How Pitchfork and Uncut Reviewed the Unreleased Gems on The Early Years Box Set

The 2016 The Early Years 1965–1972 box set was a monster — 27 discs of pre-Dark Side material, much of it previously unheard. Pitchfork’s review hit the tone exactly right: they called it “an exhaustive, exhausting, and essential document,” giving it a 9.1. They singled out the 1967 BBC sessions and the live 1970 “Atom Heart Mother” as proof that the band was more adventurous and chaotic than their later polished reputation suggests.

Uncut was equally impressed, awarding five stars and praising the set’s refusal to tidy up history. Their critic noted that the unreleased material — like Syd Barrett’s early demos and the medley “The Man” / “The Journey” — doesn’t just fill gaps; it rewrites the narrative around Pink Floyd’s evolution. Both outlets agreed: the real value wasn’t in alternate takes of familiar songs, but in the raw, scrappy moments that showed a band still figuring out what they wanted to be.