Search - Pink Floyd :: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Definitive edition of a British psychedelic classic, and a c

Elliot Knapp | Seattle, Washington United States | 09/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before Pink Floyd became (deservedly) famous in the mid-70's for Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and later for The Wall, they were a different band--they were Syd Barrett's band. Instead of the epic, moody, atmospheric, trippy rock forged primarily by the synergy of Roger Waters and David Gilmour later on in Pink Floyd's existence, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn finds the band making music that is very much of its time (1967). The music that became known as "psychedelic" is loosely defined as music that combines creative sonic textures and surprising sounds with bizarre, often whimsical lyrics to either simulate or enhance a drug experience. With the Beatles just down the hall in Abbey Road Studios recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Pink Floyd (named after obscure American bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council) were on the cutting edge of the British psychedelic scene while recording The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Now, 40 years later, we're offered a worthy definitive edition of a classic band's classic debut that still endures today as a classic of its genre, thanks to Syd Barrett's unique vision and inimitable songwriting.



What is offered in this 3-CD set? Discs One and Two are Mono and Stereo versions of the album in its entirety. Many fans are passionately divided as to which version is better: younger fans are most likely accustomed to hearing music in stereo, so a mono mix may seem antiquated. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn's stereo mix is pretty awesome--I find it a very well-thought-out stereo mix (some from this era weren't particularly well-done), and some great panning effects happen (especially in "Lucifer Sam" and the finale of "Interstellar Overdrive") that really add to the music's psychedelic impact. On the other hand, the mono version is just as essential. At the time of the album's release, British pop music was more geared toward recording radio singles in mono, so a mono version of the album is likely truer to the spirit of the times and more reflective of how bands and producers approached the recording of music when entering the studio. It certainly sounds thicker, denser, and perhaps a bit more chaotic than the stereo version, which seems to benefit the wild nature of a lot of the album's music. The great part about this set is that you get both versions, so you can decide for yourself which one you like better. In my opinion, they're both essential.



Disc 3 is composed of bonus material--the A and B sides of Pink Floyd's singles from 1967. Of these, several (including the classic singles "See Emily Play" and "Arnold Layne") were available on the hodgepodgy compilation, Relics, but some weren't--the mono and stereo "Apples and Oranges" and the B-side "Candy and a Currant Bun" were heretofore quite scarce on CD. Additionally, Disc 3 offers a couple alternate takes of the classic "Interstellar Overdrive" and an alternate version of "Matilda Mother." Since the early Pink Floyd was definitely a singles-oriented band (they had to have a successful single in "See Emily Play" to record a full-length LP), these are all essential and worthwhile bonus tracks. Just listen to "See Emily Play," and "Apples and Oranges"--they're total British psych-pop gold, with Barrett's playful charm set over a quirky and snappy backdrop of irresistible, concise pop. Fans may be upset that other rarities (i.e. "Vegetable Man," "Lucy Leave," "Two of a Kind," the list goes on...) aren't included on this disc. Although it would be great to have a definitive CD collection of these rare tracks, it's understandable that they aren't included--most were recorded after the sessions that produced this album and the accompanying singles, so it makes sense that they'd all be bundled together. Throw on top of the 3 discs of music a beautiful cloth-covered book designed by Pink Floyd design stalwart Storm Thorgerson full of pictures, information, and an 8-page reproduction of Syd Barrett's notebooks, and this set fills the bill as a definitive package.



As for the music on the album itself, it certainly justifies the fanfare of a 3-disc edition. The Pink Floyd may not have been the only (or first) British band making psychedelic pop rock at the time, but they sure made some of the best. "Astronomy Domine" is a classic opener, with strange radio chatter giving way to Syd Barrett's mysterious and evocative spacey musings sung in his gentle but haunting voice. The backdrop is dominated by Barrett's reverb-drenched guitar and Rick Wright's crazy organ sounds--two musical elements that typify the classic sound of the whole album. Barrett's songwriting really shines for its uniqueness of vision and effortless un-self-conscious whimsy on the groovy "Lucifer Sam," the hazy childhood loveletter "Matilda Mother," and the tripped-out "Flaming." The middle of the album gets really trippy, with the bizarre "Pow R. Toc H.", filled with weird vocal sound effects, Roger Waters' only track on the album ("Take Up Thy Stethescope and Walk") and "Interstellar Overdrive," one of the early band's most classic tracks. Through these songs they show a penchant for jamming centered on virtuosity, but more on a restless urge to experiment sonically and chase down some strange and stimulating sounds. Unlike the tedious jams that typify some music from this era, Pink Floyd pulls it off remarkably well (case in point, the wild ride of "Interstellar Overdrive" sandwiched between the song's surf-sounding primary riff). Barrett's fantastical whimsy returns for the album's last few tracks, especially on the Tolkein-esque "The Gnome," which jollily interrupts the droning embers of "Interstellar Overdrive," the sublime "Scarecrow," and the classic "Bike," which sees Barrett rattling off nonsensical details about his life. The album ends (much like the contemporary Sgt. Pepper) in a chaotic clamor of strange sound effects and percussive noises, marking the end of a particularly distinguished psychedelic journey. Really, what sets The Piper at the Gates of Dawn apart from some of its contemporaries is Barrett's imagination and intuitive knack for catchy lyrical and musical hooks. This is music that, despite its weirdness, sticks with you by virtue of quality writing.



