Pink Floyd

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

Respect should be given, but....

Review Score:

(6/10)
There are always those shocker debut albums. You know, the ones by bands you like that you pick up without having prior knowledge that they had a different lineup and a completely different sound. Bands that come to mind are Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac, who where a straight ahead all-male British blues band; Iron Maiden, who where much more punk prior to being heavy metal band; Genesis, who where a total prog rock band before becoming a showcase for silly Phil Collins ballads. And then there's Pink Floyd, the premier psychedelic band. With mad scientist/songwriter/acid enthusiast Syd Barret at the helm, this is a very different band than the one who would write Another Brick in the Wall and Brain Damage.

Barret is a very creative guitarist, utilizing dissonance and sonic tectures that you generally didn't often hear even the experimental 60's. He's a unique songwriter, but he's ummm....weird. This sounds ironic because I love tons of bizarre left of center musicians, but Mr. Barret often makes even Frank Zappa himself look like Jackson Browne is in his oddball ways.

I find David Gilmore's minimalism and more free-flowing style to be more to my liking, though I don't dispute Syd's contributions. Apparently, he dissappeared off the face of the earth all together. Shame, but I prefer the later Floyd works.

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