A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be created by record companies without express approval from the original artist as a means to generate sales. They are typically regarded as a good starting point for new fans of an artist, but are sometimes criticized by longtime fans as not inclusive enough or necessary at all.
130-398: Absolute Garbage is a greatest hits album by American rock band Garbage . It was released worldwide on July 23, 2007 through Warner Music imprint A&E Records with a North American release through Almo Sounds , Geffen Records , and Universal Music Enterprises the following day. The compilation was issued while the band was on hiatus following a one-off reformation to perform at
260-421: A DVD was released featuring 16 music videos, as well as an hour-long documentary film titled Thanks for Your Uhh, Support , containing footage filmed backstage and behind the scenes, archive live performances, and interviews spanning the band's entire career up to that point. The band's drummer Butch Vig felt that Absolute Garbage would be "a full stop on part of our career", marking the band's movement to
390-410: A benefit concert early in the year. The album includes remastered versions of 16 of the band's singles which run chronologically in the track listing, as well as " Tell Me Where It Hurts ", a new track recorded especially for inclusion on the compilation which was released as a single. Absolute Garbage was released on CD and as a special edition which included a bonus disc of remixes. Additionally,
520-438: A normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, based on 12 reviews. Sal Cinqumani of Slant Magazine gave a positive overview of the compilation, writing that the album "serves as an anthropological study of the musical relics of a bygone era", while Laila Hassani of Heat summed up her five-star review by writing, "Few modern female-fronted rock bands stand
650-499: A psychedelic cover designed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis . The first of several Pink Floyd album covers designed by Hipgnosis, it was the second time that EMI permitted one of their groups to contract designers for an album jacket. The release reached number nine, spending 11 weeks on the UK chart. Record Mirror gave the album an overall favourable review, but urged listeners to "forget it as background music to
780-579: A Day", Smith stepped in as his replacement. Wright recalled Smith's attitude about the sessions, "Norman gave up on the second album ... he was forever saying things like, 'You can't do twenty minutes of this ridiculous noise ' ". As neither Waters nor Mason could read music, to illustrate the structure of " A Saucerful of Secrets ", they invented their own system of notation. Gilmour later described their method as looking "like an architectural diagram". Released in June 1968, A Saucerful of Secrets featured
910-399: A circle, the doors facing away from the centre. Waters used his own vehicle to arrive at the venue and stayed in different hotels from the rest of the band. Wright returned as a paid musician, making him the only band member to profit from the tour, which lost about $ 600,000 (US$ 2,010,835 in 2023 dollars ). The Wall was adapted into a film, Pink Floyd – The Wall. The film was conceived as
1040-602: A club in Birmingham . The second LP contained a single experimental contribution from each band member. Ummagumma was released in November 1969 and received positive reviews. It reached number five, spending 21 weeks on the UK chart. In October 1970, Pink Floyd released Atom Heart Mother . An early version premièred in England in mid January, but disagreements over the mix prompted the hiring of Ron Geesin to work out
1170-475: A combination of live concert footage and animated scenes; however, the concert footage proved impractical to film. Alan Parker agreed to direct and took a different approach. The animated sequences remained, but scenes were acted by actors with no dialogue. Waters was screentested but quickly discarded, and they asked Bob Geldof to accept the role of Pink. Geldof was initially dismissive, condemning The Wall 's storyline as "bollocks". Eventually won over by
1300-621: A fellow architecture student, joined later that year, and the group became a sextet, Sigma 6. Waters played lead guitar, Mason drums, and Wright rhythm guitar, later moving to keyboards. The band performed at private functions and rehearsed in a tearoom in the basement of the Regent Street Polytechnic. They performed songs by the Searchers and material written by their manager and songwriter, fellow student Ken Chapman. In September 1963, Waters and Mason moved into
1430-412: A female artist in major music markets such as Australia , United Kingdom and United States . In the UK, Queen 's Greatest Hits is the biggest selling album of all time. In second place is ABBA Gold , another greatest hits compilation which has gone on to become the longest-charting album in the UK. Queen's Greatest Hits II is also one of the UK's top ten biggest sellers. One example of
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#17327929468341560-473: A fitting summary of the rise and fall of their former bandmate. Waters commented: "Because I wanted to get as close as possible to what I felt ... [that] indefinable, inevitable melancholy about the disappearance of Syd." While Pink Floyd were working on the album, Barrett made an impromptu visit to the studio. Thorgerson recalled that he "sat round and talked for a bit, but he wasn't really there". He had changed significantly in appearance, so much so that
1690-672: A flat at 39 Stanhope Gardens, Highgate in London, owned by Mike Leonard, a part-time tutor at the nearby Hornsey College of Art and the Regent Street Polytechnic. Mason moved out after the 1964 academic year, and guitarist Bob Klose moved in during September 1964, prompting Waters's switch to bass. Sigma 6 went through several names, including the Meggadeaths, the Abdabs and the Screaming Abdabs, Leonard's Lodgers, and
1820-561: A general malaise and with a sense of apathy, both of which interfered with his drumming. Despite the lack of creative direction, Waters began to visualise a new concept after several weeks. During 1974, Pink Floyd had sketched out three original compositions and had performed them at a series of concerts in Europe. These compositions became the starting point for a new album whose opening four-note guitar phrase, composed purely by chance by Gilmour, reminded Waters of Barrett. The songs provided
1950-446: A greatest hits album, such as rock groups AC/DC , Tool , and Metallica . Garth Brooks had initially refused releasing one, but he eventually agreed to it in 1994 for a limited release (the resulting record, The Hits , sold over ten million copies). In 2000, Sony Music Entertainment launched their The Essential series, which collects singles and other career-defining tracks of artists licensed to Sony. The Essential Bob Dylan
2080-573: A greatest hits compilation released against the artists' intentions is British rock group the Rolling Stones ' 1971 compilation Hot Rocks 1964–1971 . The music magazine Rolling Stone remarked that the album served as a "beautifully packaged... purely mercenary item put together by former record executives of the Stones' to cash in on the Christmas season and wring some more bucks out in
