Pink Floyd’s “Relics”: A “Best Of” With the Best Still To Come
Pink Floyd’s early collection stands out even without the decades of amazing music that followed
You know you are in the presence of musical genius when you listen to a stunning “best of” compilation of songs and realise that it came out well before the act’s most transcendent work.
Such is the case with “Relics,” the modest but brilliant collection put out by Pink Floyd in May 1971, less than four years after their debut album “Pipers at the Gates of Dawn.”
To be clear, this was before “The Dark Side of the Moon” (1973), “Wish You Were Here” (1975), and “The Wall” (1979), three of the best-selling albums of all time.
So, no “Money,” no “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” no “Comfortably Numb” in these greatest hits.
But, again, to be clear, “Relics” — subtitled “A Bizarre Collection of Antiques & Curios” — is not some hubristic release like the modern “Best Ofs” we hear advertised these days. You know the ones, the greatest hits from contemporary pop groups and singers whose bare months in the business have allowed them to so warble into the hearts of teenage girls that everything is a hit.
