A Saucerful of Secrets
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A Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by Pink Floyd. It was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios at various dates from August 1967 to April 1968. Due to Syd Barrett's declining mental state, this was to be the last Pink Floyd album he would work on.
Recording and structure
During its difficult recording sessions, Barrett became increasingly unstable and in January 1968 David Gilmour was brought in. Barrett finally left the band in early March, leaving the new incarnation of Pink Floyd to finish the album. As a result, A Saucerful of Secrets is the only non-compilation Pink Floyd album on which all five band members appear, with Gilmour appearing on four songs ("Let There Be More Light", "Corporal Clegg", "A Saucerful of Secrets", and "See-Saw") and Barrett on three ("Remember a Day", "Jugband Blues" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun").
As well as "Jugband Blues", the album was to include "Vegetable Man," another Syd Barrett song. However, the band believed "Vegetable Man", with its autobiographical lyrics, was unsuitable for inclusion and so it was left off the album. The song was to appear on a single as the b-side to another unreleased track, "Scream Thy Last Scream". Two additional Syd Barrett songs "In The Beechwoods" and "No Title" were also recorded early in the sessions for the album.
Keyboardist Richard Wright sings lead or backing vocals on four of the album's seven songs, making this the only Pink Floyd album where Wright's vocal contributions outnumber those of the rest of the band. This was also the only album to contain lead vocals by all five Pink Floyd members (Mason sings lead parts on "Corporal Clegg").
Album cover
This is the first of several Pink Floyd album covers designed by Hipgnosis, and was only the second time that an EMI group (The Beatles were the first) was permitted to hire outside designers for an album jacket.[1] Certain elements of the collage are taken from page 25 of Marvel Comics' Strange Tales #158 (1967), including the face of the Living Tribunal in the upper left, Doctor Strange along the right edge and the image of a string of planets entering a whirlpool that runs through the center of the design.
The title track was David Gilmour's first professional songwriting credit. His name is incorrectly spelled "Gilmore", an error that would persist on all pressings until finally being corrected with the 1994 remastered version.
Songs from the album
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Like The Piper at the Gates of Dawn before it, the album contains space rock and psychedelic rock songs.[citation needed] But unlike Piper, which was dominated by Syd Barrett's compositions, A Saucerful of Secrets contains only one original Barrett song, "Jugband Blues".
With Barrett seemingly detached from proceedings,[citation needed] it came down to Roger Waters and Richard Wright to provide adequate material. The opening "Let There Be More Light" penned by Waters, continues the space rock approach established by Barrett. Both "Remember a Day" and "See-Saw" use the child-like approach that was established on their debut. Wright remained critical of his early contributions to the band.[citation needed]
"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (another Waters composition) is a space rock number which was first performed with Barrett in 1967. The success of the track was such that it remained in their live set-list until 1973 where it appeared in a greatly extended form. Waters later performed the track during solo concerts from 1984 and later. Waters borrowed the lyrics from a book of Chinese Poetry from the Tang Dynasty, like Barrett had used in "Chapter 24".
"Corporal Clegg," written by Roger Waters, is the first Pink Floyd song to address issues of war, a theme which would endure throughout the career of Waters as a songwriter for the band, culminating in the 1983 album The Final Cut. This song also features Nick Mason on backing vocals, marking the first official release in which use is made of Mason's vocals, and the only one of which that he is heard singing. His (spoken) voice also appears in the song "One of These Days" on their album Meddle.
Release history
The album was released that June as both mono (SX 6258) and stereo (SCX 6258) LPs in the United Kingdom, where it reached #9 on the charts.[citation needed] It was released by Capitol and Tower in the United States, where it remains the only Pink Floyd album to not chart.[citation needed] However, when reissued as A Nice Pair, with the original version of Piper after the success of The Dark Side of the Moon the album did chart at #39 on the Billboard Hot 200.[citation needed]
The CD stereo mix of the album was first released in 1987, and in 1992 was digitally remastered and reissued on CD as a part of the Shine On box-set. The remastered stereo CD was released on its own in 1994 in the UK, and then in April 1995 in the US. The mono mix version of the album has never been officially released on CD, although Bootleg CD versions do exist.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let There Be More Light" | Waters | Gilmour, and Wright | 5:38 |
| 2. | "Remember a Day" | Wright | Wright | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" | Waters | Waters | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Corporal Clegg" | Waters | Gilmour, Wright, Mason, Barrett | 4:13 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Saucerful of Secrets" | Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason | Instrumental | 11:52 |
| 2. | "See-Saw" | Wright | Wright | 4:36 |
| 3. | "Jugband Blues" | Barrett | Barrett | 3:00 |
Singles
- "Remember a Day" (edit) / "Let There Be More Light" (edit) (19 August 1968, U.S. release only)
Non-album singles
- "It Would Be So Nice" / "Julia Dream" (19 April 1968, 7" UK release)
- "See Emily Play" / "The Scarecrow" (22 July 1968, U.S. re-release 7")
- "Point Me at the Sky" / "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (6 December 1968, 7" UK release)
Personnel
- Pink Floyd
- Roger Waters – bass guitar, vocals
- Richard Wright – piano, organ, mellotron, vibraphone, vocals
- David Gilmour – guitar, vocals, kazoo
- Nick Mason – drums, percussion, vocals on "Corporal Clegg"
- Syd Barrett – guitar on "Remember a Day" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", acoustic guitar and vocals on "Jugband Blues"
- Additional personnel
- Norman Smith – drums and backing vocals on "Remember a Day"
- The Salvation Army (The International Staff Band) on "Jugband Blues":
Sales chart performance
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | UK Albums Chart | 9[2] |
Notes
- ^ http://www.pinkfloyd-co.com/disco/saucer/saucer_album.html
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Chart Stats - Pink Floyd". www.chartstats.com. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