2210-522: A home recording studio at his house in Islington in a converted tool shed at the back of his garden. In January 1971, upon their return from touring Atom Heart Mother , Pink Floyd began working on new material. Lacking a central theme, they attempted several unproductive experiments; engineer John Leckie described the sessions as often beginning in the afternoon and ending early the next morning, "during which time nothing would get [accomplished]. There
2340-445: A megalomaniac, a development inspired partly by the decline of Syd Barrett. At the end of the album, the increasingly fascist audience would watch as Pink tore down the wall, once again becoming a regular and caring person. During the recording of The Wall , the band became dissatisfied with Wright's lack of contribution and fired him. Gilmour said that Wright was dismissed as he "hadn't contributed anything of any value whatsoever to
2470-433: A new part of their development, rather than simply a contractual obligation, while guitarist Duke Erikson stated that "putting out a collection of our singles would be a good way to stay busy without working so hard". However, singer Shirley Manson revealed in 2012 that the compilation emerged from a demand by the band's UK label A&E Records in order to meet their quarterly requirements. When Garbage began to collate
2600-457: A new version of their song "Bad Boyfriend", which had opened their Bleed Like Me album, when he had been updating his home studio the previous year. Keeping to the Garbage formula of incorporating non-musical sounds in their work, Vig used a digital recorder to capture the sound of his baby daughter's swing in motion as a percussive loop . Thinking that the compilation would benefit from
2730-459: A number of promotional photographs of the group taken over the course of their career by Stéphane Sednaoui , Ellen von Unwerth , Rankin , Pat Pope , Warwick Saint , and Joseph Cultice . The band compiled an hour-long documentary titled Thanks for Your Uhh, Support for the DVD release, featuring footage filmed backstage and behind-the-scenes, and archive live performances and interviews spanning
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#17327929468342860-583: A party". John Peel described a live performance of the title track as "like a religious experience", while NME described the song as "long and boring ... [with] little to warrant its monotonous direction". On the day after the album's UK release, Pink Floyd performed at the first ever free concert in Hyde Park . In July 1968, they made a second visit to the US. Accompanied by the Soft Machine and
2990-430: A recording studio and storage space. In 1976, they recorded their tenth album, Animals , in their newly finished 24-track studio. The album concept originated with Waters, loosely based on George Orwell 's political fable Animal Farm . The lyrics describe different classes of society as dogs, pigs, and sheep. Hipgnosis received credit for the packaging; however, Waters designed the final concept, choosing an image of
3120-441: A reissue and, therefore, there's no reason for a label to mine the vaults, searching for old music to make new again. Users can assemble their own personalized greatest hits playlists or just scan through an act's most accessed songs", which has led to greatest hits collections becoming redundant. Despite the popularity of streaming in the 2010s and early 2020s, some artists continued to issue physical greatest hits albums, including
3250-557: A reported advance of $ 1,000,000 (US$ 6,178,138 in 2023 dollars). In Europe, they continued to be represented by Harvest Records. After a tour of the UK performing Dark Side , Pink Floyd returned to the studio in January 1975 and began work on their ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here . Parsons declined an offer to continue working with them, becoming successful in his own right with the Alan Parsons Project , and so
3380-560: A second mix of the track with more emphasis on the strings and recruited their former touring bassist, Daniel Shulman , to perform bass guitar on the song. The band completed another three songs during the sessions, including "Betcha" (Vig: "it's fuzzed up "), " Girls Talk Shit " ("pretty cool sounding, lots of fast pizzicato guitars and cellos"), and "All the Good in This Life", which Vig described as "kinda Pink Floyd -y". Vig had created
3510-415: A similar line, Gold , which collects artists' greatest hits onto two discs. In the late 2000s and 2010s, digital downloads and music streaming services increased in popularity, which allow users to listen to their favorite tracks without the need of a greatest hits package. In 2016, Pitchfork said that "in the digital era, once a catalog enters a streaming service or an MP3 store, there's no need for
3640-426: A tour of England; however, Barrett's depression worsened as the tour continued. In December 1967, reaching a crisis point with Barrett, Pink Floyd added guitarist David Gilmour as the fifth member. Gilmour already knew Barrett, having studied with him at Cambridge Tech in the early 1960s. The two had performed at lunchtimes together with guitars and harmonicas, and later hitch-hiked and busked their way around
3770-610: A variety of topics, from the murder of John Lennon to his relationship with Waters. He later stated that he used the album to distance himself from Pink Floyd. Soon afterwards, Waters began touring his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984). Wright formed Zee with Dave Harris and recorded Identity , which went almost unnoticed upon its release. Mason released his second solo album, Profiles , in August 1985. Gilmour, Mason, Waters and O'Rourke met for dinner in 1984 to discuss their future. Mason and Gilmour left
3900-497: A week due to "production issues" concerning the North American DVD. The promotional campaign for Absolute Garbage was launched in late May 2007, when Geffen Records updated Garbage's Myspace profile streaming audio player to include the album's lead single "Tell Me Where It Hurts" and the remix of "Bad Boyfriend", while the music video for "Tell Me Where It Hurts" premiered on Channel 4 's Video Exclusive slot in
4030-467: A £5,000 advance (equivalent to £114,600 in 2023 ). EMI released the band's first single, " Arnold Layne ", with the B-side " Candy and a Currant Bun ", on 10 March 1967 on its Columbia label. Both tracks were recorded on 29 January 1967. "Arnold Layne"'s references to cross-dressing led to a ban by several radio stations; however, creative manipulation by the retailers who supplied sales figures to
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4160-612: Is derived from the given names of two blues musicians whose Piedmont blues records Barrett had in his collection, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council . By 1966, the group's repertoire consisted mainly of rhythm and blues songs, and they had begun to receive paid bookings, including a performance at the Marquee Club in December 1966, where Peter Jenner , a lecturer at the London School of Economics , noticed them. Jenner
4290-569: Is the sole author of the lyrics. Released in March 1973, the LP became an instant chart success in the UK and throughout Western Europe, earning an enthusiastic response from critics. Each member of Pink Floyd except Wright boycotted the press release of The Dark Side of the Moon because a quadraphonic mix had not yet been completed, and they felt presenting the album through a poor-quality stereo PA system
