# The Early Years 1965–1972
*The Early Years 1965–1972* is a 27-disc box set of previously unreleased and rare recordings by the English rock band [Pink Floyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/pink-floyd), released on 11 November 2016 and covering the band's career from its earliest 1965 recordings to the year before the release of *The Dark Side of the Moon*.[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) • [2](https://sony.mediaroom.com/2016-07-28-Pink-Floyd-To-Release-The-Early-Years-1965-1972-A-Deluxe-27-Disc-Box-Set) It collects non-album singles, unreleased studio and live recordings, BBC radio and television sessions, film soundtrack material, and concert footage drawn from the band's archive.[3](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-early-years-cre-ation/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release date | 11 November 2016, on Pink Floyd Records[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/27448ba7-839b-4a07-bc73-3c20a3c1856a) |
| Format | 11 CDs, 9 DVDs, 8 Blu-rays, plus 5 replica 7" vinyl singles, in seven book-style volumes[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/27448ba7-839b-4a07-bc73-3c20a3c1856a) |
| Audio content | 130 tracks over 12 hours 33 minutes, including 7 hours of previously unreleased live audio[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) |
| Video content | 15 hours 35 minutes, including rare concert performances, interviews, and 3 feature films[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) |
| Unreleased material | Over 20 unreleased songs, including 1967's "Vegetable Man" and "In the Beechwoods", newly mixed for the set[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) |
| Period covered | From the 1965 pre-EMI demos through the single "Arnold Layne" to the 20-minute "Echoes", ending before *The Dark Side of the Moon*[2](https://sony.mediaroom.com/2016-07-28-Pink-Floyd-To-Release-The-Early-Years-1965-1972-A-Deluxe-27-Disc-Box-Set) |
| Companion release | A 2-CD highlights album, *The Early Years – Cre/ation*, issued the same day[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) |
## Scope and content
The set traces the band from the time [Roger Waters](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-waters), Richard Wright, Nick Mason, and [Syd Barrett](https://www.edgepedia.org/syd-barrett) met at London's Regent Street Polytechnic, through Barrett's departure and [David Gilmour](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-gilmour) joining, to the lineup that recorded *Meddle* and *Obscured by Clouds*.[2](https://sony.mediaroom.com/2016-07-28-Pink-Floyd-To-Release-The-Early-Years-1965-1972-A-Deluxe-27-Disc-Box-Set) Its earliest disc opens with the 1965 demo sessions, which include "Lucy Leave", "Double O Bo", "Butterfly", and a cover of Slim Harpo's "I'm a King Bee", with Rado Klose on guitar and Juliette Gale on vocals on "Walk With Me Sydney".[5](https://archive.pinkfloyd.com/news/pdfs/Complete_Early_Years_Box_Track_Listing.pdf) These recordings had been unheard until they were released in 2015 as a double 7" for Record Store Day.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22663-the-early-years-1965-1972/)
Beyond the studio material, the set includes television appearances from programs such as the BBC's *Top of the Pops* and *The Look of the Week*, an unreleased 1967 concert in Stockholm whose tapes the band acquired for the release, and remixed and updated versions of the music from *Zabriskie Point*.[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) • [5](https://archive.pinkfloyd.com/news/pdfs/Complete_Early_Years_Box_Track_Listing.pdf) A bonus package exclusive to the box, *Continu/ation*, contains a CD of early BBC radio sessions, the audio tracks from the film *The Committee*, and Pink Floyd's live soundtrack to the 1969 NASA moon landings.[7](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/news/pdfs/Pink_Floyd_The_Early_Years_Press_Release.pdf)
## The seven volumes
The box is organized as seven book-style packages, six covering individual years or periods plus the exclusive *Continu/ation* extras volume; the volume titles were chosen by Roger Waters.[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) • [8](https://archive.pinkfloyd.com/news/past_topics)
- **1965–1967 Cambridge St/ation**: Syd Barrett's time with the band, from the pre-EMI demos through the non-album hit singles, the newly mixed "Vegetable Man" and "In the Beechwoods", BBC sessions, the Stockholm concert, and historic TV performances.[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf)
- **1968 Germin/ation**: the period after Barrett's departure, with non-album singles and a recently discovered session at [Capitol Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/capitol-records) studios in Los Angeles on 22 August 1968.[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf) • [5](https://archive.pinkfloyd.com/news/pdfs/Complete_Early_Years_Box_Track_Listing.pdf)
- **1969 Dramatis/ation**: the two-part conceptual live production *The Man* and *The Journey*, performed in Amsterdam and for the BBC in London, plus bonus tracks from the *More* soundtrack and the early version of "Embryo" from the Harvest sampler *Picnic*.[1](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf)
- **1970 Devi/ation**, **1971 Reverber/ation**, and **1972 Obfusc/ation**: the later volumes, including material from *Atom Heart Mother*, *Meddle*, and *Obscured by Clouds*.[8](https://archive.pinkfloyd.com/news/past_topics)
