Pink Floyd albums used to be reissued the old-fashioned way—from older siblings or college roommates, usually in a dark room and accompanied by a bitchin’ glass pipe emblazoned with psychedelic mushrooms. But now the Floyd’s label EMI is prepping a far fancier introduction to the legendary classic-rock band via CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, SACD, several digital formats, and iPhone apps—basically anything you can play music on—designed to “redefine their legacy.” The multi-format reissues are the result of a recent agreement with the surviving band members—Syd Barrett and Richard Wright have passed on to the great gig in the sky—that will allow the release of archival material, including alternate takes, unreleased tracks, live concert screen films, and a live recording of a Dark Side Of The Moon performance at Wembley Stadium from 1974.
The original Floyd albums will be available in a variety of formats with appropriately ponderous names—remastered “Discovery” CDs, “Immersion” CD/DVD/Blu-Ray box sets, and special “Experience” editions pairing the record “with a further disc of related content from that album to offer a deeper listening experience.” (Like The Wizard Of Oz?) Pink Floyd’s long-time art director Storm Thorgerson has been involved in the design of the reissues, which will have new CD booklets and new artwork for the box sets. And, of course, EMI promises the highest quality audio and all that technical bullshit.
The Dark Side Of The Moon will be the first record to get the reissue treatment on Sept. 26, with a two-disc “Experience” version and a 6-disc “Immersion” box set, along with vinyl and digital formats. There also will be a box set of 14 studio albums available. Similar treatment will be given to Wish You Were Here on Nov. 7, while The Wall gets expanded on Feb. 27, 2012.