4420-596: The B-side ) on July 16 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart . Manson complained that the release was "shoved out with no promotion whatsoever", declaring that it was the moment the band "realized how crazy and out of whack things had gotten", inspiring them to work independently afterwards. On July 23, 2007, Absolute Garbage was released in the United Kingdom, with
4550-671: The Hot Rocks sales, but not the ownership royalties. The concept of greatest hits compilations has been adapted to other media as well. In television, some shows have released compilations of their critically successful and highest-rated episodes to drive new viewers to watch a program, such as Family Guy ' s Freakin' Sweet Collection and South Park : The Hits . Several video game companies have re-released popular games for continued sales, sometimes with discounted prices: Sony 's PlayStation has released games under their Greatest Hits series; Nintendo has re-released games under
4680-608: The London Polytechnic at Regent Street in September 1962 to study architecture, and Syd Barrett , two years younger than the rest of the band, who had moved to London in 1964 to study at the Camberwell College of Arts . Waters and Barrett were childhood friends; Waters had often visited Barrett and watched him play guitar at Barrett's mother's house. Mason said about Barrett: "In a period when everyone
4810-573: The Nintendo Selects label (formerly called "Player's Choice"); and Microsoft has re-released games under the Platinum Hits label. Some video game franchises have released greatest hits collections of their own content, such as Super Mario All-Stars , Sonic Mega Collection , and Guitar Hero Smash Hits . Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of
4940-585: The Tower Records label. Pink Floyd continued to draw large crowds at the UFO Club; however, Barrett's mental breakdown was by then causing serious concern. The group initially hoped that his erratic behaviour would be a passing phase, but some were less optimistic, including Jenner and his assistant, June Child , who commented: "I found [Barrett] in the dressing room and he was so ... gone. Roger Waters and I got him on his feet, [and] we got him out to
5070-982: The UK Albums Chart . Their hit singles include "Arnold Layne" (1967), "See Emily Play" (1967), " Money " (1973), " Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 " (1979), " Not Now John " (1983), " On the Turning Away " (1987) and " High Hopes " (1994). Pink Floyd were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008, they were awarded the Polar Music Prize in Sweden for their contribution to modern music. The founding members of Pink Floyd were Roger Waters , Nick Mason , and Richard Wright , who enrolled at
5200-471: The best-selling albums worldwide with sales of over 20 million copies. For example, Eagles ' Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is the best-selling album in the United States, according to Billboard, selling over 38 million copies. Worldwide, The Immaculate Collection by Madonna is the best-selling compilation by a solo artist, with 30 million copies, and is the best-selling compilation by
5330-401: The liner notes and thanks list for the album: "It's been a burden because we're encompassing what we've done over the last 10 years in one short paragraph"; music journalist Peter Murphy composed a biography on the band's history for the booklet, while the album artwork was designed by Tom Hingston Studio—a foil blocked silkscreen image photographed by David Hughes. The booklet also compiled
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5460-631: The BBC's Top of the Pops , a popular programme that controversially required artists to mime their singing and playing. Though Pink Floyd returned for two more performances, by the third, Barrett had begun to unravel, and around this time the band first noticed significant changes in his behaviour. By early 1967, he was regularly using LSD , and Mason described him as "completely distanced from everything going on". Morrison and EMI producer Norman Smith negotiated Pink Floyd's first recording contract. As part of
5590-653: The Controls for the Heart of the Sun ", " Let There Be More Light ", and " Corporal Clegg ". Wright composed " See-Saw " and " Remember a Day ". Norman Smith encouraged them to self-produce their music, and they recorded demos of new material at their houses. With Smith's instruction at Abbey Road, they learned how to use the recording studio to realise their artistic vision. However, Smith remained unconvinced by their music, and when Mason struggled to perform his drum part on "Remember
5720-509: The Crying"; the band hoped the song would be a possible second single. A rock version of Version 2.0 ' s " Push It " was completed by producer Chris Sheldon . The group argued over the album's running order, eventually dropping a few of their singles, including " Androgyny " (from Beautiful Garbage ) after Manson objected to its inclusion, before finalizing on the 18 tracks that the group believed represented their best work. Vig oversaw
5850-491: The DVD contained all 16 music videos to accompany the singles featured on the CD formats, with the exception of "#1 Crush", for which no music video was filmed. Region 1 releases did not include the video for "Tell Me Where It Hurts". In 2012, Garbage stated that the album was released as a contractual obligation to Warner Music : "This was the final straw that broke our backs", Manson said. "The record company we had been sold to in
5980-537: The Gates of Dawn not designed by Hipgnosis. Gerald Scarfe produced a series of animations for the Wall tour. He also commissioned the construction of large inflatable puppets representing characters from the storyline, including the "Mother", the "Ex-wife" and the "Schoolmaster". Pink Floyd used the puppets during their performances. Relationships within the band reached an all-time low; their four Winnebagos parked in
6110-548: The Moon and Wish You Were Here . Meddle was released in October 1971, and reached number three, spending 82 weeks on the UK chart. It marks a transition between the Barrett-led group of the late 1960s and the emerging Pink Floyd; Jean-Charles Costa of Rolling Stone wrote that "not only confirms lead guitarist David Gilmour's emergence as a real shaping force with the group, it states forcefully and accurately that
6240-471: The Moon featured as part of Pink Floyd's US tour. The album is one of the most commercially successful rock albums of all time. A US number-one, it remained on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart for more than fourteen years during the 1970s and 1980s, selling more than 45 million copies worldwide. In Britain, it reached number two, spending 364 weeks on the UK chart. The Dark Side of
6370-441: The Moon is the world's third best-selling album, and the twenty-first best-selling album of all time in the US. The success of the album brought enormous wealth to the members of Pink Floyd. Waters and Wright bought large country houses while Mason became a collector of expensive cars. Disenchanted with their US record company, Capitol Records , Pink Floyd and O'Rourke negotiated a new contract with Columbia Records , who gave them
6500-578: The North American street date following a day later. The digital format includes "All the Good in This Life" as an iTunes Store exclusive bonus track. In 2012, Absolute Garbage was superseded by a revamped greatest hits set titled The Absolute Collection , which was released in Australia and New Zealand on November 2 via Liberator Music. Absolute Garbage received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic , which assigns
