Pink Floyd have announced Animals 50, an anniversary edition of their 1977 album Animals. According to the band's official website, it will be released January 22, 2027, through Sony Music. Formats are a Deluxe Box Set, 1LP, 2LP, 2CD, Blu-Ray Audio and digital.
As described in the announcement and reported by TotalNtertainment, the deluxe box set has three LPs. They hold the original album, the 2018 Remix by James Guthrie, and a disc of five rarities. The rarities include "Young Nicholas Jon," a Roger Waters track that has not been heard before, along with early versions of "Sheep" and "Dogs" that have never been released. The box also has five CDs and a Blu-Ray.
The set also includes a recording of the band's May 9, 1977, show at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. According to TotalNtertainment, it was recorded by Reinhard Hohlwein, a bootlegger who was 19 at the time. Variety reported that the 13-track show has full performances of both Animals and Wish You Were Here, plus two songs from The Dark Side of the Moon. It also has the instrumental "Careful With That Axe, Eugene," which Variety said was the band's final time playing it live. Rolling Stone described the Oakland recording as its first official release.
The deluxe set comes with a 64-page hardback book. It has sleeve notes by author Jonathan Lethem, an interview with Hohlwein, and an excerpt about how the album art was made, taken from the memoir of Aubrey "Po" Powell of Hipgnosis, TotalNtertainment reported. Variety reported that the box also has unpublished images from the album's cover shoot, which took place at London's Battersea Power Station.
"Sheep (Original Radio Edit)" was released alongside the announcement on November 5. Pink Floyd's official X account also pointed fans to a new visualiser video for the track.
Statements from David Gilmour and Roger Waters were released with the announcement, Variety reported. "The mood in music was changing in ’77," Gilmour said, according to Rolling Stone. He added that he suspected punk had some influence on how the band worked on the album.
Earlier Center Stage coverage: 43rd Anniversary of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon.
Sources: Pink Floyd (official website) · Rolling Stone · Variety · TotalNtertainment · Pink Floyd (official X account)
