After the child-like psychedelia of
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and the subsequent acid
meltdown of lead singer Syd Barrett, one wondered what would happen
to Pink Floyd. Would they suffer a similar musical meltdown, or
would they be able to rise above the tragedy and come out
stronger?
With the addition of guitarist David Gilmour to the fold, the
answer seemed to be the latter, as
A Saucerful Of Secrets proves to be a strong second outing
from the group. Admittedly, it is a bit of a change of pace,
especially coming from Barrett’s almost prose-like style of
writing, but it is a welcome addition to Pink Floyd’s musical
menu.
Granted, it seems like only the mid-level Floyd fans give this
disc the attention it deserves, while hangers-on worship the
popular discs to the point of oversaturation. Yet
A Saucerful Of Secrets proves to hold its own surprisingly
well, especially with the lineup and minor stylistic changes.
Tracks like “Remember A Day” and “Set The Controls For The Heart Of
The Sun” are probably the best remembered, and rightfully so, as
they are two strong outings that demonstrate the true power of the
re-vamped lineup. Likewise, Barrett’s lone contribution to the
disc, “Jugband Blues,” does not feel out of place here; rather, it
almost serves to act as a bridge between the two musical worlds
that Pink Floyd was trying to straddle.
Yet the standout track on this one, to my old ears, proves to be
“Corporal Clegg,” a track which does seem to act as the true
mid-point between the variations of Pink Floyd. A bit of a
child-like sing-song combined with solid musicianship make this
track, undoubtedly, one of the least appreciated yet among the best
that Pink Floyd has ever recorded.
This isn’t to say that
A Saucerful Of Secrets doesn’t take some getting used to;
the nearly 12-minute title track tries to build on the psychedelia
created one album prior on “Interstellar Overdrive,” yet this time
it doesn’t quite catch on like it should. It’s not a bad track, but
it’s not as praise-worthy as one might expect.
Looking back today, nearly 40 years after it was recorded, one
can see the beginning of the road that Pink Floyd would travel to
get to such classics as
The Dark Side Of The Moon.
A Saucerful Of Secrets was only the first step on that road,
but it turns out to be a solid one.
