A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS

After the release of their debut studio album "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn", Pink Floyd became a popular band with many road obligations. So, it was in that moment, because the stress of life on the road and the relevant consumption of drugs, that the mental health stability of Syd Barrett as deteriorated considerably. Due to that, there was the need to join another member to the band. Then, they called the guitarist David Gilmour, a very well known guy of Syd Barrett and Roger Waters. Initially, it was expected that Syd Barrett made the compositions while David Gilmour would play at the live concerts. But, due to the deterioration of the mental health stability of Syd Barrett soon he assumed both roles.

"A Saucerful Of Secrets" is the second studio album of Pink Floyd and was released in 1968. The album has seven tracks. The first track "Let There Be More Light" written by Roger Waters is a very good way to open this album. It's a very good song that sounds very promising with a beginning of a very strong line of the bass of Roger Waters. Here we can hear, for the first time, the unmistakable sound of the guitar of David Gilmour. It's a song with a more experimental musical sound, more complex, and this is the beginning of something new on the band's sound. This is a very good song to my taste. The second track "Remember A Day" written by Richard Wright is another great song on the album. It's a song with some reminiscences of the psychedelic sound but, it has a nice and love keyboard sound of Richard Wright, besides his own voice. I like very much of this song with the brilliant piano work of Richard Wright and the nice drumming of Nick Mason. The third track "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" written by Roger Waters is one of the two greatest moments on this album. It's a classic song of the group and the band used it often on their early live musical performances. This is, in my opinion, the first song written by them were we can clearly see the future space sound of the band, which would appear, for the first time, on their sixth studio album "Meddle", the first album totally progressive of the group. This is, for me, the best song composed by Roger Waters in the early days of the band. The fourth track "Corporal Clegg" written also by Roger Waters has nothing to do with the previous song composed by him. It's a nice and fun psychedelic song but it's, unfortunately, more vulgar and with a much lower level of quality. This is a song with childish music and lyrics, very hilarious and strange. Sincerely, I've no problem to hear this song but it's, for me, the weakest point on the album and is its Achilles' heel. The fifth track "A Saucerful Of Secrets" written by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, David Gilmour and Nick Mason is the lengthiest song on the album and the great magnus opus of the album. It represents the other great musical moment on the album and another sign that something is going to happen with the musical direction and the sound of Pink Floyd in the near future. We can divide this song into three distinct musical moments. The first part is composed by weird noises and sounds and is dominated by the keyboard sounds. It reminds me the electronic progressive sound of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze in their early days. The second part is also dominated by the keyboard sound with the weird noises and sinister sounds with the drumming and percussion on the back. The third part is also dominated by the keyboards but it's absolutely beautiful and astonishing. It shows clearly what Pink Floyd would be capable to make in the next future, and how their music can be beautiful and grandiose. The sixth track "See-Saw" written by Richard Wright is the other song written by Richard Wright, but isn't as good as "Remember A Day". Yet, this is a good and interesting song, better than "Corporal Clegg" of Roger Waters. I think we can consider it an early classic music composition of Richard Wright, very pleasant, charming and with some creativity. I also think that we can hear on it something of the future dreaming sound of the band. The seventh and last track "Jugband Blues" written by Syd Barrett is the only composition written by Syd Barrett and is also his swan song on the group that he founded. It's a very short song and it's clearly a different song from the others on the album. It's a typical Syd Barrett's song with its mysterious and eccentric lyrics and musical sound. This is also an interesting song.

Conclusion: "A Saucerful Of Secrets" is like "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" a great album. But, musically is a very different album. Despite have still many psychedelic musical parts, it has also, for the first time, the beginning of the fundamental elements of their future space rock sound, which only would be firmly consolidated on their sixth studio album "Meddle". "A Saucerful Of Secrets" is, in my humble opinion, a more mature musical proposal than the previous one. "A Saucerful Of Secrets" is the proof that there were two different bands, the band with Syd Barrett and the band without him. Sincerely, I don't think the main difference on the music on this album is David Gilmour but Roger Waters. It's true that we can clear hear the new guitar sound of David Gilmour on the album, but Roger Waters are the main composer on the album. I think the problems would appear with him and Syd Barrett if Syd had continued in the group.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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