The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

gnome hehe

Favorite track(s): Astronomy Dominé, Lucifer Sam, Matilda Mother, Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk, Interstellar Overdrive, Chapter 24

Not that the album needs any help but adding See Emily Play and Arnold Layne at the end really brings everything together.

Heard before
Previous rating: 8/10

This is definitely not the same band that made Wish You Were Here.This sounds like Herman's Hermits dropped a bunch of acid.

Le tengo cariño a este disco y a los Pink Floyd de Syd Barret. Me guardo: Astronomy Domine, Matilda mother, The scarecrow y por supesto Bike y la enorme Interestellar overdrive!!!

No reason to be on the list. Garbage. 1/5.

I never would have expected a pink floyd album to be so fucking shit

First listen. I like some of the whimsy that Syd Barrett brings. I don’t love this album. I don’t hate it, it’s kinda meh. I think the hard and fast panning made me nauseous.

Es ist ein bunter Strauß aus Beatles‑Psychedelia, Doors‑Dunkelheit und proto‑punkiger Unruhe – ein schillernder Schmelztiegel, aus dem Syd Barrett ein wunderschweres, traumverzerrtes Debüt formt. Schrullig, verspielt, manchmal wirr, aber voller Magie.

It's so odd to see the drippy fantasy folk of this album morph into what comes after it. Though I don't care for the genre the album was more engaging than others I've contended with on this list. Not too shabby.

love other Pink Floyd more

This is so fucking tedious. Insufferable. Self-indulgent. Utter nonsense.

I can’t even be bothered to write a proper review.

I will say this though – I’ve discovered that probably my most hated niche sub-genre is the one in which artists sing earnestly about nature in a twee-like manner. Singing about scarecrows and mice and fucking dandelions while layering over a bunch of stupid sound effects.

Rubbish. Absolutely fucking rubbish.

grimble grumble

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘯 is at its best when Pink Floyd leave conventional song structures behind and disappear completely into space. 𝗔𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻é and 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 are the obvious highlights, combining psychedelic atmosphere, strange sounds, and a genuine sense of exploration. These are the moments when the album still feels exciting rather than merely historically interesting.

The more whimsical songs are less convincing to me. Syd Barrett’s childlike imagery and playful storytelling certainly give the record its unique personality, but his lyrics can also feel rather naive. What is charming in small doses gradually becomes a little tiresome over the course of the album.

There is no shortage of imagination here, and it is fascinating to hear how different this version of Pink Floyd sounds from the band they would later become. Still, I prefer the cosmic experimentation to the nursery-rhyme eccentricity, leaving me with an album I respect more consistently than I enjoy.

No es el mejor disco de pink floyd, pero aqui ya empieza a haber algo. No está mal.

One of my favourite period pieces, a phenomenal collection of arty psych pop. The aural mystery and excitement captured in the interplay of the band on Astronomy and Interstellar remain a fascinating listen 60 years after the fact. And Barrett’s way with a pop song and lyrical turn of phrase is top notch. Lucifer Sam, Chapter 24, The Gnome are parodic English masterpieces. It’s a great record.

Please no more pink Floyd. Uneventful and kinda samey psychedelia.

This is SO much different from the Pink Floyd you know and love as to really make it a different band entirely. It's more of an art experiment than anything else.

Rick Wright and Syd Barret create an otherworldly sound that upends your normal cognitive order, no drugs needed. Their long, extended whirling and chaotic jams are quite unlike anything else, echoing and reverberating in disharmonious miasma. Engilfed by the sound, you suddenly find that you don't know where yopu came from and you have no idea where you're going. Then Barretts' voice and little childlike vocals come in, creating a grounding, a safer place, like coming home to loved ones.

This whole thing is like walking around in a funhouse, you don't know wether the next thing is scary, hilarious, or just plain weird.

But as a prototype Pink FLoyd album, it is a religious artifact. Roger Waters actually plays along, and his bass lines are QUITE good! Nick Mason brings some free playing to the bizarreness of this orchestration with Waters holding down the time. The music succeeds because of the grounding elements. Waters keeping time inside the chaos. Barrett's sing-song melodies and kindly, folksy vocal style while he sinks more and more into madness. Shades of the blues-rock roots all 60s British bands share, forming the basis for the often difficult improvisational sections.

Without going off about the Pan symbolism, Pink Floyd later tames their wilder/improvisation instincts without leaving behind the more creative aspects of composition, in no small part thanks to the addition of GIlmour and Syd Barrett's dismissal. It's interesting that the band survived this period. Like they say, from the ashes...

Might be my favourite psychedelic rock album. Outlandish and uncompromising, not even trying to write a hit. Also love the “Relics” compilation of contemporary singles and other stuff.

Unpopular opinion: Later Pink Floyd sounds over-considered, polished and dull compared to this.

Really classic Pink Floyd, but not outstanding Pink Floyd, you know?

Wow, Pink Floyd 2 days in a row and while I am much bigger fan of 70s proggy albums, this is great psychedelia, super influentials and probably 4 stars from me.