Syd Barrett Pink Floyd Psychedelic Music Progressive Music

Storm Thorgerson Article

2009-07-11T01:54:00.000-07:00

'DO I believe that the use of computer-based technology results in a lack of emotional impact in modern design?" grins Storm Thorgerson, taking a sip of red wine and thinking hard, as he often does, before speaking.

"One of the main problems with contemporary computer-based graphics is the plethora of 'wallpaper' designs that are pretty, tasteful, discreet, selectively focused and smeared, but they're not idea-driven. Although there is a view that visual design has no need, perhaps no place, to be idea-driven, it clearly isn't my view. Some computer stuff is very nice but that's what it is... very nice. It titillates the retina, but moves the heart or tells the head very little."

Thorgerson, on the other hand, uses a mesmerising mixture of fantasy and reality, creating the sort of surreal images which are crystal clear yet somehow utterly confusing. Since he started in 1968 there has always been a sense of mystery to his work.

We are having lunch in a restaurant beneath his Belsize Park studio, which he has owned since the early 1970s. From the moment we start to talk it becomes clear there is nothing remotely conventional about him. It may be lunchtime for Thorgerson but for everyone else it is 5pm. Having suffered a stroke a few years ago his physical movement is limited but he is still positively fizzing with enthusiasm for his work.

Born in 1944 in Potters Bar, Thorgerson's childhood would not have been considered unusual were it not for the fact that he went to school in Cambridge with Pink Floyd founders Roger Waters and Syd Barrett.

"Roger and I had two connections, one of which was through our mothers, who happened to be pals, and also because we tended to play rugby and cricket together at school, so we knew each other in that context before Pink Floyd. Syd was just one of the gang and at that time there had been no herald of his artistry.

"If I hadn't known the Floyd then I'd probably have done something else, if not better. Sometimes the Floyd might say 'We think you owe your career as much to us as we do to you... or more. Well, I wonder."

Having studied English and philosophy at university, inspired by seeing Fellini's 81/2 and Antonioni's L'Avventura, Thorgerson completed an MA in film and television at London's Royal College Of Art. Floyd had already enjoyed success with their debut album, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, and were putting the finishing touches to their second, A Saucerful Of Secrets, when a friend turned down the job of creating its sleeve. With no background in art or graphic design, Thorgerson volunteered.

"They happened to be in our flat and they asked David Henderson, who was a painter, but he refused," he recalls. "I was nosily listening at the door and I said 'I'll do that'. I took a chance that was in front of me. I didn't know any better really. They didn't know any better either, and they just said 'Oh, okay then'."

By the time Floyd started recording their next album it was clear that Barrett - until then, the charismatic leader of the band - wasn't mentally fit enough to continue. They had no choice but to part company with their frontman, who soon spiralled out of control and disappeared into a mental fog that kept him hidden from the outside world until he died three years ago.

Along with friend Aubrey Powell, Thorgerson formed a graphic design company, Hipgnosis. Their surrealist work raised the bar for album-cover design and changed the way the world looked at music through their sleeves. Hipgnosis designed covers for everyone from Paul McCartney and Peter Gabriel to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. More recently, Thorgerson has worked with an eclectic array of artists including Muse, Anthrax and The Cranberries.

In the current climate where every image seems to have been generated through a computer, the most astonishing thing about Thorgerson's work is that he has painstakingly set up most of his album cover shoots for real.

From the burning businessman on Wish You Were Here and the inflatable pig over Battersea Power Station on Animals to placing 700 wrought-iron beds on a beach in north Devon for A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, Thorgerson could never be accused of cutting corners.

"What price art, eh? We put a cow on the cover for the Floyd's Atom Heart Mother so it probably cost about a tenner, but you could have bought a house for the cost of A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. When we did that one it kept raining so you couldn't really see that all those beds were actually there anyway, and we had to take them all back again and repeat the whole exercise two weeks later. At that point, I wondered if I was stark raving mad," he laughs.

What does Thorgerson remember about shooting the sleeves for Wish You Were Here and Animals? "One of the main things I thought about 'Burning Man' is it's a bit scary - this idea that you might actually set a man on fire for a record cover, which is a bit like - next step, snuff movies - so what will you do for your art? Obviously, in 1975, people knew that it was real, so they were saying 'How did they do that?' and 'Did the man actually die?' Art has often bordered on the sort of showmanship edge.

"I remember the Animals cover shoot being a total hoot. Roger was very fond of Battersea Power Station and they had this gigantic inflatable pig that was part of the Floyd live show. We couldn't get the pig airborne and then it escaped from its moorings directly into the flightpaths of Heathrow airport. You couldn't have paid for all the newspaper coverage it got at the time: 'Airline Pilots See Flying Pigs.' I think Pink Floyd had their share of daft Spinal Tap moments and this was one of them."

Thorgerson designed almost every Floyd album sleeve from A Saucerful Of Secrets onwards, although it is his work on 1973's The Dark Side Of The Moon that left the most indelible mark on the cultural landscape. His prism design has mystified and mesmerised fans ever since.

