Pink Floyd
A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
Recorded in a period of great flux and transition, A Saucerful of Secrets has a reputation amongst even some diehard Pink Floyd fans as the band's worst pre-Waters departure album (I only say that because many diehard fans absolutely loathe both of the Gilmour-led creations). There's a number of reasons for this. Firstly, founding member, songwriter and early creative genius Syd Barrett was on the way out, mainly because of his rapidly deteriorating mental state, which had contributed to his severe lack of input to the band's live performances and studio work. Secondly, guitar whiz David Gilmour had only just joined the band, and even that was as a backup to the increasingly erratic Barrett, just in case he decided in the middle of a gig to detune his guitar until the strings fell off, or worse, just stop playing altogether. Thirdly, the group were shifting somewhat uncomfortably and blindly away from the childish psychedelic pop/space rock adventures of their debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and heading towards the expansive, experimental, spacey psychedelic full-blown progressive rock that would be their trademark for the next five years.
So it's far from their best work.....but I still think there's some work of merit here. Today I'll take a critical look at this album, the second Floyd release of The LOAD Project.
The Album
Spacier and more eclectic than Piper, A Saucerful of Secrets is where the yoke of Syd Barrett's songwriting was cast aside, meaning the rest of the group had to pick up the slack. This job fell to keyboardist Rick Wright and bassist Roger Waters. It's notable that their contributions reflected their sensibilities - Wright's tunes being melodic, yet melancholy, while the Waters tracks are either weird mindfucks or songs about war. The latter theme would resurface sporadically throughout the band's history. Barrett's sole contribution is....well, more on that shortly.
Opening with the nonsensical Let There Be More Light, the die is cast - random lyrics about ancient English historical figures, references to Beatles tunes and RAF bases are barked by Gilmour, interspersed with unsettling Waters/Wright passages. Musically it's a continuation of the Interstellar Overdrive ethos; meandering guitars, Wright's Farfisa organ swirls and messy, cacophonous percussion from Nick Mason. The reflective Remember A Day shines, as Wright's maudlin piano and wistful lyrics create a sombre mood, while engineer Norman Smith turns in a sparkling guest spot on drums (as Mason couldn't play the song). Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun is the only time that all five members of this temporary lineup appeared on the same recording (Barrett and Gilmour both contributed guitar). The lyrics are ripped straight from Chinese poetry, while Waters' vaguely Middle Eastern bassline, Mason's timpani-struck drums and Wright's distinctive Farfisa create an eerie, yet strangely appealing, soundscape. Side A (VINYL REFERENCES FOR THE WIN) closes with the anti-war ditty Corporal Clegg, notable for being one of the rare lead vocal performances from Mason, while all other members of the band also contribute vocals. There's also a chorus of kazoos just to provide a bit of Pythonesque silliness to all the serious lyrics about the futility of war.
The album's title track comes next, and for all the Floyd's space rock epics of their early days, this is the first time where the psychedelic went decidedly avant-garde; Waters and Wright used their architectural backgrounds to 'design' the song's structure, with some interviews from Waters claiming that the whole song tells the story of a battle, from the pre-fight anticipation to the closing mournful choirs of the dead. For the most part, it's a tribute to tape loops, pandemonium and experimentation, though the last two minutes are worth hanging out for. Wright's organ and mellotron work creates an ethereal atmosphere, and he joins Gilmour in some heavenly vocal chorus work. The album's worst song, See-Saw, comes next, and it says everything that when this song was recorded, the band referred to it as 'The Most Boring Song I've Ever Heard Bar Two'. While it's not THAT boring, being another Wright-penned maudlin piano/Farfisa tune, there's not much going on and it's probably lucky that it made the record.
Closing the album is the last ever appearance on a Floyd release (and the sole songwriting contribution on this album) by Syd Barrett, Jugband Blues. By this time Barrett's mental state was fragmented, and while it's somewhat de rigueur to blame the drugs (and I'm sure they were a catalyst) it's probably accurate to say that the pressures of success were also contributory. At any rate, Jugband Blues is the observation of one man's mental state, written by the man himself. It serves as Barrett's own commentary on his fragmented mind, the fact that his own band were steadily squeezing him out, and an inability to cope with everything that was happening to him. In true Barrett fashion though, there's enough musical meat to make it listenable; the Salvation Army brass band add a nice touch, the "I don't care if the sun don't shine" section contains a flicker of Piper's psychedelic pop edge, while the song's closing notes, Barrett on an acoustic guitar singing, in a maudlin key, "And the sea isn't green/and I love the Queen/and what exactly is a dream?/And what exactly is a joke?" haunts you long after the song has closed.
The album's title track comes next, and for all the Floyd's space rock epics of their early days, this is the first time where the psychedelic went decidedly avant-garde; Waters and Wright used their architectural backgrounds to 'design' the song's structure, with some interviews from Waters claiming that the whole song tells the story of a battle, from the pre-fight anticipation to the closing mournful choirs of the dead. For the most part, it's a tribute to tape loops, pandemonium and experimentation, though the last two minutes are worth hanging out for. Wright's organ and mellotron work creates an ethereal atmosphere, and he joins Gilmour in some heavenly vocal chorus work. The album's worst song, See-Saw, comes next, and it says everything that when this song was recorded, the band referred to it as 'The Most Boring Song I've Ever Heard Bar Two'. While it's not THAT boring, being another Wright-penned maudlin piano/Farfisa tune, there's not much going on and it's probably lucky that it made the record.
Closing the album is the last ever appearance on a Floyd release (and the sole songwriting contribution on this album) by Syd Barrett, Jugband Blues. By this time Barrett's mental state was fragmented, and while it's somewhat de rigueur to blame the drugs (and I'm sure they were a catalyst) it's probably accurate to say that the pressures of success were also contributory. At any rate, Jugband Blues is the observation of one man's mental state, written by the man himself. It serves as Barrett's own commentary on his fragmented mind, the fact that his own band were steadily squeezing him out, and an inability to cope with everything that was happening to him. In true Barrett fashion though, there's enough musical meat to make it listenable; the Salvation Army brass band add a nice touch, the "I don't care if the sun don't shine" section contains a flicker of Piper's psychedelic pop edge, while the song's closing notes, Barrett on an acoustic guitar singing, in a maudlin key, "And the sea isn't green/and I love the Queen/and what exactly is a dream?/And what exactly is a joke?" haunts you long after the song has closed.
The Verdict
I don't think it's Pink Floyd's worst album (step forward The Final Cut and A Momentary Lapse of Reason for that dubious honour) but A Saucerful Of Secrets' biggest problem is that it rarely achieves the musical heights of so many other Floyd releases. It's solid, but unspectacular; the sound of a group trying to find their feet as songwriters now that their main creative force was basically a vegetable. The lofty genius of the 70s was still a few years (and albums) away, though there are flickering moments on here that foreshadow what was to come.
Not one for casual fans, more for the purists like myself.
My rating: 6.3/10
Standout Tracks
Corporal Clegg
Jugband Blues
Remember A Day
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