Pink Floyd

Oh By the Way - Capitol Records Long time Fort Myers hipster turned New York City hipster Todd Brooks once told me that Pink Floyd is the most successful cult band ever. Whenever I listen to Pink Floyd, I think about how Brooks hit that nail on the head. Oh By the Way is a new Pink Floyd box set containing faithful CD reproductions of the their original vinyl studio albums. It uses original artwork, gatefold LP-style covers and dust sleeves, as well as a new poster and more. From the first track on their first album, "Astronomy Domine," through the end of their last, Division Bell, Pink Floyd's songs rarely clocked in at under four minutes. Many songs bleed into others, making them frustrating for radio programmers and disc jockeys. It's not exactly what a pop group with an eye toward making hit records and getting airplay would do. A lot of fans have the albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall so embedded into the grey matter that they can call up tracks in their minds without having to pull out the discs. But many of them have never listened to The Piper At The Gates of Dawn (my personal favorite) or the wonderful psychedelic folk song "Fearless" from the album Meddle. Packaged beautifully, Oh By the Way is also an excellent opportunity for any fan to just get it over with and hear what they may have missed. The late comedian Mitch Hedberg said that a severed foot is a perfect stocking stuffer. But if you have trouble finding one of those, Oh By the Way may be the next best thing

Bob Jones is founder of Silver Platter CDs EST1998 in Fort Myers. For info or to suggest music, email recordreviews@comcast.net