The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

I really love this album. It's hard to judge its actual artistic merit, as it's kind of fluffy, while also being somehow innovative - and even the proggy "Interstellar Overdrive" manages not to be self-indulgent nonsense. 5 stars, because - I don't know why. I just love it.

Goeie vibee

Had this on a double cassette with Saucerful of Secrets as a teenager and played it to death. Loved hearing something out of this world and it blew my mind. I'm not sure if I heard for the first time now whether I would be as enthusuastic, but top marks for the memories!

Haven’t listened to this since HS. I like it more now. Very cool to listen on good speakers. Lots of cool sound effects and channel manipulation.

Just incredible

Frickin genius

God album

Ypperlig psychadelica forut sin tid. Hvis 70-talls punk floyd hadde vært halvparten så lekne som dette hadde det kanskje ikke vært så jækla overvurdert

Siempre quedará la duda si canciones como Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam e Insterstellar Overdrive fueron el techo de Syd Barrett o si dejó pendiente un prime musical. Dicho esto, aún así es un gran disco.

The debut album of one of the most iconic bands in modern music. When this project gives me an album that I’m intimately familiar with, I usually use it as an opportunity for a fresh listen. However, in cases like this it is impossible for me to decouple the listening experience from personal nostalgia and the album’s historical importance. Piper at the Gates of Dawn creates a wonderfully bizarre mix of dark spirals into the abyss and whimsical jaunts into the fey. Either way, the imagery of just about every tune on the album is intense. There is no need for mind altering substances to embark on these musical adventures, but it certainly helps. For me, psychedelics were integral to breaking free of a repressive religious childhood and developing my own spiritual ontology. The album was an integral part of the soundscape of that metaphysical journey. Even today, this music resonates with my soul. Personal perspective aside, this is an essential album and is absolutely a listen that everyone should have at least once before they die. The album is not Floyd’s best, but it remains a classic that still holds up almost 60 years later. "I know a mouse, and he hasn't got a house, I don't know why I call him Gerald, he's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse."

Pink Floyd has always struck me as a curious phenomenon — not so much the band itself, but its fans. Ever since I first encountered a devout Floydian in high school, I’ve noticed how absolute the devotion often is. For many fans, Pink Floyd doesn’t just sit alongside other great bands; it seems to eclipse them entirely, as if it offers access to some higher musical plane. And within that already select group there’s an even smaller inner circle: those for whom real Pink Floyd only exists with Syd Barrett. Approaching this album as something of an outsider, I have to say: this is a remarkably strong debut. Not quite perfect — it’s a little too chaotic and uneven for that — but it comes very close. And opening your first album with “Astronomy Domine” takes either enormous confidence or a certain level of madness. Possibly both. This record is psychedelia in its purest form. If someone asks what psychedelic music actually sounds like, you could do far worse than play this album. Barrett’s presence dominates everything, and knowing what would soon happen to him — his mental collapse under the combined weight of talent, pressure, and drugs — is sadly audible throughout. The music feels unfiltered, playful, experimental, and occasionally unhinged. There are plenty of highlights. “Astronomy Domine” is a phenomenal opener, while “Interstellar Overdrive” — an intense instrumental eruption — is one of the most unforgettable tracks here, even if it would have made more sense as the album’s closer. “Matilda Mother” is rich and melodic, “Pow R. Toc H.” flirts with jazz abstraction, “Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk” veers wildly between pop, surf, and psychedelia, and “Lucifer Sam” rides a wonderfully sly, almost James Bond–like guitar line. The album ends in near-chaos, and not entirely convincingly — another sign that this brilliance came at a cost. I don’t worship this record, but I absolutely admire it. It’s a fantastic debut, full of ideas and imagination, and one can’t help wondering what Pink Floyd might have become had Barrett remained healthy. Then again, it’s entirely possible that the band’s later, almost absurd commercial success only happened because they didn’t stay up that particular tree.

Far out, man. I actually really love this album.

I can't believe there are people out there giving this a 1 star rating and calling it rubbish, and things I won't repeat. I say - go and take something for that!!! IT's a FIVE star album you idiots! So much here that the band built on, from the very first song Astronomy Domine to the last, Bike. Syd was a crazy genius, and set the 'controls' for the rest of the band. 5 stars on a premier album! and they just got better and better!

The genius of Syd Barrett.

Pink Floyd’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn isn’t just a great debut and classic psychedelic album. It’s the spark that helped ignite the entire Space Rock sub-genre. With “Astronomy Domine” and “Interstellar Overdrive,” the band took psychedelia and pushed it into uncharted, cosmic territory. The album’s swirling sounds, experimental noises, and other-worldly atmosphere laid the groundwork for spacey rock,, looking at you Hawkwind!! It’s quirky, strange, and endlessly imaginative—exactly the kind of bold first step that made Space Rock possible. Yes I love space rock!!

Fav album of all time. Started my journey of being a psych rock fan just cause of this album.

Надо чаще переслушивать. Барретовский Pink Floyd особенный.

9/10

For how ubiquitous Pink Floyd seems to be, I surprisingly lack familiarity with their music (even despite being a poser and wearing a Dark Side of the Moon T-shirt all through middle and high school). That said, this was awesome. Super fun psychedelics rock with some basslines that almost sound grungy. Loved it.

Overall: 9/10 Hell yeah. I tend to love weird music made by absolute geniuses and this is no exception. Despite the fact that they would go on to make even better albums without Syd, it makes me wonder if they would have kept going down this strange route instead of becoming prog gods if he was capable of sticking around. It's one of my biggest personal "what if's" in music. He had a great voice and an overflowing imagination and his story overall just makes me sad. You can see on this album that he was truly gifted. Shine on, you crazy diamond. Fav Song: Bike

Syd Barrett is a fascinating, but tragic story. Artistically brilliant and innovative, but lost to mental health issues exacerbated by heavy LSD usage. The stories are straight out of a Hollywood film: finding him sitting in a chair, staring into space with a cigarette fully burnt out from end-to-end in his hand. Going onstage, and standing motionless with a guitar hanging from his neck. Being replaced by his old time buddy David Gilmour, and when everyone thought he was lost to madness, coming out with the saddest, most poignant farewell song in "Jugband Blues". Disappearing for years, and turning up in the studio as Pink Floyd were recording "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a song written about him. It's a compelling, but tragic tale. Syd was clearly an artistic genius, but unfortunately we're limited to just the contents of this one album (and a couple of songs outside of it) to appreciate the creative output of this madcap legend. Luckily for us, Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a masterpiece. There are two types of songs on the album. Long, sprawling, improvised jams, very experimental in nature. Songs like Astronomy Domine and Interstellar Overdrive are the peak of these. Then, the shorter, more quirky pieces like The Gnome or The Scarecrow. The rest, generally speaking, go from quirky to experimental. The whole album feels like sneaking a glimpse into Syd's mind, where quirky, clever humour meets untamed, swirling madness. The songwriting and innovation is just one part. The musicianship is another. Richard Wright's keyboard creates an eerie atmosphere throughout these songs. Roger Waters' bass grooves and flies to unexpected places. And then there's Syd's guitar. It's so much at once. It's layered, creates texture, it's percussive, it's bluesy, and it's often so experimental that it doesn't sound like a guitar at all any more. Truly pushing the boundaries of what a guitar can do, and opening the door for future guitarists such as Joey Santiago, Graham Coxon and Jonny Greenwood, to name but a few. The production of this album deserves a mention too. Capturing the guitar tones so crisply, while balancing the layers of overdub, keyboards, bass and drums with Syd's quiet vocals for this type of expressionist music is quite a challenge, but done so well (especially for something recorded in 1967). And then there's the pioneering use of reverb and delay. Bands like Radiohead and Osees are still using versions of the same technique based on the blueprints set out here. But back to Syd's songs themselves. Astronomy Domine is an absolute classic, so far ahead of its time, yet fitting in so well as a representation of what was going on in the UK underground scene at the time. Interstellar Overdrive is still as much of a mind-melter as it was the first time I heard it. You come out of it after 9 minutes and 40 seconds, head spinning, feeling as if you'd just dropped acid. The "quirky" songs somehow don't come across as twee, but instead charming, and always tilting towards some manic dystopia of noise. The madness of "Bike" makes you smile (the little piano tinkle when he sings about knowing "a mouse but he doesn't have a house, I don't know why I call him Gerald"), verses and chorus punctuated with a drum sound that smacks you in the face, before descending into noises and laughter that still unnerves me today, even after hearing it half a million times. "Pow R. Toc H." starts off with the craziest version of beatboxing I'll ever encounter. I still don't know how Waters makes that sound with his mouth, but it's a sound that's not of this earth. The rest of the song goes into a jazzy jaunt, until it inevitably descends into madness. "The Scarecrow" is a particularly gorgeous song. Extremely minimalist, with lyrics that seem very fitting for Barrett's mental condition. "His head did no thinking, his arms didn't move..." / "The black and green scarecrow is sadder than me, but now he's resigned to his fate because life's not unkind, he doesn't mind..." The song ends with a gorgeous blend of strings and rising folk guitar. This album is a classic. A masterpiece. Innovative, experimental, inspiring. Syd didn't have the chance to continue making music, but his legacy is still felt today thanks to this album. Shine on.

As much as I like later albums by Pink Floyd, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn moves me the most with its whimsy and druggy wonders. The Syd Barrett era of the band is a special treasure!

Awesome

Fuckin interstellar scarecrow gnomes, bruh!! 5

Such weird music... so cool

I first delved into the Roger Waters deep end of the Pink Floyd pool, and then the late Floyd Gilmour years. I came to Syd late, and his music was most difficult for me to accept after the more lyrical Floyd. But this Floyd was the most psychedelic and this album the most perfect British-style psychedelic album existing. American-style tries to imitate the drug experience, while Brits psychedelia, at least in this early stage, re-create one's childhood memories. It took much longer for me to love, but love it I do and it might be the most innovative of Floyd albums. 5/5

Maybe not their finest album but I always enjoy it. Speaks to some of the weird things you get with Pink Floyd off the beaten path.

Escutar isso de fone é uma delícia

Real fun. Love this band. Bike bike bike.

