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A Saucerful of Secrets

Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets Audio CD

A fair review of the Pink Floyd "A Saucerful of Secrets" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Pink Floyd reviews here, or go back to the Pink Floyd tabs.

Band: Pink Floyd
Title: A Saucerful of Secrets
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Let There Be More Light 2: Remember a Day 3: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun 4: Corporal Clegg 5: Saucerful of Secrets 6: See-Saw 7: Jugband Blues

LET US HAVE A NEW DIGITAL REMASTER WITH MISSING SYD TRACKS!!!
And, please put the Syd tracks of "SCREAM YOUR LAST SCREAM", as well as, "VEGETABLE MAN" on it as bonus tracks. If "PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN" rates a digital remaster, then it's about time for a " A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS", to get the same attention. In fact, anything else you find in the vaults centered around Syd and this album please include. Hurry up, we're not getting any younger waiting for this flawed masterpiece to be sonically remastered in this century!.

Pink Floyd's sophmore album is more consistent and confident than their debut
The band's lineup was in flux, as the original guitarist and songwriter Syd Barrett had gone mad and would soon be gone entirely, while David Gilmour came on to replace him. Released in 1968, A SAUCER FULL OF SECRETS was Pink Floyd's second album, following up on their debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn which appeared the year before. This substitution had a great impact on the band's sound. Barrett's songwriting veered between little ditties of childlike innocence and spaced-out paeans to the glory of the cosmos. As his role in the band was diminished, Pink Floyd lost that whimsical side and came to focus exclusively on complex psychedelia.

The opening track, "Let There Be More Light", displays in one swoop their new confidence, as Roger Water's vocals marveling at "Lucy in the sky" float over Gilmour's guitar virtuosity, which gets its own solo towards the end. "Remember a Day" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" follow in much the same vein. Curiously, though these songs have some action to them and, of course, you are free to play them as loud as you wish, they yet maintain a feeling of low dynamic and mystery to them.

"Corporal Clegg" is the only real bum track on the album, a portrait of an eccentric figure with lyrics and vocals that seem out of place, though the instrumental performances are fine. "A Saucerful of Secrets" is a lengthy jam (11 minutes long) anchored in Richard Wright's synthesizer, a sort of sequel to "Interstellar Overdrive" on PIPER. "See Saw" is nearly as pop as "Corporal Clegg", but manages to remain rooted in the band's new trippy style. The album closer "Jugband Blues" is a Barrett solo track, which is completely out of phase with the rest of the album but a surprisingly appropriate epilogue.

I think A SAUCER FULL OF SECRETS is even better than the band's first album, as I was never really passionate about those Barrett tunes on PIPER that were more overtly pop. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychedelia.

Good Album
Great song, rest of CD is pretty good too. the Only reason I bout this CD was for Jugband Blues.

A Sign of Things to Come
Their first album was mildly popular, but did not show their true potential, except for in a few songs like "Astronomy Domine" and "Interstellar Overdrive". In 1968, Pink Floyd was still getting its wings as it emerged into the revolutionary and experimental music scene of the late '60's. But with ASoS, we are given the first good Pink Floyd album, a sign of the great LPs the band would create in the next decade or so.

The album kicks off with a throbbing baseline and organ solo into "Let There Be More Light", a Waters song dealing with the story of an astral traveler journeying through the universe. We also get the first glimpse of Gilmour's guitar work in his distorted solo. "Remember a Day", shows that Wright was also capable of writing decent lyrics. They evoke reminiscent thoughts of childhood, propelled by Barrett's slide guitar and Wright's piano and airy vocals. His other composition on the album, "See-Saw", is very similar, but with an overall darker tone, commenting on the depressing reality of growing up and leaving behind one's childhood. "Corporal Clegg" is the first of many songs penned by Waters dealing with the war, but is far more comical, humorously observing the poor treatment of disabled veterans after WWII; it also features a kazoo, which can grate on the nerves after a while, but gives the song a marching, military air. The closing track and Syd's sole composition, "Jugband Blues", is probably the most mature song he ever wrote, dealing with the his feelings on being distanced from the band. It provides a relaxing, yet melancholy end to the album.

Now for the two standout tracks. The first, my personal favorite, is "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun". Written by Waters, who based his lyrics on lines from Chinese poetry, it is a very spacey and exotic track, with the organ and guitar merging quite beautifully. It was far better live, but the studio version is pretty good anyway. The other piece that truly demonstrates the band's musical capability is the title track. To sum it up in only a few words, it is 12-minutes of chaos, with hectic piano and slide guitar, propelled by a repetitive drum line.

Though not nearly their best album, it is certainly the first of their early albums that I, as a HUGE Pink Floyd fan, would recommend listening to. It's a good transition piece before listening to the really avant-garde "Ummagumma". If you're only going to buy a few songs from this CD, I would recommend "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and "A Saucerful of Secrets", and maybe "Let There Be More Light". But if you've got the money, I would say just buy the whole album, for it is well worth it.

A Transition Album
Drug-abuse and illness gradually prevented Barrett in performing with the band and by the time of the album's release he had been replaced by Dave Gilmour, who also plays on the album. "A Saucerful of Secrets" was teh second and last Pink Floyd album with contributions from original guitarist and lead-singer Syd Barrett.

Whereas Barrett wrote the vast majority of the material for their legendary debut album "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" his contribution to this album is down to one song and he is absent on more of the other tracks.

Generally the album lacks the charm and inventive songwriting of Barrett's and apart from his own "Jugband Blues" and Roger Waters' "Corporal Clegg" there is really not much left of the early Pink Floyd approach.

On the other hand the album leaves more space for the other members, not least bassist Roger Waters, and the album has clear indication of what was to come in the future. "Let there Be More Light" almost sounds like an outtake from later albums such as "Dark Side of the Moon" or "Obscured by Clouds".

Keyboard-player Rick Wright wrote quiet songs for the album. "Remember a Day" is quite a nice tune and by far the strongest of the two. "See Saw" is more or less forgettable.

The title track is an extensive 12 minutes instrumental - more or less random sounds that eventually ( app. 8 minutes ) develops into a nice organ chord progression - actually a pretty longwinded wait.

Compared to their debut album, most people probably will find "A Saucerful of Secrets" a disappointment, but the album has its moments, especially when the presence of Barrett shines through. At any rate the album gives a great insight to the musical transition the band went through when Barrett had to let go of his leadership.

You can see a complete list of all Pink Floyd discography, or go back to the Pink Floyd tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.