Pink Floyd
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Capitol
By David Chiu
In comparison to the other records that came out in 1967, Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the strangest. There are no pretty melodies or lyrics, save for the album’s last song “Bike,” which foreshadowed the dark quality the band has been known for in its music. The album is historically important for Floyd fans because it featured eccentric singer and songwriter Syd Barrett before David Gilmour replaced him. Barrett’s influence certainly pervades in the acid psychedelic music of tracks such as “Lucifer Sam,” “Astronomy Domine,” “The Gnome,” and the instrumental epic “Interstellar Overdrive.” The band continued on without Barrett for greater fame but the debut still leaves a lasting mark for its sense of the avant garde and the genius of Barrett. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, this special 3-CD version contains the mono and stereo versions of the original album and a bonus disc of singles (“Arnold Layne,” “See Emily Play”) and alternate versions of songs including a French edit of “Interstellar Overdrive.”
Watch a video of “Arnold Layne” featuring the original line-up of Pink Floyd:
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