"The idea was cobbled from a standard physics textbook, which illustrated light passing through a prism," Thorgerson explains. "Rick Wright suggested we do something simple, elegant and graphic, not photographic. We decided to connect it to ambition and madness, which were themes Roger was exploring heavily in the lyrics... hence the prism, triangle and pyramids. Somehow, it all connects. The design meeting took about three seconds. The band cast their eyes over everything, looked at each other and said 'That one'.

"Part of the creative process is like a little mental journey. Most of it takes place at the beginning - the conceptualising or the imagining of the ideas. So it's that which is like a flight of the imagination, and it's very pleasurable indeed."

Thorgerson discusses his work and the creative process at the Connecting Conversations event at London Metropolitan University, Holloway Road, on July 3. The event is part of the Holloway Arts Festival.

Rare Pink Floyd Poster - San Diego 10/18/70

2009-07-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

Check out this ultra rare Pink Floyd poster! It promotes a 10/18/70 gig in San Diego. The band played Intercollegiate Baseball Facility, University College of San Diego, San Diego. Pink Floyd performed in San Diego for the first time at the Intercollegiate Baseball Facility (a.k.a. the Polo Field) at UCSD. Touring behind their Atom Heart Mother album, they had played the previous month for their largest audience ever -- over 500,000 people -- in Paris. Despite their popularity in Europe, Floyd was third on the San Diego bill, behind Hot Tuna and Leon Russell.

Tickets cost $3.50 for the general-admission show, which started at noon. "There was a big marijuana protest on the grounds at the same time," recalls one-time concert promoter Dan Tee, a member of UCSD's Student Body Council at the time and one of the people behind the show. "About a hundred people were carrying signs and chanting 'legalize it, legalize it,' and it seemed like there were at least that many cops around too. "(The protestors) weren't too organized, though. Before long, most of them were going into the concert instead of protesting.... We used a bunch of their (abandoned) sign poles to prop up a temporary fence that gate-crashers tore down to get into the concert."

The San Diego date was one of the few where the experimental song "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" was performed by the band. It lasted around 20 minutes. "They actually sat at a little folding table and ate for part of the song," says Tee, "with tapes of voices and sound effects playing in the background."

The band returned to San Diego one year later (10/17/71) to play a show at Golden Hall that became widely bootlegged.

Pink Floyd on French TV 1968 - 1969! Vid!

2009-07-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Pink Floyd French TV 1968 - 1969! Get your fix here!

Today's Gig

2009-07-08T09:37:00.001-07:00

On July 8 1967, The Pink Floyd recorded a promotional film of 'Scarecrow' for Pathe News TV (location?) and then later gave a concert at the Northwich Memorial Hall in Northwich, Cheshire.

Support: Phoenix Sound.

"So beautiful and strange and new! Since it was to end all too soon, I almost wish I had never heard it. Nothing seems worthwhile but just to hear that sound once more and go on listening to forever." (Kenneth Grahame - The Wind In The Willows)

The Pink Floyd 'Scarecrow' (promo film for Pathe News)

Outtakes from 'Scarecrow' film (no sound)

Mark Jones - Pink Floyd Flaming (acoustic)

2009-07-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

Mark Jones - Open Mic Night 2, Eden, Manchester, 1st Mar 2009. Mark plays Pink Floyd Flaming acoustic and does a great job! Maybe it’s the Ennnnnnnnnglish accent but he nails it pretty well. Mark is a Moderator of the Laughing Madcaps, Syd Barrett discussion group. Enjoy.

Today's Gig

2009-07-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

On July 7 1967, The Pink Floyd played an early gig in Portsmouth, Hampshire and then a late show at the UFO Club, Tottenham Court Road, London (according to two unverified sources).

"I'm disappearing, avoiding most things." Syd Barrett

One of the rarest Pink Floy posters - 5th Dimension

2009-07-07T05:05:00.000-07:00

One of the rarest Pink Floyd posters; a rare and original psychedelic poster from 1967. This is a psychedelic poster advertising '5th Dimension' , and event featuring Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, Ten Years After, Family and more. Designed by Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, known as 'Hapshash and The Coloured Coat', and printed by Osiris Visions. This is a hand silkscreen print featuring a vivid pink background, overlaid with a bright blue and metallic gold ink. The poster is black light reactive and measures approximately 20" x 30". It is a true silk screen print, each colour being applied separately. The gold area of the print is true metallic and adds a real dimension to the image. Most copies of this poster that still exsist have been cropped to fit in display cabinets. This one hasn't been cropped. Measures approximately 20 inches by 30 inches.

12/3/67 Pink Floyd Poster - Hendrix Package Tour

2009-07-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Check out this Pink Floyd poster from 3rd December 1967 featuring Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice, Eire Apparent, Outer Limits, Amen Corner, Pete Drummond, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, UK.

It was (for sure) a mass of talent crammed onto one bill. For 3 weeks in December 1967, aboard a fleet of buses which cries-crossed the country leaving no major town unturned, the artists listed on this poster set out to bring a taste of London to the provinces.

