Is the '1965–1967 Cambridge St/ation' Disc Worth the Price of the Entire 'Early Years' Box Set?

For a Syd Barrett completist, this disc is the only place to hear the band’s dimmest pre-history: three 1965 demos cut with a lineup that included future Soft Machine guitarist Larry Wallis and a very stoned-sounding Syd leading the only known vocal demo of “Interstellar Overdrive.” The takes of “Butterfly” and “I’m a King Bee” are messy, lo-fi, and historically invaluable – they’re the earliest surviving evidence of Syd’s songwriting before the Pink Floyd name even existed.

But the price tag is brutal. As of 2025, a complete The Early Years box still runs $500–$800 on the secondary market, and this disc alone doesn’t justify that unless you’re a deep-pocketed collector who needs every scrap of pre-Floyd tape. The Interstellar Overdrive demo (only available here) is the crown jewel – a raw, three-minute sketch with fluttery vocals and a boogie-woogie piano part that didn’t survive to the Piper version. If that’s your grail, you’