This album is GREAT! All the textures on it are a delightful thing to explore, and to think of it as a debut is insane. There is so much creativity there. It's so experimental, and so interesting too. This may be my favorite psychedelic album that I have listened so far. This music is made for listening to it, to dive into the atmospheres it creates through the minutes, to get into it and enjoy it. And it's fantastic the music of this The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. It's not pretentious, it's genuine and wonderful, and smart.

Groundbreaking in many ways. The lyrics are pretty heady, but it's really the instrumentation that drives this album. A true pioneer in prog rock, this is a really, really great album.

banger psych rock love pink floyd

What I imagine taking LSD feels like

(listened before) I love early Pink Floyd records

Such a bizarre ride. Very important era to get to what they became!

An old fashion freak out

Give me things

The first album from Pink Floyd is, ostensibly, a psychedelic album. It is that but, also a proto-prog rock album. It has the extended jams of psychedelia but also the extended compositions and intricate musicianship of prog rock. Jams like Astronomy Domine live peacefully alongside intense 10-minute long sci-fi compositions such as Interstellar Overdrive. In between are shorter pop, psychedelia, and prog rock pieces such as Bike and Lucifer Sam. Alot of what is on the album seems like filler but, none of it is bad filler. They are more like a palate cleanser for the longer compositions. This is the original Pink Floyd too. The influence of Syd Barrett, pre breakdown, is felt throughout in the dreamy quality of most of the songs. This influence would only last one more album before Barrett's mental health declined. In later Pink Floyd, Roger Waters ideas became ascendant, and David Gilmour joined the band and became a force in his own right, leading to their arguably best material. On Piper at the Gates of Dawn, however, you see Pink Floyd version 1.0 at it's best.

A classic album by one of the greatest psychedelic bands to exist. The Floyd lineup with Syd Barrett was much poppier and leaning toward the young teens of the era

Amazing

Have had some of my favourite listening experiences over the years to this record, I love it.

I love this early Syd Barrett era of Pink Floyd. I think this album specifically formed a very early part of my musical education when I was a teenager. It’s trippy and whimsical and shows signs of their later genius. I’ve realised I need to investigate the albums between this and Meddle more (Meddle to Animals being the best stuff). Anyway this would get five stars just for “Gnome” and “Bike” alone, but overall I think it’s a very classic and important album as Flloyd’s debut and the early trippy stuff is fun.

when i got into pink floyd (vey recently) I listened through all of the early albums once each cause I was really just trying to get to the 70s albums. I liked the early records well enough but i was a man on a mission. I am realizing that my tunnel vision caused me to be a fool, this is so much better then i remember it being. and DG sampled multiple tracks on this so obviously i'm gonna say it's cool regardless The Gnome is about my lil boy bo

Pink Floyd's debut is a masterpiece of psychedelia and the product of Syd Barrett's genius creative mind - the only full album he recorded with the band before he stopped working with them because of his mental issues. 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' was recorded at EMI studios at Abbey Road, at the same time as The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper, in early 1967. It's a perfect mix of Barrett's short, poppy whimsical psychedelic songs and intrumental improvisations. This completely unique sounding psychedelic gem was one of my favourite albums in my teenage years and it still remains one of my favourite albums ever.

A genius constantly changing album

Amazing intro. Dynamic sound, great stereo mixing. Pow R. Toc H. Took me on a pleasant sonic adventure. Same goes for Interstellar Overdrive. Warm. I enjoy thie Whimsy of The Gnome. Fun album over all and interesting to hear compared to Darkside of the Moon and The Wall. The ground work is all here tho. This is a cohesive album worth listening to all the way through as a single entity. Top tier production.

Great

Always a classic and one of the most revolutionary albums out there

Interstellar Overdrive is such an underrated Pink Floyd song, no one ever talks about it. Favourite Songs: Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, Pow R. Toc H., Interstellar Overdrive, The Gnome. Least Favourite Songs: Chapter 24.

Half the band members on the album cover looks like they’re floating on another planet🐸 I liked this album more than I’m willing to admit

Hahaha what a silly album. Sorry you went crazy Sid, at least you got an album on this list before that happened. Enjoyed the psychedelia more than I did years ago when I first found this album

Brilliant album. Syd at his best, lyrically and musically. A completely different band than what they became when Gilmour replaced him but so much more interesting. Really, who else could have written Interstellar Overdrive?

Love the whimsy on this album. The band lost that aspect after Syd left but I don’t think they would have ever hit the worldwide popularity that they did with him. This album is a great example of psychedelic-space rock and led the way for later acts like Hawkwind. So even though it doesn’t sound like their later albums it was highly influential and they were one of the hottest acts of the time in England. Classic.

Pink Floyd (Debut Album) 1967 Psychedelic Rock, acid pop, experimental rock, space rock Sometimes I don't know which version of the album to listen to. This one has a UK release, US release and the 40th Anniversary edition (which includes the songs on both UK and US releases.... So I pretty much went with the 40th Anniversary edition so I can get it all in. Either way, the Syd Barrett Pink Floyd is SO different than the Pink Floyd I grew up listening to. I really didn't like this album the first several time I listened to it. BUT, as I kept listening to it because of it's inclusion on this list, I really grew to love it. It is hard to consider it Pink Floyd - because it is so completely different. Yes, I think it is great now. Rating: 4.5 Tracks: Astronomy Domine Lucifer Sam Matilda Mother Flaming Pow R. Toc H Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk Interstellar Overdrive The Gnome Chapter 24 The Scarecrow Bike See Emily Play (US version) Arnold Layne (40th Anniversary) Candy and A Currant Bun (40th Anniversary) Apples and Oranges (40th Anniversary) Paintbox (40th Anniversary)

Η μουσική των Pink Floyd είναι η Μουσική.

Masterpiece, in my top 20

I have this one on vinyl, so I was very excited when I saw it pop up as album of the day. While I do think the first side is better than the second, I really love this album as a whole. Syd Barrett puts a lot of twists and turns in the music and lyrics that I just love. It's too bad he wasn't able to build off this one.

This is one of the great Pink Floyd albums and was a key player in the English psych scene. With band leader Syd Barrett at the helm, it's a mixture of psychedelic whimsy, imaginative lyrics, and the beginnings of the 'space rock' jams that Pink Floyd were famous for. Sadly Barrett's mental health meant a line-up change for the follow-up album and the band carried on their experimental ways until the next great album The Dark Side of the Moon. But really this is possibly my favourite Pink Floyd album. I have it on cheap vinyl (in stereo) and on CD in the original mono.

One of the records I would take to a lonely island. I have listened to it at least 1000 times. I love it!

Masterpiece! Love the psychedelic Floyd!

Mljac. Old skul psych, interstellar overdrive mi je najbolja pjesma iako ima tu dosta gemova po mom ukusu Ne znam koliko puta sam ovaj album preslušao, a sigurno ću ga još vrtiti

I wanna be honest about me and the early years of Pink Floyd. 'Coz, look, I have nothing but respect for Syd Barrett. Being aware of his story and the impact even his absence would have on the band, it's impossible not to. I mean, he inspired over half minutes of my favorite Pink Floyd album, WISH YOU WERE HERE. With how much the band clearly respected him, why wouldn't I? Not to mention, this is the only Pink Floyd album he'd have direct influence on. On the following album he'd only have two songs, and after that, well... You'd only have a harder time tryna **not** talk about Syd Barrett if you were reviewing his solo album THE MADCAP LAUGHS. So, coming into this album, I felt like talking about Syd was unavoidable, and not something I wanted to take lightly. That's part of why I've honestly had a bit of trouble tryna write this review; it's making sure I've been taking him as seriously as I feel he should be taken. But here's the other part of that trouble, and honestly kind of a bigger one. When it comes to me and Pink Floyd, as much as they're one of my favorite bands, I hardly pay much mind to their early years. When it comes to stuff before THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, there's MEDDLE and sometimes ATOM HEART MOTHER and that's about it. Beyond that, I usually experience this era of Pink Floyd through whatever ends up on compilation albums — and that's typically just "See Emily Play". As a result, I don't really have much of a connection to this album; not in the same way I do with something like WISH YOU WERE HERE. Frankly, I don't tend to think about this album too much outside of it being "their only true psychedelic rock record." It's just not where my tastes lie. Which isn't to say I don't like this album — and I'll get to **finally** talking about the dang music on this thing in a second — but, y'know, you understand why I've been struggling with this review, right? I'm the kinda person who wants to essay it up about albums and discuss the context surrounding them. I wanna discuss Syd with the importance I feel he deserves, 'coz Syd is the single most important context here. I mean, we wouldn't even have Pink Floyd if it wasn't for him. It's just hard to talk about him the way I'd want to when I don't really have much attachment to the big album he was involved in. So, yeah. That's what I had to reconcile with before I even thought I could talk about the music. Essentially, all of that was my preemptive apology for not being able to do the good job I wanted to do. (And in fact, lemme apologize in advance for my MADCAP LAUGHS review. If **this** was a hard one, then hoo boy...) But, some 500 words in, let's finally get down to what we're actually here for: the music. Taken in 2024, how does it hold up? Well, you're never gonna be able to mistake it for another decade, that's for sure. This is 60's psychedelic rock through and through, from the soundscapes down to that sweet 60's panning — hell yeah, drums entirely in my left ear! Although, hey, this **is** 1967, so it's not as bad as it could be on other, earlier records. Besides, they do some neat stuff with the panning over on "Interstellar Overdrive". And in regards to 60's psych rock, hey, this is maybe — no, probably — no, actually some of the best and most unique I've ever heard. Of every psych album this Randomizer has had me hear, and it's had me hear a **lot**, I can't think of another that sounds like this. Maybe in the future there'll be something (there **are** a **lot** left), but I know I'll compare them first to this. I also just can't think of psych albums with topics like these. Songs about scarecrows and gnomes, next to one that just directly reads from the I CHING... And then there's whatever "Bike" is about. It's a ride in any case, with how it randomly shifts tempos every verse. This feels like one of those albums where if you wanted to give it a deep reading in light of what happened, you maybe could. None of this is "Jugband Blues" to my ears, though; this album is just legitimately that innocent. I even feel like I could go so far as to call its innocence childlike. Those are just the vibes I get from this thing. And, really, I do appreciate that this album can get really "underground weird" in spots. Of course you got the poppier stuff (and the original American release just straight-up included "See Emily Play"), but then you have what I'm pretty sure is the album's centerpiece, "Interstellar Overdrive". Now this is a song that's not concerned at all with appealing to the masses. All it wants to be, and what it successeeds handily in being, is a complete and total freak-out. It's one of those songs you'd swear you'd hafta be on LSD to enjoy, but take it from someone who would never take substances: it's still damn good when you're sober. In fact, I tell you, when I was younger I probably would've disliked this song for being as long and strange as it is, but these days, I really dig it. Seriously, I just love that part where it's made to sound like the band is rapidly spinning around you; it's great. I'm not even sure if I have any complaints about this album. At most, there's just the fact that, like I said, psych rock just typically isn't my taste. I could go long into why that is, but just to say, I know I'd listen to "Time", "Wish You Were Here" or "Comfortably Numb". And of course, that's not even the fault of this album. So... Yeah, I think I've talked myself into a 5 here. It's never what I'd spring to first — and, honestly, I wouldn't recommend anyone who wants to get into Pink Floyd should start here — but it's hard to deny it as a masterpiece of psych rock. Syd Barrett really did know to make this stuff, and I can only imagine what Pink Floyd could've sounded like if he'd been able to have more direct influence over the rest of their discography. Of course, the cruel truth is that if Syd had managed to stick around, we wouldn't have gotten some of the band's greatest works: DARK SIDE, ANIMALS, THE WALL... We wouldn't have even gotten WISH YOU WERE HERE. Or at least, we might not have gotten them in the way we got them in this timeline. We can only speculate. But me, I'd rather just appreciate what Syd managed to give us. In the grand scheme of Floyd's career, it wasn't much... But dang, they just wouldn't be the same without it. Bless you, Syd. And I hope I can talk about you good again whenever THE MADCAP LAUGHS comes around. I mean, jeez, with what happened around that one — again, if I thought talking about **this one** was hard... Goodness.