Through the sixties, package tours were very popular. The Move's manager Tony Secunda explained, "The idea was to cram as many bands on to the bill as possible, not simply because it made financial sense, also because it gave massive exposure to bands who might never get out there."

The Jimi Hendrix Experience closed each show with a forty minute set; The Move received an hour; Pink Floyd had seventeen minutes; Amen Corner got fifteen minutes; The Nice had twelve minutes. Eire Apparent and The Outer Limits, eight-minutes apiece. "But eight minutes was enough," Secunda shrugged. "If you were a new band, and you couldn't prove yourselves in eight minutes, you might as well give up there and then."

With sixteen cities and thirty-one shows; all but the opening London gig with both an afternoon matinee and an evening performance, the tour represented a staggering task:

November 14 (Royal Albert Hall, London)
November 15 (Winter Gardens, Bournemouth)
November 17 (City Hall, Sheffield)
November 18 (Empire Theatre, Liverpool)
November 19 (Coventry Theatre, Liverpool)
November 22 (Guildhall, Portsmouth)
November 23 (Sophia Gardens, Cardiff)
November 24 (Colston Hall, Bristol)
November 25 (Blackpool Opera House, Blackpool)
November 26 (Palace Theatre, Manchester)
November 27 (Queens College, Belfast)
December 1 (Central Hall, Chatham)
December 2 (The Dome, Brighton)
December 3 (Theatre Royal, Nottingham)
December 4 (City Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
December 5 (Green's Playhouse, Glasgow)

Nice guitarist Davy O'List says, "Immediately you were done your set, you could leave, which was great; we used to be on third; sometimes I'd stay back to watch the Floyd play, but it was off to the nearest pub or wherever, and wait to be hauled out again." Or not, as it sometimes transpired.

"Everyone used to hang out with everybody else," stated Noel Redding. "Us lot (The Experience) were really close with The Move. Trevor Burton, the rhythm guitar player with The Move, used to travel with us, and if I was running late, I'd travel with The Move. So after the show, we'd all go to pubs, get pissed, then attempt to get on the coach at the time; we'd miss the coach and have to get buses and..."

Pink Floyd were probably the most surprising addition to the lineup. With Two Top Thirty hits in 1967, a Top Ten LP and tours in their own right, had already established the group amongst the country's top-flight psychedelic attractions, and there was little doubt that they could comfortably have taken billing alongside any band in the country.

According to Tony Secunda, however, Floyd's managers had a reason for taking the package tour. "Basically, they were worried about Syd Barrett, but needed to keep the band's name out there, but nobody knew if Barrett was up to it. The general feeling was that he wasn't."

Pink Floyd's set was made up of one song, a full on version of "Interstellar Overdrive." According to Davy O'List, "Syd was an amazing guitarist," O'List continues. "He really was, as much as Hendrix was in his own right." And in later, with both Jimi and Barrett long since absent from the scene, British journalists slavered at the thought of how these geniuses of the guitar might have related to one another. In a 1974 edition of the English New Musical Express, journalist Kent asked Peter Jenner, "Surely the two uncrowned kings of rock, Hendrix and Barrett, must have socialized in some?

"Not really," replied Jenner. "Syd didn't talk to anyone."

Move bassist Ace Kefford agrees. "Syd never spoke to anyone. He hardly moved sometimes. He was on another planet."

Sometimes Syd didn't show for a gig and Pink Floyd got Davy O'List to fill in, "It was a fairly straight forward guitar thing, so I was able to pick it up quite quickly," recalls O'List. "At first I kept my back to the audience while we were playing, and the audience was really impatient, shouting 'turn round, Syd,' and things like that. So I turned round, and they all shut up immediately. Then turned back and carried on playing." After Barrett's departure the Floyd was confirmed, O'List admits, he entertained hopes he might be invited to replace him full time. "But of, they'd already decided on Dave Gilmour by then."

Kevin Ayers / Syd Barrett Religious Experience 10" Acetate

2009-07-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Supposedly one of the above pictures is of the "lost" Kevin Ayers / Syd Barrett Religious Experience pairing. Original 10" acetate of the Peter Jenner produced collaboration. This is a one sided 45 rpm with handwriting on the jacket dated 4/12/69.

Ayers was an great admirer of former Pink Floyd front man and innovative genius, Syd Barrett, and felt Syd’s contribution could enhance his latest song. On the way to Abbey Road studios, Kevin called into Barrett’s flat and requested his presence on the session. And so it was on November 9th 1969 Ayers and Barrett worked on the first version of the song which was then titled “Religious Experience”.

Take nine proved to be the master take and overdubs were undertaken onto the 8-track master. A finished mix, long since lost from the archives, was cut onto several acetate discs and taken away by various individuals for evaluation. After some consideration it was felt that Syd Barrett’s psychedelic guitar part was too chaotic and the track overlong. The decision was made to re-record “Religious Experience”.

Over the decades, rumors and supposed bootlegs abounded of the legendary “lost” Syd Barrett session. Eventually in 2003 the recording appeared as a bonus track on the re-mastered CD reissue of Joy of a Toy. Therefore, if the 4/12/69 date is correct, this acetate is from an earlier session. Or maybe this is a forgery. We'll never know until we can compare it to the released version.

Today's Gig

2009-07-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

On July 5 1967, The Pink Floyd once again played The Dance Hall on Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, Middlesex.

"Syd had a unique way of mixing. He would throw the levers on the board up and down, apparently at random, making pretty patterns with his hands. He was very demanding. You see, he was a painter and would not do anything unless he was doing it in an artistic way. He was 100 per cent creative and very hard on himself." Peter Jenner (quoted in Crazy Diamond: Syd Barrett & the Dawn of Pink Floyd by Mike Watkinson & Pete Anderson)

(The Day Before) Yesterday's Gig

2009-07-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

On July 2 1967, The Pink Floyd played the Digbeth Civic Hall in Birmingham, Warwickshire (billed as Midnight City)

Syd Barrett (on whether he had taken too much LSD): "Well, I don't know, it doesn't seem to have much to do with the job. I only know the thing of playing, of being a musician, was very exciting. Obviously, one was better off with a silver guitar with mirrors and things all over it than people who ended up on the floor or anywhere else in London. The general concept, I didn't feel so conscious of it as perhaps I should. I mean, one's position as a member of London's young people's (I don't know what you'd call it, underground wasn't it?) wasn't necessarily realised and felt, I don't think, especially from the point of view of groups. I remember at UFO, one week one group, then another week another group, going in and out, making that set-up, and I didn't think it was as active as it could've been. I was really surprised that UFO finished. Joe Boyd did all the work on it and I was really amazed when he left. What we were doing was a microcosm of the whole sort of philosophy and it tended to be a little bit cheap. The fact that the show had to be put together; the fact that we weren't living in luxurious places with luxurious things around us. I think I would always advocate that sort of thing, the luxurious life. It's probably because I don't do much work. It was all, I suppose, related to living in London. I was lucky enough...I've always thought of going back to a place where you can drink tea and sit on the carpet. I've been fortunate enough to do that. All that time...you've just reminded me of it. I thought it was good fun."

Today's Gig

2009-07-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

On July 1 1967, The Pink Floyd played at The Swan in Yardley, Birmingham.

"If he hadn't had this complete nervous breakdown, he could easily have been one of the greatest songwriters today. I think it's one of the saddest stories in rock'n'roll, what happened to Syd. He was brilliant - and such a nice guy." Rick Wright

Also on this date in 1968, Pink Floyd released their second LP 'A Saucerful Of Secrets'.
(U.K. Columbia SX6258/SCX6258 mono/stereo)

Pink Floyd - Lucifer Sam: Video, Guitar, Bass

2009-06-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Lucifer Sam - Lyrics
(Barrett) 3:07

Lucifer Sam, Siam cat.
Always sitting by your side
Always by your side.
That cat's something I can't explain.

Ginger, ginger you're a witch.
You're the left side
He's the right side.
Oh, no!
That cat's something I can't explain.

Lucifer go to sea.
Be a hip cat
Be a ship's cat.
Somewhere, anywhere.
That cat's something I can't explain.

At night prowling sifting sand.
Hiding around on the ground.
He'll be found when you're around.
That cat's something I can't explain.

Lucifer Sam - Guitar

------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------------ x4
----------4-4-----3-----2-2-----0---
-0----0-2------2-----2-------2------

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------2-2-----1-----0-0------------- x2
-0-1-2------2-----2-------2--4-------
-------------------------------------

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
------------------------------------- x2
-------4-4-----3-----2-2-----0-------
---0-2------2-----2-------2----------

F#m G
Lucifer Sam, siam cat.
B
Always sitting by your side
E
Always by your side.
C G D
That cat's something I can't explain.

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
------------------------------------- x4
------4-4-----3-----2-2-----0--------
--0-2------2-----2-------2-----------

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------2-2-----1-----0-0------------- x2
-0-1-2------2-----2-------2--4-------
-------------------------------------

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
---4-4-----3-----2-2-----0-----------
--------2-----2-------2--------------

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
--------4-4-----3-----2-2-----0------
---0-2-------2-----2-------2---------

F#m G
Jennifer Gentle you're a witch.
B
You're the left side

He's the right side.
E
Oh, no!
C G D
That cat's something I can't explain.

F#m B G D B F#m (listen to the song for the chord changes)

F#m G
Lucifer go to sea.
B
Be a hip cat, be a ship's cat.
E
Somewhere, anywhere.
C G D
That cat's something I can't explain.

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
------------------------------------- x4
-------4-4-----3-----2-2-----0-------
---0-2------2-----2-------2----------

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------2-2-----1-----0-0------------- x2
-0-1-2------2-----2-------2--4-------
-------------------------------------

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
------------------------------------- x2
-------4-4-----3-----2-2-----0-------
---0-2------2-----2-------2----------

F#m G
Night prowling sifting sand.
B
Padding around on the ground.
E
He'll be found when you're around.
C G D
That cat's something I can't explain.

