Following a month or so of rumours, an official announcement has now been made regarding the 40th anniversary edition of Pink Floyd's seminal 1967 debut album, "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn".

The special edition is planned for release via EMI Records on Tuesday, September 4th in North America, and one day earlier - Monday, September 3rd in Europe, and sounds a very desirable item indeed...

The packaging, designed by Storm Thorgerson, resembles a cloth-covered book, and holds 3 CD discs, along with a 12-page reproduction Syd Barrett notebook.

Discs 1 and 2 will contain the full 'Piper' album, represented in both stereo and mono versions. Both have been newly remastered by James Guthrie.

Disc 3 includes bonus tracks, including the following: all the Pink Floyd singles from 1967, ('Arnold Layne', 'See Emily Play', and 'Apples And Oranges'), plus the B sides 'Candy And A Current Bun' and 'Paintbox'. Other tracks are a version of 'Interstellar Overdrive' - Take 2 of the original recording sessions, previously only available on an EP in France - and the 1967 stereo version of 'Apples And Oranges'.

More details of the release will be with us, no doubt, closer to the release date itself. In the meantime, whilst we know that there are other songs from 1967 that a number of you wish could be included (the emails have been coming in thick and fast!), we presume that the track listing is now cast in stone so please hold back on your emails - there is nothing we can do to help change things!

Once we have ordering details through the various Amazon stores (thus helping with our running costs) we will update this story accordingly. Certainly sounds like an edition that belongs in the homes of most if not all Floyd fans!

Whilst you wait, why not head over to www.vicsingh.co.uk - the home of the original cover photographer, who is selling signed prints from the original negatives, such as the alternate shot shown to the right?