It's very much a shame what happened to Syd, considering how influential this band became in the 70's, but this album is certainly a good first step for the band. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

Deep.

One hell of a debut album, that truly shows what a real talent Syd Barret was, before the chemicals completely took over his brain. This has to be one of the most influential albums for any band that just let their minds be free and let the music flow. While this was made during the height of psychedelia, this is just so much more than a psychedelic album.

Rising of Psychodelic Rock

I love this record, it's so out there. I got the privilege of seeing Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets and it was so much fun hearing these tunes live. There are quite a few singles from this time frame that didn't make it on the record... particularly "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play"... bonus points if you hunt down "Vegetable Man". I really enjoy the Syd Barrett era Floyd. "Astronomy Domine" is so awesome that the modern Floyd was using it routinely in concert during the "Division Bell" tour, same with "Interstellar Overdrive".

Was obsessed with this band as a kid, but this album was IMPOSSIBLE to find then, so I've never heard it before now. This is outrageously good, like a psychedelic and experimental version of the Kinks. Vastly different from the later, more well known output from Floyd. Makes me realize why so many people hold Syd Barrett in such high regard. This is a great album!

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the debut album by Pink Floyd, originally released in 1967. This isn't your average stoner rock Pink Floyd. This is hard hitting, experimental, acid-drenched Pink Floyd. Those who are familiar with their 70s output may be surprised at the sound of this, because it is just so different. In truth, Pink Floyd was a completely different band at this time. Syd Barrett was the bandleader and had this very interesting brand of psychedelia that included whimsical themes and heavy studio experimentation. This isn't your average 1967 summer-of-love hippie rock. This is a lot darker in my opinion. The experimentation is pretty ahead of its time, even delving into noise rock in some spots. It may not be as extravagant as something like "Dark Side of the Moon" would be, and it's definitely very weird, but it's so damn cool.

“The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” is one of those timeless albums that never ceases to amaze. No matter how often I listen, it blows my mind with its ahead of its time experimentation and studio techniques. The band overdubbed multiple layers of vocals, instruments, and sound effects to give the album rich texture. They used tape manipulation and backward recordings to create unique sounds and textures, along with echo and reverb effects. The music ranges from childlike, playful melodies to raw, gritty distorted guitar riffs that capture the essence of proto-punk. So many groundbreaking albums emerged from the 60s psychedelic movement, but “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” stands out as one of the best, forever topping my list of psychedelic classics.

A fun thought exercise is to imagine a universe in which Syd Barrett took just a little bit less LSD, didn't fully lose his mind, and stayed with Pink Floyd throughout the band's career. Would we still have Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, etc.? Certainly not like they exist in this universe, but would there be a version of these masterpieces with Syd involved? Would David Gilmour have even joined the band? Who knows, but I'm glad we have this record so that we don't have to imagine a Syd-led Pink Floyd. There isn't a lot here to compare to the aforementioned records, and other than the trippy space-rock of Interstellar Overdrive and Astronomy Domine there's little resemblance at all to 70's Floyd. The star here is Barrett, a weird charismatic dude that enjoyed drugs a little too much. His story is a sad one, but The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn was largely his masterpiece. While Pink Floyd would have much better individual songs and better overall albums in the next decade, this is their first masterpiece I think and an excellent album to listen to today. It reminds me most of the Zombie's Odessey and Oracle, which came out a year later and is another masterpiece of the late 60's psychedelic era. I'd rank it somewhere around the 5th or 6th best Pink Floyd album, but it's as important to their legacy as any outside of Dark Side of the Moon.

Epic album. No matter what your opinion of the music, it demands your attention throughout.

I could go on about this - and the obvious but tragically lost genius of Syd Barrett - but that story has already been done to death many times. This isn't a Pink Floyd Album. It is a great album.

Incredible album. The craziest ever?

My relationship with Pink Floyd's *oeuvre* is the one many people from different generations experienced. Discovered them through their classic seventies prog albums in my early teens (Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall...), rejected them later as a young adult when I got into punk-rock, before reconciling with them between being 30 and 40 years old... And somewhere during this timeline, I also explored their psychedelic beginnings during the sixties, of course. Syd Barrett was a mad genius, and this debut is the magnum opus of this early phase of the British band's career. Even if the group had split after Barrett went full coo-coo, and its remaining members had not kept on under the Pink Floyd moniker (adding Dave Gilmour to their ranks), you can bet your boots *The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn* would still be a cult classic today--ignored for a time, and then avidly praised later on. With the exception of one-off single "See Emily Play" (an *extraordinary* song), *The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn* gathers all the key compositions Syd wrote for the band, tittering between epic psych-rock regalia (opener "Astronomy Dominé"), a brooding song supported by ominous guitar tones--suddenly lighting up for the chorus--in which Syd hallucinates his cute cat is actually Satan in disguise ("Lucifer Sam"), and a bunch of seemingly whimsical yet also disturbingly LSD-soaked tunes that would fit a psychedelic reading of Lewis Carroll's stories ("Flaming", "The Gnome", "Chapter 24", "Bike"). "Mathilda Mother" is also an unsung off-kilter gem of a ballad--which, oddly enough, kinda foretells the moments in "The Wall* where the topic of childhood trauma would be explored, twelve years down the line, by a band still reeling from the incomprehension Syd's early tenure as their unlikely "leader" had left them with... Finally, *The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn* harbors one of the craziest instrumentals ever performed in the psychedelic umbrella genre, the epic and partly dissonant "Interstellar Overdrive", whose sonic scope must have appeared as unbelievably daunting in 1967. The only real dud here is the Roger Waters-penned "Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk", where Waters tries to ape Barrett's style without ever reaching a tiny fraction of the man's surreal poetry. Roger would do a far better work of it with "Let There Be Light" and "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" in the follow-up (and admittedly more uneven) LP *A Saucerful Of Secrets*, where Barrett's eerie and mysterious presence ended up fading into full oblivion. Richard Wright would be pretty good at it as well, through "Remember A Day" and "See-Saw". But I guess all of this is a story for another time, kiddies.... Number of albums left to review: 85 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 393 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 229 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 294

One of the most important albums I know. I first heard it with my friend, G Mouse carpooling to high school in 1993. It takes an extreme departure initially with Lucifer Sam which is an outrageously good song capturing the zeitgeist of 1967 and then walking you right into the other end of the looking glass. By the time we get to Flaming, we realize we may be peaking with the completely irrational pacing and of course the fuckin bonkers lyrics. OMG who am I? Pow R. Toc H. leaves us still deep deep in the thick of it but chooses to mindfuck us somewhat more gently until dissolving completely into mad chaos at the end. Once Interstellar Overdrive hits, we realize that when we thought we were peaking a couple tracks in, that was just a ledge on the cliff we are climbing into complete and total mind melt. The Gnome brings us back a bit-- in a way to normalize this bizarre world we now inhabit with a sweet little song about a fuckin gnome. And finally, all gas and not a brake in sight, we close on Bike. This is quite possibly the best song that ever came out of the Pink Floyd catalogue and I don't think it's even close to being as lauded as it should be. Listen closely to the lyrics which are a celebration that not only have we recklessly abandoned all sense of normalcy and fully embraced a massive hallucinatory universe, we've also decided a.) we're staying here and b.) we love it here and c.) dude, those ducks. They're ducks right?

Really liked this album , solely because it's the one that actually feels most like it puts the 'psychedelic' in 'psychedelic rock'. Later pink floyd albums make for a more cohesive and atmospheric listen, but this one isn't hidings its influences at all.

This sounds like an 8 year old on acid with a recorder. Masterpiece.

I would also lose my mind if I made this album.

This album changed my life and is everything to me. Fantasy themed catchy psychedelic rock with so much creativity found within the arrangements and the weird chromatic vocals by Syd Barrett. It's just astonishing that someone came up with this in the 60s. This album is everything I love in music and litterature, really.

5/5. I tried going into this one with a critical mind because I had listened to it more than 30 times probably. I know psychedelic music can age poorly. Despite some production issues it is so unique in its worldbuilding, it truly feels like I am inside someone else's dream, or nightmare depending on the song. The music itself holds up as well: weird, scary, silly, heavy and light. And despite the inaccessibility, it is surprisingly catchy. Definitely a must listen before I die. Best Song: Astronomy Domine, Bike, Interstellar Overdrive, Lucifer Sam

Kaleidoscopic, man!!!!!!!!

