle" ("Pow R. Toc H.") – 4:56 "The Labyrinths of Auximines" – 3:20 "Footsteps" / "Doors" – 3:12 "Behold the Temple of Light" – 5:32 "The End of the Beginning (A Saucerful of Secrets)" – 6:31
Tracks 1–15 previously unreleased.
Disc three (DVD/Blu-ray)
Forum Musiques, Paris, France, 22 January 1969 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" – 6:31 David Gilmour interview (in French) – 1:18 "A Saucerful of Secrets" – 12:03
The Man and The Journey: Royal Festival Hall, London, rehearsal, 14 April 1969 "Afternoon" ("Biding My Time") – 4:22 "The Beginning" ("Green Is the Colour") – 2:55 "Cymbaline" – 2:59 "Beset by Creatures of the Deep" ("Careful with That Axe, Eugene") – 0:50 "The End of the Beginning" ("A Saucerful of Secrets") – 3:06
Essencer Pop & Blues Festival, Essen, Germany, October 11, 1969 "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" – 6:19 "A Saucerful of Secrets" – 14:22
Music Power & European Music Revolution, Festival Actuel Amougies Mont de L'Enclus, Belgium, 25 October 1969 "Green Is the Colour" – 4:36 "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" – 10:07 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" – 11:54 "Interstellar Overdrive" (with Frank Zappa) – 11:26
Personnel: Pink Floyd David Gilmour – lead vocals, guitars Nick Mason – drums, percussion Roger Waters – bass, lead vocals on "Afternoon", "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and "Grantchester Meadows", Spanish guitar on "Grantchester Meadows" Richard Wright – keyboards, backing vocals, trombone on "Afternoon"
with Frank Zappa – guitar on "Interstellar Overdrive"
Volume 4: 1970: Devi/ation Track listing:
Disc one (CD) "Atom Heart Mother" (Live at the Casino de Montreux, 21 November 1970) – 17:58
BBC Radio Session, 16 July 1970: "Embryo" – 10:13 "Fat Old Sun" – 5:52 "Green Is the Colour" – 3:27 "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" – 8:25 "If" – 5:47 "Atom Heart Mother" (with choir, cello & brass ensemble) – 25:30
Tracks 1–7 previously unreleased.
Disc two (CD)
Previously unreleased tracks from the Zabriskie Point soundtrack recordings: "On the Highway" – 1:16 "Auto Scene, Version 2" – 1:13 "Auto Scene, Version 3" – 1:31 "Aeroplane" – 2:18 "Explosion" ("Careful With That Axe, Eugene") – 5:47 "The Riot Scene" – 1:40 "Looking at Map" – 1:57 "Love Scene, Version 7" – 5:03