#347 - Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
MUSIC HISTORY COMPILED BY ADAM BERNARD:
PINK FLOYD BIO
The first true Pink Floyd lineup formed in 1965, initially known as the "Pink Floyd Sound", and was later shortened. The name is derived from the given names of two blues musicians whose Piedmont blues records founding frontman Syd Barrett had in his collection, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished for their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows. They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time. The band consisted of Barrett (lead vocals, lead guitar), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). A primitive version of Floyd (known as Tea Set) got their first big break as the resident band at the Countdown Club in 1965, where they'd play three 90 minute sets each night. During this period, spurred by the group's need to extend their sets to minimize song repetition, the band realized that "songs could be extended with lengthy solos", wrote Mason. The band got their first recording deal in 1967 with EMI and released 2 singles (Arnold Layne & See Emily Play) before recording and releasing today's album. Barrett's time in the band was short lived after the release of The Piper At The Gates of Dawn, as the rest of the band found him too difficult to work with after all of the LSD he had done. Early in 1968, on the way to a performance, a band member asked if they should collect Barrett, who was becoming increasingly depressed and distant, both with the band and during interviews and performances. According to David Gilmour, who was briefly the band's fifth member before becoming the replacement for Barrett, the answer was "Nah, let's not bother", signaling the end of Barrett's time with Pink Floyd. Roger Waters later said, "He was our friend, but most of the time we now wanted to strangle him.", with the announcement of Barrett's departure coming in April 1968. After Barrett's departure, the burden of lyrical composition and creative direction fell mostly on Waters.
BACKGROUND – PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN
This is their debut album, and the only album made under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership. It was released on August 5th 1967, and the name comes from the title of chapter seven of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows, which refers to the nature god Pan, who plays his pan pipes at dawn. The album was recorded at EMI Studios on London's Abbey Road from February to May 1967 while The Beatles were recording "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in the other studio there. Barrett was the band's primary songwriter, though two tracks on the album are credited to the band collectively and one track was written by Waters. The album was produced by Norman Smith, who would go on to produce two more releases for Pink Floyd (A Saucerful of Secrets & Ummagumma). No singles were released from the album in the UK, and only one in the US, and the album was initially a self-titled release in the States. The album is considered to be a pivotal psychedelic rock album, and features an unusually heavy use of echo and reverb to create a unique sound. It peaked at #6 in the UK, and at 131 on the US Billboard 200. LSD consumption by Barrett is considered to be a heavy influence on this album. The US Release omitted 3 songs from the UK release, but included one track wasn't on the UK release. We are working off the UK release today, but included the one US Track at the end.