Lucifer Sam - Bass

Intro/main:

G-------------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------------
A---------4-3-2-0-------4-3-2-0-------4-3-2-0-------4-3-2-0---
E--0-1-2-----------1/2-----------1-2-----------1/2------------

G---------------------------------------------------------------
D---------2-1-0---------2-1-0-----------------------------------
A--0-1-2--------4--1/2--------4---------4-3-2-0-------4-3-2-0---
E--------------------------------0-1-2-----------1/2------------

Pre chorus:

G-------------------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------9-9-7---7-9-9-7--9-9-7---7-9-9-7---
A--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--10-10-10-10--------9----------------9-----------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------

G---------------------/9-7---/9-7-------
D-----6-6-7-7-9-9----------9------9-----
A--7---------------7--------------------
E---------------------------------------

Chorus:

G------------------
D------------------
A--3-3-3-3--5------
E------------------

Then play main,pre chorus and chorus again then during solo:

G------------------------------------------------------------------------
D------------------------------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------------------
E--2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2---5-5-5-5-5---2-2-2-2--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---2-2-2-2-2-2-

Today's Gig

2009-06-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

On June 28 1967, The Pink Floyd played in the Dance Hall at the Eel Pie Island Hotel, Twickenham, Middlesex.

"Built in 1830, the Eel Pie Island Hotel had always been known for its musical attractions. Charles Dickens made mention of the hotel in Nicholas Nickleby as a place where one could 'dance to the music of a locomotive band'. With the advent of the hotel’s famous sprung dance floor in 1898, balls and tea dances became regular events."

This is a recent article called Eel Pie Island Records with some interesting memories of the Eel Pie music scene:
http://www.timeout.com/london/features/267.html

"Trying to talk to him was like trying to talk to a brick wall because his face was so expressionless. His lyrics were simple and child-like and he was like a child in many ways - up one minute and down the next. I often wondered what the hell he was doing in the music business." Norman Smith, producer

Today's Gig

2009-06-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, June 27 1967, The Pink Floyd were in EMI Studio 3 (Abbey Road) with producer Norman Smith and engineers Peter Bown and Jeff Jarrett, recording overdubs for 3 tracks to be included on their debut album (The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn): Interstellar Overdrive, Flaming and Lucifer Sam.

"I've said this before, and I don't know how many people know this...that 'Interstellar Overdrive' as far as I can recall was recorded twice, on top of each other...the whole lot again, just played on top." Peter Jenner
(quoted in 'Random Precision: Recording the Music of Syd Barrett 1965-1974' by David Parker)

Pink Floyd See Emily Play Variations

2009-06-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the variations on the Pink Floyd See Emily Play release. We have UK, American, Brazilian, German, Swiss, Mexican, New Zealand, Australian, and more! Then there are promos, factory sample, DJ, versions along with the regular.

Pink Floyd - See Emily Play Acetate

2009-06-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

The rarest version of Pink Floyd's second single. Check out this See Emily Play acetate. This piece o' wax surfaced in Amsterdam. Supposedly, the source's sister used to go out with Nick Mason.

The Emidisc-label on the A-side has been hand written, containing (from top to bottom):
2:53
SEE EMILY PLAY
#2
31-5-67
45 RP
THE PINK FLOYD

See Emily Play Lyrics:

Emily tries but misunderstands, ah ooh
She often inclined to borrow somebody's dreams till tomorrow

There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play

Soon after dark Emily cries, ah ooh
Gazing through trees in sorrow hardly a sound till tomorrow

There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play

Put on a gown that touches the ground, ah ooh
Float on a river forever and ever, Emily, Emily, Emily...

There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for May
See Emily play

Kiloh Smith - Rare Psychedelic Rock Poster Art Tour

2009-06-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

Check out this slideshow of psychedelic rock poster art! This is from the collection of Kiloh Smith. There’s lots of Texas Psych and 13th Floor Elevators art. See the Pink Floyd poster art and Syd Barrett stuff too. It’s a LOT of stuff with LOTS of close-up shots!

Today's Gig

2009-06-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

On June 26 1967, The Pink Floyd performed at Warwick University in Coventry, Warwickshire.

"The strongest image I have of Syd is of him sitting in his flat with a guitar and his book of songs, which he represented by paintings with different coloured circles. You'd go round to Syd's and you'd see him write a song. It just poured out. The acid brought out his latent madness. I'm sure it was his latent madness which gave him his creativity. The acid brought out the creativity, but more importantly, it brought out the madness. The creativity was there - dope was enough to get it going. He wrote all his songs, including the ones on his solo LPs, in a eighteen month period." (Peter Jenner)

Today's Gig

2009-06-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

On June 25 1967, The Pink Floyd played two gigs, the early one in the main dance hall, and a late one in the Drokiweeny Beach Room, both at Mister Smiths in Manchester.

Support: The Motifs.

