1967's "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is the one that started it all for Pink Floyd, back in the early days when bassist Roger Waters, keyboardist Richard Wright & drummer Nick Mason were led by the genius, but doomed singer/guitarist Syd Barrett. Psychedelic rock doesn't get much more trippier than "Piper," a totally far-out collection of avant-garde space rock, songs about gnomes and scarecrows, off-the-wall production and sound effects, and superb performances by a tight British art-rock band that were destined to become rock legends. Although he made one last "cameo" appearance with the Floyd on their second album, "A Saucerful Of Secrets" with that album's closing number, "Jugband Blues," the lion's share of Syd Barrett's legacy with the band is all contained right here on "Piper," barring a few early singles. Writing all but one song, and, with a charismatic singing voice and incredible guitar-playing skills, Barrett was truly a musical genius, and his equally-talented bandmates match him song for song. Every track on the album is a highlight in it's own right, but certainly worth mentioning are such tracks as the opening space rock of "Astronomy Domine," the before-there-was-alternative alternative rock of "Lucifer Sam," the far-out instrumentals "Pow R Toc H" and "Interstellar Overdrive," the frenetic rock of "Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk" (written & sung by Waters, in his debut composition for the band), the charming tale of "The Gnome," and the classic, half children's song/half freak-out finale, "Bike," which starts out cheerily enough before giving way to some deliciously wacko noises and sound effects.Sadly, and tragically, shortly after the release of "Piper," Syd Barrett's experimentations with psychedelic drugs ultimately destroyed him, and he was finally ousted from the band. Roger Waters more-or-less took over as the group's leader, and Barrett's vacated slot was filled by guitarist David Gilmour. Barrett, despite his drug-addicted state, would record a pair of solo albums before dropping out of the music business altogether. Not well enough to look after himself, he quietly lived in the care of family members until his death in 2006. Pink Floyd, meanwhile, would go on to major superstardom and sell millions of albums, with such classics as "Dark Side Of The Moon," "Wish You Were Here," "Animals" and "The Wall." But "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" was the band's very first chapter, and one that would not have been possible without the great Syd Barrett. "Piper" is outstanding psychedelic rock, and a Pink Floyd classic. And thank you, Syd, wherever you are.

Wondering and dreaming, the words have different meanings, Yes, they did ... (Matilda Mother). This album is so full of charm, wit, creativity and artistry that it might as well be called "Syd At The Gates Of Dawn": "There was a king , Who Ruled the land, His majesty, was in command, With silver eyes, The scarlet eagle, Showered silver on the people ..." (Matilda Mother again).

He is the Pied Piper here, leading the way through lime and limpid green: "Floating down, the sound resounds, around the icy waters underground, Jupiter and Saturn Oberon Miranda and Titania Neptune Titan - Stars can frighten" (Astronomy Domine). And through spacey, but playful musings: "You're the left side, He's the right side, Oh no! Somewhere, Anywhere, Always by your side" (Lucifer Sam, about a cat, that could describe the shifting waves of Interstellar Overdrive, my favorite on here probably). The soundscape brought together here (forming a unique, far-out conceptual universe) is energetic and adventurous pandemonium!

Even the song by Waters on here, Take Up Thy Stethescope & Walk, is funny and WATERS down the boyish wonder and beauty gazing with a familiar dose of gloom: "gold is lead, choke on bread, underfed, Jesus bled ... Gruel ghoul greasy spoon, used spoon, dark doom" (he's just getting started, looking back. Don't get me wrong, I admire all of his later work, he took the band to great places, as did the other members).

Change return success! Thousands of journeys began with a single step. Thank you Syd and the band, this is a whimsical and trippy delight! I have always been fascinated by the quirky poetry and unusual melodies Syd's songs contain, and his guitar playing was fantastic.

"[Syd's] got a Bike, you can ride it if you like ... and a clan of gingerbread men, take a couple if you wish, they're on the dish" (Bike). "Look at the sky, Look at the river, isn't it good? Winding, Finding places to go ..." (The Gnome). "Streaming through the starlit skies ... Hey ho here we go, ever so high, Alone in the clouds all blue, lying on an eiderdown, yippee! You can't see me, but I can see you" (Flaming). Here is a visionary you WANT to follow! That cat's something I can't explain (Lucifer Sam). This is certainly one of the most influential (psychedelic) albums of all time. Enjoy!

