A NICE PAIR

Following the massive success of "Dark Side of the Moon", record companies scrambled to capitalize on the popularity of the Floyd. Their answer was to (re-)release the band's two earliest studio albums: "Piper" and "Saucerful" in a trendy repackaged double album format late in 1973/early 1974.

The 2-LP set sold very well, but kids and 'new' Floyd fans must have been pretty confused when they first listened to this 'new' Floydian purchase. "This doesn't sound like Pink Floyd at all!!?!" ;-P Haha charade you are kiddies...

The US Capitol record version of the release features the live "Ummagumma" version of 'Astronomy Domine' instead of the original studio version, and clocks in at a cool 8 minutes 29 seconds. As it is essentially the first song on the album, how I wish I could have seen the looks of the multitude of 'Money' fans listening to this album for the first time!

Only ever released on vinyl, this compilation still pops up occasionally in second-hand stores, and is unique to collectors for its Hypgnosis gatefold artwork. There was early controversy over the original album cover, as it features 'a nice pair' of female breasts. Also, one of the (many) photos in the collage featured a sign advertisement for a dentist by the name of 'Dr. Phang'. Due to strict British advertisement laws (on health care?...or dentistry?), that particular photo was eventually dropped for subsequent editions.

3/5 stars for its uniqueness.