The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
(1967)

Pink Floyd's debut was its only recording based on the vision of founding singer/guitarist Syd Barrett, an art student whose world revolved around music, mysticism and liberal doses of hallucinogens. The band's moniker was taken from the first names of Georgia bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council (an album of theirs was a favorite of Barrett's), and the album's title came from a chapter of Kenneth Grahame's children's classic "The Wind In The Willows" (also a staple of Barrett's library). Recorded at Abbey Road at the same time The Beatles were cutting SGT. PEPPER, PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN was an avant-garde pastiche of neo-jazz improvisation and snappy pop snippets--a blurring of musical borders that went far beyond what the Fab Four were doing a couple of rooms away. (Producer Norman Smith had been The Beatles' chief engineer for much of the early '60s.) Instrumental space-jams like "Pow R. Toc H." and "Interstellar Overdrive" smashed the conventionality of the pop mainstream by lengthening and opening up traditional song structures, as bits of Rick Wright's reverb-soaked Farfisa organ and Barrett's scratchy guitar floated in and out of the mix. Barrett's appreciation of space is also revealed in the various experimental soundscapes Floyd used--phased guitars, pinging notes, and Middle Eastern tonalities expanded the sonic palette the group worked with.

The other side of Barrett's musical expression was an ability to write shorter "pop" songs that were similar to traditional fare only in length. Despite the ominous imagery, his acid-fueled observations dove into simple topics and themes--a Siamese cat on "Lucifer Sam," child-like stories and observations on "The Gnome" and "Bike."

PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN was an auspicious debut, and a major influence on British pop music--its disciples include spacemen David Bowie and Marc Bolan and trippy popsters XTC, Robyn Hitchcock and Julian Cope. But it was a one-shot deal for Pink Floyd in terms of musical direction. Because of his increasingly erratic behavior, Barrett was asked to leave the band soon after the album's release .


N. CDs: 1

Tracks

01. Astronomy Domine (Barrett) info lyrics
02. Lucifer Sam (Barrett) info lyrics
03. Matilda Mother (Barrett) info lyrics
04. Flaming (Barrett) info lyrics
05. Pow R. Toc H (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason) info lyrics
06. Take Up Thy Stethescope and Walk (Waters) info lyrics
07. Interstellar Overdrive (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason) info lyrics
08. The Gnome (Barrett) info lyrics
09. Chapter 24 (Barrett) info lyrics
10. The Scarecrow (Barrett) info lyrics
11. Bike (Barrett) info lyrics

Lyrics

01. Astronomy Domine (Barrett) tracks

Lime and limpid green, a second scene
A fight between the blue you once knew.
Floating down, the sound resounds
Around the icy waters underground.
Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda and Titania.
Neptune, Titan, Stars can frighten.
Lime and limpid green, a second scene
A fight between the blue you once knew.
Floating down, the sound resounds
Around the icy waters underground.
Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda and Titania.
Neptune, Titan, Stars can frighten.
Blinding signs flap,
Flicker, flicker, flicker blam. Pow, pow.
Stairway scare Dan dare who's there?
Lime and limpid green, the sounds around
The icy waters under
Lime and limpid green, the sounds around
The icy waters underground.


02. Lucifer Sam (Barrett) tracks

Lucifer Sam, siam cat.
Always sitting by your side
Always by your side.
That cat's something I can't explain.
Ginger, ginger, Jennifer Gentle you're a witch.
You're the left side
He's the right side.
Oh, no!
That cat's something I can't explain.
Lucifer go to sea.
Be a hip cat, be a ship's cat.
Somewhere, anywhere.
That cat's something I can't explain.
At night prowling sifting sand.
Hiding around on the ground.
He'll be found when you're around.
That cat's something I can't explain.