Psychedelic pink perfection.

I prefer the later works of Pink Floyd, but this album is still a standout for me, one of the first albums I ever owned, and released in my birth year. For a period I didn't love this album, finding it too bizarre and put off by the childlike lyrics/ vocals/ strange noises. However, over the years I found that some of the tracks that I thought I hadn't liked had actually taken up residence in my head and had more depth than I had first appreciated. There's actually a lot going on here, not just a jam by some garage band, but some interesting arrangements and a level of musicality missing from similar late 60s psychedelia. Some parts are maybe a little over-indulgent, like the heavy-handed stereo effects, but it's still a lovely piece of music and well deserving of 5 stars. Incidentally, Arthur Brown does a brilliant cover of Lucifer Sam.

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is a phenomenal debut album from by far my favorite band. Syd Barret's writing, although cartoonish at times, is really beautiful on songs like Interstellar Overdrive.

One of my favourite albums, maybe my favourite album. A lot of nostalgia and history here for me, but I think I would always have liked its whimsy and fantasy, evocative lyrics and meandering, trippy sound. Deeply English and rooted in the culture of the time, but also I've not heard anything else quite like it, apart from some Saucerful of Secrets, but already that was leaning away from their origins.

10 10

Let's be real: there's very little of the band that would become Pink Floyd present on Piper - only Nick Mason punishing his drum kit and the occasional harmonies from Rick Wright. Roger Waters hadn't even written his first song about his daddy dying (but would do so the following year with the GOAT kazoo track 'Corporal Clegg'). But Piper remains a monolith in British psychedelic with one of the most outrageous uses of stereo mixing, panning, echo and reverb. At times it truly makes you question if something is wrong with your sound system - case in point: the ending of 'Interstellar Overdrive'. The album is packed with memorable moments from my all-time favorite psychedelic track 'Matilda Mother' to Syd Barrett's ASMR pronunciation and rolling of his "R's" on 'The Gnome'. Along with Sgt. Pepper, recorded at the same time in the same studio, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn stands as the greatest album of 1967. Coincidentally, the two albums end on almost exactly the same note - a cacophonic tape loop of noise reminding everyone not to take things too seriously.

I can't listen to this anymore but i used to love it. For that reason....5*s. Also, Bike.

I like Pink Floyd! It is one of my favorite groups. As for this album, Syd Barrett is seemed out of this world but gifted and genius. Album is a masterpiece! I am very glad to listen it again. Thanks.

Quintessential psychedelic album. This is the one that teleported people through all the sounddd mannnnn

Glorious and groovy. 5 stars.

Perfect

I’ll always love this demented clown show of a record.

Personal favorite. Dynamic impact on music and my psyche.

I used to love Pink Floyd a lot, I have to at least contribute this album partially to that. An excellent psychedelic experience to say the least. Syd Barret’s influence and simplistic writing style is very apparent here. It’s both interesting and intriguing. The psychedelic songs are playful, sometimes ominous, and intriguing. There’s not a song here I’d consider bad, all these songs are a good time. Excellent debut album!

Pink Floyd makes sense now.

Acid

Psicodelic, strange... Good album

LP

Love it

Wasn’t sure I liked this but then gnome

I've got a bike, you can ride it if you like It's got a basket, a bell that rings And things to make it look good I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world I'll give you anything, everything if you want things I've got a cloak it's a bit of a joke There's a tear up the front It's red and black, I've had it for months If you think it could look good, then I guess it should Syd Barrett Pink Floyd is the best Pink Floyd. 5/5

love it

When this album hits, it hits really hard and even with the psychedelic music that came after, which this album either inspired or predicted, all of that pales in comparison. The juxtaposition of Barrett’s fairytale lyrics with dark and often chaotic jams still sounds really vibrant and creative to my ears now.

cool

A one-off with a long lifespan and a tantalizing glimpse into what was and what could have been, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn may very well be Pink Floyd's most uniquely singular album in that the creative flourishes of Syd Barrett, the band's tragically imbalanced front man, are on full display. The psychedelic age was given a good dose of darkness that ranged from goofy and lighthearted to ominous and foreboding, for there was little knowing (knowing what we do now) of what was to come not only for Syd but for the band in general. Overall, a bittersweet sign of things to come.

This album is unsettling, experimental, and psychadelic in the truest sense. Inspired largely from Syd Barrett's foray into LSD use, 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,' Pink Floyd's debut album, is a meandering album that carefully builds both musically and lyrically. The seeds of their later work are present, but this album is uniquely the vision of Syd Barrett before he retreated from the public eye.

Pink Floyd just does weird and unexpected so well - and I love it. I’ve always found prog rock and psychedelic music interesting, so an album like this hits the mark for me. I’d never heard Pink Floyd’s debut album before and I’m not sure I would have if it weren’t for this project!! This album brought me some joy this morning for sure - I enjoyed its unique sound and experimentation. Plus it was cool to hear how such an iconic and influential band started out.

"Pipers at the Gates of Dawn" is the debut studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It was the only album under the leadership of guitarist and lead vocalist Syd Barrett who wrote eight of the 11 songs. Pyschedelic rock, acid pop, experimental rock and space rock. An apt description is "blended long-form improvisational pieces with Barrett's short songs and whimsical take on pyschedelia. Recordered at London's Abbey Road Studio, the music used reverb, echo and automatic double tracking. Other band members included Roger Waters ( bass, vocals), Richard Wright (piano, organ) and Nick Mason (drums). It was met with critical acclaim and commercially hit #6 on the UK charts. "Astronomy Domine" begins with Peter Jenner reading out names of stars and planets. A pounding bass, bass drums, echo vocals, a strumming pyschedelic guitar and eerie keyboards. A space-themed song and quite a start. A James Bond-esque guitar starts "Lucifer Sam." It's a song about Syd's cat and we get an organ jam. The album's lone single "Flaming" uses all sorts of various noises: whistles, a motor running, running feet and bells. There's a lot of various weird noises throughout this album and why wouldn't there be; it's 1967. An organ leads the way as Syd describes a childlike game with fantasy imagery. Side two opens with the instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive." Drving guitar, bass and drums. The song then goes into a improvisational phase for at least seven minutes. Remember the various weird noises comment. They effectively accomplish getting across the space theme. A great headphone song with stereo echoes at the end. Sometimes, it's good to be put into a pyschedelic haze. The latter half of this side really takes us back to 60's sounding pop songs. In "Chapter 24," Syd was inspired by the ancient Chinese tome "I Ching." Minimalist music with just an organ and this reminded me of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Syd compares himself to a scarecrow resigned to his fate in "Scarecrow." The album closer "Bike" is more bouncey. Syd meets a girl who fits in his world showing her his bike, clock, a mouse and a gingerbread man. Lest you forget what you've been listening to, we get to hear all the noises of what's in his world for the last two minutes. I really have no interest in visiting Syd's world again for some time. Yeah, this is one heck of a pyschedelic ride. I forgot how much of this album is instrumental. It balances itself out with short fantasy-based pop songs. Given their music in the 70's, it's hard to say this is the same band. Then again without Syd, maybe it's not. Anyway, this ranks high on my Pink Floyd album list and is a must listen to if just for a visit to pyschedelia.

Weniger bekanntes Album meiner Lieblingsband. Für die damalige Zeit leistet dieses Album und the ''Early Pink Floyd'' einen wesentlichen Schritt für die Rockkultur, die wir heute kennen. Auch deswegen, weil Pink Floyd, oder ''The Pink Floyd'', wie es aus früheren Zeiten noch bekannt ist, sich immer getraut hat neue Wege zu gehen. Das Album kann nicht jedermann musikalisch genießen, da es aus einer ganz anderen Zeit noch stammt, doch aufgrund der Tatsache dass dieses Album der Grundstein für jegliche Musikentwicklung dieser Band war, muss man sich damit auseinandersetzen. Ich habe das Album und dessen Flair im Allgemeinen sehr genossen, auch wenn ich mich auf das Genie oder doch eher Wahnsinns des jungen Syd Barrets konzentrierte. Er war wesentlich daran beteiligt dieses wichtige Album, sowohl musikalisch als auch lyrisch zu gestalten. Habe keine favorisierten Songs, mir gefiel es ins Londoner Underground der 60er Jahre einzutauchen! 4.5

pink floyd is the best thing ever! It‘s the band I listen to the most! At least 3000mins a year. I cannot decide which album is the best or which song. Got me through good times and bad times. the songs keep me always accompanied! Just need to drop one name: SYD BARRETT .

Sou suspeita, por mim a discografia inteira do Pink Floyd deveria ser apreciada por todo ser humano vivo.

The genius of Syd.

Second time listening to this and I did it on decent speakers. The psychedelic rock scene isn’t my favourite it I could really see this one was special.

Syd Barret era Floyd is an absolute psychedelic masterpiece of a discography. Too bad is not too commercial especially when compared to their prog-era, or even when compared to its other psychrock peers.

This Pink Floyd album made a big impression 30-35 years ago and listened to it lot. Expected to be disappointed but no: still a great album in every aspect, and objectively one of the best debut albums ever.

MEU DEUS OOOOOOH MOTHER TELL ME MORE WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE ME THERE WAITIIIIIIIIIIING I WONT TOUCHC YOU BUT THEN I MIGTH IM IN BED ACHIN HEAD AND THEN ONE DAY HOORAY ANOTHER WAY OF GNOMES TO SAY HOOOOOOOOOO RAY SUUUUUUUUUUNSEEEEEEEEET IVE GOT A BIKE YOU CAN RIDE IF YOU LIKE. 5/5

Syd Floyd is my Floyd. I only have time for bits and pieces of the later stuff. This is the epitome of 60s psych, I love it, it's masterful in places, daft in others. Full of understated poppiness as in Flaming, riffage on Lucifer Sam and the towering monster of Interstellar Overdrive. He's getting rather old but he's a good mouse.

Very very different from their work I'm more familiar with but flawless none the less

few other albums discuss the character of Grimble Crumble

Brilliant debut. A landmark for psychedelic music. Madness intertwined with childlike lyrics.

