Customer Reviews

Collection of Great Dance Songs

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The 1 star is to get your attention. The actual songs here are good, but drawn mostly from 4 Pink Floyd CDs. (The Wall, Animals, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here.) The CD is only 45-minutes and the "Money" version is a subtle re-recording. Now that the 'Echoes' Best-of is out,you can get all of the songs here on that compilation. (At a cheaper price, and with about an hour-and-a-half of more music.) This CD should be deleted - it just isn't necesssary anymore.

I read a review on here regarding this 1981 Pink Floyd compilation album that says in the wake of ECHOES, A COLLECTION OF GREAT DANCE SONGS is obsolete. At first glance, I can see why someone might make that assumption. However, the album is worth plunking down the $15 for two reasons: the superb re-recording of "Money" and the tight, condensed version of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond."

This album was compiled by David Gilmour without the participation of the rest of the band. When Capital Records would only allow them to include one song from the albums they had recorded under that label (they had since moved to Columbia), Gilmour chose "One of These Days" and opted to re-record "Money" for inclusion on DANCE SONGS. With the exception of Dick Parry's saxophone, Gilmour played every instrument on the track. In my opinion, this heavier, slicker version of "Money" surpasses the original.

I may be the only Floyd fan who wasn't wild about the extended (though choppy) edit of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" included on ECHOES. It gives you a taste of the entire composition, but awkward edits and fades keep it from working as a single track. However, the more condensed but also more seamless edit on DANCE SONGS works much better as a single track.

Also of interest is the radio edit of "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2," which includes an elsewhere unavailable intro consisting of a loop of the drum beat and guitar riff.

"One of These Days," "Sheep" and "Wish You Were Here" all appear in their original versions. Can't complain about that. All in all, I suppose the more casual Floyd fan can skip this one. But any serious Floyd fanatic should definitely have this one in their library!

The 5 star rating is for collectors that must have all material and cds/lps that pink floyd puts out. The actual songs are remastered and sound great! If you are looking for the most songs for your money check out Best of Echoes. It has all the songs here on it and many other great songs. This CD is for the "COLLECTORS" OR FLOYD-HEADS and not the casual buyer.

Released two years after their 1979 hit "The Wall" and two years before their next album "The Final Cut," this simple compilation from Pink Floyd is the definition of compilation albums. While it may seem puzzling for me to give such a deep review to a mini-best of package that was released only to satisfy fans hungry to hear from Floyd, I still think it's necessary to shed some light on an overlooked item in the group's lexicon.
1981 was a troubled time for Pink Floyd--tension within the band was close to the breaking point, their hostility not eased with blockbuster success. And now, the group (reduced to a trio after the firing of keyboardist Richard Wright) was working on a film adaption of "The Wall" leaving very little time to record a new album. Of course fans were dying to hear something--anything-- from Pink Floyd, and "A Collection of Great Dance Songs," a modest compilation, was what they got. It hit #37 on the Billboard chart, proving the thirst for another release, but it was quickly forgotten. But when one looks deep at this little six-track album, they can see that "A Collection of Great Dance Songs" is just as cynical and meaningful in its own right as their previous studio works; its simple title seems to mock the idea of a 'best-of' set, and its predictable track selection is pure compilation album material. Consisting of six songs from their most popular 70's releases, "Dance Songs" has all the qualities of other best-of packages--all of the material we already own, but a few "alternate versions," in this case the re-recorded version of 'Money' (in which guitarist David Gilmour played all instruments, except saxophone) and a radio-intro mix of the hit 'Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2).' As if these qualities weren't enough, the beautiful dazzling cover art--dancers tied down to a field--seems to be yet another subtle message about the state of Pink Floyd at that time.
It is doubtful that the cynicism portrayed with "A Collection of Great Dance Songs" was intentional, but nonetheless, it still makes the album one of the most honest compilations ever released. Also, this album is more meaningful than the recent "Echoes" because at this time, Pink Floyd would actually go on to make more records, and not just signify an eight-year period of no new material with a best-of package (as does "Echoes"). Another quality of "A Collection of Great Dance Songs" is its honest modesty, offering only six of their most recognizable songs of the 1970's, and not attempting to cram their 'best' into two CD's, like their most recent retrospective.

I love Pink Floyd. Love them. But this album confuses me. Why was this made? I'm not the kind of person who would dance to Pink Floyd. Actually, PF isn't the kind of band you dance to. This album was obviously released to bring in more money for the record company. If you're a new fan to Pink Floyd, don't buy this album. If you're a die-hard Pink Floyd fan, don't buy this album. If you're looking to waste some money, buy it then. This album is an insult to Pink Floyd and even compilations in general.

A Collection Of Great Dance Songs (1981.), a collection of 1970's Pink Floyd material

'A Collection of Great Dance Songs' is quite simply a compilation whose continued production is no longer really justified. At the time of its release, it was definitely better and more meaningful than it is now as CDs had not come to the fore and your 45 min approx max. length LP was the main source of music media. Since then, a few Floyd compilations have been released which supercede it in selection and length, most notably, the 2001 double CD 'Echoes' compilation. For just a little more than the price you can pay for this CD (yes thats how much a rip off this CD really is now!) you can get Echoes and enjoy over 2 and a half hours of extensive Pink Floyd brilliance which gives you tracks right across the band's career spanning 4 decades. This CD instead gives you just a 45 minute effort which contains just the best of their 70's stuff - the compilation should be just made obsolete.

So what is on the album? BY NO MEANS am I knocking the music on the album; Pink Floyd are one of my favourite bands and the music you are capturing on here is excellent, timeless stuff from their golden era, the 1970's. The album contains just 6 tracks. 'One of These Days' is from the 1971 Meddle album, which starts off this compilation. Following this is a 1981 version of 'Money'. Perhaps the idea of obtaining a different version of this 'Dark Side of the Moon' track is the only reason for possibly buying this compilation - it annoys me that it is always 'Money' that seems to be the flagbearer track for 'DSOTM' though when it is bettered by at least 4 tracks on the album - why isn't 'Time' on this compilation???? The other tracks on the album are 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' from 'Wish You Were Here', very much the Syd Barratt tribute album. 'Sheep' from 'Animals' is on here, as is 'Another Brick In the Wall Part II' from the Wall (why not Comfortably Numb instead??).

So the music is excellent BUT the compilation is a rip off by todays standards when you match it against the 'Echoes' compilation. The CDs of this work basically act now as an enticer to new listeners to the Floyd who may think it is one of their albums and fall into the trap of wasting their money on it. Capitol Records should withdraw this compilation and stop potentially exploiting buyers with this overpriced outdated compilation and instead should solely promote compilations such as 'Echoes' or even 'Relics'.

Just in case you think this is a remix for club-goers, it isn't. It is what the other reviewers said, it is a compilation.