Also on this date in 1968: Pink Floyd recorded a Top Gear Session at BBC Studio One, 201 Piccadilly, London. This was first broadcast August 11 1968. The songs were: Julia Dream, Murderistic Women (Careful With That Axe, Eugene), Let There Be More Light, Massed Gadgets Of Hercules (Saucerful Of Secrets)

"I like songs that are simple." Syd Barrett

Today's Gig

2009-06-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

On June 24 1967, The Pink Floyd performed at Cesars Club in Bedford, Bedfordshire.

"I always write with guitar. I've got this big room and I just go in and do the work." Syd Barrett

Pink Floyd Animals: A Retrospective - Neville Harson

2009-06-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

PINK FLOYD ANIMALS:

Arguably the last album made by Pink Floyd as a functioning quartet, Animals was released in early 1977, right around the time punk was exploding in England. While not necessarily crafted as a response to punk, the album can be seen as an attempt to keep up with the more aggressive times. It is perhaps The Floyds’ most vitriolic work. One could even see these songs as “protest songs,” though far removed from any folk tradition, and more in line with the style of the rock epics of the 1970’s.

The cover of the album sports the first appearance of the now-iconic flying pig over Battersea Station. The photo, though it seems like a model, is actually a composite shot using one photo of the pig, and another photo of the power plant. There’s a series of bleak, black & white photos on the inside of the original LP credited to different photographers including Peter Christopherson, later of experimental bands Throbbing Gristle and Coil. The lyrics on the inner sleeve, though written by Roger Waters, were printed by the hand of drummer Nick Mason.

Two of the songs on Animals, “Dogs” and “Sheep” had their origins as “You’ve Gotta Be Crazy” and “Raving and Drooling” a few years earlier, and were played regularly during live shows in 1974 and 1975. These early versions were originally intended for the album that became “Wish You Were Here” but finally wound up on Animals, with different arrangements and some lyrical revisions.

Although it has no real narrative thread, Animals is generally considered to be a “concept album”. There are three major songs: “Dogs”, “Pigs” and “Sheep;” each song portraying a segment of humanity in an unflattering light. “Dogs,” concerns itself with the egocentric world of business. “Pigs” seems to be about politicians and rulers. And “Sheep,” is about the religiously inclined masses. These three songs are framed by “Pigs on the Wing”, a short acoustic ballad in two parts that suggests some comfort in human relationships.

Animals marks the ascension of Roger Waters as lead Floyd kingpin. In addition to having written all the songs, he takes over more of the lead vocal duties on this album, singing “Pigs on the Wing”, “Pigs”, “Sheep”, and the tail end of “Dogs”. His yelping vocal style seems to be better suited to the acerbic material than Gilmour’s more dreamy voice. Similarly, Waters’ less melodic, more rhythmically-driven songwriting (2-3 note melodies in “Pigs” and “Sheep”) contrasts with Gilmour’s more melodic, and melodically complex (in comparison) “Dogs”. Parts of “Dogs” retain that “good old Pink Floyd” sound, but generally, there are few traces of that more laid-back Floyd amidst the venom. It should be noted that keyboardist Rick Wright and drummer Nick Mason receive no songwriting credits on this album.

Musically, the album is less synthesizer-driven than it’s predecessor, Wish You Were Here. Whether that is due to Richard Wright not contributing much to the album, or Waters not letting him contribute remains open to debate. There are still occasional synths throughout the album, but they are balanced (if not dominated) by acoustic and electric guitars, and at least one heroic guitar solo by David Gilmour. Also contributing to the sonic stew are the ubiquitous Floydian atmospheres and sound effects.

The album begins (and ends) with “Pigs on the Wing.” On the original 8-track tape release these two parts were connected with a guitar solo by sometime Floyd sideman Snowy White. Not so, here, on the vinyl or CD. The song consists of a simple G-C-F strumming pattern on an acoustic guitar (a chord sequence which would later be recycled for “Mother”), with Roger presumably singing about how good it is to care for someone and be cared for in return. It is tempting to think of “pigs on the wing” as a metaphor for bombs dropped from planes, especially given Waters’ obsession with World War II, but I could be reading into things too deeply.

“Dogs” is a long (17+ minutes) sectional piece that takes up the remainder of Side 1. The lyrics were written by Waters and seem to be about the (ahem) dog-eat-dog world of business and commerce. The music was mostly written by Gilmour. The piece begins with upbeat acoustic guitar strumming and somewhat eerie keyboards before the vocals start. Bass guitar and drums join in starting with the second verse. After a couple of verses, Gilmour plays a fitting guitar solo that sounds more aggressive than his usual style. During the solo there is a maniacal scream/laugh, presumably by Waters, that appears in some form on almost every Pink Floyd album from Ummagumma to The Wall.

The band then slows down for a B section with a slow guitar line that is somewhere between mournful and victorious. There are at least three guitars in this section, the lead and harmony guitars mixed in the front, and a more distant guitar in the back. Guitars are all over this album, actually; most likely a result of Pink Floyd spending time in their own Britannia Row studio rather than spending money for studio time. The slow tempo continues, getting quieter, and featuring acoustic guitar and barking dogs. This is not the first time the Floyd had used dog sounds (“Mademoiselle Knobs”) and it wouldn’t be the last (“The Dogs of War”).

