“It has a good beat, but can you dance to it?” – American Bandstand
I have never considered Pink Floyd a dance band, but then again, I can’t dance. A Collection Of Great Dance Songs by Pink Floyd was originally issued about 36 years ago. As I remember it, the album was put together to satisfy a label contractual obligation. This makes me think that the title was selected as a tongue-in-cheek move.
The album has now been reissued in a vinyl format. The music has been remastered from the original tapes and the thick 180-gram vinyl gives it a pristine sound.
The album could have been titled The Best Of Pink Floyd 1971-1979. The six tracks provide an introduction to Pink Floyd’s music: “One Of These Days,” “Money,” “Sheep,” “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-4),” “Wish You Were Here,” and “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2” are instantly recognizable to any fan of the band or the era.
While these songs are readily available on many albums, it’s nice to have the band’s most commercial, and in many ways, their most mainstream material, in one place. The disc has a nice flow, and the four parts of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” have been combined into one long track.
Many of the original Pink Floyd albums were conceptual and their strength was in sum rather than in the parts. Here, the songs are able to stand alone and hold up well as individual pieces.
A Collection Of Great Dance Songs is in some ways a niche release. It is on vinyl and provides just a glimpse of what Pink Floyd is all about. Still, while you may not be able to dance to it, it does have a good beat.
