Oh by the Way is a bit too flippant of a title for a release so heavy. This is no minor compilation; this is a 16-CD set containing all of
Pink Floyd's albums -- from
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn to
The Division Bell -- packaged as mini-LPs with all the original artwork, right down to replicas of the inner sleeves. This does contain extras, but perhaps not the one it should have: it has a collage poster of
Storm Thorgerson's artwork for the band, plus a pair of coasters, but what it lacks is a CD that rounds up the stray tracks from the band's career, including the early singles that were reissued as a bonus disc just a few months earlier as part of the deluxe Piper at the Gates of Dawn set. If it had that CD, this would be easy to recommend without reservation for
Floyd diehards. Without it, it's still recommended, as it looks great, but a set this grand should be complete, not fall just short of it.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi