The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is Pink Floyd's first album. Many people think it is one of the most influential albums in history. It had a very big influence on the psychedelic rock scene of the time, and also on the music that people made afterward. It is the only Pink Floyd album with Syd Barrett as the leader, although Barrett was on some of the next album, A Saucerful of Secrets.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Studio album by
Released4 August 1967
Recorded21 February – 21 May 1967
StudioEMI, London
Genre
Length41:54[5]
LabelEMI Columbia
ProducerNorman Smith
Pink Floyd chronology
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
(1967)
A Saucerful of Secrets
(1968)
Singles from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
  1. "Flaming" / "The Gnome"
    Released: 2 November 1967 (US only)

The lyrics for Piper were mostly written by Syd Barrett, and are often whimsical, playful, or childlike. The album has songs about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles and fairytales. Some parts of the album, like "Interstellar Overdrive", are instrumental and have no singing on them.

Special limited editions of Piper were released to mark its 30th anniversary in 1997, and its 40th anniversary in 2007.

Track listing

All songs written by Syd Barrett, except where noted.

British release

Side one
No. TitleLead vocals Length
1. "Astronomy Domine"  Barrett and Richard Wright 4:12
2. "Lucifer Sam"  Barrett 3:07
3. "Matilda Mother"  Wright and Barrett 3:08
4. "Flaming"  Barrett 2:46
5. "Pow R. Toc H." (Barrett, Roger Waters, Wright, Nick Mason)Barrett and Waters 4:26
6. "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk" (Waters)Waters 3:05
Side two
No. TitleLead vocals Length
1. "Interstellar Overdrive" (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason)Instrumental 9:41
2. "The Gnome"  Barrett 2:13
3. "Chapter 24"  Barrett 3:42
4. "Scarecrow"  Barrett 2:11
5. "Bike"  Barrett 3:21

American release

Side one
No. TitleLead vocals Length
1. "See Emily Play"  Barrett 2:53
2. "Pow R. Toc H." (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason)Barrett and Waters 4:26
3. "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk" (Waters)Waters 3:05
4. "Lucifer Sam"  Barrett 3:07
5. "Matilda Mother"  Wright and Barrett 3:08
Side two
No. TitleLead vocals Length
1. "Scarecrow"  Barrett 2:11
2. "The Gnome"  Barrett 2:13
3. "Arnold Layne"  Barrett 2:52
4. "Interstellar Overdrive" (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason)Instrumental 9:41

40th Anniversary Edition

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn Media

References

  1. DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-61780-215-7. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  2. Abrahams, Ian (July 2004). Hawkwind: Sonic Assassins. SAF Publishing. p. 17.
  3. Young, Rob (10 May 2011). Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 454–. ISBN 978-1-4299-6589-7.
  4. Perone, James E. (October 2012). The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations. ABC-CLIO. p. 104.
  5. Huey, Steve. "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn – Pink Floyd: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 October 2012.