6630-719: The Spectrum Five, before settling on the Tea Set. In September 1963, as Metcalfe and Noble left to form their own band, the guitarist Syd Barrett joined Klose and Waters at Stanhope Gardens. Klose introduced the band to the singer Chris Dennis, a technician with the Royal Air Force (RAF). In December 1964, they secured their first recording time, at a studio in West Hampstead, through one of Wright's friends, who let them use some downtime free. Wright, who
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#17327929468346760-461: The U.K. demanded that we release a 'greatest hits' in order to meet their quarterly requirements. We were not in a position to stop it. As a result, they shoved this collection out with no promotion whatsoever. It was right there and then that we realized how crazy and out of whack things had gotten." Garbage remained on hiatus for a further three years until regrouping to record their fifth studio album, Not Your Kind of People , released in 2012. At
6890-413: The UK and number six in the US. Waters wrote all the lyrics, as well as all the music. Rolling Stone gave the album five stars, with Kurt Loder calling it "a superlative achievement ... art rock's crowning masterpiece". He viewed The Final Cut as "essentially a Roger Waters solo album". Gilmour recorded his second solo album, About Face , in 1984, and used it to express his feelings about
7020-521: The UK and number three in the US. NME described it as "one of the most extreme, relentless, harrowing and downright iconoclastic hunks of music", and Melody Maker 's Karl Dallas called it "[an] uncomfortable taste of reality in a medium that has become in recent years, increasingly soporific". Pink Floyd performed much of Animals during their " In the Flesh " tour. It was their first experience playing large stadiums, whose size caused unease in
7150-576: The UK chart. It premièred at the Bath Festival on 27 June 1970. Pink Floyd toured extensively across America and Europe in 1970. In 1971, Pink Floyd took second place in a reader's poll, in Melody Maker , and for the first time were making a profit. Mason and Wright became fathers and bought homes in London while Gilmour, still single, moved to a 19th-century farm in Essex. Waters installed
7280-425: The UK, Japan, North America, and Europe. Producer Chris Thomas assisted Parsons. Hipgnosis designed the packaging, which included George Hardie 's iconic refracting prism design on the cover. Thorgerson's cover features a beam of white light, representing unity, passing through a prism, which represents society. The refracted beam of coloured light symbolises unity diffracted, leaving an absence of unity. Waters
7410-549: The United Kingdom on May 28. Radio edits of the Guitars Up and orchestral versions of "Tell Me Where It Hurts" were serviced to radio in early June. In the United Kingdom, the song was playlisted by XFM Scotland Upfront , Radio Forth and was C-Listed on BBC Radio 2 for five weeks. The alternative rock remix of "Push It" was playlisted by XFM for three weeks. A&E Records released "Tell Me Where It Hurts" on seven-inch vinyl , DVD and CD single (featuring "Betcha" as
7540-481: The United States. The album debuted at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart with 13,372 units sold in its first week. All tracks are written by Garbage , except where noted Notes Credits adapted from the liner notes of the special edition of Absolute Garbage . Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Greatest hits album It is also common for greatest hits albums to include new recordings, remixes or unreleased alternate takes of
7670-473: The Wall (Part II) ", which topped the charts in the US and the UK. The Wall was released on 30 November 1979 and topped the Billboard chart in the US for 15 weeks, reaching number three in the UK. It is tied for sixth most certified album by RIAA , with 23 million certified units sold in the US. The cover, with a stark brick wall and band name, was the first Pink Floyd album cover since The Piper at
7800-661: The White Stripes , Spoon , and the Weeknd . Spoon lead singer Britt Daniel said he chose to compile 2019's Everything Hits at Once: The Best of Spoon out of an affinity for compilations such as Standing on a Beach by the Cure and Substance 1987 by New Order , which had introduced him to those artists in his youth, and to provide an official introduction to Spoon's catalog for new listeners. Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand echoed those sentiments when describing
7930-565: The Who , it marked Pink Floyd's first major tour. That December, they released " Point Me at the Sky "; no more successful than the two singles they had released since "See Emily Play", it was their last single until " Money " in 1973. Ummagumma represented a departure from Pink Floyd's previous work. Released as a double LP on EMI's Harvest label, the first two sides contained live performances recorded at Manchester College of Commerce and Mothers ,
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#17327929468348060-484: The ageing Battersea Power Station , over which they superimposed an image of a pig. The division of royalties was a source of conflict between band members, who earned royalties on a per-song basis. Although Gilmour was largely responsible for " Dogs ", which took up almost the entire first side of the album, he received less than Waters, who contributed the much shorter two-part " Pigs on the Wing ". Wright commented: "It
8190-432: The album "sounds like no other greatest hits you own." Digital Spy ' s Nick Levine wrote, "By wrapping their nut-grabbing hooks and transcendent melodies in layers of gutsy guitars, Garbage managed to make pop music for people who thought they didn't like pop music. For that reason, whatever happens next, they deserve to be remembered fondly." Many reviewers felt that the chronological running order put more emphasis on
8320-533: The album at GrungeIsDead, Vig's California-located home recording studio . The band members had been sharing ideas over the internet prior to the sessions, and were keen to record them; vocalist Shirley Manson had come up with the song title " Tell Me Where It Hurts " a few years previously, and had matched newly written lyrics with a Burt Bacharach -style string arrangement that the band had created via email correspondence. After producing an electric guitar -heavy version of "Tell Me Where It Hurts", Garbage recorded
8450-406: The album would be proceeded by a single on March 5. In January 2007, Vig became the first band member to publicly confirm the project: "We've been working on [ Absolute Garbage ] for a while". On May 11, the band's website unveiled the artwork for Absolute Garbage , and on May 22, confirmed the album's track listing, physical formats and an initial July 16–17 street date. The date was later moved back
8580-523: The album. With marital problems of his own, he remained distant. Pink Floyd did not use Thorgerson for the cover design, and Waters designed the cover himself. Gilmour did not have any material ready and asked Waters to delay the recording until he could write some songs, but Waters refused. Gilmour later said "I'm certainly guilty at times of being lazy ... but he wasn't right about wanting to put some duff tracks on The Final Cut ." Released in March 1983, The Final Cut went straight to number one in