Who would I recommend this set to? Die hard fans will definitely want this version--the book is fabulous, both versions of the album are essential, and the bonus material is too irresistible to pass up. If you're interested in the music but don't want to shell out the extra money, the 2-disc version has both Mono and Stereo versions of the album at a lower price. If you're new to this classic music and aren't sure you're willing to go for a fancy version, I urge you to at least grab the 1-disc version that's been out for a while. This is great music and an excellent example of a great musical era that fans of the later Pink Floyd may really appreciate. Once you're hooked on Pink Floyd's take on British psychedelic rock, be sure to check out some of the other classic albums of the genre, like the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, self-titled Tomorrow, the first two Soft Machine albums, the Small Faces' Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, the Move's Shazam, and The World of Oz, to name a few. I hope you enjoy this classic music!"

Missed opportunity, big time...

Jamesy | USA | 10/20/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is one of the most important albums in rock history and a singular work of genius by the late great Syd Barrett. It is a perfect testament to a brief moment in London history, that like the Summer of Love in the Haight, was essentially over by the time the public figured out it was happening. Only the people who were there in 66 and 67 will know what it was really like. As a big fan of Barrett and his muse I had high expectations of what a 40th anniversary edition might be like. For the most part it is one huge bummer. Let's get the biggest atrocity out of the way first before reviewing the package content.



As a Floyd fan, I am really disgusted with the surviving band members for the lack of their personal contributions and recollections, their memories of this most special album. Come on!! This is the big 40th special edition, it's a groundbreaking album, and Syd just passed away. Could there have been a bigger MISSED OPPORTUNITY GUYS for the inclusion of a page or two from Roger, Rick, Nick, even Dave and Norman Smith? For such a big moment, I would think each could have taken a moment to contribute their personal memories of the sessions, their views on Piper's place in history, and most importantly a bit of gratitude to their recently fallen band leader. But of course there must be some liner notes by a journalist, or some studio notes from Abbey Road, right? No. Nada. They may have some lame reason why this wasn't feasible, frankly I don't care. Guys with their power could have made something very special happen here if they had the will, sadly, they did not. But think for a moment how cool those pages of personal notes would have been in this little book format they released. Rant over.



Let's take a look at what you get for your money, considering that many of you have already purchased Piper several times in various forms. You get two versions of the actual remastered album, the stereo version and the mono version. This is nice for mono fans and audiophiles with trained ears who can appreciate the differences. Then there is the all important bonus third disc of extras. This is where many Floyd fans are frustrated, wishing they had released all of the missing lost recordings like Vegetable Man, Scream Thy Last Scream, etc...My understanding is that they chose to stick with only the songs that were a product of the actual Piper sessions and not get into the slightly later stuff. Whether this is the real reason or whether they just saw more opportunity in releasing those in yet another package is for Floyd fans to debate. On this bonus disc you will get Arnold Layne, See Emily Play, and Paintbox which were already out there on Relics. The more interesting items are Candy And A Current Bun and Apples And Oranges (two versions), two singles. These are really nice psychedelic pop songs though probably not as strong as Piper tracks. Then there is an alternate version of Matilda Mother and two different versions of Interstellar Overdrive. These are very cool because Syd never really did anything the same way twice. As with Syd's solo work, "alternate versions" are gold because they are often like another new song, a completely different take or feel. That is not so much the case here because Syd had more constraints than he would have later, but they're different enough to get excited about for Barrett fans. So if you don't care about a mono mix, and you don't care about these different versions, there is really no reason to spend the extra money if you own the standard Piper.



