Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd

Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
Greatest hits album by Pink Floyd
Released 5 November 2001
Recorded 1967–1994
Genre Progressive rock, psychedelic rock
Length 2:35:23
2:35:13 (vinyl version)
Label
Producer James Guthrie, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd chronology
Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81
(2000)		 Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
(2001)		 Oh, by the Way
(2007)

Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd is the fourth compilation album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 5 November 2001 by EMI internationally and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart on 24 November 2001, with sales of 214,650 copies.[1] It remained on the chart for 26 weeks.[2] The album was certified Gold, Platinum and Double Platinum on 6 December 2001 in the US by the RIAA. It was certified Triple Platinum in the US on 8 January 2002, and Quadruple Platinum on 10 September 2007.

Contents

The compilation spans the career of Pink Floyd from their first single "Arnold Layne" in 1967, through to "High Hopes", the final track from their 1994 studio album The Division Bell. Four of their albums—More, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother and Obscured by Clouds—are not represented whatsoever, though multiple tracks from Atom Heart Mother[3] and Ummagumma were planned to appear on the compilation. Each of the 26 tracks fades from one to the next with no break in the music, courtesy of longtime producer/engineer James Guthrie, to help recreate the concept album feel of the band's mid-period work. All 26 tracks were newly remastered specifically for this compilation and are not sequenced in chronological order.

The band's longtime guitarist, David Gilmour, said of the process of compiling the tracks themselves:

There’s been the occasional phone call but no great brainstorming sessions to get us all together. All our stuff [is] conducted through our engineer James Guthrie, who coordinated Echoes from his place in Lake Tahoe.[3]

Roger Waters's main contribution was the name of the compilation. "I had to, because the name the boys came up with was so awful. What was it? 'Sum of the Parts'. See what I mean?"[4]

Cover

Storm Thorgerson, who had done the majority of album covers for Pink Floyd, did the Echoes art which features recursive windows in an infinite regression as a nod to his own cover for 1969's Ummagumma, and the objects on each landscape refer to the Pink Floyd discography. For instance, there's the man on fire from Wish You Were Here, another wearing the Delicate Sound of Thunder lightbulb suit, dolls of the Atom Heart Mother cow and the Animals pig, a bike and both a brick wall and the hammers from The Wall. Eventually Thorgerson opted to make two images, with another used for the back cover. To create the idea on a photograph, various walls - which had varied measurements and angles to ensure that "nothing seemed to fit other than by eye through the lens." - were built and put in a country landscape in Sussex. Actors, props and fittings were set in and between those walls.[5] The original design was one of two sketches submitted for Dream Theater's 1997 album Falling into Infinity, with the original being framed and hanging in the home of former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy and is pointed out by Portnoy in his Hudson Music instructional drum DVD In Constant Motion.[6]

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]

Echoes is Floyd's first album to include "When the Tigers Broke Free", from the film version of The Wall (the song reappeared on a 2004 rerelease of The Final Cut in a slightly remixed form). It was their first compilation to includes songs from The Final Cut, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell and is the only one to include "Echoes", from 1971's Meddle.

With first-week sales of 215,000 – beating their previous first-week peak of 198,000 for Pulse – the album hit number two on the Billboard 200, behind Britney Spears' Britney (746,000).[8]

A week after the band's one-off reunion at Live 8, HMV said sales of Echoes rose by 1343%.[9]

Track listing

"We’ve been arguing about it [track selection] since May. Nick sent us a list right at the beginning, then he seemed to lose interest. Rick never seemed to want to get involved in it. It wandered along rather fitfully until recently, when I thought I'd better work out what we should be trying to do with it, whether we should try and represent every album or not, and on what basis we should be choosing songs. In the end we had to get everyone to vote on a list. (...) I agree [that most of the songs seemed to have picked themselves]. When I look at it, it's bloody obvious really. It's amazing how long the process has been getting it sorted out."