8710-511: The albums A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994), both backed by major tours. In 2005, all but Barrett reunited for a performance at the global awareness event Live 8 . Barrett died in 2006 and Wright in 2008. The last Pink Floyd studio album, The Endless River (2014), was based on unreleased material from the Division Bell recording sessions. In 2022, Gilmour and Mason reformed Pink Floyd to release
8840-419: The album—he did very, very little". According to Mason, Wright would sit in on the sessions "without doing anything, just 'being a producer ' ". Waters said the band agreed that Wright would either have to "have a long battle" or agree to "leave quietly" after the album was finished; Wright accepted the ultimatum and left. The Wall was supported by Pink Floyd's first single since "Money", " Another Brick in
8970-537: The answer was "Nah, let's not bother", signalling the end of Barrett's tenure with Pink Floyd. Waters later said, "He was our friend, but most of the time we now wanted to strangle him." In early March 1968, Pink Floyd met with business partners Jenner and King to discuss the band's future; Barrett agreed to leave. Jenner and King believed Barrett was the creative genius of the band, and decided to represent him and end their relationship with Pink Floyd. Morrison sold his business to NEMS Enterprises , and O'Rourke became
9100-927: The appointment, Barrett refused to come out of the car. A stay in Formentera with Sam Hutt , a doctor well established in the underground music scene, led to no visible improvement. The band followed a few concert dates in Europe during September with their first tour of the US in October. As the US tour went on, Barrett's condition grew steadily worse. During appearances on the Dick Clark and Pat Boone shows in November, Barrett confounded his hosts by giving terse answers to questions (or not responding at all) and staring into space. He refused to move his lips when it came time to mime "See Emily Play" on Boone's show. After these embarrassing episodes, King ended their US visit and immediately sent them home to London. Soon after their return, they supported Jimi Hendrix during
9230-603: The backups being far from an optimal situation, mastering engineer Emily Lazar at The Lodge in New York City was able to reverse engineer the missing songs from the damaged archive. Lazar used some alternate versions of the songs when completing the final master . Her assistant, Joe LaPorta , mastered and edited the remixes for the special edition. Eschewing the Midwestern location of their Wisconsin -based Smart Studios , Garbage chose to record new material for
9360-583: The band and prevent the use of the Pink Floyd name, declaring Pink Floyd "a spent force creatively". When Waters's lawyers discovered that the partnership had never been formally confirmed, Waters returned to the High Court in an attempt to obtain a veto over further use of the band's name. Gilmour responded with a press release affirming that Pink Floyd would continue to exist. The sides reached an out-of-court agreement, finalised on Gilmour's houseboat,
9490-460: The band did not initially recognise him. Waters was reportedly deeply upset by the experience. Most of Wish You Were Here premiered on 5 July 1975, at an open-air music festival at Knebworth . Released in September, it reached number one in both the UK and the US. In 1975, Pink Floyd bought a three-storey group of church halls at 35 Britannia Row in Islington and began converting them into
9620-597: The band drop the "Sound" from their name. Under Jenner and King's guidance, Pink Floyd became part of London's underground music scene, playing at venues including All Saints Hall and the Marquee. While performing at the Countdown Club, the band had experimented with long instrumental excursions, and they began to expand them with rudimentary but effective light shows, projected by coloured slides and domestic lights. Jenner and King's social connections helped gain
9750-419: The band members each holding a one-sixth share. By late 1966, their set included fewer R&B standards and more Barrett originals, many of which would be included on their first album. While they had significantly increased the frequency of their performances, the band were still not widely accepted. Following a performance at a Catholic youth club, the owner refused to pay them, claiming that their performance
9880-604: The band prominent coverage in the Financial Times and an article in the Sunday Times which stated: "At the launching of the new magazine IT the other night a pop group called the Pink Floyd played throbbing music while a series of bizarre coloured shapes flashed on a huge screen behind them ... apparently very psychedelic." In 1966, the band strengthened their business relationship with Blackhill Enterprises, becoming equal partners with Jenner and King and
10010-498: The band realised that "songs could be extended with lengthy solos", wrote Mason. After pressure from his parents and advice from his college tutors, Klose quit in mid-1965 and Barrett took over lead guitar. The group rebranded as the Pink Floyd Sound in late 1965. Barrett created the name on the spur of the moment when he discovered that another band, also called the Tea Set, were to perform at one of their gigs. The name
10140-421: The band turned to Brian Humphries. Initially, they found it difficult to compose new material; the success of The Dark Side of the Moon had left Pink Floyd physically and emotionally drained. Wright later described these early sessions as "falling within a difficult period" and Waters found them "tortuous". Gilmour was more interested in improving the band's existing material. Mason's failing marriage left him in
10270-431: The band's entire career up to that point. In addition to interviews with the members of Garbage, the documentary also features Duke Erikson's daughter Roxy, Madison club owner and friend Jay Moran, engineer Billy Bush , former touring bassists Daniel Shulman and Eric Avery , Foo Fighters ' Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins , White Stripes ' Jack White , and former MTV News anchor Kurt Loder . Region 0 pressings of
10400-921: The band's personal manager. Blackhill announced Barrett's departure on 6 April 1968. After Barrett's departure, the burden of lyrical composition and creative direction fell mostly on Waters. Initially, Gilmour mimed to Barrett's voice on the group's European TV appearances; however, while playing on the university circuit, they avoided Barrett songs in favour of Waters and Wright material such as " It Would Be So Nice " and " Careful with That Axe, Eugene ". Mason said later that Gilmour added greater structure to Pink Floyd's music and that "we became far less difficult to enjoy, I think". In 1968, Pink Floyd returned to Abbey Road Studios to complete their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets , which they had begun in 1967 under Barrett's leadership. The album included Barrett's final contribution to their discography, " Jugband Blues ". Waters developed his own songwriting, contributing " Set
10530-405: The band's well-regarded earlier periods. "The selection of songs perhaps indicates Garbage view their career the same way many fans do", wrote Victoria Durham of Rock Sound , and "that they never quite managed [to match] the brilliance of their early work." Johnny Dee of Classic Rock expressed, "The later material here sounds formulaic, however, new song "Tell Me Where It Hurts" adds strings to