A slow C section follows, and the lyrics seem to suggest that there will come a day when all the businessmen who have acted unethically shall eventually lose control and have to pay for making a career of fucking people over (the dogs are actually overthrown and killed by the sheep at the end of side 2, but I‘m getting ahead of the record). The “bad blood slows and turns to stone,” Gilmour sings, concluding with “So have a good drown, as you go down all alone/Dragged down by the stone”, and here the word “stone” echoes repeatedly and transforms itself from a word into a sound that is something between a bark and a howl.

This initiates a slow, and icy cold synth section featuring Wright, as well as the sounds of someone whistling for their dog, and the continued sounds of dogs barking through a vocoder (an electronic gadget that enables any sound or word spoken or sung to be transformed into the chords one is playing on an electronic keyboard).

Then it’s back to the A section, this time with Waters on lead vocals, continuing the paranoid theme. While the lyrics are fairly grim, Waters implies that it is actually quite tragic that people live in fear of each other, and without any trust. Another Gilmour solo (his solos are all fairly concise on this album) leads to the slow mournful/victorious guitar section again, and then into a coda. Each of the eleven lines of the coda begins with “Who was…”, reminiscent of Allen Ginsburg’s “Howl” as well as the Floyd’s own “Eclipse.”

If you have the vinyl, you can take a welcome break as you turn the record over. If not…
A pig grunting sound (through echo) introduces “Pigs.” Wright plays a Bach-like figure on the organ, and Waters plays a short bass solo before the other instruments enter. The plodding beat seems to be more straightforward version of the previous album’s “Have a Cigar” (with added cowbell) and even the lyrics borrow a similar melody. Waters occasionally sings through some kind of filter that gives his voice even more of a sneering quality. “Pigs” is subtitled “Three Different Ones,” and each of the three verses is essentially a prolonged insult directed at each of three different political figures. The first verse is rumored to be about then Prime Minster James Callaghan; the second about Margaret Thatcher, and the third about Mary Whitehouse (who is the only politician mentioned by name).

There is an interlude with a lot of pig noises, which turns into a guitar solo featuring a “talk box” effect”—similar to the vocoder, this is a microphone connected to a guitar, so a guitarist can shape the notes by moving one’s mouth into different positions. Here, Gilmour appropriately opts for squealing and grunting pig-like notes. The intro section is repeated before the third verse. One line in this verse was apparently so vicious they deleted it and replaced it with heavy breathing. After this last verse, Gilmour jumps in with a rather intense guitar solo to ride out the song. I love the way he keeps shredding the first note for a few measures before moving on to the rest of the solo. As “Pigs” fades, we end up in a meadow, with sheep bleating in the distance, which segues naturally into…

“Sheep.” Representing the proletariat, specifically those who are easily swayed, even more specifically those who are easily swayed by religion(s). Wright starts this song with a jazzy Fender Rhodes solo. Enter Waters with ominous bassline-through-echo borrowed from “One of These Days.” The drums, when they enter, are put through a reverse gate effect, creating a kind of “whooshing“ sound. Most interestingly, effect-wise, is how the end of each vocal line morphs into some kind of synthesized sound. I’ve never heard this effect used on any other record before or since (wait, maybe on an Alan Parsons record…?) Waters sings this one too, with a basic three-note melody on the verses.

As in “Pigs” there’s an interlude in “Sheep” as well. This break features Waters’ “Careful With That Axe” bass playing (that octave pattern). Gilmour’s repeated “stone…stone…” from “Dogs” is also brought back for a moment. A slower instrumental section features Wright’s ascending synth notes and then Gilmour’s funky guitar playing. Then it returns to the slower, creepier section, with tritone chords in abundance (this was the musical interval that was known as “the devil in music” and was avoided by the church). It seems appropriate, then, that the Floyd include a butchered version of Psalm 23 (the one that starts with “The Lord is my shepherd”). It starts out fairly normal, with talk of “pastures green” and “silent waters,” but then the words deviate a bit (“With bright knives, He releaseth my soul…He converteth me to lamb cutlets…”) which would be pretty hysterical if it wasn’t so damn creepy. You can hear a trace of the original “priest’s” intonation, but mostly what you hear is the vocoder effected vocals.

The main part of the song returns with the line “Bleating and babbling we fell on his neck with a scream”—cue Waters again on the maniacal scream/laugh for the second time on one album. The sheep have overcome the dogs, and the dogs are now dead. A victorious-sounding Gilmour guitar riff rides the song out, along with Water’s octave bass. This is, for me, one of the album’s finest moments. The sheep bleat peacefully in the meadow and we’re back to where we started, with “Pigs on the Wing, Part Two,” closing the album on a brief, but hopeful note.

