Pink Floyd Releases Rare "Animals" Guitar Solo

For nearly fifty years, a specific piece of Pink Floyd history remained hidden from most listeners. A guitar solo recorded by Snowy White for the 1977 album "Animals" has finally been officially re-released, ending its status as a "lost" recording.

The solo originally appeared exclusively on the 8-track tape version of the album. While the 8-track format was popular in cars because of its continuous loop, it had rigid technical limitations. Because track lengths were fixed, songs were often cut off or reordered. To solve this for "Animals", Pink Floyd combined "Pigs on the Wing (Part One)" and "Part Two" into a single long track.

To bridge these two sections, the band needed a transitional guitar solo. After a recording by David Gilmour was accidentally erased, the task fell to Snowy White. According to White, the recording was entirely spontaneous. Roger Waters asked him to improvise a solo on the spot, and the version that made it onto the tape was the very first take.

Despite its legendary status among dedicated fans, this version of the song remained commercially unavailable for decades as the 8-track format became obsolete. This changed in June 2026 with the release of a new compilation album titled "8-Tracks". For the first time, this unique version of "Pigs on the Wing" is available to the public via streaming platforms, CD, and vinyl.

The release offers a rare glimpse into the band's creative problem-solving during the 1970s and preserves a moment of musical improvisation that nearly vanished along with the technology of the era.