Echoes The Best of Pink Floyd (2001)

When I had heard that Pink Floyd was releasing a compilation album, I thought it was really no big deal. Lots of bands do it to introduce new listeners to a broad range of their music, that the newcomers might be interested enough to go out and buy their albums. So, I didn't think much about it. I figured the record company would choose the favorite songs and that was it. Was I ever wrong about the scope of this Pink Floyd compilation.

The first thing that intrigue me about it was the title, Echoes. For years, it has been proposed that Pink Floyd's song "Echoes" synchronizes with 2001 - A Space Odyssey's "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite." This is one of the syncs mentioned on this page. So, to further erase any doubt of the intentional nature of the sync, Pink Floyd releases an album called Echoes The Best of Pink Floyd in the year 2001. Coincidence? I think not!

The next thing that caught my attention was the mention of over 2 hours of continuous music chosen by the band in the advertisements for it. The songs were overlapped to flow from one song to another. Seems like a lot of work for merely a compilation album. The songs that were chosen for this compilation also peaked my curiosity. Some of the songs were not thought to be "the best" of Pink Floyd. This is definitely not a greatest hits album.

When I bought the album, the elaborate artwork caught my eye. I was impressed with the amount of work put into the imagery of this compilation. After adding all these things together, I found myself considering the possibility of another movie synchronization. Why not? If I were to ask you to splice together various songs together to be played to a movie, you could probably imagine certain songs fitting with certain scenes. It wouldn't be easy, but it would definitely be possible to match themes of songs with themes of a movie. So, I embarked on a new journey to find the secret movie connection.

One thing that caught the attention of others was the inclusion of a book with the title of K-PAX in the very middle of the CD booklet. This clue would prove to be vital in solving this puzzle. So, at my earliest convenience I went with my friend David Hoak to see the movie K-PAX, which happened to still be in the theatres luckily. A very bizarre event occurred at the theatre. As we were walking through the lobby, we could hear an advertisement for Echoes The Best of Pink Floyd over the loudspeaker. I kid you not. I could not believe the amazing timing of that synchronicity. The movie K-PAX was about a supposed extra-terrestrial that is stuck in a psychiatric ward. A doctor is assigned to figure out what is wrong with the man to help treat him of his delusions. Along the way, this patient starts to help other patients in the ward. In the end, you're not really sure, if he was an alien or not. It's a pretty good movie, and I imagine the book is probably pretty good, too. The movie reminded both my friend and I of the very excellent movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Could this be the answer to the riddle?

I noticed something interesting with the title of compilation, Echoes The Best of Pink Floyd. Notice the first letters of the first two words are E and T. Also, the way Echoes was written on the cover looks almost like ECXOES. Why an X? Could these two clues be pointing to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial? K-PAX was about an extra-terrestrial. The theatres are even advertising the return of E.T. to the big screen on the 20th anniversary. Look at them together:

Echoes The Best of Pink Floyd

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Other clues for E.T. are the song titles: Astronomy Domine, Marooned, The Great Gig in the Sky, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, and Bike.

Other clues for OFOTCN are the song titles: Marooned, Shine on You Crazy Diamond, The Fletcher Memorial Home, and Comfortably Numb. Also, there are several songs from the crazy one himself, Syd, on this compilation.

Now, I was ready to try the movies with the compilation.

I found a sync with E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial first, and then I found a sync with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The amazing thing is that the compilation covers both of these movies in their entireties. Start with E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Astronomy Domine on disc one. Play all the way through disc one and then play disc two until the ending with Comfortably Numb. The themes fit nicely with each other. The next sync with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest starts with the next song on disc two called When the Tigers Broke Free. Play to the end of disc two and then play all the way through disc one. Then play the first song on disc two to finish the sync. I am proposing that Pink Floyd not only synchronized this compilation of songs to two movies, but that they also gave clues in the artwork to signal the starting points. The CD covers when rotated a 1/4 turn to read ECHOES correctly, look like they contain silhouettes of the letters A and W. This coincides with the first letter of the first song of each sync. Even if nobody else believes my theory, I know in my heart that the members of Pink Floyd have been following my progress and are interested in me sharing the marvelous synchronizations with the rest of the world. Thank you, Pink Floyd, for yet another two enjoyable movie synchronizations. -ACW-

Start Track 5 of Disc Two when the "United Artist" appears. Play part of Disc Two (tracks 5-13) starting with When the Tigers Broke Free. Then play all of Disc One (tracks 1-13). Then play the beginning of Disc Two (track 1). Examine the CD booklet artwork during each song for additional connections. Watch movie with Closed Captioning to follow movie plot and themes. What follows is only a small list of the connections between the music and the movie. (I got tired of writing.)

"It was just before dawn" is appropriate for the scene.

Strange face in a drawing on a pole or wall looks like screaming face in the artwork.

"Most of them dead, the rest of them dying" is similar to the status of some of the members of the ward.

"One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces" foreshadows McMurphy's lobotomy.

Song starts as new scene begins.

"The old man died" as Nurse Ratched looks at McMurphy.

Appropriate song title for this film.

Guy holding his head in artwork similar to one of the patients during this song.

"On the wall, hung a tall mirror" as McMurphy stands next to the tall chief.

"Chain gang" is what prisoners like McMurphy are in at times.

"A lead role in a cage" is what McMurphy has.

"And I'm most obliged to you for making it clear that I'm not here" is how Nurse Ratched makes McMurphy feel when she doesn't grant him any of his wishes.

McMurphy has high hopes for watching the World Series.

"Division Bell" symbolizes the conflict between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy.

McMurphy has high hopes for lifting the water unit.

"You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world" as Billy talks about the girl he wanted to marry.

"See Emily Play" as McMurphy pretends to see the World Series game being played on the television.

Laughing in song as McMurphy laughs.

Tall fence is similar to a wall.

Patients get on a school bus as the school kids sing in the song.

"And deep beneath the rolling waves" as the patients take a fishing trip on the boat.

The lyrics could apply to some of things McMurphy might have been thinking or feeling.

McMurphy is marooned in this strange place.

"I'm not afraid of dying..." and other spoken phrases before McMurphy and company get the electric-shock therapy.

Toward the beginning of the song, McMurphy says, "I'll pay off in silver dollars."

Later during the song, McMurphy bribes with money the guy in charge of night watch.

"Why won't you talk to me?" as the men were hiding in the room trying to avoid replying to the supervisor who was calling for someone.

The patients of the ward are the sheep. The people running the ward are the dogs.

This song precedes the suicide of Billy.

The artwork shows a young man sitting on a bed who looks similar to Billy.

"Now there's a look in your eyes like black holes in the sky" relates to McMurphy being returned to the floor of the ward after he's had a lobotomy.

The chief escapes - Shine on you crazy diamond.