| A Nice Pair | |
| Type: | compilation |
| Artist: | Pink Floyd |
| Cover: | PinkFloyd ANicePair.jpg |
| Released: | 5 December 1973 |
| Recorded: | 1967–1968 |
| Genre: | Psychedelic rock, progressive rock |
| Length: | 79:19 |
| Language: | English |
| Label: | Harvest/Capitol |
| Producer: | Norman Smith |
| Prev Title: | The Dark Side of the Moon |
| Prev Year: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | Wish You Were Here |
| Next Year: | 1975 |
A Nice Pair is a compilation album by Pink Floyd, re-issuing their first two albums, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets in a new gatefold sleeve. The album was released in December 1973 by Harvest and Capitol in the United States and the following month in the United Kingdom by Harvest and EMI. It reached number 36 in the US Billboard album charts and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 1994.
There are a few differences between the US and UK issues of the first LP of this compilation. In the US, Harvest Records and its distributor Capitol Records reconstructed their edition from tapes used for the US pressing of the band's 1967 debut album (Simply titled "Pink Floyd") mixed with other recordings from the UK version. As explained in a note on the back cover of the US edition, songs dropped from the original US LP, "Flaming", "Astronomy Domine" and "Bike" were restored for this re-issue. However, some of these restored songs are different from the UK version: The eight-minute live recording of "Astronomy Domine" from Ummagumma replaces the original four-minute studio recording. "Interstellar Overdrive" fades out slightly early (as it did on the original US LP) and adds a few seconds of silence before "The Gnome" rather than the immediate segue found on the UK version. "Flaming" is an alternate mix and edit which previously appeared as a US single, and the only track to appear on this album in mono. In later pressings, the correct stereo version of "Flaming" was restored. The US version of this album was also released in Canada.
The cover is by Hipgnosis, who designed many other Pink Floyd covers, and consists of four grids of nine small images, including some proposed but previously unused album cover designs. Several images depict a well-known phrase or saying in the form of a visual pun; for instance, the centre right-hand panel on the front depicts "a fork in the road", while the bottom right represents "a fine kettle of fish". Another picture presents two puns on the album title: a nice pear, and an image of a woman's pair of breasts; the latter is censored with a black bar on some copies, while other US copies opted to cover it with a purple and white sticker over the shrink wrap. Initial copies had a picture of a Mr. W.R. Phang's dental surgery on the cover (a genuine business photographed in Hammersmith, west London), but Dr. Phang objected because NHS dentists were not permitted to advertise, and the picture was replaced with one of a gargling monk. US editions from the 1980s restored both the nudity and the W.R. Phang photo. Other photos illustrate "laughing all the way to the bank", and "nip in the air", through the (insensitive) use of a levitating Japanese person. The selection of band photos on the inside cover also varies, with some copies including a photo of a shirtless, disturbed-looking Syd Barrett from The Madcap Laughs cover photo session, while others replace it with a photo of a smiling Barrett sitting by a car.
The album was the band's next US release after The Dark Side of the Moon, and introduced new fans to the earlier psychedelic sound of the Syd Barrett period of Pink Floyd, which contrasted greatly to the style of their more recent work. Following the worldwide re-issue of the original two albums on CD, including the original UK version of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Nice Pair is now out of print.
All songs by Syd Barrett, except where noted.
The US 8-track version alters the running order more radically.[1]
| Chart (1973–74) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[2] | 17 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[3] | 10 |