Pink Floyd

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

A fine debut

Review Score:

(6/10)
In 1967, Pink Floyd (with original guitarist, Syd Barrett) entered Abbey Road studios and recorded an album that would later be regarded as a masterpiece of British psychedelia. Featuring crudely written guitar riffs, acidic hammond organ, monotonous singing, long free form jams, eastern chanting and strange animal noises, Piper at the Gates of Dawn is quite a trip.
Piper at the Gates of Dawn plays out like a collection of Grimms fairy tales. You have the obligatory mystical characters, lollipops and gingerbread men which can be fun in a demented way, but tracks like "The Gnome" are just a fruitless (or fruity, depending on how you look at it)attempt at being trippy.
Then we have the jams. Granted, the original Pink Floyd lineup was somewhat technically challenged and with the exception of Interstellar Overdrive, the jams seem long winded and unable to carry themselves. I'm not asking for a Ry Cooder solo, but a few interesting guitar licks or organ runs on "Take Up Thy Stethescope and Walk" or "Pow R Toc H" would have breathed some life to the 8 minute sound-effects drones.
Overall however, "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" is pure acid rock fun. Dated? Yeah. Self indulgent? Sure. Childish? You betcha. But for those of us who just enjoy rocking out, "Piper" is worth a spin or two

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