When this bad boy landed on my desk I was downright giddy. A huge Floyd fan in my teens, I had put the band on the back burner for years. Then Roger Waters came to town and the concert blew me away, reigniting my Floyd enthusiasm. This box set has put me in a Pink Floyd spiral that might last weeks. Here's my review that'll run in the Creative Loafing that hits newsstands Jan. 23.

Oh By the Way

PINK FLOYD

Capitol/EMI

Pink Floyd holds a special place in the rock ’n’ roll pantheon, making them more than deserving of this lavish box set that includes all 14 of their studio albums. The band is as hip and universally appreciated now as in their halcyon days. The baby boomers who purchased Dark Side of the Moon when it first made British space-rock an international phenomenon likely still listen to the album — that is unless their teenage sons or daughters have swiped it. Despite being inactive for more than a decade (save for a brief set at the London Live 8 benefit in 2005 and solo projects), Pink Floyd remains a rite of passage for alienated adolescents — especially young men — across the world.

Anyone skeptical of Pink Floyd’s generation-spanning mass appeal need only look at Roger Waters’ performance last year at Tampa’s Ford Amphitheater. He sold out the 20,000-capacity venue and attracted a crowd largely consisting of persons born after the 1979 release of The Wall. These twentysomethings not only shelled out big bucks to see one of Pink Floyd’s primary members, but they sang along to most of his lyrics.

But how do you approach the Pink Floyd canon? Dark Side (’73), Wish You Were Here (’75) and The Wall are likely the best choices to whet the appetites of neophytes. These discs offer a bleak, solipsistic view of the world while simultaneously transporting listeners away from their own grim realities. It’s gloomy but grabby stuff that those of us who were seduced by it at an impressionable age are never fully able to dismiss.

After repeated listens to Pink Floyd’s three most popular albums, the freshly indoctrinated fan must then make difficult choices. Acquire the band’s entire mid-1970s and early ’80s releases that find Waters mostly at the helm? Dip into the Syd Barrett-led psychedelic period of the late ’60s? How about the David Gilmour-led era that put a couple new Floyd songs on the radio in ’94?

Oh By the Way proves ideal for those fresh fans who have decided it’s time to simply consume it all — or for those veteran enthusiasts seeking to complete their Pink Floyd collection via the most handsome and comprehensive way available. The CDs are packaged in individual mini-replicas of the original vinyl jackets that include facsimiles of the initial liner notes. The box is stylishly decorated by long-time Floyd design whiz Storm Thorgerson and compact enough to display on the mantle or tote in an overnight bag.

One quibble: Considering the breadth of Oh By the Way, it would have been nice if EMI had added a disc loaded with Floyd’s early-era B-sides, outtakes and maybe a few live cuts from the band’s various incarnations over the years.

4.5 stars

This article appears in Jan 9-15, 2008.