Day 119 Pink Floyd made a few good albums, but this is the real shit in my opinion.

The king of Psychedelic albums right here.

One of my favourite Pink Floyd albums, if not my favourite. There's so many creative ideas, this lineup before the members started leaving was their strongest era in my opinion.

Love pink Floyd

No surprise that their first album is generic British psychedelic pop of the era. Trippy!

Meni su ovo najbolji floydi oduvik

first album of the list i already listened to. for a long time i hated this album and barret's era of floyd. but something about this listening expirience, everything just connected together. the quirky, pshycadelic and weird and random sound of this album is so special. the cool producing expiriments throught the album. although they are probably just riffin on the instruments it sounds so trippy and damn the accent of syd. i still prefer roger waters floyd era but its so cool to see how they developed to be the greatest band we know as PINK FLOYD. man they must have had so much fun in the studio, and drugs. fun and drugs "this is the best part of the trip, this is the trip, the best part i really like" - jim morrison - the soft parade

Rolling Stones went to art school and tried acid while they were still poor

Hell of a debut album, and the best of the Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. While Floyd has always been regarded as a 'psychedelic rock' band, the group's latter and more popular work tended more towards the 'rock' side of things, whereas this album has the psychedelia on full display. The results are something else - utterly bizarre at times, brilliantly melodic at others, but always worth a listen. With Syd Barrett departing the band shortly after, it would be four years (1971's 'Meddle') before the band would start releasing albums that came close to this level of quality.

It is a classic and we all know why. PF was more psychedelic at this point but you can already see why they would become one of the big five of the prog rock genre.

There was a time in the mid-80’s when Scratches Records in Newtown would always have a colourful handbill on the wall, hand-delivered by a very long-haired teenager named Hugh. They advertised the upcoming happening organised by The Syd Barrett Appreciation Society. Really, up to that point, all I knew of Syd were the 2 fantastic Floyd singles that preceded this debut album - See Emily Play & Arnold Layne. For me, Floyd started with Dark Side Of The Moon. But pretty soon I was becoming all too familiar with Syd’s solo output as well as the early Floyd albums, including this masterpiece. It reeks of late- sixties London. The mixture of Barrett’s whacky, childish songs with the experimental work of the rest of the band works so well. The opening track, Astronomy Domine, has those two strands colliding in a totally unique way. And Side 1 just takes off from there - Lucifer Sam, Matilda Mother, the jazzy Pow R Toc H. Side 2 opens with the ten-minute instrumental, Interstellar Overdrive - a psychedelic landmark & then moves between Syd craziness & more experimentation by the rest of the band. The album, recorded at Abbey Road at the same time that the Fab 4 were recording Sgt Peppers, even concludes with a track of repetitive noises, not unlike the way The Beatles concluded their album. This album sounds better to me now than when I first heard it. A keeper.

(not first listen) HLs off the top of my head: “Lucifer Sam”, “Bike”, “Flaming” HLs apart from those: "Astronomy Domine", "Chapter 24", and sure "Interstellar Overdrive" in all its excess Love this album, though it has had time to grow on me in the decade or so since I became aware of it (& the Syd Barrett days of Pink). This listen, I reflected on how rough & grungy(? there has to be a better word for that) the album sounds, yet the manic beauty of Syd's songwriting shines through

This is a jarring album when compared to later releases by Pink Floyd. I went into it thinking I would get a less refined version of the progressive psychedelia that they're famous for. Instead, this is a raw psychedelic experience. But despite that surprise, or perhaps because of that, this has come away as one of my top 3 Pink Floyd albums.

it's awesome

A classic psych rock album. A trend setter and a precursor of things to come. RIP Syd.

This album is a psychedelic masterpiece crazy for what they were capable of doing back then. Definitely worth trying LSD

Psychedelic masterpiece!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME Oh to have been in Abbey Road Studios when they were recording this and the Beatles were there recording Sgt. Peppers at the same damn time. Fucking hell 67’ is my favorite year for music. LUCIFER SAM, SIAM CAT!! YIPPEE! YOU CAN’T SEE ME BUT I CAN YOU LOOK AT THE SKY, LOOK AT THE RIVER ISN’T IT GOOD? A MOVEMENT IS ACCOMPLISHED IN SIX STAGES AND THE SEVENTH BRINGS RETURN I’LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING, EVERYTHING IF YOU WANT THINGS

In my mind the best band EVER and this album while way out there is great.

An incredibly fun collection of strange pop pieces, characterized by whimsical lyrics, lazy vocal delivery, a spacey chamber presence (filled up echoes and drawn-out instrumentation), surf rock riffs, and a wide variety of creative and standout instrumentation styles and studio techniques that evokes a ton of wild imagery, pulling from all sorts of genres and in general random sounds you'd encounter in life. They're all memorable, full of rich and colorful melodies. Some exciting but mostly mesmerizing. Every track contributes something unique for a full experience, and never a minute feels wasted. In a lot of ways sounds like Sgt Pepper, from the Beatlesesque harmonious vocals to the experimental stereo mixing, and even that weird tape outro just like A Day in the Life. Favorites: Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, Flaming, Interstellar Overdrive, Gnome, Bike

Such a cool album that portends nicely to what was to come for Pink Floyd. Enjoyed listening to this piece of history a lot. Favorite track: Matilda Mother

ne plus ultra

This is honestly up there with "Wish You Were Here" and "Animals" for me. I absolutely love the stupid goblin music aesthetic (you know exactly what I'm talking about) and this album gives me so much joy. I like how the songs are blatantly and unashamedly about stupid shit. "Lucifer Sam" is about Syd's cat. People in the 60s thought it was a metaphor for cheating or something, but then Syd literally just said "No, it's about how cool my cat is". "The Gnome" is about a gnome and how cool it is to be a gnome. "Scarecrow" is about a scarecrow and how cool it is to be a scarecrow. "Bike" is about a bike and how cool it is to ride a bike and about a mice named Gerald. Don't look into the lyrics because every "analysis" of this album is wrong. This album is about Syd Barrett writing about things he finds cool. There's no deep message about the plights of humanity and the gnome is not a metaphor for Jesus. Just enjoy the man's lovely voice and the psychedelic effects. Also I can't not mention "Interstellar Overdrive". What a song. Listen to it with headphones - that finale is probably how it would feel to have an eargasm if ears could have orgasms. Roger Waters looks like a horse.

Pink Floyd. I don't like them. All my life everyone told me, "Ok Fine, but did you hear Pink Floyd with Syd Barret? It's probably more up your street". Suffice to say I hadn't until now. And this album is actually awesome. Can't believe I can say this about a Floyd album - but here they have some edge, they're fun and playful in the Kinks' vein, way better than when they started to take themselves too seriously and got 'Water-ed' down (ha ha ha). They still have the virtuosity, and the psychedelia - but here it feels genuine. Great album.

Excelente audição de psicodelia

6.5 by far

Un esordio molto distante da quello che saranno i Pink Floyd successivi, frutto del genio di Syd Barrett, ma non per questo meno valido... Anzi. Cinque stelle anche solo per Astronomy Domine e Interstellar Overdrive.

Already one of my favourites. Best played with alcohol and incense. Would have loved to have been there........ This is 60's psychedelia at it's best and not to be confused with 70's Floyd which was incredible but not this. This is superb.

One of the best and trippiest psychedelic albums out there

Classic. And so entirely different from the Pink Floyd most people recognize

Wonderful. Classy.

THE prog rock album

While this album isn't nearly as easily a 5.0 star album as The Dark Side Of The Moon, The Wall or Wish You Were Here would be, but it's still a solid 4.5 that I'll be rounding up. As most psychedelic rock albums, it does have its unpleasant moments. Interstellar Overdrive in particular was a bit challenging at times. But the combination of psychedelia and instrumental mastery is what pushes this one over the top for me.

My favourite Pink Floyd album and a glorious dose of madness. Interstellar Overdrive on repeat with the volume loud = heaven

amazing album

5.0

UOU

Je dirais simplement que c'est un de mes meilleurs albums à vie, de par son originalité radicale, assumée et accomplie dès ce premier album. L'esprit de Barrett, c'est de l'or en barre quand on pense à toutes les musiques dites alternatives qui peuvent revendiquer une filiation avec cet album. Le Pink Floyd qui se développera sans lui est sans doute plus influent, mais avouons-le : malgré son départ prématuré du groupe, Barrett a pu dessiner des balises très claires pour la production ultérieure. Il est en quelque sorte le "5e Pink Floyd" (et le premier). Mieux, j'estime que le groupe, atteignant plus tard des sommets de reconnaissance et de popularité, n'aura exploré que quelques suggestions de son fondateur, avec des bifurcations évidemment. Mais n'est-ce pas une des qualités de ce groupe, la bifurcation, la rupture? Pink Floyd proposait cela dès le départ sous la houlette du "madcap". Chaque chanson est un petit essai, une proposition pour un courant musical. Suis-je assez élogieux? Du génie, tabarnak!

Syd's influences are obviously most heavy here, but it is crazy to see how deep they affect all the future albums. Incredible psychedelic journey.

Many Thoughts, I'm Afraid Of Burning Out. AMA LABES.

CLAZZIC

A must for a Pink Floyd fan and also for the stereophonic-sound-freak 😎 And to read, this is good enough. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Piper_at_the_Gates_of_Dawn

My first dabble with psychedelia

Whimsical, strange, trippy this is British psychedelia at its very best. Sadly Syd with never hit the same highs on his two solo albums.

Love this, psychedelic Floyd at their best.

Ultimate classic.

Psychedelic classic

goat

No tengo peros con que hayan puesto este disco de Pink Floyd; sí, es un disco que casi se cuece aparte pero que también es en cierto otro modo el preludio del Dark Side of the Moon. Tiene momentos complicados (como Pow R. Toc H.) pero está lleno de joyas como Lucifer San, Bike, The Gnome y Astronomy Domine que me hace explotar la cabeza al pensar que una banda fue capaz de empezar así su primer disco.

Loved it.