"Across the stream with wooden shoes,
Bells to tell the King the news
A thousand misty riders
Climb up Higher, ONCE UPON A TIME"

PEACE! We love you and wish you well Syd ... may your wooden shoes carry you to better lands that you could always so easily see.

The difference between Barrett and Waters is that of an artist and an architect. Barrett himself said so in '71, dismissing his old band as performing like 'architecture students'. Where the Dark Side of the Moon for eg is masterfully constructed and produced, this album is light years ahead in terms of originality and inspiration, and the highlight of the performance rests in Barrett's impulsive, propulsive & captivating guitar. He's probably the finest example of a guitarist who doesn't particularly care about the technicalities, but has the ear and the creativity to play brilliantly. He blends Keith Richard's style blues licks with his own brand of chromatic runs and choppy rhythms, some of his work is a note-by-note precursor to Robert Smith. His songs throughout 'Piper' are luminous, vital, original creations that in no way mirror the stodgy and turgid muck that is to be found on later Floyd albums. The album stands today as a fine example of creative visionary songwriting at its peak. Do people realise that David Bowie made a most astute appraisal when he said..."...after Syd Barrett there was no more Pink Floyd". Period.

I don't necessarily like writing long, lengthy reviews, so I'll try to keep the review medium length...

Don't buy this CD if you're expecting the Floyd sound and material from their seventies heyday. Buy this album if you want to listen to some excellent, trippy, spacey psychedelic music at its very best. For one thing, this isn't the classic lineup of Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason, with Waters at the helm of such timeless albums as The Wall and Wish You Were Here. This is the ORIGINAL lineup of Syd Barrett, Waters, Wright, and Mason, with lead guitarist, songwriter, and singer Barrett at the controls, and it proves to be one of their best albums (I think it is actually THE best.)

The one major factor which makes this album so great is that the songs are simply amazing. I don't mean that in a real technical way (as in super fast guitar playing and Keith Moon style drumming,) but the fact that this CD really will blow your mind if listened to properly (the real effect comes only if you're stoned, but for a nice substitute, put it on the stereo, turn out the lights and kick back and close your eyes.)

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn combines a nice mix of longer, spacey songs (Interstellar Overdrive, Astronomy Domine, Pow R. Toc H., etc.) with short, extremely catchy pop songs (The Gnome, Lucifer Sam, Bike, Scarecrow, and pretty much the rest) for a pleasant, out of this world listening experience.

If you're new to Floyd, I recommend you pick this album up first, for it is much better than the seventies stuff (don't get me wrong, Dark Side of the Moon, Animals, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall are all EXCELLENT albums, and I own each one of them, but this still beats them.) If you've already got their material when they peaked, perhaps you should download a few MP3's before purchasing right away. If you like one song, you're pretty much guaranteed to like the rest.

To sum, pick up this psychedelic classic for a guaranteed out of your mind experience. You won't be disappointed that you paid $13.00 for it... in fact, you'll probably listen to it over and over again.

Most importantly, Syd IS Floyd!

Rock on, brothers and sisters!

Well I finally picked up this amazing CD and can honestly say it was money well spent. The significant difference between this Syd Barrett guided disc and the later discs guided by Roger Waters & David Gilmore is almost beyond words. If you listen to this expecting the PF of DSOTM or the Wall you will be extremely disappointed. Check out the stellar craftsmanship of the songs here and guitarmanship of Syd. Sure, we are all used to Gilmore's beautiful guitar work but I wonder where the band would be had Syd been around. Most of you have heard Astronomy Domine, Interstellar Overdrive and maybe even Bike. Pow R Toch H is spacey and touches on the experimentation that would show in the bands later discs. The Gnome is a simple, playful little ballad. About the only drawback is Roger Waters early attempt at songwriting, Take Up thy Stethoscope and Walk, (The only reason for 4 stars). Some of the more standout tracks are Lucifer Sam, Matilda Mother & Interstellar Overdrive. Syd, we miss you and wish you well. Thanks for a terrific album. If you're a PF fan then you must own this.