10660-498: The band, and asked them to release him from his contractual obligations. Gilmour believed that Waters left to hasten the demise of Pink Floyd. Waters later stated that, by not making new albums, Pink Floyd would be in breach of contract—which would suggest that royalty payments would be suspended—and that the other band members had forced him from the group by threatening to sue him. He went to the High Court in an effort to dissolve
10790-491: The band. Waters began arriving at each venue alone, departing immediately after the performance. On one occasion, Wright flew back to England, threatening to quit. At the Montreal Olympic Stadium , a group of noisy and enthusiastic fans in the front row of the audience irritated Waters so much that he spat at one of them. The end of the tour marked a low point for Gilmour, who felt that the band achieved
10920-415: The deal, the band agreed to record their first album at EMI Studios in London. Mason recalled that the sessions were trouble-free. Smith disagreed, stating that Barrett was unresponsive to his suggestions and constructive criticism. EMI-Columbia released The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in August 1967. The album reached number six, spending 14 weeks on the UK charts. One month later, it was released under
11050-499: The decision to release the band's 2022 Hits to the Head compilation, stating that "I have friends who believe you're somehow not a 'real' fan if you own a best of rather than a discography. I disagree. I think of my parents' record collection as a kid. I loved their compilation LPs. I am so grateful that they had Changes or Rolled Gold . Those LPs were my entrance point. My introduction." Various compilation albums became amongst
11180-477: The dynamic and sits well alongside their peerless early material". AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered that despite ignoring 2000s singles such as " Run Baby Run ", "it already seems that the comp has lingered far longer than necessary on the last stage of Garbage's career", in contrast to the debut album singles "still sounding sleek and alluring." Kerrang! magazine's Tom Byrant also felt that Garbage's work had dated, expounding, "Something that
11310-403: The end of 2005's Bleed Like Me World Tour , Garbage disbanded to go on a hiatus. A month later, music retailer HMV 's UK website listed a Greatest Hits compilation for release the following year. By January 2006, the title changed to Absolute Garbage . On November 10, a press release from Warner Music Group announced a March 19, 2007, UK release date for the album, while NME reported that
11440-559: The film company, prompting them to release the soundtrack album as Obscured by Clouds , rather than La Vallée . The film was retitled La Vallée (Obscured by Clouds) on its release. The songs on Obscured by Clouds were all short and economical, with a strong country music influence. The album also featured the EMS VCS 3 synthesiser, which Wright had purchased from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop . " Burning Bridges "
11570-516: The film. The album was mixed from 4–6 April at Morgan Studios in London. During the first recording session in February 1972, the French television station ORTF filmed a short segment of the band recording the album, including interviews with Waters and Gilmour. Waters said that early UK pressings of the album contained "excessive sibilance". After recording had finished, the band fell out with
11700-579: The first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments, philosophical lyrics, and elaborate live shows . They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time. Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). With Barrett as their main songwriter, they released two hit singles, " Arnold Layne " and " See Emily Play ", and
11830-486: The former. Bob Ezrin co-produced and wrote a forty-page script for the new album. Ezrin based the story on the central figure of Pink—a gestalt character inspired by Waters's childhood experiences, the most notable of which was the death of his father in World War II . This first metaphorical brick led to more problems; Pink would become drug-addled and depressed by the music industry, eventually transforming into
11960-465: The group is well into the growth track again". NME called it "an exceptionally good album", singling out " Echoes " as the "Zenith which the Floyd have been striving for". However, Melody Maker's Michael Watts found it underwhelming, calling the album "a soundtrack to a non-existent movie", and shrugging off Pink Floyd as "so much sound and fury, signifying nothing". Pink Floyd had already recorded
12090-440: The group planned that Gilmour would "cover for [Barrett's] eccentricities". When this proved unworkable, it was decided that Barrett would just write material. In an expression of his frustration, Barrett, who was expected to write additional hit singles to follow up "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play", instead introduced " Have You Got It Yet? " to the band, intentionally changing the structure on each performance so as to make
12220-516: The hit songs, plus other new material as bonus tracks to increase appeal for longtime fans (who might otherwise already own the recordings included). At times, a greatest hits compilation marks the first album appearance of a successful single that was never attached to a previous studio album. Greatest hits albums usually are released after an artist or band's contract with a major label is completed, they've been dropped or died, with next releases following on new labels. The first greatest hits album
12350-412: The inclusion of a new remix, Vig presented his rework to Manson and Erikson who had been unaware of the new version. Both agreed that "Bad Boyfriend" should be included, but rather than solicit an outside producer, Vig spent a few days finishing the mix. Inversely, Garbage recruited production team Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Tellefario to create a new version of Bleed Like Me ' s track "It's All Over but
12480-507: The invasion of the Falklands as jingoistic and unnecessary, and dedicated the album to his late father. Immediately arguments arose between Waters and Gilmour, who felt that the album should include all new material, rather than recycle songs passed over for The Wall . Waters felt that Gilmour had contributed little to the band's lyrical repertoire. Michael Kamen , a contributor to the orchestral arrangements of The Wall , mediated between
12610-460: The late 1960s, EMI Sweden released a series of greatest hits-EPs featuring artists such as The Supremes , Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong . By the 1990s, greatest hits albums were common for popular artists, with some artists even releasing the greatest hits album as a music video collection concurrently with the album. It also became a commercially viable option to boost popularity for artists with dwindling careers. Some bands refuse to release
12740-460: The material for Absolute Garbage , it transpired that the analog masters of their eponymous debut album had been lost. Neither of the band's record labels had them, and after further searching, the band established that none of the mastering facilities they had used had stored them either. Vig and audio engineer Billy Bush were able to track down an archived, but rather incomplete and damaged, set of 16-bit 44.1kHz safety DAT mixes. Despite
