That very last track, Syd's last contribution, the closing line "What exactly is a joke" is just haunting.

Hi Justin, talking about favourite Pink Floyd album... While for me it's impossible to chose one, there is one album that is definitely amongst the favourites that is by far most underrated - 'Obscured by Clouds'. A hidden gem recorded in 8 days in the middle of The Dark Side of the Moon sessions. I have no doubts that you would truly enjoy it a lot. And while we talk about an underrated gems - Mike Oldfields 'Tubular Bells 3' is on another level, a true masterpiece.

Hey Justin!. Thankyou for giving this a spin. I love that you enjoyed the album. As far as the title track's concerned, the studio version is not as strong as the live versions, of which there are many!. The version I first heard was in the "Live In Pompeii" movie, where you get to see them perform this piece and I love it!. The version on the 1969 album "Ummagumma" is live too and it is also a good version .My favourite version though is, (hope you're still awake reading this JP) on one of the many live albums that have been released over the past few years, it's 22 minutes long and it is beautiful chaos, love it, but then I am into the abstract🙃. "See-saw", I think, is about siblings going their separate ways as they get older. "Jug Band Blues" is definitely Syd telling the others that he's well aware of the situation and has resigned himself to leaving and for that, it is sad. I love this album from start to finish and I do and always will favour the early years. My fave Floyd album?...1969's "More". I don't care that it's known as a soundtrack album because it is still a PF album with fantastic songs, which btw I'd like to see you react to someday???. Cheers Justin, an enjoyable afternoon.

@TimvanderLeeuw

Жыл бұрын

"More" is also among my favourite Pink Floyd albums, has always been! Along with this album, "Saucerful of Secrets". And that "noodling" on the song Saucerful of Secrets, I have always enjoyed that too actually... 😅 "Obscured by Clouds" is another of my favourite Pink Floyd albums.

@cosmiccat6708

Жыл бұрын

@@TimvanderLeeuw Yes, I actually love the experimental stuff. "Obscured..."...great album also. Another soundtrack is of course, "Zabriskie Point", though it is a various artists album, it has a number of good Floyd tracks on there, imo. The earlier work is more ethereal and upbeat than the later stuff and it's what I'd rather listen to, but that's just me!

@TimvanderLeeuw

Жыл бұрын

@@cosmiccat6708 I do love Wish You Were Here & Dark Side of the Moon, but the older and more experimental works are somehow just more special to me. Atom Heart Mother is another one of their favourite albums of mine. And I no really care anymore for any of their albums after Wish You Were Here - I'm still kind of fond of Division Bell, I just never play it anymore.

@cosmiccat6708

Жыл бұрын

@@TimvanderLeeuw All bands should progress, otherwise the sound would get stale, so while I, of course rate WYWH, DSOTM and Animals highly, I just happen to get more out of the early sounds, Atom Heart Mother included. I don't really go to the last couple of albums either. They are good but as a listening experience I tend to lose interest quickly.

@DavidImiri

Жыл бұрын

Yes Justin, Obscured By Clouds and More definitely qualify as "real" Pink Floyd albums, and are more than worth a spin.

I'm sure I'm not the first or last to comment about it, but the Live at Pompeii version of "A Saucerful of Secrets" blows the studio version out of the water. I remember really liking this album when I was going through their discography in high school. Now, I find it a bit of a slog outside of the first two tracks. "Remember a Day" is a true gem, easily on my list of most underrated Pink Floyd tracks. And since you mentioned it, "Vegetable Man" would be on there too. One of Syd's best and the closest Pink Floyd ever got to sounding punk. Well worth checking out, even though it wasn't officially released until 2016

@DavidImiri

Жыл бұрын

I agree - you haven't heard Saucerful of Secrets until you've heard the Live at Pompeii version, or from any good bootleg from the period. The studio version is flat and stilted in comparison. And seeing Mason just shredding that drum riff - I can't imagine anyone getting bored. Take note JP, give it a watch, and not just for that track of course, it's an amazing film.

@krisdoggett483

Жыл бұрын

@@DavidImiri 💯👍

A thoroughly enjoyable hour and a quarter. Rick Wright's two contributions are the stand-out tracks for me, with Set The Controls a very close third. I think See Saw is just about how childhood friendships can fall apart as people grow into adults. For anyone interested in this stage of Floyd's development I can recommend tracks such as It Would Be So Nice, Paint Box and Julia Dream, all short but very sweet. The last single to feature Syd, Apples And Oranges, is also worth a listen.

