The Piper at the Gates of Dawn [Import, Original recording reissued]

Pink Floyd | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1967
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording reissued
• Label: EMI
• ASIN: B000002UA0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (404 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,570 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

PINK FLOYD The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1986 US 11-track CD issue of the classic 1967 debut album housed inside a 5?" x 12?" card longbox which has a deletion cut on the edge and still sealed in the original shrink)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

162 of 178 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Floyd, June 30, 2004

By 

Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Audio CD)

1967's "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is the one that started it all for Pink Floyd, back in the early days when bassist Roger Waters, keyboardist Richard Wright & drummer Nick Mason were led by the genius, but doomed singer/guitarist Syd Barrett. Psychedelic rock doesn't get much more trippier than "Piper," a totally far-out collection of avant-garde space rock, songs about gnomes and scarecrows, off-the-wall production and sound effects, and superb performances by a tight British art-rock band that were destined to become rock legends. Although he made one last "cameo" appearance with the Floyd on their second album, "A Saucerful Of Secrets" with that album's closing number, "Jugband Blues," the lion's share of Syd Barrett's legacy with the band is all contained right here on "Piper," barring a few early singles. Writing all but one song, and, with a charismatic singing voice and incredible guitar-playing skills, Barrett was truly a musical genius, and his equally-talented bandmates match him song for song. Every track on the album is a highlight in it's own right, but certainly worth mentioning are such tracks as the opening space rock of "Astronomy Domine," the before-there-was-alternative alternative rock of "Lucifer Sam," the far-out instrumentals "Pow R Toc H" and "Interstellar Overdrive," the frenetic rock of "Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk" (written & sung by Waters, in his debut composition for the band), the charming tale of "The Gnome," and the classic, half children's song/half freak-out finale, "Bike," which starts out cheerily enough before giving way to some deliciously wacko noises and sound effects.Sadly, and tragically, shortly after the release of "Piper," Syd Barrett's experimentations with psychedelic drugs ultimately destroyed him, and he was finally ousted from the band. Roger Waters more-or-less took over as the group's leader, and Barrett's vacated slot was filled by guitarist David Gilmour. Barrett, despite his drug-addicted state, would record a pair of solo albums before dropping out of the music business altogether. Not well enough to look after himself, he quietly lived in the care of family members until his death in 2006. Pink Floyd, meanwhile, would go on to major superstardom and sell millions of albums, with such classics as "Dark Side Of The Moon," "Wish You Were Here," "Animals" and "The Wall." But "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" was the band's very first chapter, and one that would not have been possible without the great Syd Barrett. "Piper" is outstanding psychedelic rock, and a Pink Floyd classic. And thank you, Syd, wherever you are.

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ACROSS THE STREAM WITH WOODEN SHOES ..., June 13, 2006

By 

t'amant (WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Audio CD)

Wondering and dreaming, the words have different meanings, Yes, they did ... (Matilda Mother). This album is so full of charm, wit, creativity and artistry that it might as well be called "Syd At The Gates Of Dawn": "There was a king , Who Ruled the land, His majesty, was in command, With silver eyes, The scarlet eagle, Showered silver on the people ..." (Matilda Mother again).

He is the Pied Piper here, leading the way through lime and limpid green: "Floating down, the sound resounds, around the icy waters underground, Jupiter and Saturn Oberon Miranda and Titania Neptune Titan - Stars can frighten" (Astronomy Domine). And through spacey, but playful musings: "You're the left side, He's the right side, Oh no! Somewhere, Anywhere, Always by your side" (Lucifer Sam, about a cat, that could describe the shifting waves of Interstellar Overdrive, my favorite on here probably). The soundscape brought together here (forming a unique, far-out conceptual universe) is energetic and adventurous pandemonium!

Even the song by Waters on here, Take Up Thy Stethescope & Walk, is funny and WATERS down the boyish wonder and beauty gazing with a familiar dose of gloom: "gold is lead, choke on bread, underfed, Jesus bled ... Gruel ghoul greasy spoon, used spoon, dark doom" (he's just getting started, looking back. Don't get me wrong, I admire all of his later work, he took the band to great places, as did the other members).

Change return success! Thousands of journeys began with a single step. Thank you Syd and the band, this is a whimsical and trippy delight! I have always been fascinated by the quirky poetry and unusual melodies Syd's songs contain, and his guitar playing was fantastic.

"[Syd's] got a Bike, you can ride it if you like ... and a clan of gingerbread men, take a couple if you wish, they're on the dish" (Bike). "Look at the sky, Look at the river, isn't it good? Winding, Finding places to go ..." (The Gnome). "Streaming through the starlit skies ... Hey ho here we go, ever so high, Alone in the clouds all blue, lying on an eiderdown, yippee! You can't see me, but I can see you" (Flaming). Here is a visionary you WANT to follow! That cat's something I can't explain (Lucifer Sam). This is certainly one of the most influential (psychedelic) albums of all time. Enjoy!

"Across the stream with wooden shoes,
Bells to tell the King the news
A thousand misty riders
Climb up Higher, ONCE UPON A TIME"

PEACE! We love you and wish you well Syd ... may your wooden shoes carry you to better lands that you could always so easily see.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You might want to wait if you haven't bought this already..., June 7, 2007

By 

Walter Five (13th Floor Elevator, Enron Hubbard Bldg. Houston Texxas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Audio CD)

A new 40th Anniversary Edition of this CD has just been announced, a 3 CD Box Set!



Tuesday 5th June: Floyd Lays Plans For Piper



To mark the 40th anniversary of the original release of Pink Floyd's first

album 'The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn', a special edition is planned for

release via EMI Records on Tues 28th August in North America, and Monday

September 3rd in Europe.



The packaging, designed by Storm Thorgerson, resembles a cloth-covered book, and holds 3 CD discs, along with a 12-page reproduction Syd Barrett notebook.



Discs 1 and 2 will contain the full 'Piper' album, represented in both

stereo and mono versions. Both have been newly remastered by James Guthrie.



Disc 3 includes bonus tracks, including the following: all the Pink Floyd singles from 1967, ('Arnold Layne', 'See Emily Play', and 'Apples And Oranges'), plus the B sides 'Candy And A Current Bun' and 'Paintbox'. Other tracks are a version of 'Interstellar Overdrive' - Take 2 of the original recording sessions, previously only available on an EP in France - and the 1967 stereo version of 'Apples And Oranges'.



Other activities surrounding the 40th anniversary celebrations will be

announced in due course.



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