12870-455: The music business meant that the single reached number 20 in the UK. EMI-Columbia released Pink Floyd's second single, " See Emily Play ", on 16 June 1967. It fared slightly better than "Arnold Layne", peaking at number 6 in the UK. The band performed on the BBC's Look of the Week , where Waters and Barrett, erudite and engaging, faced tough questioning from Hans Keller . They appeared on
13000-576: The name of the Mod Princes they once owned." After their management tricked the band into signing over the copyrights to their 1963–1970 song catalog, the band did succeed in changing management and major labels. However, they could neither prevent the release of Hot Rocks nor its successor, More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) . Hot Rocks remains the best-selling album of the Rolling Stones' career. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards continue to collect significant songwriting royalties from
13130-479: The others could do", wrote biographer Nicholas Schaffner . In 1967, Pink Floyd began to attract the attention of the music industry. While in negotiations with record companies, IT co-founder and UFO club manager Joe Boyd and Pink Floyd's booking agent, Bryan Morrison , arranged and funded a recording session at Sound Techniques in Kensington . On 15 February 1967, Pink Floyd signed with EMI, receiving
13260-745: The prospect of participation in a significant film and receiving a large payment for his work, Geldof agreed. Screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1982, Pink Floyd – The Wall premièred in the UK in July 1982. In 1982, Waters suggested a project with the working title Spare Bricks , originally conceived as the soundtrack album for Pink Floyd – The Wall. With the onset of the Falklands War , Waters changed direction and began writing new material. He saw Margaret Thatcher 's response to
13390-452: The restaurant thinking that Pink Floyd could continue after Waters had finished The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking , noting that they had had several hiatuses before; however, Waters left believing that Mason and Gilmour had accepted that Pink Floyd were finished. Mason said that Waters later saw the meeting as "duplicity rather than diplomacy", and wrote in his memoir: "Clearly, our communication skills were still troublingly nonexistent. We left
13520-550: The restaurant with diametrically opposed views of what had been decided." Following the release of The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking , Waters publicly insisted that Pink Floyd would not reunite. He contacted O'Rourke to discuss settling future royalty payments. O'Rourke felt obliged to inform Mason and Gilmour, which angered Waters, who wanted to dismiss him as the band's manager. He terminated his management contract with O'Rourke and employed Peter Rudge to manage his affairs. Waters wrote to EMI and Columbia announcing he had left
13650-610: The song " Hey, Hey, Rise Up! " in protest of the Russian invasion of Ukraine . By 2013, Pink Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time . The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame , and are among the best-selling albums of all time . Four Pink Floyd albums topped the US Billboard 200 and five topped
13780-463: The song impossible to follow and learn. In a January 1968 photoshoot of Pink Floyd, the photographs show Barrett looking detached from the others, staring into the distance. Working with Barrett eventually proved too difficult, and matters came to a conclusion in January while en route to a performance in Southampton when a band member asked if they should collect Barrett. According to Gilmour,
13910-405: The sound problems. Geesin worked to improve the score, but with little creative input from the band, production was troublesome. Geesin eventually completed the project with the aid of John Alldis , who was the director of the choir hired to perform on the record. Smith earned an executive producer credit, and the album marked his final official contribution to the band's discography. Gilmour said it
14040-406: The soundtracks to the films The Committee (1968) and More (1969) and part of Zabriskie Point (1970). On the back of More ' s success, the director Barbet Schroeder asked them to record the soundtrack of his next major project, La Vallée . The band took two breaks to Strawberry Studios , Château d'Hérouville , France, either side of a Japanese tour, to write and record music for
14170-424: The south of France. In 1965, while a member of Joker's Wild , Gilmour had watched the Tea Set. Morrison's assistant, Steve O'Rourke , set Gilmour up in a room at O'Rourke's house with a salary of £30 per week (equivalent to £700 in 2023 ). In January 1968, Blackhill Enterprises announced Gilmour as the band's newest member, intending to continue with Barrett as a nonperforming songwriter. According to Jenner,
14300-455: The stage ... The band started to play and Syd just stood there. He had his guitar around his neck and his arms just hanging down". Forced to cancel Pink Floyd's appearance at the prestigious National Jazz and Blues Festival , as well as several other shows, King informed the music press that Barrett was suffering from nervous exhaustion. Waters arranged a meeting with psychiatrist R. D. Laing , and though Waters personally drove Barrett to
14430-433: The success they had sought, with nothing left for them to accomplish. In July 1978, amid a financial crisis caused by negligent investments, Waters presented two ideas for Pink Floyd's next album. The first was a 90-minute demo with the working title Bricks in the Wall; the other later became Waters's first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking . Although both Mason and Gilmour were initially cautious, they chose
14560-783: The successful debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (all 1967). David Gilmour (guitar, vocals) joined in 1967; Barrett left in 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. While all four members contributed compositions, Waters became the primary lyricist and thematic leader, devising the concepts behind Pink Floyd's most successful albums, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979). The musical film based on The Wall , Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), won two BAFTA Awards . Pink Floyd also composed several film scores . Following personal tensions, Wright left Pink Floyd in 1981, followed by Waters in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd, rejoined later by Wright. They produced
14690-420: The test of time, but this reminds you why, along with Gwen Stefani 's No Doubt , Garbage are one of them." A reviewer for Instinct wrote "this hits collection is loaded with songs best described as massive... you'll find something to love here". Jaime Gill, in a review for BBC Music , felt that " Absolute Garbage is a fine legacy, the sound of a briefly brilliant and always interesting band" and that overall
14820-550: The thirteen tracks is a throwaway." Ben Hogwood of musicOMH called the compilation a "deserved retrospective", further noting that "the best way to get to know Garbage is through their albums, which demonstrate their strength in depth. In particular the self-titled debut and Version 2.0 withstand a heavy hammering on any stereo." Absolute Garbage debuted at number 68 on the Billboard 200 , selling 11,000 copies in its first week. As of August 2008, it had sold 66,000 copies in
