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	155:15
Language	English
Label	EMI
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 a compilation album by Pink Floyd. It was released by EMI Records in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2001 and the following day in the United States through Capitol Records. It debuted at number 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]

Cover

Storm Thorgerson, best known for creating the majority of album covers for Pink Floyd, worked with the band Dream Theater on their 1997 album Falling into Infinity and submitted to the band two sketches for possible covers. One became the cover that was used on the release. The second ended up being used by Pink Floyd for Echoes four years later. The two original sketches are 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.^[4]

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[5]

Echoes is the first album released on Compact Disc that includes "When the Tigers Broke Free", which appeared in the film version of Pink Floyd—The Wall (the song later appeared on the 2004 re-release of The Final Cut in a slightly re-mixed form). It is the first compilation that includes songs from their previous three albums—The Final Cut, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell—and is also the only compilation album so far that includes "Echoes" from the 1971 album Meddle. A week after the band's one-off reunion at Live 8, HMV said the sales of Echoes rose by 1343%.^[6]

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, its bloody obvious really. It's amazing how long the process has been getting it sorted out."

— David Gilmour, ^[3]

CD version

Disc one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Astronomy Domine" (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967))	Syd Barrett	Barrett, Richard Wright	4:10
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)	Barrett	Barrett	2:47
3.	"The Happiest Days of Our Lives" (The Wall (1979))	Roger Waters	Waters	1:38
4.	"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" (The Wall)	Waters	David Gilmour, Waters	4:01
5.	"Echoes" (Edited version; Meddle (1971))	Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Nick Mason	Gilmour, Wright	16:30
6.	"Hey You" (The Wall)	Waters	Gilmour, Waters	4:39
7.	"Marooned" (First half only; The Division Bell (1994))	Gilmour, Wright	Instrumental	2:02
8.	"The Great Gig in the Sky" (The Dark Side of the Moon (1973))	Wright, Clare Torry	Instrumental, with vocals by Torry	4:40
9.	"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (A Saucerful of Secrets (1968))	Waters	Waters	5:20
10.	"Money" (The Dark Side of the Moon)	Waters	Gilmour	6:29
11.	"Keep Talking" (Early fade-out; The Division Bell)	Gilmour, Wright, Polly Samson	Gilmour	5:57
12.	"Sheep" (Early fade-out; Animals)	Waters	Waters	9:46
13.	"Sorrow" (A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987))	Gilmour	Gilmour	8:45

Disc two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1–7)" (Edited version; Wish You Were Here (1975))	Gilmour, Waters, Wright	Waters	17:32
2.	"Time" (includes "Breathe (In the Air) (Reprise)"; The Dark Side of the Moon)	Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason	Gilmour, Wright	6:48
3.	"The Fletcher Memorial Home" (The Final Cut (1983))	Waters	Waters	4:07
4.	"Comfortably Numb" (includes the coda of "Bring the Boys Back Home"; The Wall)	Gilmour, Waters	Gilmour, Waters	6:53
5.	"When the Tigers Broke Free" (The Wall film soundtrack (1982), also on 2004-present remasters of The Final Cut)	Waters	Waters	3:42
6.	"One of These Days" (Meddle, edited version)	Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason	Instrumental, with spoken words by Mason	5:15
7.	"Us and Them" (Edited ending, The Dark Side of the Moon)	Waters, Wright	Gilmour, Wright	7:51
8.	"Learning to Fly" (A Momentary Lapse of Reason)	Gilmour, Anthony Moore, Bob Ezrin, Jon Carin	Gilmour	4:50
9.	"Arnold Layne" ("Arnold Layne" single (1967); appears on Relics)	Barrett	Barrett	2:52
10.	"Wish You Were Here" (Early fade-out; Wish You Were Here)	Gilmour, Waters	Gilmour	5:21
11.	"Jugband Blues" (A Saucerful of Secrets)	Barrett	Barrett	2:56
12.	"High Hopes" (Edited version; The Division Bell)	Gilmour, Samson	Gilmour	6:59
13.	"Bike" (with bell intro; The Piper at the Gates of Dawn)	Barrett	Barrett	3:24

Vinyl version

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Astronomy Domine"	Barrett	The Piper at the Gates of Dawn	4:10
2.	"See Emily Play"	Barrett	See Emily Play - Single; appears on Relics, 1971 and 1967 US/Japan versions of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn	2:47
3.	"The Happiest Days of Our Lives"	Waters	The Wall	1:38
4.	"Another Brick in the Wall (part 2)"	Waters	The Wall	4:01
5.	"Marooned" (Edited version)	Gilmour, Wright	The Division Bell	2:02
6.	"The Great Gig in the Sky"	Wright, Torry	The Dark Side of the Moon	4:40

Side B
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Echoes" (Edited version)	Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason	Meddle	16:30
2.	"Hey You"	Waters	The Wall	4:39

Side C
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"	Waters	A Saucerful of Secrets	5:20
2.	"Money"	Waters	The Dark Side of the Moon	6:29
3.	"Keep Talking" (Early fade-out)	Gilmour, Wright, Samson	The Division Bell	5:57

Side D
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Sheep" (Early fade-out)	Waters	Animals	9:46
2.	"Sorrow"	Gilmour	A Momentary Lapse of Reason	8:45

Side E
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (Parts 1–7, edited version)	Gilmour, Waters, Wright	Wish You Were Here	17:32