After putting it aside for a dozen years and getting way into modern psych rock during that period, a return to Piper shows that Floyd not only did it all first, they did it better. Interstellar Overdrive is particularly impressive.

already listening to it. Really nice

La verdad es que me sorprendió de forma grata la cantidad de psicodelia que hay en este disco. Pink Floyd siempre me había parecido una múscia un tanto aburrida, pero me la pasé re bien escuchando este remolino de sonidos. Me gustó bastante Take thy stethoscope and walk. Mood: dónde tienes el LSD?

doido

psychedelic classic. feels like acid. fav track: astronomy domine

Definite sound of the time.

4 out of 5. I liked this album more than I thought I would, what a trip.

I had a bike you could ride it if you like it has baskets and bells and rings and things that make it look good

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - Pink Floyd (1967) The Piper at the Gates of Dawn holds up remarkably well for a debut album, serving as a powerful introduction that clearly showcases the early psychedelic sound Pink Floyd would go on to revolutionize. It stands all around as a great, highly engaging listen—one that serves as a fascinating entry point for anyone wanting to venture off and discover exactly what made Pink Floyd the legendary band they became. However, it is not without its flaws; a few tracks tend to vent off and don't deliver quite as much substance as you would ask for, occasionally feeling a bit too overly focused on studio production and the sheer novelty of that experimental sound rather than tight songwriting. "Astronomy Dominé" immediately emerged as the absolute favorite track on the record. Based on the listening history, the definitive highlights that anchor this groundbreaking debut include "Astronomy Dominé," "Matilda Mother," "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk," "Interstellar Overdrive," and "The Gnome." 4/5

This is very much of it's time. Early psychedelia with the juxtaposition of the staid with the weird and wacky.

Good album but not their best

Wow, Pink Floyd 2 days in a row and while I am much bigger fan of 70s proggy albums, this is great psychedelia, super influentials and probably 4 stars from me.

Great for the time and very experimental, but pales in comparison to later Floyd releases. 4.0/5.0: Great

not the best pink floyd album by a long shot but its good

I don't pay enough attention to the Sid Barret-era Floyd records. I haven't listened to Pink Floyd in years, and even when I did, it was typically something from Dark Side onward. 60's Pink Floyd is more daring, more psychedelic, and more whimsical.

All the better for David Gilmore not being on it

So trippy, and way back in 1967!

Good psych tunes

I’ve always enjoyed this album a blast of whimsical British psychedelia a relic in someways for it didn’t point away they were to develop into stadium behemoths. It was syd.

Somehow glum and whimsical at the same time. As British as beans on toast, and only slightly more glamourous. Definitely my favorite Pink Floyd album I've listened to... it's almost exciting. They should have kept Syd on, come what may.

Мда, наркотики зло. С 3D звуков в наушниках в одной песне просто выпала. Но 4 за самого красивого мужчину на этой обложке. Его выгнали из страны (из группы) за его красоту.

Украли все у Death Grips, но Сид Барретт - краш, плюс тут их лучшая песня - The Gnome

I thought this was better than expected.

This is #day662 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… everything has to start somewhere, and this is where it all begins for the Floyd. It's fun to imagine this is the same band that, in just over 5 years, would release that crazy run of records: The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. As for the debut, though, this is, without a doubt, a psychedelic rock album, psychedelic to an almost acidic degree. "Astronomy Domine" and especially "Interstellar Overdrive" are essential Floyd numbers. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day663.

Psychedelic and really well put together

Amo a Pink Floyd, intenso

Syd Barret is a crazy motherfucker. "I know a mouse, and he hasn't got a house. I don't know why. I call him Gerald. He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse." Ok bro This album is so much fun. Its so weird and silly, I love it.

lindo álbum, linda psicodelia... te amo pink floyd. só vou dar 4 (na verdade 4,5) porque não acho que eles esteja no mesmo nível dos outros 3 albuns da lista, mas certamente é um album FODA

There's some weird stuff at the back of this, but that's typical of late-60s Britain - even (especially) the Beatles had some garbage in the back catalog. But I thoroughly enjoyed the start of the album...it never threw me too 'off'...totally get why it and Pink Floyd broke through.

This shit rocked! Low key forgot I used to adore Pink Floyd #darkside and this was rly great reminder

It's weirder and less accessible than everything that came after. But it's unique and full of amazing sounds.

Really great and weird Pink Floyd album it’s pretty cool

This was definitely an experience! Much more memorable than a lot of my last few albums. At least the version of the album I listened to was in stereo, so if you listen with just one earbud or side of the headphones like I usually do, listen with both! I really enjoyed The Gnome. The rest of these won’t be going into the heavy rotation, to put it lightly; this album isn’t really easy listening. That doesn’t mean it’s not good of course! 4/5.

I have never listened to this album by Pink Floyd, but it was very much like the others. It was a great time to sit and listen to the psychedelic rock and find more music by them that I enjoy.

no dsotm or wish you were here but still good

Surreal and other worldly music

I mean it's a really excellent 1967 psych rock album, and I find it's better to not compare it to any of the albums that came after. They became a different band. Not all the songs are top-notch, but several are, and they are classics. This is a must-listen, number 339.

This album showed what Pink Floyd could do. I prefer the Pink Floyd that showed what they should do, with less chaos and dissonance.

Psycadelic loveliness

One of the greatest bands in history but this record didn’t quite hit the mark. Sonically great record, but lacks the polish and emotional weight from later projects. Some tracks feel like their idea is stronger than their execution.

Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is really fascinating due to it's unique dual identity. Piper is (one of) the first manifestation(s) of Pink Floyd, with which you can enjoy a game of connect the dots that leads the concepts here to the more familiar Floyd of the '70s. But Piper is also the most complete and coherent artistic statement from Syd Barrett, who wrote 8 of these songs, and contributed to two more. You can most clearly hear the Pink Floyd of the '70s on Interstellar Overdrive, a spacey, expansive jam. But the fingerprints are all over the place hear. There are licks and backing vocals here and there where the connections certainly come together. And that ultimately makes this album really interesting when these early Floyd-isms butt up against Syd Barrett's songs and vocal stylings. His songwriting is bright, surreal, and *extremely* psychedelic. This is another inductee into the extremely short list of psych albums that I think genuinely make you feel like you're on something. But theses writing styles collide with the spacey-ness of the band and result in a pretty dark, bizarre example of psych pop. On The Gnome, Barrett's ultra-enunciated delivery almost makes him sound angry. Chapter 24 is the collision of psychedelic swirling and truly bewildering lyrics, where everything you're hearing seems to make sense as you hear it, but it doesn't feel like the song conveys any information. It's genuinely disorienting. Matilda Mother is fantastical and lushly blissed out. And Bike has these explosions between verses which then "slide" down, also *very* disorienting. Astronomy Domine is one of the most lasting moments from this album. And Lucifer Sam is also very enjoyable. It's also worth noting that Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk is Roger Waters' only songwriting contribution here, and it's actually very good. Honestly everything here is pretty enjoyable, even Pow R Toc H, which does, admittedly, kind of push it. This stands up both as an origin story for Pink Floyd, and a psychedelic artistic statement from the unique and deeply sad figure that Syd Barrett was. This is one of the most fascinating psych albums on the list, and while it isn't perfect, it is trippy, creative, and very fun to listen to.

Wierd and old but I like it

Feel 6/10: Beatles and then i on drugs?? Length 8/10: 40-ish mins. 11 songs. Not bad Musicality 9/10: Genuinely top musical bands Flow 710:songs flow well-ish. Not much space Understandability 2/10: What is happening? Overall 7/10: Left confused but good music!!!!

Psychedelisch

Interstellar Overdrive. That's it. That's the review. 4.5/5

They got talent

Pink Floyd without David Gilmour, playing beat music—that sounds nice enough, but not exactly amazing. “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” basically lives up to that expectation. You have to imagine The Beatles during their drug-fueled phases, but with even more LSD—and, of course, more virtuosic instrumental skills. The first two songs, “Astronomy Domine” and “Lucifer Sam,” are still quite nice; the only single, “Flaming,” already sounds like a parody, and after that, the material becomes difficult to follow at times. As a glimpse into the British music scene in the late ’60s, this is highly interesting. As an album on its own, I’d classify it more as “nice to know” than “must have.”

fav songs: astronomy domine flaming take up thy stethoscope and walk interstellar overdrive psychedelic, unhinged, colorful 70/100

En general un buen álbum, muy variado en cuanto sonido, se nota que estaban encontrando su identidad al ser su primer trabajo y también carece un poco de cohesión, pero no es malo en lo absoluto.

This album was not one I have heard before. It was very raw and full of energy. I really liked hearing flood in a new light.

Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: ️❄️🐂🟥 Production (2011 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 💊🧠🧩 Rating: 🪈🪈🪈🪈(🪈)/5

Who would have thought. The beginning of something great Replay yes

Very strange and psychedelic album for sure, but I did like the sound.

Highlights: Interstellar Overdrive Psychedelic experimental fuzzy guitar...... Apparently 1967 was the best year ever for psychedelic music. I'm baffled this charted at number 6 in the UK. The stereo effects are still in the phase where it's a gimmick but I actually found myself getting more immersed because of it. I think this is amazing and I enjoyed every song. I just think it's missing the cohesion I look for in a 5/5 album. VERY HIGH 4

A solid first album from pink floyd. Its melodic sounds and occasional weirdness proved a harbinger for things to come.

Really great for the most part

It's so interesting to give this a listen and place the band's origins and influences. This is squarely a British psychedelic pop album à la the Beatles or others acts of the time (sidebar- the more I listen to these 60's psych albums the more I appreciate Donovan's "Sunshine Superman", which we hit early on in our listens and I may have been too uncharitable with my score on), but has the distinctly darker bent and jammy, artsy proto-prog leanings that would later go on to define Pink Floyd's sound on albums like "Dark Side of the Moon". I'd like to think the more poppy sensibilities come from Syd Barrett's end, considering he wrote most of the album, and the fact that this was his sole album with the group due to drug and mental health issues. Almost alternating between tracks that are solid if a little too quirky 60's psych pop, but displaying the shadowy whimsy the group is known for, and longer, more jam band oriented tracks, I think the latter hits for me far more, and are more indicative of the band's future leanings. Overall a great first showing from Floyd, and a very interesting look at the bands roots prior to their status as prog giants on future albums. Solid 4. Favorite Tracks: "Interstellar Overdrive", "Chapter 24", "Lucifer Sam" Least Favorite Track: "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk"

Something I've always specifically appreciated about Pink Floyd is their experimental nature, which is certainly on display in this debut studio album. You can definitely feel the Beatles influences, especially later in the album (ex Chapter 24), but there's always so much else going on. The instrumentation alone is characteristically mad in the best way. I think this is the most I've enjoyed a Pink Floyd album, in no small part due to the contributions of Barrett. I personally really enjoyed the more hardcore rock guitar on display from the get go with Astronomy Domine and Lucifer Sam. I think it only makes the more psychedelic tracks like Flaming subsequently shine more.

