Pink Floyd

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

Ba-dum, CHH CHH! Ba-dum, CHH CHH!

Review Score:

(8/10)
For a while, I got into Pink Floyd. I had about 3 albums and thought they were the coolest thing. Then I became an idiot and said they.... Then, my friend Michael played the Ummagumma live album, and I got back into them. I decided to start with the 1st album. This, my friends, is where it all begins. This is when the band weren't a big progressive rock band with songs about the evils of the music industry. This was when the band was a excellent sounding pschyadelic group that wrote songs about..um, i'll get back on this one. Never with any band have i seen such experimentation on the lyrics. They range from space exploration to eastern philosophy to bikes. Huh? Here is a review song-by-song:

1.Astronomy Domine-From that crackling voice on the radio to the strange guitar notes of Syd Barret, you know you're in for a treat. One of the more stranger songs from Floyd, it's a lot more instrumental than the other songs. Live, this song was incredible. While not as great as the live version, it still is a great album starter and a great 1st song. 5/5

2.Lucifer Sam-Very catchy riff, and some strange lyrics about a siamese cat named Sam. This also has to do with Syd's girlfriend, Jennifer. Another strange tune with some great bass work by Waters. 4/5

3.Matilda Mother-A great pop tune that sounds like it was influnced by the Byrds, but then screwed around with by Syd. Live, the song would go on for 15 minutes, but luckily, it's only 3. Very good singing by Rick Wright. 5/5

4.Flaming-A decent song by Syd. Nothing spectacular, except for the bridge and the "CUCKOO!" sound on the 2nd verse. 2/5

5.Pow R. Toch. H.-The best song on the album. Very experimental. Weird psychadelia and jazz collide on this one. Personally, I think Roger Waters is great when he screams. Real weird. 5/5

6.Take Up Thy Stephescope & Walk-A pathetic song by Roger Waters. Well, it was his first song, so, he had a long way to go. 1/5

7.Interstellar Overdrive-Quite extraordinary. A great descending guitar riff than goes into a weird freeform noise jam. Syd's guitar tone is just magnificent on this song. Some of Rick Wright's finest playing. Nick Mason also knows how to intensify a song. 5/5

8.The Gnome-On Side Two, the weirdness dies down a little. Based on The Lord Of The Rings, this is a cute fairy-tale kind-of song with a touch of strangeness. Ok. 4/5

9.Chapter 24-Very VERY 1960's song with lyrics from eastern philosophy. Nice chorus. 3/5

10.Scarecrow-Complete filler. Just when the song starts to get interesting, it ends. No good. 1/5

11.Bike-OH YEAH! Just kidding, this song is great! Very strange song about a woman and bikes, mouses, and musical tunes. At the end, there are some very strange noises followed by a horrifying humming sound. A great way to end a great album.

This was just the beginning of Floyd. Sadly, it was the end for Syd. As we all know, he went further into madness and hasn't recovered since. I'll miss you, Syd.

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