14950-539: The two, performing the role traditionally occupied by the then-absent Wright. The tension within the band grew. Waters and Gilmour worked independently; however, Gilmour began to feel the strain, sometimes barely maintaining his composure. After a final confrontation, Gilmour's name disappeared from the credit list, reflecting what Waters felt was his lack of songwriting contributions. Though Mason's musical contributions were minimal, he stayed busy recording sound effects for an experimental Holophonic system to be used on
15080-440: Was Johnny Mathis 's Johnny's Greatest Hits , released in 1958. The album collected eight of Mathis's charting singles, as well as three non-charting B-sides and an altogether new track. The album spent three weeks at the number one spot on Billboard 's Best Selling Pop LP's chart. The greatest hits album format then gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s among American and British rock and pop artists. One notable example
15210-624: Was the Beach Boys 1974 album Endless Summer , which upon release was certified 3× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America . It propelled them from an opening act for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to headlining their own tour in just a matter of weeks. Some artists were even popular enough to release multiple greatest hits albums during and after their career. Greatest hits compilations were sometimes also released as 4-track 7" vinyl EPs . In
15340-507: Was "A neat way of saying that he didn't ... do anything". Waters was critical of Atom Heart Mother , claiming that he would prefer if it were "thrown into the dustbin and never listened to by anyone ever again". Gilmour once described it as "a load of rubbish", stating: "I think we were scraping the barrel a bit at that period." Pink Floyd's first number-one album, Atom Heart Mother was hugely successful in Britain, spending 18 weeks on
15470-434: Was also suffering. Animals was the first Pink Floyd album with no writing credit for Wright, who said: "This was when Roger really started to believe that he was the sole writer for the band ... that it was only because of him that [we] were still going ... when he started to develop his ego trips, the person he would have his conflicts with would be me." Released in January 1977, Animals reached number two in
15600-452: Was being cool in a very adolescent, self-conscious way, Syd was unfashionably outgoing; my enduring memory of our first encounter is the fact that he bothered to come up and introduce himself to me." Waters and Mason met while studying architecture at the London Polytechnic at Regent Street . They first played music together in a group formed by fellow students Keith Noble and Clive Metcalfe, with Noble's sister Sheilagh. Richard Wright ,
15730-410: Was impressed by the sonic effects Barrett and Wright created and, with his business partner and friend Andrew King , became their manager. The pair had little experience in the music industry and used King's inheritance to set up Blackhill Enterprises , purchasing about £1,000 (equivalent to £23,500 in 2023 ) worth of new instruments and equipment for the band. Around this time, Jenner suggested
15860-500: Was insufficient. Melody Maker 's Roy Hollingworth described side one as "utterly confused ... [and] difficult to follow", but praised side two, writing: "The songs, the sounds ... [and] the rhythms were solid ... [the] saxophone hit the air, the band rocked and rolled". Rolling Stone 's Loyd Grossman described it as "a fine album with a textural and conceptual richness that not only invites, but demands involvement." Throughout March 1973, The Dark Side of
15990-402: Was no record company contact whatsoever, except when their label manager would show up now and again with a couple of bottles of wine and a couple of joints". The band spent long periods working on basic sounds, or a guitar riff. They also spent several days at Air Studios, attempting to create music using a variety of household objects, a project which would be revisited between The Dark Side of
16120-534: Was not music. When their management filed suit in a small claims court against the owner of the youth organisation, a local magistrate upheld the owner's decision. The band was much better received at the UFO Club in London, where they began to build a fan base. Barrett's performances were enthusiastic, "leaping around ... madness ... improvisation ... [inspired] to get past his limitations and into areas that were ... very interesting. Which none of
16250-494: Was once so much a part of the Zeitgeist has remained rooted to the era it marked, untranslatable across the millennial divide. Still, songs like ' Stupid Girl ' and ' Only Happy When It Rains ' [...] maintain an urgency and spite that sees their intent remain intact." Billboard writer Kerri Mason praised the choice of remixes on the special edition: "the band continually brought the best of dance 's best producers, not one of
16380-412: Was one of two songwriting collaborations between Wright and Waters. " Childhood's End " was the last song Pink Floyd released to have lyrics written by Gilmour until the release of A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987. " Free Four " was the first Pink Floyd song since "See Emily Play" to attract significant airplay in the US, and the second to refer to the death of Waters' father during World War II. "Stay"
16510-515: Was partly my fault because I didn't push my material ... but Dave did have something to offer, and only managed to get a couple of things on there." Mason recalled: "Roger was in full flow with the ideas, but he was really keeping Dave down, and frustrating him deliberately." Gilmour, distracted by the birth of his first child, contributed little else toward the album. Similarly, neither Mason nor Wright contributed much toward Animals ; Wright had marital problems, and his relationship with Waters
16640-548: Was taking a break from his studies, did not participate. When the RAF assigned Dennis a post in Bahrain in early 1965, Barrett became the band's frontman. Later that year, they became the resident band at the Countdown Club near Kensington High Street in London, where from late night until early morning they played three sets of 90 minutes each. During this period, spurred by the need to extend their sets to minimise song repetition,
16770-445: Was the first in the series, and the company has since released dozens of albums in the series with other artists under their label. In addition to artist-specific collections, the series has also released genre-specific and themed albums, such as The Essential Christmas (collecting pop and rock covers of Christmas songs ) or The Essential Australian Rock (collecting a specific regional output). In 2005, Universal Music Group launched
16900-476: Was written and sung by Wright, with lyrics by Waters. The closing instrumental on the album ends with a recording of the Mapuga tribe chanting, as seen in the film. Pink Floyd recorded The Dark Side of the Moon between May 1972 and January 1973 with EMI staff engineer Alan Parsons at Abbey Road. The title is an allusion to lunacy rather than astronomy. The band had composed and refined the material while touring
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