@TimvanderLeeuw

Жыл бұрын

Most of these songs can be found on "Relics", but I believe that Apples and Oranges is not on there... A very nice song by Syd.

@vincestapels2022

Жыл бұрын

Even Point Me at the Sky is a interesting track... Definitely less so than most Pink Floyd, but great compared to a lot of contemporary Psych Pop of the late 60's.

@FLASHAHOLIC_TV

Жыл бұрын

'Come in number 51, your time is up' is also epic from this period. It will blow JP's nads off

Lastly, I have always had a lot of mixed feelings over Syd Barrett and Daniel Johnson and how their manages exploited their decline, Jenner and King were the original PF managers, and when Syd was let go, those managers went with Syd. To their credit Roger and David did help with Syd's solo work, but I find it pretty disjointed. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I think Syd was too mythologized. I would be fascinated to have Justin at least tackle "The Madcap Laughs" as a listen.

Wonderfull album with some old classic’s. And Syd Barret’s last Floyd song, a beauty. And of course Wright wrote a beauty too.

Any day is a good day for Pink Floyd. Nick did a great thing with his recent solo tour called Saucerful of Secrets. He put together a group of fine musicians to play a collection of old Floyd songs live. Relics if you may. They gave the old classics a new life and they really sound great live. P.S. - Would you ever feel like doing a full reggae album. Peter Tosh with Bush Doctor. He does a duet with Mick Jagger on one of the songs. "Don't Look Back"

There are 3 versions of Saucer that I'm aware of and this is the weakest. You really need to watch the Pompeii version which is sublime. You'll still have to listen to 5 minutes of noodling but the end is significantly longer and just beautiful. Also, live and watching it, the noodley stuff is better.

@shyshift

Жыл бұрын

I agree. The version of A Saucerful Of Secrets is indirectly explained by David Gilmour in the Pompeii movie by his quote: “It would be an interesting experiment to just throw 4 guys who knew nothing about the equipment into the studio and just say here you go get on with it…. I think it would be very interesting but I still think we’d come off better.” That to me is pretty much what the beginning of the tune sounds like. When you watch how they actually create the music live you realize it is space Music Concrete and can be written out on paper. It’s my favorite part of the film in fact. Justin maybe you could do a long movie Saturday.

ooh, I've been waiting for this one

Long time I haven't listen to this. Though I have Piper memorized, perhaps I like more this one. Justin, you're making me love it more.

Pink Floyd would never have existed without Syd and we would never have heard of them!!

@krisdoggett483

Жыл бұрын

True but then they'd never would've been as successful or as widely known if he had stayed and David was never brought in. Gilmour is a much better guitarist and vocalist.

@lemming9984

Жыл бұрын

True, but I'm glad he "left". They got a lot better later.

I love this album so much!

@jerkedevries

Жыл бұрын

Me too! Listening in its entirety

@cosmiccat6708

Жыл бұрын

@@jerkedevries Me three! All of it in it's glory!

The psychedelia is still very present on this album. To me Pink Floyd is behind to Yes and Genesis and Camel, but "Set The Controls..." is a great song with its Eastern feel.

Regarding the title track. Please don't forget that this is EXATLY where Pink floyd hails from. Before they became a prog-rock band, they were doing experimental/psychodelic music mostly. Don't be misled by their later more palatable music. A Saucerful of Secrets is an example of what they have been doing, especially during concerts, in their early career. Also, think of this piece not just musicaly but also grapically. To me it is a conflict, perhaps a nuclear one, which ends with radioactive fallout and seeming (but ominous) calm, Or, a conflict ending with everlasting peace. Hell after which heaven awaits.

Let There Be More Light is such an underappreciated track. It's the perfect opening imo.

The version of saucerful on live at Pompeii is infinitely better than the album version.

@sixbladeknife44

Жыл бұрын

💯

I see I need more than an hour. I need to slot some time for your review. I will be back. I promise. This album slipped my net the first time around.

I definitely prefer their live BBC performances to their albums, but A Saucerful of Secrets is a great album. Hard to pick a favourite, probably Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun

Also a fan of Animals, as fave album. Starting with DSotM as, then grew too much of an appreciation for The Wall, then found the perfect balance with Animals. Perhaps interesting, I think Wish You Were Here has been the second favorite through all of that. 'Saucerful of Secrets' live performance from the Live at Pompeii video is one of my favorite individual performances of a song by them. It might be worth the second consideration. That version of 'part IV Celestial Voices' is too good to pass up. And when a part is titled 'Syncopated Pandemonium' you kind of know what you will be in for... and they do it so well. This studio version of the song has always seemed a bit dull to me compared to their live performances of it on Pompeii and Ummagumma. Thanks for making the full version available, really enjoyed!