Extremely surprised by how experimental this is for 1967 while also having very era-appropriate songs. So much cool guitar work and harmonies and throughout as well as a lot of super interesting mixing of the overall production. Some songs were honestly a bit too experimental for my taste but the ones I enjoyed were some really fantastic melodies and rhythms for the time.

Syd era Floyd. English folk meets Psych rock. It starts off quite tuneful and gets weirder as it goes on. There’s a bit of 60s English pop influence in there with short, almost catchy songs before the weirdness takes over. Nice to hear the far out sounds pre technology and studio trickery.

It's not quite Pink Floyd as we know them now, but it's an incredible record nonetheless. Barrett's contributions put them perfectly at home in the psych boom of 1967, and despite how quickly the Floyd would abandon the softer, childlike nature of Syd's work, they leave an impression and an impact here. Thus begins the output of one of the greatest bands to ever walk the earth.

I know where Syd Barrett lives

Wow kind of groundbreaking at the time. Can feel the lsd coming through in the mix !

This falls under the category of albums I love irrationally. I like the songs and the quirkiness of Barrett’s lyrics and delivery. I’m less enthusiastic about the jams. The album title is maybe one of the best of all time.

This is 9/10 for me. I don't listen to every floyd album, but I like just about every song here.

I’ve got a bike

Great trippy sound, but there are several Pink Floyd albums that I like more than this.

a classic syd banger

Marvellous first album and Syd Barrett in his pomp. I like it.

3.5 Stars. This one is interesting. It’s, all at once, of its time and ahead of it. At turns, it sounds like who Pink Floyd becomes and also sometimes like the Beatles. Plus there’s that weird Austin Powers number at track two. Overall a good debut, but not nearly there best.

This album is really good. It's not quite as good as later Floyd, but a wonderful start nonetheless. I especially like Flaming, and Mother. Would recommend, fun listen.

The beginning of something special, a unique flair bursts on the scene.

ive never been over the moon for this one even in my pink floyd days, but im pretty sure this is the most ive ever liked it? the slightly maligned b-side is full of delights for me...syd at his most watery and folky, more or less replacing the fairy tale feeling with actual Mysticism. its supported pretty well by the progression of tracks as a whole, from the more grounded harder-hitting opening numbers to the middle stretch of jam-oriented songs...honestly a little pastoral, like a Journey And Destination feeling. only the lone waters contribution, a much more traditional jam bookended by Impressively Embarrassing "song" parts, deflates the built up mystique for me, which is perhaps why i feel much more Uninterrupted in the back end...but even tho im not sold on it i cant rightfully claim that such a disruptive swerve is out of character or methodology for the record either. just an undeniably cool creative vision...kind of a fourth-dimensional melting where u flow in and out of the full chronology of your body, your town, your country, and maybe your world.

Pink Floyd is always good! Not as memorable as their other stuff

Really big Pink Floyd fan, but I'd never listened to this one. Always kept it with Floyd's "classic" albums and had meant to get to this. REALLY liked this one! I totally get now why the band was shook after Syd Barrett left, even though most liked their later output. Syd definitely had something here too. Early Floyd was clearly worth listening to, will check out their other early albums for sure. 4.5 stars!

4/5

forever fav band of all timezzz aber dieses album an manchen stellen kleine psychedelic psychose although of course max listening fun

You can pry this weird psychedelic 60s shit from my cold dead hands. Far from my favorite Pink Floyd, but still enjoyable and fun. Makes me wonder how the band would have evolved if Syd Barrett had stayed. Best tracks are “Lucifer Sam,” “Interstellar Overdrive,” and “Bike,” but all the tracks have a certain charm. Not quite 5 stars but a high 4 from me.

Best kunstig. Vet hoor

Debüt einer großartigen innovativen Band. Die prägenden Alben folgen später.

Um clássico. Bem bom.

Crazy to think they recorded this next door to The Beatles recording Sgt. Pepper’s, and this miserable dribble is all the could come up with. Just kidding, it’s fun album and a good jumping off point for Pink Floyd. It’s a good example of Psychedelic rock music that was a cultural touchstone of the time.

Brilliant psychedelia

A little psychedelia mixed with some cool rock licks but at times it’s all unwieldy. It’s a totally different vibe and I’ve always liked this album but Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd just doesn’t hit as well as David Gilmore.

A perfect Christmas Day listen. If not on Christmas Day it would be a very different rating

8 / 10

"Astronomy Dominé" along with "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Bike" are favorites here, however I find myself inclined towards skipping a few tracks that are too long or too out there. The amazing drumming keeps that from happening in most cases, but Take Up Thy Stethescope is a little much. In my mind they hit their stride in the triplet of Dark Side, Wish You Were Here and Animals. Highly recommend listening in headphones for full dramatic effects of Interstellar Overdrive.

Essential listening. They were never my favorite bit I appreciate what they accomplished and Gilmour is well, Gilmour

3/4

While this doesn’t really hit with my GenX ears in 2025, it must have been absolutely mind blowing to for Boomers in 1967. I was going to give 3 stars, but went with 4 since we all know, now, where Pink Floyd was heading.

Great early psychedelic album from the Syd Barrett era of Pink Floyd. I like Saucerful of Secrects from the early Floyd era.

Før Pink Floyd lagde hyperkalkulert musikk som fortsetter å sende stoner kids inn i et kushkoma de aldri helt kommer ut av, var de faktisk et ganske spennende band. Astronomy Domine og Interstellar Overdrive står fortsatt igjen som noen av de sterkeste låtene de noensinne har spilt inn. Det ble laget mye spennende musikk i '67, men pga. art rock fremtiden deres, er det ikke like anerkjent at Floyd lagde noe av den kuleste & rareste psych rocken fra perioden. Samtidig er skiva også full av rare & poppy LSD-viser. Noen av dem funker, andre blir litt for slitsomme; rare for rars skyld. I motsetning til hva andre måtte påstå, er ikke The Gnome en av problemlåtene. Mulig man må bli McKenna-pilled for å se gjennom den barnslige fasaden, men de som vet de vet. Og Bike er selvfølgelig en banger. Det er kanskje helligbrøde å si, men det er jo åpenbart Syd Barrett som er den som suste rundt og lagde exentrisk psychedelisk pop i stedet for heavy psych. Saucerful of Secrets er allerede en mer consistent skive, hvor det egentlig kun er Jugband Blues som er en ordentlig Syd-låt. På Piper ser vi flere forskjellige veier Floyd kunne gå. Singlene de hadde laget før, var weirdo LSD pop. Astronomy Domine og Lucifer Sam er forsøk på å jobbe dette inn i et mer kosmisk og heavy sound. Og de kommer seg dit på et vis. Hører man feks. live versjonen av Careful With That Axe, Eugene, har vi et Floyd som er minst like radikalt og kult som Soft Machine eller CAN. Men jeg tror det er for mange stemmer som trekker i forskjellige retninger. Det er ikke før Waters vokser fra psychen og tar kontroll over gruppa at de lager et målretta album. I dag er det det de er kjent for, men man skal ikke kimse av bidraget de gjorde til psych og prog av den grunn. Hadde CAN hørtes ut som de gjør om det ikke var for Piper og Saucerful? Tror jeg ikke.

Først må jeg bare si det. Pink Floyd har laget sykt mye kjedelig musikk, men denne plata er ikke kjedelig. Her har vi låter av ravebandet Pink Floyd. Så fett "Astronomy Domine" og "Interstellar Overdrive" må ha vært å høre live. De to låtene låter faktisk freshere enn ganske mye fra Sgt. Peppers, som utrolig nok kom samme år. Men når det gjelder psykedelisk musikk så er det av en eller annen grunn en HÅRFIN linje mellom nyskapende rockemusikk og fjollete barnemusikk. Ok, så leste du Alice i eventyrland som barn, la det være. Jeg går ikke rundt og lager Mummitrollet-musikk heller. "The Gnome" er blant låtene som jeg syns er cringe. "Bike" er på grensa, men den er igjen så helsprø at den blir interessant igjen. "Apples and Oranges" ble utgitt som single samme år og er utrolig fet, og vokalen er nesten rappende. Hadde vært fint å bytte ut "The Gnome" med den.

Psychedelic/acid rock that is interesting to listen to. Otherwise though, I'm not sure what to write about this one. This is the only Pink Floyd album where Syd had significant influence. You can hear what's to come, but you have to wonder what Floyd would have sounded like if Syd would have been able to stay with the band. This is not my favorite Pink Floyd album, but it's worth listening to.

