 | |
List Price: $34.98 | | Label: Phantom Sound & Vision
Salesrank: 578077
Released: November 18, 2008 |
| Our Price: $65.52 |
| Used Price: $102.84 |
|
| Media: Audio CD |
|
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Track Listing:
1. Astronomy Domine
2. Lucifer Sam
3. Matilda Mother
4. Flaming
5. Pow R. Toc H.
6. Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk
7. Interstellar Overdrive
8. Gnome
9. Chapter 24
10. Scarecrow
11. Bike
Editorial Review:
Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2008.
Description of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn:
While they took their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council when they started out as an R&B combo in the mid-60s, Pink Floyd's leader, guitarist Syd Barrett, soon began piloting the band through unprecedented sonic excursions typified by the title of their 1967 debut album's most celebrated track--the outsized instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive." Equally adept at composing catchy-sounding, Gothic-themed pop songs such as "See Emily Play," "The Scarecrow" and "The Gnome," Barrett seemed destined for greatness--that is, until psychedelic drugs got the best of him, and he abandoned the band to bassist Roger Waters and new guitarist David Gilmour. The rest, as they say, is history. --Billy Altman
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Reviews:
Nothing like Waters-era Floyd, "Piper" is poorly-aged psychedelia 
2009-12-09 - What else can I add to the title? Don't buy this expecting a taste of Floyd's later visionary works. Piper strangely reminds me of The Kinks' "Village Green Preservation Society," another album that probably sounded fine in its time, but now leaves kitsch dripping from your speakers. Some of the songs wouldn't sound out of place on a late 60's parody record. (See: "The Gnome.)
For clarity's sake, I think we should stop referring to Pink Floyd as a single band, and instead refer to them as Synk Flarrett, & Royd Pinkers. (Post-waters Floyd doesn't need a name, because we don't ever need to talk about it.)
Syd Barrett Shines 
2009-10-12 - This is an amazing album. I have always been a fan of English music (in the Beatles, the only member of that band who didn't completely suck was John Lennon) and this is one of the greatest examples of how English bands easily beat all American bands. This is such an unconventional album and that's exactly why I love it! Songs like Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, and Matilda Mother all have extremely silly lyrics but somehow I find them extremely intrigueing. In Astronomy Domine the band's fascination with space travel. I would recommend this album to any Pink Floyd fan as well as any fan of English music.
Just a response to something I read (I'm not going to use the name of the reviewer) but here it goes.
Screw you, Another Brick In the Wall (part two, you dumbass) was one of th greatest songs of all time. The line "We don't need no education" is refering to 'education' being beating the children into submission. In England they did and in some places still do beat te children (the teachers). If you'd bothered to listen to the previous song, "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" (which is often confused as being a part of Another Brick In the Wall Pt. 2, however it's its own song - buy the album-) you would have heard the lines. Here they are. Read them good.
The Happiest Days of Our Lives
When we grew up and went to school
There were certain teachers
Who would hurt the children any way they could
By pouring their derision
Upon anything we did
Exposing every weakness
However carefully hidden by the kid
But in the town it was well known
When they got home at night
Their fat, psychopathic wives
Would thrash them within inches of their lives
Another Brick In the Wall Pt. 2
(Scream)
We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teacher leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone
All in all it's just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave those kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave us kids alone
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
Hope that clears everything up.
Brilliantly performed and highly original, if somewhat inconsistent 
2009-10-02 - Pink Floyd's debut THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN really does seem to capture the Zeitgeist of its 1967 release date. As Pink Floyd recorded the album only after a fairly long apprenticeship in London's UFO Club, the album includes complex, sometimes jam-like tracks such as "Astronomy Domine", "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk" and "Interstellar Overdrive", the last one of the true synth rock efforts. On the other hand, PIPER features more straightforward pop tunes, whose psychadelic nature comes from Syd Barrett's bizarre lyrics which find delight in housecats ("Lucifer Sam"), gnomes, and bicycles. This mix of awe of the infinite and a childlike naivete will be familiar to anyone with completely spaced out acquaintances.
Yet that dichotomy in the album, between vast soundscapes and inconsequential ditties, is its weakness. It's no surprise that the album has been overlooked compared to, say, SGT. PEPPER of the same year, which are slightly less psychadelic but possess a great consistency. But that complaint only holds when considering the album as a whole. Track by track, this is all excellent music, performed with a proficiency and legerdemain one wouldn't normally expect in musicians this young. I like to dip into PIPER fairly often.
Various CD releases of this album exist. I'd encourage getting the mono version, as the application of stereo technology to the recording was primitive and it ultimately proves a distraction.
Very Unique!
2009-01-17 - I happen to be close friends with a great Pink Floyd fan who has frequently told me about this record, and the artistic prowess of Syd Barrett. So, out of sheer curiosity, I bought the album.
The first time I listened to it, it was simply too weird for me to really latch onto, the way you'd latch on to a good pop album; but it nonetheless took my interest, and I found myself listening to it again. And again. And again. I quickly developed favorites: "Flaming" and "Matilda Mother" are definitely priceless, as is the nonsensical whimsy of "Bike." 'Piper' is just oozing with originality, and its witty charm is irresistible.
very different
2008-12-31 - In this album Pink fFloyd broke down some of the barriers of music. The album is so very different than probably anything you've heard before. They weren't afraid to take chances and use instraments to create sounds unlike anything that had been heard before. Under the guidance of Syd Barret, this album gives you a glimpse into the mind of someone with a very different mind than most. songs like flaming and bike give a sort of playful yet insane feeling. But the bottom line is if you've never heard this album before it won't be anything like what you expected to hear. almost nothing like the Pink floyd we know now. but that's not a bad thing.