The title track is yawnsville/self indulgent for my tastes. It reminds me of certain later so-called "style/genre of music" which I won't mention, as certain folks think it's really cool? I'll take "Piper" every time over anything else the band did. If it wasn't for Syd...

Watched the full reaction on Patreon, really enjoyed! ✌️

The first two lps are fantastic.

Animals as well. And the first time I heard the title track was watching the Pompeii film. Paired with the visuals, I think that helped me appreciate it more than just hearing the original studio version.

"Corporal Clegg" is the first of many tracks in which Waters tries to exorcise the ghost of the loss of his father. The entire albums of The Wall and The Final Cut are self-psychoanalysis largely around the effects of that loss. I felt the same way about the track ""A Saucerful of Secrets" when I first heard it - it does grow on you though. And "Vegetable Man" is a solo Syd song. PS - Meddle is probably my favourite PF album, but it's a close call.

See Saw and Jugband Blues are the highlights of this album for me. From your comments about liking the acoustic and sad ending of Jugband Blues, I strongly suggest you listen to the Syd Barrett solo song titled Opel.

Piece of trivia: "Corporal Clegg" has rare singing by Nick Mason ("He won it in the war..."); he also took the lead for the long-unreleased "Scream Thy Last Scream", which he will NOT sing with his current band. In defense of the sister in "See-Saw": it could also be that the closeness the two young siblings felt for each other faded as they matured and got separate lives, to the brother's regret.

Yes, this was a transitional album (as you can hear on "Jug Band Blues", Syd was not a very stable person by this point), although more than one member of PF has named it their favorite album, and the title track their fave PF song. Of the songs here only "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" became a staple of later set lists. Everyone in PF would talk later about the importance of the title track, and it provided a template for many later PF epics (plus much of the Ummagumma project.) I also personally love Rick's two songs, especially "Remember A Day", which Dave Gilmour played on Jools Holland's program as a tribute after Rick passed. SoS is rarely high on people's fave PF albums list, but it was important in giving them confidence that they could continue without Syd's artistic leadership, and that David Gilmour was the right guy to replace him. The album closes the Syd era and opens the second, pre-Dark Side period of wild experimentation, soundtracks, and their most progressive albums. It's personally my favorite PF period (wonderfully performed by Nick Mason and his Saucerful of Secrets band in their recent live shows.) You may not care for it, but can you imagine a major label letting a band make an album like this today? Good times...

Let There Be More Light is an awesome track.... yeah and Zopp is really good... they've even got that distorted organ sound of Dave Stewart.

@antonioiniguez1615

Жыл бұрын

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun is my favorite on the album

Syd never left the band. One of the reasons Pink Floyd was so special.

A Saucerful of Sucrets is great if you have a sore throat.

@Alix777.

Жыл бұрын

?

This and Atom Heart Mother are my favorite Pink Floyd psychodelic albuns. I don´t agree with the majority as always. Some albuns seems that were made for me - and Yes, the track "Saucerful of secrets" is the weakest, and should be shorter, but the band just LOVED to play it live . the live "Sauceful of Secrets" video in Pompei is absolutelly georgeus, though - even if this song is still random noises for the first part.

@jerkedevries

Жыл бұрын

‘Difficult’ music can be very much rewarding … and often times you’re not alone. Many years ago I couldn’t get through this album ( I only knew wishyouwerehere and a momentary lapse of reason; the wall I didn’t like either) but I changed, and after Justin’s review I bought this album (the psychedelic title track pulled me in!)

Great reaction, JP 😊 I think my favourite parts of the record might be 'Set the Controls...' and the 'Celestial Voices' part of the title track 😊 I think 'Corporal Clegg' was the first time Waters wrote about that particular theme. I also think it was the first (and thankfully, last!) time the band utilized the kazoo, if I am not mistaken 😅 And 'Jugband Blues' is just haunting; a self-portrayal (conscious or not) of sorts? Anyway, not my favourite album by the Floyd by any means, yet there are some interesting hints of things to come on it 😊

Definitely should try they played A Saucerful of Secret at Pompeii. The things after that chaos are worth it just like Echoes. Studio version ended in a way that nobody was satisfied enough in my opinion.