I loved Animals when it came out, but I was in 6th grade, and my musical tastes may not have been what they are now. Listening to it after thirty years, I’m surprised that the album is less aggressive than I remember it (though still pretty mean-sounding for Pink Floyd). After digging deeper into the music, I’m also surprised to see how the Floyd used some of the same sonic ingredients (certain sound effects, chords and even melodies) across multiple albums. The good thing about this is that it gives their work a unity and continuity over time; the downside is that it seems that for being one of the most imaginative bands in rock history, they really didn’t seem have too many ideas. Still, how they put those ideas to use over twelve or so years was simply incredible.

Personnel:
Pink Floyd
· David Gilmour – guitars, bass guitar, vocals, talk box, synthesizer, lead vocals on "Dogs"
· Nick Mason – drums, percussion, sleeve graphics
· Roger Waters – lead vocals, bass guitar, acoustic and rhythm guitar, sleeve design
· Richard Wright – Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Yamaha piano, ARP synthesizer, backing vocals

Additional Personnel:
James Guthrie – remastering producer
Doug Sax – remastering
Brian Humphries – engineering
Storm Thorgerson – sleeve design
Aubrey Powell – sleeve design, photography
Peter Christopherson – photography
Howard Bartrop - photography
Nic Tucker - photography
Bob Ellis - photography
Bob Brimson - photography
Colin Jones - photography
Snowy White – lead guitar on "Pigs on the Wing" (8-track cartridge version only)

By Neville Harson

Pink Floyd Matilda Mother Acetate

2009-06-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

Pink Floyd: EMI 10" Acetate - Matilda Mother 3:04. This is a Vinyl Fascists' wet dream come true. An actual aceeeeeeetate!

A song from Pink Floyd's first album, this was written by founding member Syd Barrett. Many of Barrett's songs were inspired by children's stories, and this was based on a book called Cautionary Tales for Children by Edward Gorey and Hilaire Belloc. The book contains some warped fairy tales where all manner of horrible things happen to the poor, but naughty, kids. One of these children was named Matilda. Pink Floyd keyboard player Rick Wright sang most of this song with Barrett singing the last verse.

The unreleased song known as Sunshine is really the last section of Matilda Mother. Matilda Mother had been rerecorded on 7 June 1967. However, Norman Smith decided that the instrumental section in the middle was too long. During an editing session on 29 June, he literally cut the tape into three pieces. The first part was called "Matilda Mother", the second part (the part being deleted) was called "Wondering and Dreaming", and the third part was called "Sunshine" (based on a convenient lyrical reference at that point). Parts one and three were then spliced together to create the official version. On the stereo release, the "Sunshine" lyric in the left channel gets overpowered by the "For all the time spent in that room" lyric that predominates the right channel. To better hear and appreciate "Sunshine", I've made a mono version of just the left channel starting at the splice point.

Pink Floyd - Matilda Mother Lyrics

There was a king who ruled the land
His majesty was in command
With silver eyes the scarlet eagle
Showers silver on the people
Oh Mother, tell me more

Why'd'ya have to leave me there
Hanging in my infant air
Waiting
You only have to read the lines
They're scribbly black and everything shines

Across the stream with wooden shoes
With bells to tell the king the news
A thousand misty riders climb up
Higher once upon a time

Wandering and dreaming
The words have different meaning
Yes they did

For all the time spent in that room
The doll's house, darkness, old perfume
And fairy stories held me high on
Clouds of sunlight floating by
Oh Mother, tell me more
Tell me more
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah...

Today's Gig

2009-06-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

On June 23 1967, The Pink Floyd played the Rolls Royce Ball at the Locarno Ballroom in Derby.

Support: Paperback Edition and Thorndyke Mordikai's Imagination.

"Whether it was for the dancing, beauty contests, or music gigs, the Locarno Ballroom, on Derby's Babington Lane, was one of the places to spend your night out in the Sixties. From the Saturday morning disco to gigs featuring top bands of the day like the Dave Clark Five, Freddie and the Dreamers, Herman's Hermits and the Honeycombs, the Locarno had plenty to offer a variety of people. It had a revolving silver globe, which hung from the centre of the ceiling, and even a revolving stage which would turn round to reveal bands and orchestras. The venue provided live broadcasts for Ray Moore's Saturday Night Live programme and played host to a variety of events including many beauty contests. Older readers will remember the Locarno in its former life as the Grand Theatre, which opened in 1886. The theatre closed down in 1950 due to competition from the increasingly popular cinemas. It re-opened as the Locarno in 1959 after a re-fit and, more recently, has become McClusky's."

Have a look at the stage:

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/conservation/exhibitions/dancing/locarnoballr\
oom.asp

"I don't think I'm easy to talk about. I've got a very irregular head. And I'm not anything that you think I am anyway." Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett with Pink Floyd Interstellar Overdrive - Video

2009-06-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Syd Barrett with Pink Floyd Interstellar Overdrive pts. 1 & 2. Interstellar Overdrive is a prime example of Pink Floyd's early Syd Barrett-driven days, when they created mostly Psychedelic Rock. It features Long, discordant chords on Barrett's guitar, constantly changing tempos, shifting rhythms, and few, or in this case, no lyrics at all. The main riff throughout the tune was adapted from the guitar riff from Love's remake of "My Little Red Book."