A Saucerful of Secrets
Pink Floyd's sophomore album, "A Saucerful of Secret," was very much a transition. Within the span of the album's recording, Pink Floyd had replaced its first songwriter, singer, and guitarist, Syd Barrett with David Gilmour, who would take over these roles for the rest of the band's career. Given the inopportune timing of his departure, there are songs written and performed by both Gilmour and Barrett, making for a very scattered and somewhat stylistically inconsistent album. The album is very much influenced by the sound that the band had established with Barrett. However, the remaining members of the band were far too sane to replicate the childish whimsy of the first album. Given Barrett's departure, the album took a darker, even more experimental direction than their debut album.
"Let There Be More Light" is a standard psychedelic rocker complete with soaring, modal guitar work, staccato organ lines, and mysterious vocals. This song in particular shows Barrett's continuing influence on the band, even though he did not write or sing the tune. "Remember a Day" is a flowery, folk-inspired tune with Pink Floyd's signature spacey sounds and tribal drumming from Nick Mason. "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is the track that best indicates the band's direction for the next couple of albums. Soft vocals hover above a mixture of haunting organ riffs and vibraphone colorings. "Corporal Clegg" is a bizarre anti-war song with angular guitars and a kazoo solo! "A Saucerful of Secrets" is among Pink Floyd's most experimental pieces. It is largely a stream of sound effects and strange noises that only becomes more conventional towards the very end. "See-Saw" is another folk song with a jazzier influence. The song features distinctive and often unpredictable rhythmic shifts and dreamlike instrumentation. "Jugband Blues" is Barrett's only official contribution to the album. It is an acoustic guitar song with lyrics that are nearly nonsensical and yet at the same time indicative of Barrett's worsening state of mind and his feelings on his impending removal from the band he started. Despite the whole album's creepiness, this song is without doubt its most haunting due to its lyrical sorrow.
"Saucerful" is hindered by the bizarre circumstances of its creation. However, given how trying the recording sessions must have been, there are a number of solid tracks that prove Pink Floyd were a band as resilient as they were inventive. "Saucerful" is not Pink Floyd's best work, but is nonetheless essential to the collection of any true fan of the band.
