Pink Floyd
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

THE REVIEW

"The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is the first Pink Floyd album (1967), who had already debuted with the singles "Arnold Lane" and "See Emily Play". This album has already been reviewed on this site, but I thought it would be good to publish my own description of the work, if only because it is so complex that an extra voice on the matter wouldn't hurt!

The opening track, "Astronomy Domine", is a very peculiar piece, a childlike chant introduced by a radio voice (style: "one small step for a man...") and supported by a booming and obsessive bass. The lyrics are practically a space nursery rhyme that perfectly fits the song's atmosphere (interstellar and visionary travels). Certainly, one may, as has often been done, highlight the resemblance to the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" or "Magical Mystery Tour", but in reality, this comparison is more accurate for other tracks on the album, while "Astronomy Domine", although a product of its time (and thus inevitably similar to something else), is already a voice apart: it exaggerates the psychedelic components of the music of that period (confused sonic textures, elongated times, and the use of the most cutting-edge technologies), just as in other tracks from "The Piper..." like "Pow R Toc H", a crazy and playful instrumental piece in which the human voice is used in an unconventional way and where, here as elsewhere, the combination with musique concrète is realized (I'm referring to the introduction of elements foreign to the instrumental ensemble like tubular bells, noise machines, clocks, etc.).
The second track, "Lucifer Sam", is also imbued with merriment. The most curious thing about the piece is the rapid change of style: at first, it feels like listening to the soundtrack of a spy movie and then immediately after, the track reverts to a traditional Barrett composition (the entire album is, perhaps 90%, his creation). The strong influence of the Beatles (much loved by Syd Barrett), certainly does not diminish the scope of the work: firstly, the influence could have been reciprocal since "Piper" and "Sgt. Pepper" were recorded simultaneously in two adjacent studios at Abbey Road; then it must be said that, although there are many points of contact with the Liverpool four, it's also true that Pink Floyd go beyond the psychedelic styles of the time and achieve results very different from those obtained simultaneously by the Beatles and the Beach Boys. If I remember correctly, "Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk" is the only track signed by Roger Waters. Nevertheless, the piece does not present significant differences from the rest of the album: a sign of a strong predominance of Syd Barrett's personality or the existence of a common feeling (or both).

Surely, Pink Floyd is a product of the English underground culture of the '60s, a typical phenomenon of psychedelia (only musically and aesthetically though!) which, however, over time degenerated without control (the statement has no negative connotations) becoming totally autonomous. But at this stage of the group's history, one cannot yet speak of a true Pink Floyd Sound (curiously, this was also the band's first name!), or rather, what is exhibited on this album is not the typical Pink Floyd style that everyone knows (that of "The Wall", "Wish You Were Here" and "Animals" to name a few) but something different.
With Barrett's departure, Pink Floyd would go through a difficult transition phase in which they searched for their musical language, trying to break free from Barrett's heavy legacy (producing very interesting albums like "More" or "Atom Heart Mother") before arriving at the sounds we all know and which have made them immortal. However, in "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" some of the elements that will distinguish future Floyd works are already present, mixed as in a cauldron, such as the noise, the madness (which would be tinged with darker tones thanks to Waters), and the refined vocal melodies (in fact, though one never thinks of it, English and American rock has always had the tendency to neglect the melody of the singing).

The long instrumental suite "Interstellar Overdrive" is, clearly, a composition born out of improvising around a central theme. Personally, I find "The Gnome" also very delightful, a crazy song about the gnome Grimble Gromble. I find all the compositions of this album interesting, but the one I cherish the most is "Bike", the closing track. A classic Barrett nursery rhyme, crazy, naive, childlike, and playful yet characterized by a strange compound time. The piece, like others, is adorned with sound effects and noises (especially bicycle bells). The lyrics, like the others, are crazy and childlike, more aimed at evoking moods than describing well-defined situations.

In summary: the album reflects the influence of the Beatles but takes the psychedelic element to its extreme consequences, it's open to a thousand influences (there are also tracks that heavily draw from British folk and not only) and to all technological innovations in the field of recording (new for the time, obviously). Pink Floyd of this period fully fit, in my opinion, into that group of musicians who bridged the '60s and '70s like Jimi Hendrix or the Doors with the not insignificant difference that Pink Floyd would continue to produce in the following decade.

Who is this album recommended for? For lovers of the beat or in any case the sound of the '60s (in particular the Beatles obviously!), for those who love the aspect of music more related to sound engineering (not because it's exceptional, but because it's interesting to see how they worked when samplers and other things were not yet common), for those who love experimentation, and for Pink Floyd fans who do not know the origins of the band (you might not like them, but you will appreciate the modern ones even more if you know their evolution).