I put Nick Mason's Saucerful of secrets on par with seeing David Gilmour or Roger Waters. Seeing the older material was truly magical.... the cherry on top was when Roger came out to sing Set the controls for the heart of the sun!

Starts and ends well! ❤

as I'm sure you know by now .... Nick Mason has put together a touring band and calls it Saucerful of Secrets .... they play the entire album live plus other stuff .... early stuff , talkin' Syd days ... a friend and myself went and sat in the front row ........ easily THE LOUDEST show I have ever been to ..... I was actually concerned for myself health wise , like my heart ... as I'm no spring chicken anymore .... litterally being pushed back in my seat ..... I thought of the Elton John lyric .... solid walls of sound .... and the old school memorex TV AD .... with the guy with long hair sitting in front of speakers and his hair blows back

@scratchinscotty7702

4 ай бұрын

I'm sure its on youtube somewhere

I always feel myself that up-to and including Meddle were them serving their apprenticeship. Learning their trade. Darkside of the Moon was their Graduation.

@a.k.1740

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it could be.... That's probably why I prefer Pink Floyd as apprentices rather than as graduates ! 😉

This was a great reaction. When I was young, this was easily my least favorite album but after revisiting it years later, I realized how great this album is aside from the first 8 minutes of the title track. I absolutely love the Celestial Voices section at the end though, and looking back I realized that the first 8 minutes of side 2 is what soured me on the album as a whole. I'm glad I can now separate that section from the rest because it's fantastic without it. Thanks, JP! Looking forward to more early Pink Floyd. If you're so inclined, there's a disc of music from the Shine On boxset that is all the early singles from 1967-70 that never made it onto an album. I would suggest you treat that as an album unto itself and do an album listen at some point. Maybe next before you get to Ummagumma, where the live portion is great but the studio version is hit or miss for me. Each member was given the task of writing a quarter of the studio portion. Gilmour's and Waters' work is the standout here, imo.

My favourite album is Atom Heart Mother, and yes, I skipped about 7 minutes of the title track but that's all.

@sethcoma

Жыл бұрын

you skip parts of Atom Heart Mother but not Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast:?

@themoogle22

Жыл бұрын

@@sethcoma No, my comment was based on his comment at the end of his patreon video. I skipped 7 minutes of Saucerful. Atom Heart Mother is my second favourite song/tune of all time. I'm not skipping a second of that masterpiece.

Justin, it's uncanny you are listening to this, as I was just listening to this again, the "More" soundtrack, and Barrett's "Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett", and sorry folks, I am not the most massive fan of Barrett's solo work, but interesting.

An overlooked but fascinating album in Pink Floyd's long repertoire. It catches the band at a crucial stage in their career, trying to move forward without their leader Syd Barrett. Although I prefer the debut, this is still a good record. My favourite track has to be "Remember A Day" (actually a Piper outtake with Syd playing slide guitar). Rick Wright was the only member who could write Syd-like songs apart from Syd himself. They would soon move away from this style completely. Elsewhere I have a soft spot for the title track (the first section is downright scary), which is an early attempt at a prog battle epic (is there an earlier example?). Yes basically took what Pink Floyd did here and perfected it with "The Gates Of Delirium".

Wish You Were Here

I love the opening track on this one though the lyrics are kind of wonky. Good album overall. I knew you'd not care for the title track. I hope that you will consider watching the Live at Pompeii film on your movie channel. Great stuff.

My favourite is Dark Side of the Moon, no other album even comes close to it (can't say I'm particularly looking forward to The Wall, which I find goes on for far too long). I think this album is considered a bit patchy and transitional between the Syd and post-Syd era. I enjoyed the first side more, and found the last track rather sad in the light of what happened to Syd. I predict that Justin will not enjoy Revolution 9 when we get to that point in the White Album, given his reaction to the Saucerful track 😄

Honestly, with the track a saucerful of secrets, the live versions are waaay better, particularly the verison released on the live album of Ummagumma (the bands 4th album) and as well as the version performed on Live at Pompeii 1972

Even if it's a transitional album with some questionable stuff (including the title track which nevertheless contains a very beautiful final section) I prefer A Saucerful of Secrets to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Overall it's rather a solid album, with a preference for the two tracks by Rick Wright.

Yes - slightly underrated PF album; though it has its flaws - especially the disjointed, eventless title track. Only the ending with the organ is really worthwhile, but then that is still tame and almost enjoyable compared to some of the experimentation they did on 'Ummagumma'.

