Coming in as one of my favorite Pink Floyd albums, Piper at the Gates of Dawn offers a unique instrumentation and is a fun listen with so much going on you’ll have to listen more than once.
Pink Floyd’s debut studio album is quite the shock for those only familiar with their later works such as Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. The album, which is psychedelic art rock, features the musical stylings of Syd Barrett before he was fired from the band due to chronic LSD use.
The album features two instrumental songs, “Pow. R Toc. H” and “Interstellar Overdrive,” which both highlight the musical skills of Pink Floyd in their early years. Honestly, these two songs are so out there that I recommend you just listen to them for yourself. “Interstellar Overdrive” features a chromatic descent from the distortion guitar and becomes almost structureless by the middle turning it into a strangely beautiful piece of music.
A strange piece of music is exactly what the album is in its entirety. Though most say “The Piper” strays too far from what Pink Floyd eventually becomes, the album exemplifies many musical qualities the band neglect later on. That’s not to say their later music is of a lesser value, just that it highlights different qualities.
One thing that always stood out to me about “The Piper” is the level of musicality that Pink Floyd display. The instrument list for this album is incredible and it does some very experimental things. “The Scarecrow” for example, opens with temple blocks and features a flute in the background accompanied by Barrett on the 12-string guitar. “Bike,” the track immediately after “The Scarecrow,” also features an interesting musical end along with a fun and catchy vocal melody. “Bike” ends the album as well and does so on a very unusual note with effects such as laughing being the final thing listeners hear.
A personal favorite of mine is the second track off the album, “Lucifer Sam.” The song has a very sinister sound which was achieved by putting Barrett’s guitar through an echo machine and adding a bowed bass. Like many other songs, there is an organ being played in the background and the lyrics can be a bit troubling. The intro will remind listeners of something from a James Bond movie with a theme that is repeated throughout the track.
“The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” has become something of a forgotten album, but is critically acclaimed and deserves to be listened to. Many of the songs on the album feature panning effects which Pink Floyd intended for their listeners to hear so if you’re going to give it a go, do so with headphones. Listening to the album on stereo causes a lot of the musical effect to be lost and, while the album is interesting with or without panning, it’s a hell of a mind bender if you listen to it the way it was intended to be heard.
Overall, the album is far too interesting and complex for a review to do justice for and I recommend a solid listen. There’s not a moment in this album that I find myself bored and even after several listens there is still so much to be heard.
