PINK FLOYD Debut Album (mono & stereo versions + 3 bonus tracks)

Original released on LP Columbia (EMI) SCX 6157

(UK 1967, August 4)

The title of Pink Floyd's debut album is taken from a chapter in Syd Barrett's favorite children's book, "The Wind in the Willows", and the lyrical imagery of "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" is indeed full of colorful, childlike, distinctly British whimsy, albeit filtered through the perceptive lens of LSD. Barrett's catchy, melodic acid pop songs are balanced with longer, more experimental pieces showcasing the group's instrumental freak-outs, often using themes of space travel as metaphors for hallucinogenic experiences - "Astronomy Domine" is a poppier number in this vein, but tracks like "Interstellar Overdrive" are some of the earliest forays into what has been tagged space rock. But even though Barrett's lyrics and melodies are mostly playful and humorous, the band's music doesn't always bear out those sentiments - in addition to Rick Wright's eerie organ work, dissonance, chromaticism, weird noises, and vocal sound effects are all employed at various instances, giving the impression of chaos and confusion lurking beneath the bright surface. "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" successfully captures both sides of psychedelic experimentation - the pleasures of expanding one's mind and perception, and an underlying threat of mental disorder and even lunacy; this duality makes Piper all the more compelling in light of Barrett's subsequent breakdown, and ranks it as one of the best psychedelic albums of all time. (Steve Huey in AllMusic)

Pink Floyd's highly manic debut album is steeped in madness like most of their best work. But this is where the madness stems from; it's the catalyst, the reference point, the raison d'etre, and the focal point of their future, best known material. This is mainly Syd Barrett's baby, and his masterpiece, recorded at a time when his now-legendary mental collapse was first starting. And the songs do indeed tell the tale of a man whose mind is beginning the long trek into darkness. Several of the songs here depict a child-like innocence, of fairy tales and bedtime stories. But the music, underscored by Rick Wright's farfisa organ, color the tales with nightmarish soundscapes that run a direct contrast to most of the lyrical content. And Barrett's scratchy, disjointed guitar punctuates the uneasiness running through each portrait. "Astronomy Domine" and "Interstellar Overdrive" are the among the first, and best, ventures into "space rock", with the latter taking on a free-form improvisational middle section that perfectly captures the motion and loneliness the piece attempts to convey. And as a word of caution, do not listen to "Pow R. Toc H." in the dark if you've never heard the song before. Never again would Pink Floyd nor Syd Barrett create an album like this. Even their next album, on the few tracks Barrett is on, doesn't resemble anything here. This is the one album only Barrett could make, and as legend has it, it cost him his sanity. You could even draw parallels to Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker to the making of this album, if you want. Indeed, this is probably the greatest British psychedelic album ever made. (Russell Newton in AllMusic)