Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - Pink Floyd Album Review

Album Review

To celebrating 40 years of Pink Floyd, take a 'trip' back to the halcyon days of psychedelia with this deluxe 3 CD set which contains both mono and stereo versions, plus recently unearthed versions of Interstella Overdive and Matilda Mother and their first two ( non album ) singles Arnold Layne and See Emily Play. 'Piper' was the fore runner of what would eventually become Progressive Rock . It was recorded in studio 3 at Abbey Road, where coincidentally, next door, The Beatles were also recording another groundbreaking album St.Peppers. Both came out during the memorable Summer of Love in 1967, which speaks volumes.

Floyd were tripping the sound fantastic with this sonic monster, which in most part, was profoundly experimental, but it brought much attention from reviewers, who I believe were very generous in their comments.

At the time it must have been a bit hard to swallow. I clearly remember a tv clip showing them playing an 'Underground' gig somewhere in London. And that's exactly what Floyd were at the time - Underground - off the mainstay pop diet. Originally released on August 5 1967, this hippy soundtrack with it's title taken from Syd Barrett's favourite children's book Wind In The Wllows, it broke free from the norm, as it combined both instrumental freakouts with whimsical catchy pop.

There's no doubt that Piper was Barrett's baby as he prepared to unleish his imaginitive musical cannon on a totally unsuspecting nation.

Barrett wrote the lyrics first, hoping they'd rhyme, then came the melody with varying degrees in tempo, which gave rise to the label 'weird'. Behind Syd's fantasies, he was aided by Jazz buff Rick Wright who was familiar with the improvisational techniques of the genre, so they perfectly complimented each other. Sound effects were also a feature the band would indulge in post-Barrett, found on even more expansive Meddle, and Dark Side Of The Moon. Setting the controls firmly at the heart of psych, proceedings began with Astronomy Domine, a lunging stellar experience featuring some blistering solos by Barrett, bringing new guitar techniques to the fore. A Batman like riff opens Lucifer Sam as Waters' rippling basslines and Mason's drum shuffling lay the foundations. Child-like Matila Mother is Barrett's theme of childhood wonder : mum reading bedtime stories, whereas, Flaming is like something out of Love's westcoast songbook, with sweet vocals aplenty. Pow R. Toc H, an instrumental, has weird voices to start ( the begining of the end for Barrett breakdown maybe ? ), until Wright's sublime jazz leanings drip all over Mason's regular beats, then wanders, predictably into a more jam format, until the beat is picked up again. If you're looking for the ultimate Floyd psych experience, then Take Up The Stethoscope And Walk is the ultimate blast. At just under 10 minutes, an aptly titled Interstellar Overdrive turns out to be the freakiest song here. Barrett runs riot, and breaks the rules well and truly : chaotic beats, guitar blips, thumping rhythms.

Tick -tocking The Gnome is a more stripped back affair with lashings of acoustic guitar, a kind of quintessential folk-psyche tuneful ditty that might have graced a Kinks album, as is the keyboard driven The Scarecrow. Closer Bike, is the sort of song Lennon and McCartney would have done at the time : grand, chorus heavy, melodic and full of fun.

Now, some bits sound overblown and dated, but as a timepiece, it says it all.

If anything, it set the template for bigger and greater Pink Floyd albums, though without Syd's uniquness.

It reached number 6, staying 14 weeks on chart in the UK.,

Elly Roberts

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