Elly Roberts reviews
Pink Floyd: Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Distributed by
EMI
- October 2007
- Rating: 10/10+
To celebrate 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 forerunner 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.
The full list of tracks included are :
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