Let's move on to the packaging. Looks impressive on the web scans, doesn't it? It's nothing to get too excited about. For all that packaging, you get a few pages with lyrics and photos. The reproduction of Syd's collage notebook is of interest to very hard core Syd devotees and those folks will already have this in their possession. For the regular Floyd fan this little 12 page booklet will mean nothing more than what their 2nd grader brought home from art class. Syd's artistic jottings and musings are nice but they are not exactly as essential as his music. That's all there is. The package itself is of fair quality, I have a hunch that the glued portion of the construction may not hold up that well if one opens it often to remove CDs, but we'll see. The CDs are held in digipak holders glued to the inside and back covers. The back one that holds discs 2 and 3 is really cheesy, they place one disc partially over the other so that they can touch, and so you must remove the top disc if you want to get the one on the bottom. Sure it's not the end of the world, but again, this is Pink Floyd. You would think they could afford to do this thing up really nice. Maybe they decided they'd try harder for the 50th anniversary.



Piper (and Pink Floyd, and Syd) are favorites of mine. I don't mean to be overly negative here but I wanted to make sure people realize this "Special Edition" is mostly hype...ZERO LINER NOTES for Chrissakes...so they don't spend extra money if these little tidbits are not important to them personally. I am really amazed this is the best they could do, given their budget freedoms and the importance of this material. This is 5-star music but this release is 2 stars, for hard core fans and collectors only. Everyone else should stick with their regular Piper remaster until the 50th anniversary edition is released. Hopefully Roger will grace us with a few of his wise musing at that time. [In the meantime, Syd fanatics will get far more bang for their buck with the new Mick Rock book, featuring tons of stunning rare Syd photos and sincere interesting recollections of their personal friendship. Another great book is John Cavanaugh's "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" which is a no-nonsense detailing of the Piper sessions for under $10 bucks here at Amazon. If you love this album, it's a must read to learn how the masterpiece was created.]

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One of the greatest albums ever made finally getting the roy

Roger Page Lennon | 09/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is one of my favorite albums, and personally I've always found it to be Pink Floyd's best album(and if any discography is jammed with classic albums it's the mighty Floyd's). Every song featured is a psychedelic gem/masterpiece that pushed the envelope of what was possible at the time. Syd Barrett knew how to write song's that were experimental, but also extremely interesting and to be truthful accessible.



That's just a brief review of the album, believe me I could go on for hours on Piper, its just that great. However the purpose of this review is to go over the particulars of the 40th anniversary edition. Overall it's fantastic. There are two major incentives for true fans that already own the album, and don't want to buy it just for the new packaging. First off the mono mix of Piper(disc one of this set) completely blows the stereo mix out of the water. After listening to the mono mix I can confidently say I will not be listening to the stereo mix all to often. The mono mix was supposedly mixed by Barrett himself, and offers a slightly more psychedelic mix than the stereo mix most are accustomed too. Effects that cant be heard in the stereo mix jump out. The vocals have a much more cosmic sound to them, and the instruments just leap out of the mix in a kaleidoscopic swirl of sound. However there are some interesting qualities in the stereo mix(Disc 2), that make it worthwhile as well. While the mix doesn't leap out like the mono does, the stereo mix offers interest for those with headphones, as instruments move in and out of the left and right channels creating interesting panning effects. Overall I prefer the mono mix but the stereo mix deserves a listen now and then, to decipher its own different sonic textures.



The other big incentive for long time fans is disc three, which includes the early singles which are "Arnold Layne", "Candy And A Currant Bun", "See Emily Play", "Apples And Oranges", and "Paintbox". Also included are 2 takes of "Interstellar Overdrive"(that are substantially different from the version on the album), "Matilda Mother"(with new lyrics), and a stereo mix of "Apples And Oranges". This disc is not your average rag tag collection of bonus tracks the early singles are all top tier Floyd songs, and are finally available by means other than buying a greatest hits collection("See Emily Play", "Arnold Layne", "Paintbox") or hunting down the now hard to find early singles promo, or the currently out of print and incredidbly expensive Shine On box set("Apples And Oranges", "Candy And A Currant Bun"). "Apples and Oranges" and "See Emily Play" especially rank up there in my top ten favorite Floyd songs. The two alternate versions of Interstellar Overdrive are also rather interesting, and the take of "Matilda Mother" is fun to listen to with its new lyrics.



The packaging itself is also great including a twelve page reproduction of one of Syd's actual notebooks.



So overall is this the best way to buy Piper? Well if you already own it and you truly enjoy it than this is well worth it. However if you've never even heard Piper before it might be a good idea to just go ahead and get the regular edition, unless of course you want the singles, as this really the best way to get them. So if you are a true fan of Floyd than consider getting this, I can say this is the best music purchase i've made in a long time and i'd heard Piper at least a thousand times before buying this.

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