— David Gilmour, [3]

CD version

Disc one

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Astronomy Domine" (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967))Syd BarrettBarrett, Richard Wright4:10
2."See Emily Play" ("See Emily Play" single (1967), with an early cut-off; appears on 1971 Relics (1971), and 1967 US/Japan versions of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn)BarrettBarrett2:47
3."The Happiest Days of Our Lives" (The Wall (1979))Roger WatersWaters1:38
4."Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" (The Wall)WatersDavid Gilmour, Waters4:01
5."Echoes" (Edited version; Meddle (1971))Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Nick MasonGilmour, Wright16:30
6."Hey You" (The Wall)WatersGilmour, Waters4:39
7."Marooned" (First half only; The Division Bell (1994))Gilmour, WrightInstrumental2:02
8."The Great Gig in the Sky" (The Dark Side of the Moon (1973))Wright, Clare TorryTorry4:40
9."Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (A Saucerful of Secrets (1968))WatersWaters5:20
10."Money" (The Dark Side of the Moon)WatersGilmour6:29
11."Keep Talking" (Early fade-out; The Division Bell)Gilmour, Wright, Polly SamsonGilmour5:57
12."Sheep" (Early fade-out; Animals)WatersWaters9:46
13."Sorrow" (A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987))GilmourGilmour8:45
Total length:76:44

Disc two

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1–7)" (Edited version; Wish You Were Here (1975))Gilmour, Waters, WrightWaters17:32
2."Time" (includes "Breathe (In the Air) (Reprise)"; The Dark Side of the Moon)Gilmour, Waters, Wright, MasonGilmour, Wright6:48
3."The Fletcher Memorial Home" (The Final Cut (1983))WatersWaters4:07
4."Comfortably Numb" (includes the coda of "Bring the Boys Back Home"; The Wall)Gilmour, WatersGilmour, Waters6:53
5."When the Tigers Broke Free" (The Wall film soundtrack (1982), also on remasters of The Final Cut since 2004)WatersWaters3:42
6."One of These Days" (Meddle, edited version)Gilmour, Waters, Wright, MasonInstrumental, with spoken words by Mason5:15
7."Us and Them" (Edited ending, The Dark Side of the Moon)Waters, WrightGilmour, Wright7:51
8."Learning to Fly" (A Momentary Lapse of Reason)Gilmour, Anthony Moore, Bob Ezrin, Jon CarinGilmour4:50
9."Arnold Layne" ("Arnold Layne" single (1967); appears on Relics)BarrettBarrett2:52
10."Wish You Were Here" (Early fade-out; Wish You Were Here)Gilmour, WatersGilmour5:21
11."Jugband Blues" (A Saucerful of Secrets)BarrettBarrett2:56
12."High Hopes" (Edited version; The Division Bell)Gilmour, SamsonGilmour6:59
13."Bike" (with bell intro; The Piper at the Gates of Dawn)BarrettBarrett3:24
Total length:78:30

Vinyl version

Rejected songs

According to James Guthrie, the following songs were considered for inclusion:[10]