- **Continu/ation**: the bonus volume exclusive to the full box set.[7](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/news/pdfs/Pink_Floyd_The_Early_Years_Press_Release.pdf)
The 1971 volume includes the genesis of "Echoes", the side-long centerpiece of *Meddle*; the set presents part of the original demos, from when the project gestated under working titles including "Nothing" and "Return of the Son of Nothing", alongside a contemporary BBC session recording.[9](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pink-floyd-the-early-years-1965---1972-the-individual-volumes-300407126.html) The 1972 volume includes performances from the *Live at Pompeii* film edited to new 5.1 audio mixes, material from contemporary French TV, performances from Brighton Dome in June 1972, and further performances with the Roland Petit ballet company.[9](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pink-floyd-the-early-years-1965---1972-the-individual-volumes-300407126.html)
## Release and later editions
The six individual volumes were released separately as book-bound packages on 24 March 2017; *Continu/ation* remained exclusive to the full box set.[9](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pink-floyd-the-early-years-1965---1972-the-individual-volumes-300407126.html) The Guardian reported the box's retail price at around £400, and Pitchfork listed it at $550.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/10/pink-floyd-the-early-years-1965-72-review-27-discs-of-dogged-creativity) • [6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22663-the-early-years-1965-1972/)
One production issue was acknowledged after release. In Japan, Sony Music notified buyers that the CD labeled *Obscured by Clouds [2016 Remix]* in volume 6 of the imported box actually contained a *Live at Pompeii [2016 Mix]* CD, with the correct disc shipped separately for customers to swap in themselves.[11](https://www.pinkfloyd.jp/artist/PinkFloyd/info/474710)
## Companion compilation and reception
*The Early Years – Cre/ation*, a 2-CD selection issued alongside the box, samples its audio content, including [BBC Radio](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-radio) sessions, unused compositions from the *Zabriskie Point* sessions, live tracks, and "Nothing, Part 14", the forerunner of "Echoes".[3](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-early-years-cre-ation/)
Reviewers treated the set as a document of the band's development rather than a hit collection. The Guardian described the post-Barrett years as showing the band in a state of flux, uncertain of direction but producing strong music, particularly in the lengthy improvisations that became their strength after Barrett's departure.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/10/pink-floyd-the-early-years-1965-72-review-27-discs-of-dogged-creativity) Pitchfork highlighted the seven versions of "Interstellar Overdrive" across the set, including a 1969 take featuring [Frank Zappa](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-zappa) on guitar, and the never-bootlegged October 1967 soundtrack session recorded to accompany an abstract film by John Latham.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22663-the-early-years-1965-1972/)
## References
1. [Pink Floyd 'The Early Years 1965-1972' press information (pinkfloydz.com PDF)](https://www.pinkfloydz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/earlyyears.pdf)
2. [Pink Floyd To Release 'The Early Years 1965-1972' A Deluxe 27-Disc Box Set, Sony Music press release, 28 July 2016](https://sony.mediaroom.com/2016-07-28-Pink-Floyd-To-Release-The-Early-Years-1965-1972-A-Deluxe-27-Disc-Box-Set)
3. [The Early Years: Cre/ation, Pink Floyd official site](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-early-years-cre-ation/)
4. [Release group 'The Early Years: 1965–1972' by Pink Floyd, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/27448ba7-839b-4a07-bc73-3c20a3c1856a)
5. [Pink Floyd 'The Early Years 1965-1972' complete track listing (official PDF)](https://archive.pinkfloyd.com/news/pdfs/Complete_Early_Years_Box_Track_Listing.pdf)
6. [Jesse Jarnow, 'The Early Years 1965-1972' album review, Pitchfork, 14 December 2016](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22663-the-early-years-1965-1972/)
7. [Pink Floyd 'The Early Years' press release PDF, pinkfloyd.com](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/news/pdfs/Pink_Floyd_The_Early_Years_Press_Release.pdf)
8. [Pink Floyd official site news: The Individual Volumes release](https://archive.pinkfloyd.com/news/past_topics)
9. [Pink Floyd 'The Early Years, 1965–1972: The Individual Volumes', PR Newswire, 14 December 2016](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pink-floyd-the-early-years-1965---1972-the-individual-volumes-300407126.html)
10. [Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1965-72 review, The Guardian, 10 November 2016](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/10/pink-floyd-the-early-years-1965-72-review-27-discs-of-dogged-creativity)
11. [Sony Music Japan notice on 'The Early Years 1965-1972' box set contents](https://www.pinkfloyd.jp/artist/PinkFloyd/info/474710)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Box sets and complete-works collections*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license