Be prepared for Revolution #9.

A very interesting reaction to the album, Justin. We completely disagree about the title track. We love this kind of very abstract stuff - no melody at all, just a lot of weird sound effects. To get into this kind of music you have to completely switch off your mind. Our own band Dark Goddesses (that consists of the two of us, our daughters Alice and Dorothy, Jean's sister Beatrice and her wife Charlotte) has a similar track which we call "Total Destruction". Friederike lays out a drum pattern, Beatrice makes screeching noises on a saxophone, Alice makes weird noises on an EMS synthi AKS, Dorothy shrieks away on an electric violin, Charlotte makes crashing noises on an electric harp with heavy use of a distortion pedal (you would never believe these sounds are made by a harp), and I, Jeanine, make weird noises on a theremin. The track starts very quietly but just gets louder and louder and louder until in the end it is one huge cacophony. The track is very well received by our audience. The band only plays at our restaurant, by the way; we have a stage in it and also a beer garden with a stage.

ASFOS destroys the 1st album imo, See-Saw and Remember a day are beautiful tracks and massively overlooked. Can't wait to see JP's reaction to the Narrow Way Part 3 on the next album. The original Comfortably Numb!!!

Ok. First listen to this album for me too. I was onboard to include Set The Controls then it fell off. Some I have heard before elsewhere and I too like the Pompeii versions of those cuts.

Easily one of the weirdest sounding albums of all time. The mix approximates the album cover approximates the mix. Earthy dark murky ooze. The boys push 4-track technology to it's limits and it shows in the ultra wide stereo and crackly pan pots. Also, Remember A Day absolutely has Nick on drums. His style all the way. See Saw on the other had sounds nothing like him and the feel is completely different.

You asked before side two... Animals is my favorite then Wish you were here.

1:18 😎

Animals is the best!!

Without Barrett the group was stuck for songwriting. They worked on several soundtracks (Zabriski Point, More, Obscured by Clouds) and experimented (Umma Gumma, Atom Heart Mother) before creating "Meddle". On this album you can hear them imitating themselves: 'Remember a Day' sounds like 'See Emily Play', 'Corporal Clegg' = 'Arnold Layne', the title track = 'Interstellar Overdrive', 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' = 'Astronomy Domine'.

The live version of a saucerful... on umagumma is better and shorter.

Still no gaurantee that you'll like it but as mentioned the Live from Pompeii version is better co-ordinated. kzread.info/dash/bejne/pKKhraWCf6-5lLQ.html

Don't get too excited about The Wall - most of the cards come crashing down at that point. Listen again, instead to SoS where you can hear the progression from fun experimental psychedelic band to more serious purveyors of classic prog with unforgettable melodies. Set the Controls and Saucerful are the highlights. 'Overshadowed' is a good description - how can it not be when AHM, Meddle, DSotM and WYWH were to come?

Oh man If you hate the song saucerful of secrets, do not listen to Ummagumma!

It's terrible how you all take it apart. I can' listen to your laughter.

@JustJP

4 сағат бұрын

Per the opening, the music was blocked, but you can watch the full reaction (free) via the link in the description 👍

Oh yeah, early floyd... sarcasm, come on in, the waters lovely. A rather bland affair of what passes for tired, now dated, 60's schlock, and hippy dippy experimentalism. Oh and not forgetting the worse of the bunch, that dreadful closer... RAD, had a modicum of merit to start, but it soon fades. Also, is this a bit of a floyd overload. What with the looming spectre of 'the wall' due any minute. How much floyd's a guy supposed to take.

@Alix777.

Жыл бұрын

First album is awesome...but this one eww...never manage to listen to it entirely...

@themoogle22

Жыл бұрын

Love this album. The title track is weak, the rest of it is great, the two Wright tracks are sublime.

@pentagrammaton6793

Жыл бұрын

Floyd were never much cop tbh.

@themoogle22

Жыл бұрын

@@pentagrammaton6793Lol, one of the most successful bands of all time who's success was mainly down to their music, unlike bands like the Beatles who were known the world over by adoring fans, Floyd were almost faceless. You're entitled to your opinion but seriously, lol.

@pentagrammaton6793

Жыл бұрын

@@themoogle22 I am serious. They were never that interesting as a psychedelic outfit, they were never very skillful musicians so they couldn't compete with the real prog bands, and they had a cold sound that was pretentious to a fault and devoid of humour. I can tolerate some of their early 70s stuff, but everything after Dark Side quite frankly can go sit in the corner.