THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a confusing album for many Floyd fans who, like me, discovered this album after listening and re-listening to such gems as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, Meddle and the like. Piper showcases the dark mind of Syd Barrett. Piper is easily the band's most psychedelic release, but there are still plenty of moments where the band showcases the musical chops they'd later be known for. For example, "Astronomy Domine" has a constant progression that is similar to the group's distinctive style. "Pow R. Toc H." is an amazing instrumental, maybe the best song on the album. It's a very dark song at the beginning, with many "Oi's" and psychedelic guitar stylings, but soon fleshes out and becomes something beautiful. "Interstellar Overdrive" has become a favorite among Floyd fans, and has been covered by many groups, most notably Camper Van Beethoven's faithful rendition, and Pearl Jam has even been known to open up their concerts with the first two minutes of the track. "Overdrive" starts off as a psychedelic romp, but soon delves deep into the dark recesses of many a bad acid trip. DO NOT listen to this song if you are faint of heart. Other songs which foreshadow the band's future progressive nature are "Flaming" and "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk", two songs which explore new musical territory (remember, this is 1967) and can be quite terrifying for those who expect every Pink Floyd song to sound like something off of Dark Side of the Moon.

The other unmentioned songs are basically straight psychedelic rock, and offer an insight into the twisted, sick mind of Syd Barrett. "Lucifer Sam" and "Matilda Mother" are actually quite charming once you warm up to them, while "Scarecrow" and "The Gnome" are two more cutesy numbers, "Scarecrow" with some standout percussion to boot and some surreal lyrics from Barrett. But the real heartbreaker among this bunch is "Bike". "Bike" starts out as another one of Barrett's cutesy psychedelic pop songs, with the catchy refrain of "You're the Kind of Girl of Fits Into My World. I Will Give You Anything, Anything, If You Want Things" sung amidst verses about a borrowed (stolen?) bike, a cloak (?), a mouse without a house named Gerald, a bunch of gingerbread men, and a room to play records in. Cute. Then, we hear Syd Barrett's mind exploding. Yes, there is literally an explosion, followed by lots of clanging, bells, doors slamming and other strange noises. After this, the song ends with a terrifying quacking played on a loop that will forever haunt your dreams.

Syd Barrett was a sick, twisted genius. He was writing these songs while tripping on acid, and his level of self-awareness in his songwriting is alarming. It was as if he KNEW he was losing his sanity and he was making fun of himself. The lyrics of "Scarecrow" especially give me a shiver up my spine, as he compares himself to a scarecrow. What a horrible thought! Here is a man who knew that he was on a path of self-destruction, and he was resigned to it. Simply chilling! Perhaps Barrett's best example of the awareness of his condition and his increasing paranoia of those around him would be "Jugband Blues", his lone contribution on A Saucerful of Secrets, their next album. If you want to know what I'm talking about, just listen to the song yourself. It's one of the saddest pieces of music I've ever heard.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn will forever be an enigma in the Pink Floyd canon, a true outlier among its contemporaries. This is due to the presence of the domineering genius of Syd Barrett. When Barrett would lose his sanity shortly after the release of this album, the band would start taking off in a new musical direction, although it would take quite a few albums to finally shake off Barrett's omnipresence. Barrett is a tragic figure, one who would haunt the band the rest of their storied career. Piper is Barrett's only contribution as Pink Floyd's frontman, and it's a haunting album indeed. It's not a classic, as many suggest, but it's a worthwhile listen, one that ever Pink FLoyd fan should get a chance to listen to.