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The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Audio CD

A fair review of the Pink Floyd "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" 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: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Rating:

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

Tracks: 1: Astronomy Domine 2: Lucifer Sam 3: Matilda Mother 4: Flaming 5: Pow R. Toc H. 6: Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk 7: Interstellar Overdrive 8: Gnome 9: Chapter 24 10: Scarecrow 11: Bike

Syd Barrett Shines
I have always been a fan of English music (in the Beatles, the only member of that band who didn't completely suck was John Lennon) and this is one of the greatest examples of how English bands easily beat all American bands. This is an amazing album. This is such an unconventional album and that's exactly why I love it! Songs like Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, and Matilda Mother all have extremely silly lyrics but somehow I find them extremely intrigueing. In Astronomy Domine the band's fascination with space travel. I would recommend this album to any Pink Floyd fan as well as any fan of English music.

Just a response to something I read (I'm not going to use the name of the reviewer) but here it goes.

Screw you, Another Brick In the Wall (part two, you dumbass) was one of th greatest songs of all time. The line "We don't need no education" is refering to 'education' being beating the children into submission. In England they did and in some places still do beat te children (the teachers). If you'd bothered to listen to the previous song, "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" (which is often confused as being a part of Another Brick In the Wall Pt. 2, however it's its own song - buy the album-) you would have heard the lines. Here they are. Read them good.

The Happiest Days of Our Lives

When we grew up and went to school
There were certain teachers
Who would hurt the children any way they could

By pouring their derision
Upon anything we did
Exposing every weakness
However carefully hidden by the kid

But in the town it was well known
When they got home at night
Their fat, psychopathic wives
Would thrash them within inches of their lives

Another Brick In the Wall Pt. 2

(Scream)

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teacher leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone
All in all it's just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave those kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave us kids alone
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall

Hope that clears everything up. .

Brilliantly performed and highly original, if somewhat inconsistent
As Pink Floyd recorded the album only after a fairly long apprenticeship in London's UFO Club, the album includes complex, sometimes jam-like tracks such as "Astronomy Domine", "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk" and "Interstellar Overdrive", the last one of the true synth rock efforts. Pink Floyd's debut THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN really does seem to capture the Zeitgeist of its 1967 release date. On the other hand, PIPER features more straightforward pop tunes, whose psychadelic nature comes from Syd Barrett's bizarre lyrics which find delight in housecats ("Lucifer Sam"), gnomes, and bicycles. This mix of awe of the infinite and a childlike naivete will be familiar to anyone with completely spaced out acquaintances.

Yet that dichotomy in the album, between vast soundscapes and inconsequential ditties, is its weakness. It's no surprise that the album has been overlooked compared to, say, SGT. PEPPER of the same year, which are slightly less psychadelic but possess a great consistency. But that complaint only holds when considering the album as a whole. Track by track, this is all excellent music, performed with a proficiency and legerdemain one wouldn't normally expect in musicians this young. I like to dip into PIPER fairly often.

Various CD releases of this album exist. I'd encourage getting the mono version, as the application of stereo technology to the recording was primitive and it ultimately proves a distraction.

Very Unique!
So, out of sheer curiosity, I bought the album. I happen to be close friends with a great Pink Floyd fan who has frequently told me about this record, and the artistic prowess of Syd Barrett.

The first time I listened to it, it was simply too weird for me to really latch onto, the way you'd latch on to a good pop album; but it nonetheless took my interest, and I found myself listening to it again. And again. And again. I quickly developed favorites: "Flaming" and "Matilda Mother" are definitely priceless, as is the nonsensical whimsy of "Bike. " 'Piper' is just oozing with originality, and its witty charm is irresistible.
.

very different
The album is so very different than probably anything you've heard before. In this album Pink fFloyd broke down some of the barriers of music. They weren't afraid to take chances and use instraments to create sounds unlike anything that had been heard before. Under the guidance of Syd Barret, this album gives you a glimpse into the mind of someone with a very different mind than most. songs like flaming and bike give a sort of playful yet insane feeling. But the bottom line is if you've never heard this album before it won't be anything like what you expected to hear. almost nothing like the Pink floyd we know now. but that's not a bad thing.

A Spilling Saucer
The Pink Floyd After Syd, turned into a very progressive rock band, which were great at what they did, but there was one Roger (such a nice name-why didn't he keep it for the whole Floyd trip?) less than I came to expect. I always liked Syd's songs. I've read two books, when the now late Rick spoke of Syd, I believe he did so with a soft spoken yet sensible head.

A mental breakdown burned away "Syd's" chance for any semblance for a normal life afterward, and according to the "experts" there was a personality break. So this many years later, what's the story??????- there almost appears to be a family that is Syd's that didn't say much, but have you ever been in your own head, so messed up on garbage you can't think properly---so who really has--only as many as will be admitted to Psych wards. Many, Many many highly creative, no I'll rephrase for clarity's sake Many highly creative highly intelligent people are not necessarily completely perfect- oh well he (Syd) was locked in a closet, and we could hear the clanging and banging, would you, as a friend, and bandmate check him. I feel he was let down by his band mates, and his entourage-nothing more pathetic than the life of hangers on, wanna be's, and overall envious types. Who's to say a few of those didn't exist and destroy Syd. Rumour has it Mozart had the dreadful experience of dying with this.

How many less eloquent, however more belligerent rock and rollers that have brains wired to better them due to a less intense personality. . . . . . . . well let's pull one out of a hat. . . . . resist putting hallucinagens, etc into their system, however, seem to fair very differently.

I just don't hear these questions : has this been confirmed as true about Syd, that he had a mental disorder, prior to a drug problem , hmm, why did nobody keep this in mind when he was their top songwriter--oh, well a mental sensitivity that allows one to be so creative and talented would be a person who thinks, a lot if we threw some high intelligence into that package. So, if "Syd", as "Roky" or the once beautiful "Sky" S. of the Seeds was noted to be frail, I will never understand why.

Well, someday the truth will come out, as the existence Syd carried out is mixed with everything -lucky he could do what he did.

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.