A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS

Attempting to explain what's going on here is a hard task to perform. A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS was recorded during a band member transition phase, and the music kind of gives that aura. It sounds like Pink Floyd was rather confused on a direction.

Be prepared for some avant-garde stuff. The title track sounds like just one sound collage attempting to describe an event (I think it's a war, but I'm not sure). The collage at least has a point to it unlike other collage pieces, say ''Revolution 9'' (different band). Traditional prog fans might find the last four minutes of the title track quite delightful as it is a choir-type thing revolving around an organ thing. ''Jugband Blues'' also has rather strange shifts in music including a spot where a brass band feels the need to play whatever the heck they want.

The other five songs have some sort of melodious ground, but it's really hit-or-miss in terms of how well each song grips you. Personally, I find ''Set the Controls...'' to get rather monotonous too fast; nothing special happens here. Nothing special happens in ''See-Saw'' either, at least for me. ''Let There Be More Light'' and ''Remember a Day'', on the other hand, have nice enough motives to keep me hanging around, particularly the former with the stellar guitar solo at the end.

''Corporal Clegg'' is something else, almost as if Pink Floyd had an excuse to goof off in the studio and that song is what came out of it. Goofy guitar riffs, Nick Mason singing, annoying falsetto vocals and kazoo solos are what to expect here. I actually like it as the song gives me a good laugh.

Not a particularly great Pink Floyd album by any means, but if you're bored of their classic stuff, give this one a try.