Need to revisit

Das Debütalbum der britischen Band Pink Floyd wurde 1967 in den Abbey Road Studios in London aufgenommen. Produzent war Norman Smith, zuvor Toningenieur bei den Beatles. Die Band bestand zu dieser Zeit aus Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright und Nick Mason. Musikalisch verbindet das Album psychedelischen Rock mit experimentellen Elementen und frühen Ansätzen des sogenannten Space Rock. Die Songs stammen größtenteils von Syd Barrett, dessen fantasievolle Texte eine kindlich-versponnene und zugleich dunkle Atmosphäre erzeugen. Stücke wie „Astronomy Domine“, „Lucifer Sam“ und „Bike“ zählen zu den markantesten Titeln des Albums. Mit „Interstellar Overdrive“ präsentiert die Band eine lange instrumentale Improvisation, die den offenen Klangansatz der frühen Pink Floyd deutlich macht. Im Gegensatz zu den späteren, konzeptionelleren Werken der Band ist dieses Album stärker von spontaner Kreativität geprägt und dokumentiert den Beginn ihrer musikalischen Entwicklung. Ein originelles, wegweisendes Werk des britischen Psychedelic Rock, das durch seine ungeschliffene Energie und die Präsenz von Syd Barrett eine besondere Stellung im Gesamtwerk von Pink Floyd einnimmt.

rest of it was ok but then they sang about a gnome and it was crazy

*listened before the project* Not their best

**Album Review: *The Piper at the Gates of Dawn* by Pink Floyd** *Rating: 4 out of 5* Pink Floyd’s debut album, *The Piper at the Gates of Dawn* (1967), is a wild, colorful trip through the early days of psychedelia. For those of us who grew up in the era of vinyl and lava lamps, this record captures that perfect mix of experimentation and innocence that made the late ’60s so electric. Syd Barrett, the band’s original frontman, is the heartbeat of this album. His lyrics feel like fairy tales spun on acid—strange, funny, and totally original. You can hear his creativity overflowing in every track, making it one of the most imaginative debuts in rock history. ### Highlights - **“Astronomy Domine”** kicks things off with a blast of cosmic energy. - **“Lucifer Sam”** is catchy and creepy in the best way. - **“The Gnome”** and **“Bike”** capture Barrett’s playful, offbeat side. - **“Interstellar Overdrive”** dives headfirst into chaos, a wild jam that defines 1960s experimentation. ### Art and Vibe The title, borrowed from *The Wind in the Willows*, fits perfectly—mystical and a little strange. The cover’s trippy photo collage matches the music’s vibe: dazzling, surreal, and unpredictable. ### Final Take *The Piper at the Gates of Dawn* is a snapshot of a band on the edge of genius, guided by Barrett’s brilliant, eccentric mind. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it still sounds ahead of its time nearly 60 years later.

overhated

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume they were high when they made this... I know, Long Shot!

Haven’t listened to early Floyd in a while. Holds up. Strange cool stuff

I’m not a big fan of psychedelia so I didn’t expect to like this album but only two tracks crossed the tolerance line for me (Pow R. Toc H. and Interstellar Overdrive). I enjoyed most of the experimental sounds because they added atmosphere that related to the words. I liked the lack of structure - prefer it to forcing story or description to fit a verse, chorus format. There’s a bit of a folk style to this album and I loved that some of the songs (Bike for example) are very tongue in cheek. They reminded me of very early Bowie (possibly when he was still Jones) Really glad to have been introduced to this album

Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

My thought three songs in: This is clearly an album that music critics love, for one of three reasons. First, they're on acid. Second, they can see something in it I can't. Or third, they want you to understand that they're not so basic that they only love Dark Side of the Moon, but no, see, if you haven't listened to Syd Barrett you can't *really* understand Pink Floyd... Probably the second. But maybe the third. By the end, though, I think this album has worn me down. I'm embracing its psychedelic innovation. My consciousness is open. The universe flows through me.

The only truly scathing thing about this album is that it is British. Otherwise, no critiques. They clearly drew a lot of inspiration from the Beatles and tried to turn it into their own sound. I think it worked great. Not the most refined Pink Floyd album, but I think there's almost some extra beauty in this album being a little rough around the edges. Almost feels like when you bring your friend who just turned 21 to the bar for the first time and they drink way more than they can handle. They have the time of their lives, but they pay the price for it. Using this as the example instead of childbirth because there is nothing beautiful about childbirth, despite what your parents tell you. I really couldn't ask for much better than this. I think my favorite track was The Gnome. It's a weird track to pick, but musically it is amazing. Edit: originally I rated this 5/5. I'm lowering it to a 4 as it doesn't meet the same level as the albums I've rated 5. I still want to rate it 5, but I'm lowering for consistency's sake.

So, this is not what I expected. I guess you can't go into a Pink Floyd album you've never heard and expect to know what it sounds like. There's actually a lot here that I don't like. Weirdly placed instruments that clash, interesting vocal choices and strange lyrics. However, altogether, it works well somehow. From the beginning, Pink Floyd knew how to experiment and put together albums that are not similar to anything that's ever been made before, but still be enjoyable. I don't think I can choose any standouts here because they all fit into the same category of "interesting, I'd listen again probably." So yeah. This album is strange and shouldn't work, but it does and I'd listen again probably.

Psychedelia. I think weird and unorthodox music like psych/prog rock is vastly more interesting than anything that's been on the pop charts for ages. I like nontraditional song structures, with strange chord progressions and time signatures. I really enjoy the 1967-1975ish era when rock musicians were really pushing the boundaries of music, creating cohesive mind-expanding albums instead of cheap radio pop singles

Did not recall most of this album as I listened. A totally different experience from Dark Side. Definitely prefer Dark Side but this album is special and unique. I’m sure when it was released it was revolutionary.

Really enjoyed it

Bike’s a great and silly song. Didn’t listen completely, but I heard it’s a great debut album for one of the greatest prog-rock bands of all time.

I love when the music is silly hehehaha

The only album they made with Syd. You can hear the beginning of his breakdown as the album goes on. That way, it's kind of a depressing yet worthwhile listen. I love Pink Floyd but prefer the Gilmour stylings over Syd's psychedelia. Still, a worthy addition to the book.

Very different from the Pink Floyd I’m used to, but still really good. Not sure I would seek it out, but I still really enjoyed the record.

Interstellar Overdrive rocks!

Listened late teenager , early 20s . And I love Pink Floyd (discovered almost chronologically) . So a bit biased. I enjoyed the album a lot on that age of my life, travelling with InterstellAr Overdrive/Astronomy Domine... and the funny Bike/The Gnome, etc. I would put a 5. But to respect other more rounded 5-star albums, and trying to evaluate objectively this album, I'd put 3.5 , rounded to 4 for sentimental reasons.

A suitably weird album for the origins of Pink Floyd. It wasn't quite what I have come to expect from the band, I even detected some Beatles-esque elements to the music. This isn't quite as good as the band's later work, but I would say it certainly belongs on this list. Favorite track: "Interstellar Overdrive"

Flowy, spacey, I see why people like it. Their first album and the only one with Syd Barrett.

This isn't their strongest work and they hadn't really begun to land on the sound they'd eventually be known for, but I still like this album quite a bit. Lots of whimsy and experimentation, and the influence of Barrett on the rest of the band's legacy is interesting

In some parallel universe, Syd Barrett did not lose his mind. He didn't take all the drugs (and I mean ALL THE DRUGS), no one slipped him LSD in his drink when he wasn't looking. He continued to be the main writing force of the Pink Floyd. And they continued doing weird psychedelic music throughout the 70s. And we wouldn't have gotten "Wish You Were Here" or "The Wall". The first album, in some ways, has moments which are so unlike what Pink Floyd would become. There's a lot of songs that, at first, seem very dated. But the arrangement and ideas Syd put into the songs was unheard of. Even so, some of the songs are so... weird. I think of "Matilda Mother", "Bike" and "The Gnome," and I just don't get it. Slightly before my time. But there is so much to like: "Astronomy Domine," "Interstellar Overdrive", "Pow. R. Toc. H," and even "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk". It's not a 5-star classic, but it's an important album. It doesn't hint at what they would become, but important nonetheless. Top tracks: "Astronomy Domine," "Interstellar Overdrive", "Pow. R. Toc. H," and even "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk".

I'm a HUGE Pink Floyd fan...starting with Meddle. I can appreciate that this Floyd was necessary to get to the Floyd that I love, and I can appreciate how this is a landmark in psychedelic rock, but I've never been a huge fan of Syd Barrett era Floyd (and cringe any time I see someone say "Pink Floyd were never as good after Syd Barrett left." And, yes, occasionally some hipster will say that online). It's a shame that the two best Syd-era tracks are single only tracks: Arnold Layne and See Emily Play (my favorite Syd-era song). Overall, the album sounds like an LSD trip through fairy tales and down Alice's rabbit hole. I agree it belongs on the list for its historical significance, but it's no more than a 3.5 for me (I'll round up because without this album, we don't eventually get Dark Side of the Moon). Favorite tracks: Astronomy Domine, Bike. I'd add Interstellar Overdrive if it was shorter.

Went into this thinking I'd hate it. The Wall is fine but, in my view, just not as good as people make out. It's not as bad, either - I find a lot of the critiques of it overwrought. But I actually enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Would go back and listen to this *as an album* again, I reckon.

It's great to listen to something so familiar yet unknown. If you enjoy Pink Floyd, but want to get their most memorable songs out of your head, this is album is a good reccomendation.

You can tell this is early Pink Floyd. The ideas are there for them, but they sound really unrefined, at least with hindsight. It does help set up a base understanding of the foundational sound of Pink Floyd. They're just slightly odd and unusual with some really long instrumental tracks that are heavily psychedelic. They're really a unique group, and that's showcased even on their first full album. I kind of wish I had more to say about the album, but my first sentence is really my biggest takeaway. It's a solid album, but two important things about it is its influence on psychedelic rock and its foreshadowing of what the group would do in the future. It still has some good songs and is definitely worth the listen! Favorite Song(s): Matilda Mother, Chapter 24

Not the most prolific or iconic piece of psychedelic music surely. But it launched arguably of the longest and best selling runs of a band of all time. All analog, manually panned and paced the album flows naturally as to match a psychedelic journey. Is the best songwriting or structure of all time? No, but you can really hear the foundation of Pink Floyd being born. Richard Wright, Nick Mason, and Rodger Waters all gel harmoniusly into a soup a psychadelia. Whilst Syd Barrett provides the music and lyrics. Always and forever a fan, 4 stars on principle. Pink went on to change the world.

I love this album, but I’m very bias as a massive pink floyd fan. It’s a tough listen in the context of the rest of their work. I see this album as a vehicle for what is to come from the band. Wouldn’t have worked with syd Barrett and wouldn’t have worked without him. If you hated this - I totally get it!

A rather curious debut album considering what Pink Floyd would become in later years. Some great stuff here, but also a few duds. All in all it's a decent psychedelic record, but not up there with the greats like the Zombies' "Odyssey and Oracle", the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" or the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper".

Pre-Gilmour Floyd. Mesmerising stuff. Syd Barrett’s psychedelic ge jus on full display. The first four tracks are fantastic, drenched in LSD and full speed ahead. I love this album!