A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS

Debut album follow-ups are always difficult, as history shows, and the mighty Pink Floyd are no exception to this notion. One could ask "Well, has there ever been a non-difficult Floyd album?" and it seems the answer would be negative, but the events surrounding the creation and the release of 'A Saucerful of Secrets' are quite interesting, given the fact that the end result is among the most interesting and most adventurous psychedelic recordings of all time. This statement, however, has a tiny bit of objectivism to it, but with the discography of this particular behemoth of a band it is always quite difficult to remain just a mindless reviewer, and not add some personal bias based on either the psycho-emotional reaction to the music, or just a personal experience that has led to a specific relationship with that album, and that could apply, more or less, to the case of this exact review.

June 28, 1968 is the release date of Pink Floyd's second studio album 'A Saucerful of Secrets', this one coming after the success of the underground cult classic that is 'The Piper', the band's first full-length release, with its unbridled psychedelia and charming British whimsy, both thanks to the leadership of Syd Barrett, then-guitar player and lead vocalist. Some months later, in another year, Barrett's mental state is deteriorated and working with him is becoming close to impossible; A new guitar player who can sing is recruited - old friend David Gilmour, and with the main songwriter of the band now gone, each member is left contributing material for 'Saucerful', sometimes individually, and sometimes as a group. The outcome of all this - one of the classic albums released in 1968, to me this one betters its predecessor, as crazy as it may sound, given the turmoil in the band. Still pretty much in the land of obscurity, space rock and psychedelic exploration, 'Saucerful' seems to be somewhat more complete, a pinch more focused, and strangely, even more psychedelic than 'The Piper'. The proof for that is, for example, the nearly 12-minute entirely instrumental title track, or the haunting 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' by Roger Waters (also the only track on which he sings), which has seen various live renditions and covers throughout the years, a testimony for its cult status. 'Let There Be More Light' is another gloomy track, the album opener that sets this ominous, venturous mood that stays on for the entire duration of the record. Then there is 'Corporal Clegg', another Waters tune, and the first one on a Floyd album to touch upon the topic of war, which we all know, would later be one of the two prevalent narratives in Waters' lyrics. This, and existential agony. 'See-Saw' by Wright is quite charming, every song on which he sings is absolutely delightful; and then we have the final track, the only one written entirely by Syd Barrett - 'Jugband Blues' - three minutes of melancholic darkness, dressed in whimsy, in my opinion. The track certainly speaks loudly about his mental state at the time.

A watershed album for Pink Floyd in many ways: Barrett is officially out after this one, Gilmour is in (also being a new contender for the band leader position), the band is left wondering which way to go (as we can tell from the releases coming after 'Saucerful'), just to become the biggest band in the world in less than ten years; 'Saucerful' presents musical qualities that depict a very particular part of the development of psychedelic rock (we certainly cannot speak of anything that progressive at this point, even with the extended length of the title track), and also depicts one of the crucial episodes in the band's career. Plainly, you either love it or don't.