Side F
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Time" (Includes "Breathe" (reprise))	Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason	The Dark Side of the Moon	6:48
2.	"The Fletcher Memorial Home"	Waters	The Final Cut	4:07
3.	"Comfortably Numb" (Includes the coda of "Bring the Boys Back Home" The Wall)	Gilmour, Waters	The Wall	6:53
4.	"When the Tigers Broke Free"	Waters	The Wall film soundtrack, also on 2004-present remasters of The Final Cut	3:42

Side G
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"One of These Days" (Edited version)	Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason	Meddle	5:15
2.	"Us and Them"	Waters, Wright	The Dark Side of the Moon	7:51
3.	"Learning to Fly"	Gilmour, Moore, Ezrin, Carin	A Momentary Lapse of Reason	4:50
4.	"Arnold Layne"	Barrett	Arnold Layne - Single; appears on Relics	2:52

Side H
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Wish You Were Here" (Early fade-out)	Gilmour, Waters	Wish You Were Here	5:21
2.	"Jugband Blues"	Barrett	A Saucerful of Secrets	2:56
3.	"High Hopes" (Edited version)	Gilmour, Samson	The Division Bell	6:59
4.	"Bike"	Barrett	The Piper at the Gates of Dawn	3:24

Rejected songs

According to James Guthrie, the following songs were considered for inclusion:^[7]

• "Interstellar Overdrive" (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason) The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 1967
• "Scarecrow" (Barrett) The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 1967
• "Chapter 24" (Barrett) The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 1967
• "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason) B-side of "Point Me at the Sky", 1968; also appears on Relics
• "Grantchester Meadows" (Waters) Ummagumma, 1969
• An edited version of "Atom Heart Mother" (Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason, Geesin) Atom Heart Mother, 1970
• "If" (Waters) Atom Heart Mother, 1970
• "Fat Old Sun" (Gilmour) Atom Heart Mother, 1970
• "Fearless" (Gilmour, Waters) Meddle, 1971
• "San Tropez" (Waters) Meddle, 1971
• "Breathe" (Waters, Gilmour, Wright) The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973
• "Brain Damage" (Waters) The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973
• "Eclipse" (Waters) The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973
• "Dogs" (Waters, Gilmour) Animals, 1977
• "Mother" (Waters) The Wall, 1979
• "Young Lust" (Waters, Gilmour) The Wall, 1979
• "Nobody Home" (Waters) The Wall, 1979
• "Your Possible Pasts" (Waters) The Final Cut, 1983
• "The Gunner's Dream" (Waters) The Final Cut, 1983
• "Paranoid Eyes" (Waters) The Final Cut, 1983

Sales chart performance

Chart (2001)	Position
UK Albums Chart[8]	2
The Billboard 200[9]	2
Billboard Top Internet Albums	1
Norway albums chart[10]	2
Chart (2005)	Position
UK Albums Chart[8]	19

Sales certifications

Country	Certification	Sales	Last certification date
Australia	Platinum[11]	70,000+	2001
Belgium	Platinum[12]	50,000+	2002
Canada	6× Platinum[13]	600,000+	29 April 2002
Denmark	Gold[14]	15,000+	December 2001
Europe	3× Platinum[15]	3,000,000+	2007
France	Platinum[16]	300,000+	7 November 2001
Germany	Gold[17]	100,000+	2002
Greece	Platinum[18]	30,000+	2002
Italy	Gold[19]	25,000+	24 April 2015
New Zealand	3× Platinum[20]	45,000+	December 2001
Poland	Gold[21]	50,000+	16 January 2002
Switzerland	Platinum[22]	40,000+	2001
United Kingdom	2× Platinum[23]	600,000+	11 January 2002
United States	4× Platinum[24]	2,000,000+ (double disc)	10 September 2007

Credits

Pink Floyd

• Syd Barrett – guitar and vocals on "Astronomy Domine", "See Emily Play", "Arnold Layne", "Jugband Blues" and "Bike"; guitar on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun".
• 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".
• Nick Mason – drums, percussion, tape effects, vocalisations on "One of These Days"
• 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"
• Richard Wright – keyboards, organ, piano, synthesisers, clavinet, co-lead vocals on "Astronomy Domine", "Echoes", "Time", "Us and Them".

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"

Notes

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. "Have Pink Floyd Split Up?". Mojo Magazine. October 2001. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
4. "Mike Portnoy: In Constant Motion DVD". Hudson Music. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
5. Johnson, Zac (2011). "Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd - Pink Floyd | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
6. 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.
7. Guthrie, James. "James Guthrie: Audio: Building A Compilation Album". Pink Floyd. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
8. "UK chart info Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd". www.chartstats.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011. The album re-entered the UK charts in July 2005 following Pink Floyd's reunion appearance at Live 8.
9. "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Pink Floyd". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
10. "norwegiancharts.com - Pink Floyd - Echoes - The Best Of Pink Floyd". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
11. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
12. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2001". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
13. "Gold & Platinum Certification – April 2002". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
14. "Danish album certifications". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 11 January 2013. Click on næste to go to page 50 if certification from official website
15. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards Q4 2007". IFPI. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
16. "French album certifications" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
17. "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Bundesverband Musikindustrie (IFPI.DE). Retrieved 8 August 2011. Enter "Pink Floyd" in the "Interpret" field
18. "Greek Albums Chart". IFPI Greece. 28 February 2002. Archived from the original on 28 February 2002. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
19. "Italian Certifications". FIMI. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
20. "New Zealand album certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
21. "Złote CD (2002)". ZPAV. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
22. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards 2001". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
23. "BPI certified awards search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 August 2011. Enter "Pink Floyd" in the "Search" field.
24. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - July 03, 2009". www.riaa.com. Retrieved 3 July 2009.

External links

• Album's official website