What is there to say about The Piper at the Gates of Dawn? Its wordy lyrics that directly are about nothing but resonate on an emotional level? Its instrumentals that match it with psychedelically simple acoustic guitars, temple blocks, and organs? Yet, sometimes you can get the opposite, with space rock jams of guitar effects and raucous drumming that still fits in perfectly due to striking contrast and consistency in feeling like something pulled from another world, something mal understood? It’s amazing how mesmerizing things like that opening drumming on “Astronomy Domine”, the guitar on “Lucifer Sam”, or the double-vocals of Syd Barrett backed by Richard Wright can be at taking you into the mood of the record. There’s a respect for the genre of psychedelia while still adding a level of etherealism that often is poorly imitated by things like sitars and electronic keyboards. The difference may be that Syd’s unwound voice sounds like he’s living etherealism. The instruments don’t really let you get too comfortable with their presence behind him, with the soft moments creating a contradiction.
Essentially, this is a Syd Barrett solo album. Of the eleven tracks, eight are completely written by him, two are band-written jam tracks, and one is penned by bassist Roger Waters. Six tracks are vocally led by Barrett; three feature Barrett, Wright, and sometimes Waters; one Waters; and one instrumental. The child-like but also morbid tone of the lyrics were often unsuccessfully replicated by the new Floyd lineup after Barrett’s departure (most infamously on ”It Would Be So Nice”/“Julia Dream”). Lyrics like the beginning of “Matilda Mother”, “There was a king who ruled the land. His majesty was in command.” epitomize the sense of whimsy and foreignness, though even more “grounded” lyrics like, “His head did no thinking, his arms didn’t move”, referring to a Scarecrow is enhanced by that being an almost-alien observation to make, topped with things like tasteful and light guitars and orchestration.
Most of the lyrics don’t seem to be attempting to be grounded (“I know a room of musical tunes. Some rhyme, some ching, most of them are clockwork.”), but can capture a sense of humanity through their warmth and emotional core. People can be sucked into things like the planets and cats and illness. The latter is well-handled by the Roger Waters track, “Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk”. The lyrics being about the observations one makes while sick can seem strange, but they perfectly manage to communicate the feeling of unwellness and lack of proper thinking. Like the rest of the album, it doesn’t just tell you what it’s about. Thematically, it makes sense in the middle of two jam tracks, being halfway from being a jam itself.
Arguably, there is a “concept” here. It’s about a person or otherwise child-like spectator’s interpretation of life. The very first track pairs warm lyrics with eclectic-instrumentation, then a few lighter songs, then three heavy songs with no or less emphasized lyrics; the down-point of the spectator, where things are the most difficult or not understood, with them unable to put their emotions into words or cogent words. As a reprise from the heavier and banging playing of the first side, the next tracks are the most calming and subdued. “Bike” returns to the sound of the others, with pounding gun-like drumming and an unnerving vocal. The false ending followed by tape effects and a noise collage can suggest the worst. It’s best being up for interpretation and playing off of the contrast between the youthful and darker elements. The track is a sign of the mental health issues that afflicted Syd Barrett.
OVERVIEW
There is some bias on my part, but it’s hard to find faults with an album so vibrant with life and able to capture such emotions by having such unheard-of lyrics. The tragic thing is it makes you want more. Yet, there is essentially nothing like it. If you want to get close, listen to Syd’s non-album tracks like “See Emily Play” or his second solo album Barrett. Barrett especially feels like the mid-point between the very full-band and psychedelic sound of his Pink Floyd work and the more somber stuff on The Madcap Laughs. It might be best enjoyed in-between Piper and the tracks Syd did with the group for their second album. Still, those don’t have that fluid album sequencing and the same powerful backing band. You can tell that Barrett became progressively less invested in his own music after the incredible artistic statement of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. It’s so good that what came next might’ve been a disappointment. While he continued to make fantastic songs, maybe he wouldn’t have been able to do this exact sound as well? But one can always hope and always wonder…
Ranking the album feels Herculean, so I can’t bother. My favorite was “Flaming” when I first discovered it, then “Astronomy Domine”, and now I think it’s “Bike”. That is of course subject to change. Happy birthday to Syd, the ebony totem in ebony sand.
The Filme Diary 