A Gem of the Barrett Days

I imported this album a while ago and upon first listen I had high expectations for it, considering it was from the glory days of Syd and the Floyd.

Interstellar Overdrive- Best described in one word- wow. This cut is much better than the Piper cut and longer as well. Great listening.

Nick's Boogie- Don't let the title fool you- this is a dark improvisation by the Floyd. Syd is at best with the guitar and Mason shows a technical side to the drumming.

Now if you like Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Syd's solo work, grab 25 dollars and buy this now.

Acid-washed blue genes

I had both of these cuts on a pink vinyl bootleg for years.
GET THEM. They are essential, true tablets of psychedelic revelation. The Floyd performed like this all the time, back in the day; this is the *only* semi-authorized live document from their eariest incarnation available, anywhere. Genius? Madness? Cacophony? These recordings "Boldly go where no man has gone before", although Hawkwind charted and mapped this territory a couple years later, the Floyd were the first to explore the Final Frontier. This music will disassemble in your brain like a Rubic's Cube. It illustrates why the Floyd caught everyone's attention in the U.K. in the *first place*. Melts in your mind, not in your hand.

This set, with the CDR, is definitive. If you don't have the videotape "Live In London" (and very few people do) this is the only format available to view this footage, and it's SEMINAL stuff; get this, the Pink Floyd Singles CD, the mono rerelease of Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and *marvel* at the clarity of vision (ethnogenically induced though it be) of these visionary young men, and wonder: "What the hell happened?"

and on the first day, Syd said "let there be psychedelia".

This is Pink Floyd in their rawest and most experimental, cerebral-cortex-melting form. If ever you doubted Pink Floyd's early status as "The Kings of British Psychedelia," you need look no further than this. No lyrics, just all out, Syd Barrett-penned, lysergic, instrumental insanity. (And more use of echo than you can shake a stick at.) While the highlight here has to be Interstellar Overdrive, Nick's Boogie is absolutely exquisite in it's own right, with it's extremely lonely sounding echoed guitar and hollow drums. On a side note, this CD contains the most breath-taking moment in music history. After 16 minutes of pure experimentation, the entire band regroups and comes back to the main theme of the song. It's at this exact moment, the essence of Pink Floyd lies. No singular moment in their entire catalog (contrary to popular belief) even comes close. Just take a listen.....you'll see.

Close to How the Floyd Sounded Live in '66-'67

Pink Floyd, or "The Pink Floyd" as they were then known, first made a name for themselves by with their freaky, far out, free form improvisations of electronic music. The closest thing you get to that on "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" is "Interstellar Overdrive", however even that consists of two performances, one overdubbed on the other. Here you get a better sense of what they must have sounded like live. It may take some getting used to, however if you like the version of "Interstellar Overdrive" on "Piper", you'll probably also like this version- cut live and without overdubs and running sixteen minutes long. "Nick's Boogie" I find is not quite as interesting- more a series of effects than a musical mystery tour like "Interstellar Overdrive".

While this type of music made Pink Floyd popular at London psychedelic clubs such as UFO, it was not going to result in hit singles or even hit albums in all likelihood. As it happened, Syd Barrett, whose unpredictable effects-laden guitar playing led the Floyd along their improvisations, also had a knack for writing catchy psychedelic ditties of the sort that defined Floyd's first singles and most of the album "Piper at the Gates of Dawn". However that album and their hit singles bore so little relation to what they tended to do live that when they toured the UK in 1967, most audiences were utterly unprepared for, and appalled by, what they heard. So it's not surprising that these tracks weren't released at the time. Still, it's good that they were recorded and that we can hear them now and enjoy the Pink Floyd at their most far out and experimental.

Define Psychedelia:Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd

Talk about L S D!This CD spells it out! During "Insterstellar Overdrive," Syd's guitar work:using magnets and other odd things as slides, is pure disorientation. I love how the song goes: wicked-trippy-disorientation-trippy-wicked: purely improvised. During "Nick's Boogie," Nick Mason plays the drums like the sound of a heartbeat, then you hear swooshes and Rick Wright's organ playing, and swooshes and more of Syd's trippyness. These two instrumental pieces would just give you the feeling, that you don't know what to expect next! I would advise cranking it up full blast -the bass on the highest, turn the lights off, and just hold on. You don't know what you will get yourself into- that is, until you get this CD. You will go for a musical roller coaster of a ride. Just find out for yourself.

something else by something else

I may have taken the liberty of stating my opinion as if it were fact on my other reviews of Pink Floyd albums. That's probably because I just don't understand how anyone could fail to love their music. That Pink Floyd are the absolute greatest band ever is a matter of opinion. But if you are fortunate enough to appreciate their music then you will undoubtably like this recording of early 1967 jam sessions, which make it blatantly obvous that this band were the monarchs of experimentalism and originality. Music had never been heard like this before. The early Floyd played like jazz musicians, reacting to each other and improvising around chords. But they did it with electric guitars, an electric organ and a double drum kit. Very loud and VERY good. I recomend this almost solely to people who are fans of ALL of the Floyd's early output. In my view "Interstellar Overdrive" sets the standards of brilliance, which Pink Floyd would bring to all of the areas of music which they cared to venture into (and they ventured far and wide)in the following years. While an amazing piece of music by itself this CD is also notable for including Rick applying his knack of making the organ sound like everything from a group of violins to a blasting french horn. Syd, at various times throughout the two tracks makes his guitar sound like birds singing, door bells ringing, piano strings snapping and motorbike engines starting. Roger just plays bass of course but he is still vital to the sound with all of his free-form techniques. Nick keeps "Interstellar Overdrive" running at the appropriate pace and shows what an inventive drummer he was on "Nick's boogie". This is Pink Floyd opening their recording career at suitably groundbreaking volume and weirdness.