03. Matilda Mother (Barrett) tracks

There was a king who ruled the land.
His majesty was in command.
With silver eyes the scarlet eagle
Showers silver on the people.
Oh Mother, tell me more.
Why'd'ya have to leave me there
Hanging in my infant air
Waiting?
You only have to read the lines
They're scribbly black and everything shines.
Across the stream with wooden shoes
With bells to tell the king the news
A thousand misty riders climb up
Higher once upon a time.
Wandering and dreaming
The words have different meaning.
Yes they did.
For all the time spent in that room
The doll's house, darkness, old perfume
And fairy sories held me high on
Clouds of sunlight floating by.
Oh Mother, tell me more
Tell me more.
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah


04. Flaming (Barrett) tracks

Alone in the clouds all blue
Lying on an eiderdown.
Yippee! You can't see me
But I can you.
Lazing in the foggy dew
Sitting on a unicorn.
No fair, you can't hear me
But I can you.
Watching buttercups cup the light
Sleeping on a dandelion.
Too much, I won't touch you
But then I might.
Screaming through the starlit sky
Travelling by telephone.
Hey ho, here we go
Ever so high.
Alone in the clouds all blue
Lying on an eiderdown.
Yippee! You can't see me
But I can you.


05. Pow R. Toc H (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason) tracks

(Instrumental)


06. Take Up Thy Stethescope and Walk (Waters) tracks

Doctor doctor!
I'm in bed
Achin' head
Gold is lead
Choke on bread
Underfed
Gold is lead
Jesus bled
Pain is red
Are goon
Grow go
Greasy spoon
You swoon
June bloom
Music seems to help the pain
Seems to cultivate the brain.
Doctor kindly tell your wife that
I'm alive - flowers thrive - realize - realize
Realize.


07. Interstellar Overdrive (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason) tracks

(Instrumental)


08. The Gnome (Barrett) tracks

I want to tell you a story
About a little man
If I can.
A gnome named Grimble Grumble.
And little gnomes stay in their homes.
Eating, sleeping, drinking their wine.
He wore a scarlet tunic,
A blue green hood,
It looked quite good.
He had a big adventure
Amidst the grass
Fresh air at last.
Wining, dining, biding his time.
And then one day - hooray!
Another way for gnomes to say
Hoooooooooray.
Look at the sky, look at the river
Isn't it good?
Look at the sky, look at the river
Isn't it good?
Winding, finding places to go.
And then one day - hooray!
Another way for gnomes to say
Hoooooooooray.
Hooooooooooooooray.


09. Chapter 24 (Barrett) tracks

A movement is accomplished in six stages
And the seventh brings return.
The seven is the number of the young light
It forms when darkness is increased by one.
Change returns success
Going and coming without error.
Action brings good fortune.
Sunset.
The time is with the month of winter solstice
When the change is due to come.
Thunder in the other course of heaven.
Things cannot be destroyed once and for all.
Change returns success
Going and coming without error.
Action brings good fortune.
Sunset, sunrise.
A movement is accomplished in six stages
And the seventh brings return.
The seven is the number of the young light
It forms when darkness is increased by one.
Change returns success
Going and coming without error.
Action brings good fortune.
Sunset, sunrise.


10. The Scarecrow (Barrett) tracks

The black and green scarecrow as everyone knows
Stood with a bird on his hat and straw everywhere.
He didn't care.
He stood in a field where barley grows.
His head did no thinking
His arms didn't move except then the wind cut up
Rough and mice ran around on the ground
He stood in a field where barley grows.
The black and green scarecrow is sadder than me
But now he's resigned to his fate
'Cause life's not unkind - he doesn't mind.
He stood in a field where barley grows.


11. Bike (Barrett) tracks

I've got a bike. You can ride it if you like.
It's got a basket, a bell that rings and
Things to make it look good.
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world.
I'll give you anything, ev'rything if you want things.
I've got a cloak. It's a bit of a joke.
There's a tear up the front. It's red and black.
I've had it for months.
If you think it could look good, then I guess it should.
You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world.
I'll give you anything, ev'rything if you want things.
I know a mouse, and he hasn't got a house.
I don't know why. I call him Gerald.
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world.
I'll give you anything, ev'rything if you want things.
I've got a clan of gingerbread men.
Here a man, there a man, lots of gingerbread men.
Take a couple if you wish. They're on the dish.
You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world.
I'll give you anything, ev'rything if you want things.
I know a room of musical tunes.
Some rhyme, some ching. Most of them are clockwork.
Let's go into the other room and make them work.