Piper, as many Floyd fans call it, was the first full length album released by Pink Floyd. It is notable for being the only album to feature Syd Barrett on the full album, as his declining brain health forced him out of the band not long after the album's release. Barrett, the band's main song writer, guitarist, and driving force at the time, was not used to the newfound stardom and minor celebrity status which pushed him into very serious drug taking, reportedly taking acid 4-5 times a week, destroying much of his brain's functionality. The other band members, Nick Mason (drums), Richard Wright (keyboards), and Roger Waters (bass), were eventually forced to hire an old friend to fill in the gap of Syd, David Gilmour. The group finally decided eventually to kick out Barrett from the band, which although sad, became an important stepping stone for the group.
The album, which was released in 1967, was a very good representation of the psychedelic wave of music in Britain. The songs were basically compiled from Pink Floyd's live set, but were toned down and shortened for the album, as their live set at the time featured many longer and extended numbers (although the ten minute "Interstellar Overdrive" does make the album). Most of the songs stay around the 3 to 4 minute range and were written primarily by Barrett. Although it was psychedelic music for sure, at the core, most songs were pop songs.
Barrett's lyrics were often whimsical tales of childhood memories, which was an attraction to teenagers of the time. The first cut on the album "Astronomy Domine" almost acts as a sample of all the things to come. It accomplishes a lot in its four minute time span, going from space rock to minimalistic sounds (similar to "Interstellar Overdrive") and yet holding onto its pop roots. The next three tracks "Lucifer Sam", "Matilda Mother", and "Flaming" all somewhat fit into the pop mold of music. This all changes with the more experimental "Pow R. Toc H.". This song almost seems like a dividing point on the album, from the more single oriented sound to the experimental, art sound more explored on later albums. This song is one of two instrumental pieces on the record, although it does feature Barrett and Waters doing voice effects, imitating what seems to be a rainforest of animals. The track that follows was the first written by Waters and makes a good end to the first half ("side" for you vinyl listeners) of the album with its interesting vocal arrangements and drum beats.
The next half of the album opens with the epic psychedelic/space rock instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive" which lasts for nearly 10 minutes. Centered around a now famous guitar riff written by Barrett, The song begins like any other song on the record, until it suddenly becomes a sound collage of guitar, keyboard, drum, and bass noises that lasts almost until the end of the song. This minimalistic approach had already been key in their live shows, was further implemented on subsequent tours and on tracks like "A Saucerful of Secrets" on their next album A Saucerful of Secrets. After this piece, we are greeted by a short ditty about a gnome, entitled nothing other than "The Gnome". "Chapter 24", based on the Chinese literature I Ching, follows. This is a very dynamic piece, with the major sounding verses contrasting the minor sounding choruses. Next is "Scarecrow", another Barrett whimsical tale. The final track "Bike" ties up the album nicely. It is just a simple love song that lasts shorter than 2 minutes, but a sound collage follows it which is just magnificent and ends the album with you wanting more. A lot more.
Overall, this is one of the best debut albums in rock history. I give it 9 stars out of 10.
A live version of "Interstellar Overdrive":
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