Credits

Pink Floyd
  • Syd Barrett – guitar and lead vocals on "Astronomy Domine", "See Emily Play", "Arnold Layne", "Jugband Blues" and "Bike"; guitar on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun".
  • Roger Waters – bass guitar, rhythm guitar on "Sheep", tape effects, lead vocals on "The Happiest Days of Our Lives", "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II", "Hey You", "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", "Sheep", "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", "Comfortably Numb", "The Fletcher Memorial Home", "When the Tigers Broke Free", backing vocals.
  • David Gilmour – guitars; fretless bass guitar on "Hey You"; bass guitar on "Sheep", "High Hopes", and "One Of These Days"; keyboards; drum programming on "Sorrow", lead vocals on "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II", "Echoes", "Hey You", "Money", "Keep Talking", "Sorrow", "Time", "Comfortably Numb", "Us and Them", "Learning to Fly", "Wish You Were Here", "High Hopes", backing vocals.
  • Richard Wright – keyboards, organ, piano, synthesizers, clavinet, co-lead vocals on "Astronomy Domine", "Echoes", "Time", "Us and Them", backing vocals.
  • Nick Mason – drums, percussion, tape effects, vocalisations on "One of These Days"
Additional personnel
  • Sam Brown – backing vocals on "Keep Talking"
  • Jon Carin – keyboards on "Marooned", "Keep Talking", "Learning to Fly" and "High Hopes"
  • Lesley Duncan – backing vocals on "Time" and "Us and Them"
  • Venetta Fields – backing vocals on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
  • Donnie Gerard – backing vocals on "Sorrow" and "Learning to Fly"
  • James Guthrie – remastering, percussion on "The Happiest Days of Our Lives"
  • Islington Green School – choir on "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)"
  • Michael Kamen – orchestrations
  • Carol Kenyon – backing vocals on "Keep Talking"
  • Darlene Koldenhaven – backing vocals on "Sorrow" and "Learning to Fly"
  • Tony Levin – bass guitar on "Learning to Fly"
  • Durga McBroom – backing vocals on "Keep Talking"
  • Dick Parry – saxophones on "Money", "Us and Them", and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
  • Pontarddulais Male Voice Choir led by Noel Davis – choir on "When the Tigers Broke Free"
  • Guy Pratt – bass guitar on "Marooned" and "Keep Talking"
  • The Salvation Army (The International Staff Band) on "Jugband Blues":
    • Ray Bowes (cornet)
    • Terry Camsey (cornet)
    • Mac Carter (trombone)
    • Les Condon (E♭ bass)
    • Maurice Cooper (euphonium)
    • Ian Hankey (trombone)
    • George Whittingham (B♭ bass)
    • One other uncredited musician
  • Phyllis St. James – backing vocals on "Sorrow" and "Learning to Fly"
  • Barry St. John – backing vocals on "Time" and "Us and Them"
  • Liza Strike – backing vocals on "Time" and "Us and Them"
  • Storm Thorgerson – cover design
  • Clare Torry – vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky"
  • Doris Troy – backing vocals on "Time" and "Us and Them"
  • Carmen Twillie – backing vocals on "Sorrow" and "Learning to Fly"
  • Gary Wallis – percussion on "Keep Talking"
  • Carlena Williams – backing vocals on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"

Charts and certifications

References

  1. ↑ Stephen M. Silverman (15 November 2001). "Britney Spears Upsets Michael Jackson". People. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  2. ↑ Joel Whitburn Presents The Billboard Albums, 6th Edition, Joel Whitburn, ed., 2006, p. 820.
  3. 1 2 3 "Have Pink Floyd Split Up?". Mojo Magazine. October 2001. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  4. ↑ "London Times Interview". Rogerwaters.org. 2001-11-09. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  5. ↑ Thorgerson, Storm. "The Visuals". Pink Floyd. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
  6. ↑ "Mike Portnoy: In Constant Motion DVD". Hudson Music. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Zac (2011). "Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd - Pink Floyd | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  8. ↑ "'Echoes' to be Floyd's final cut?". Classic Rock #36. January 2002. p. 15.
  9. ↑ Manning, Toby (2006). "Which One's Pink?". The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd (1st ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 150. ISBN 1-84353-575-0.
  10. ↑ Guthrie, James. "James Guthrie: Audio: Building A Compilation Album". Pink Floyd. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  15. ↑ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "Pink Floyd: Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 45, 2001". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  21. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  22. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  23. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  24. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  25. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Pink Floyd – Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  28. ↑ "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  29. ↑ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  30. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2001". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  32. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Certification – April 2002". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  33. ↑ "Danish album certifications". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 11 January 2013. Click on næste to go to page 50 if certification is from the official website.
  34. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards Q4 2007". IFPI. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  35. ↑ "French album certifications" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  36. ↑ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Bundesverband Musikindustrie (IFPI.DE). Retrieved 8 August 2011. Enter "Pink Floyd" in the "Interpret" field
  37. ↑ "Greek Albums Chart". IFPI Greece. 28 February 2002. Archived from the original on 28 February 2002. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  38. ↑ "Italian Certifications". FIMI. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  39. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  40. ↑ "Złote CD (2002)". ZPAV. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  41. ↑ "El post de las certificaciones en España: Todos los Oros y Platinos". Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  42. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards 2001". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  43. ↑ "BPI certified awards search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2011. Enter "Pink Floyd" in the "Search" field.
  44. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - July 03, 2009". www.riaa.com. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
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