Maps of Music

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

Where the lyrics of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn take you, and where it was really made.

The album title came from a chapter of a children's novel, and it was originally going to be called Projection until as late as July 1967.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1967)

Recording site Abbey Road Studios — The band recorded the album at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London from February to May 1967. Their recording room sat next to the room where the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Jubilee line to St John's Wood station, then about a 5-minute walk.

Session for the next single (1967)

Recording site Sound Techniques — The band returned to Sound Techniques studio on 18 May 1967 to record their next single, See Emily Play. The source does not tie this studio to the album sessions themselves. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Piper at the Gates of Dawn: debut studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd
• Released 4 August 1967 by EMI Columbia
• The only Pink Floyd album recorded under the leadership of founding member Syd Barrett
• Barrett wrote all but three tracks; Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright added some writing
• Followed the band's influential 1966–67 performances at London's UFO Club
• Blends long improvised pieces with Barrett's short pop songs and whimsical psychedelia

Background

• Architecture students Waters, Mason and Wright and art student Barrett performed under various group names from 1962
• Began touring as "The Pink Floyd Sound" in 1965
• Turned professional on 1 February 1967 after signing with EMI, advance fee £5,000
• Early chart success came from non-album singles "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play"
• Barrett's growing LSD use went along with an increasingly debilitated mental state
• Barrett left the group the following year

Recording

• Recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London from February to May 1967
• Produced by Norman Smith, who was a central figure in the band's negotiations with EMI
• Heavy use of reverb and echo, using EMT plate reverberation, automatic double tracking and the studio's echo chamber
• Because Barrett's singing was quiet, he sang his parts in a vocal isolation booth
• The album mixes two kinds of songs: lengthy improvisations from live shows and shorter songs by Barrett
• Recording started on 21 February 1967

Cover

• Up-and-coming society photographer Vic Singh shot the band using a prism lens given by George Harrison
• The cover was meant to resemble an LSD trip, a style favoured at the time
• The album was originally titled Projection up to as late as July 1967

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in London in 1965 by Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright; David Gilmour joined in 1967.
• Among the first British psychedelic groups, gaining an early underground following at the UFO Club.
• Known for extended compositions, sonic experiments, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows.

Members

• Nick Mason on drums (1965–present).
• Roger Waters on bass and vocals (1965–1985), becoming the primary lyricist after Barrett's departure in 1968.
• Richard Wright on keyboards (1965–1981, 1987–2008), who died in 2008.
• Syd Barrett on vocals and guitar (1965–1968), who died in 2006.
• David Gilmour on guitar and vocals (1967–present).

Career

• Concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979) made them one of the best-selling acts of all time.
• Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982) won two BAFTAs.
• Reunited with Waters for Live 8 in 2005; the last studio album The Endless River came out in 2014.
• Released 'Hey, Hey, Rise Up!' in 2022 in protest of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Sold over 250 million records; inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2008.

Reception

At release

• Record Mirror and NME each gave the album four stars out of five
• Record Mirror praised the group's psychedelic image as coming to life on the record
• Cash Box called it a striking collection of driving, up-to-date rock ventures
• Paul McCartney and former producer Joe Boyd both rated the album highly
• Some underground fans felt the album did not reflect the band's live performances

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5 in 1999, calling it the golden achievement of Syd Barrett
• AllMusic called it one of the greatest psychedelic albums of all time
• Billboard described it in 2006 as one of the best psychedelic rock albums ever
• Rolling Stone ranked it 347th in its 500 Greatest Albums list in 2003, rising to 253rd in 2020

Records

• Reached number 6 on the UK Albums Chart
• The US version, released on the Tower label, reached number 131 on the Billboard charts
• Certified Gold in the US on 11 March 1994 as part of A Nice Pair with A Saucerful of Secrets
• No singles were released in the UK; in the US, "Flaming" was released as a single

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Barrett came up with the album title, which was taken from chapter seven of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, one of his favourite books
• Barrett often gave friends the impression that he was the embodiment of Pan, and the moniker later appeared in "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
• The US release was issued under the title Pink Floyd, with an altered track listing that included "See Emily Play"
• The band returned to Sound Techniques studio to record the next single, "See Emily Play", on 18 May 1967
• Pink Floyd picked up a tabloid reputation for making music for LSD users, although only Barrett was known to be taking LSD
• The cover photo lens is displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains exhibition in 2017

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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