A Saucerful of Secrets

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A Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 28 June 1968 by EMI Columbia in the UK and in the US by Tower Records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The mental health of the singer and guitarist Syd Barrett deteriorated during recording, so David Gilmour was recruited; Barrett left the band before the album's completion.

Whereas Barrett had been the primary songwriter on Pink Floyd's debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), on A Saucerful of Secrets each member contributed songwriting and lead vocals. Gilmour appeared on all but two songs, while Barrett contributed to three.<ref name=Players92>Template:Cite book</ref> "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is the only song on which all five members appear.

Following "Remember a Day," the sessions for A Saucerful of Secrets included several unreleased tracks that showcased Syd Barrett's increasingly erratic state of mind. Songs like "Vegetable Man," a raw and chaotic composition about alienation, and "Scream Thy Last Scream," with its unsettling vocals and disjointed structure, reflected Barrett's deteriorating mental health and growing detachment from reality.Template:Sfn Other tracks, such as "Reaction in G" captured his unpredictable creativity, blending surreal lyrics with experimental sounds.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> These recordings, largely unreleased at the time due to their unconventional nature and concerns about Barrett's condition, provide a stark contrast to the band's earlier work and highlight the challenges Pink Floyd faced during this transitional period.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

A Saucerful of Secrets reached number nine in the UK charts, but did not chart in the US until April 2019, peaking at number 158. It received mostly positive reviews, though many critics have deemed it inferior to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Recording

Pink Floyd released their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in August 1967.Template:Sfn Work began on A Saucerful of Secrets in the same month at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London with the producer Norman Smith.<ref name="MCLM23-25">Template:Citation</ref> The first songs recorded were "Scream Thy Last Scream", written by the singer and guitarist, Syd Barrett, and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", written by the bassist, Roger Waters; despite having only two complete takes of the former,<ref name=Irgh187>Template:Cite book</ref> "Scream Thy Last Scream" was viewed as a potential single.<ref name=DarkG262>Palacios 2010, p. 262</ref> Both songs were recorded on 7 and 8 August 1967.<ref name="DarkG262" /><ref name="MCLM23">Jones 2003, p. 23</ref><ref name="Irgh186">Chapman 2010, p. 186</ref> They were planned for release as a single on 8 September, but this was vetoed by Pink Floyd's record company, EMI.<ref name="Lost180">Palacios 1998, p. 180</ref>

Following a brief European tour,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in early October of '67, the band returned to the studio and recorded "Vegetable Man", another Syd Barrett composition (who also performed lead vocals), and "Scream Thy Last Scream" which was again rescheduled for release, only this time with "Vegetable Man" as the B-side, but it was once again vetoed by their label EMI. The band returned on 19 October to record "Jugband Blues",Template:Sfn another Barrett composition, with Smith booking a Salvation Army brass band on Barrett's recommendation.Template:Refn Template:Sfn During these sessions, Barrett, overdubbed slide guitar onto "Remember a Day", an outtake from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.<ref name="Lost194">Palacios 1998, p. 194</ref><ref name="DarkG286">Palacios 2010, p. 286</ref><ref name="FoR90">Template:Cite book</ref> In late October, the band took a break from the album sessions to record what was to be the third and final Pink Floyd single by Barrett, "Apples and Oranges",Template:Sfn on 26 and 27 October.<ref name="Irgh189">Chapman 2010, p. 189</ref> A few days later, they recorded what would become the B-side, "Paint Box",Template:Sfn before leaving for their first US tour.Template:Sfn On 17 November 1967, "Apples and Oranges" was released as a single following Pink Floyd's US tour. Despite the band performing it on American Bandstand on 7 November which was their US television debut, it only reached number 55 in the UK charts, thus failing to match the chart success of their earlier singles "See Emily Play" and "Arnold Layne".Template:Sfn Roger Waters later blamed Norman Smith's production for the single's failure to top the charts, stating "'Apples and Oranges' was destroyed by the production. It's a fucking good song".Template:Sfn Template:Sfn When asked in December 1967 by Melody Maker about the song's disappointing chart run, Barrett replied he "couldn't care less really. All we can do is make records which we like. If the kids don't, then they won't buy it. All middle men are bad."<ref name="UncenS4"/>

Around this time, the mental health of guitarist Syd Barrett was being called into question by the band; he was often unresponsive and would not play, leading to the cancellation of several performances and Pink Floyd's first US tour.Template:Sfn In December 1967, reaching a crisis point with Barrett, Pink Floyd added the guitarist David Gilmour as the fifth member.Template:Sfn Template:Refn According to Jenner, the group planned that Gilmour would "cover for [Barrett's] eccentricities". When this proved unworkable, "Syd was just going to write. Just to try to keep him involved."Template:Sfn Template:Refn

For two days from 10 January 1968, Pink Floyd reconvened at EMI Studios, attempting to work on older tracks: Waters' vocals and keyboardist Richard Wright's organ were overdubbed onto "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun",Template:Sfn while drummer Nick Mason added vocals to "Scream Thy Last Scream".<ref name="DarkG318">Template:Cite book</ref>

From 12 January till the 20th, Pink Floyd performed briefly as a five-piece.<ref name="UncenS4">Template:Cite book</ref> Gilmour played and sang while Barrett wandered around on stage, occasionally joining in with the playing. Between these gigs, the group rehearsed new songs written by Waters on 15 and 16 January. During the next session, on 18 January, the band jammed on rhythm tracks, joined by Smith;Template:Refn<ref name="DarkG319" /> Barrett did not attend. On 24 and 25 January, they recorded a song logged as "The Most Boring Song I've Ever Heard Bar 2" at EMI.Template:Refn<ref>Povey 2006, p. 90</ref> The band recorded "Let There Be More Light", "Corporal Clegg" (which features lead vocals by Mason),Template:Sfn and "See-Saw", all without Barrett, though manager Andrew King said Barrett performed the slide solo at the end of "Let There Be More Light".Template:Sfn

On 26 January 1968, when the band was driving to a show at Southampton University, they decided not to pick up Barrett.<ref name="UncenS4" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Barrett was finally ousted in late January 1968, leaving the band to finish the album without him. "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is the only song on which all five band members appeared.<ref>1993 Guitar World interview with David Gilmour</ref> With Barrett removed from the sessions, the band struggled to come up with new material,<ref name="Players92" /><ref name="UncenS4" /> but in February 1968 recorded Wright's "It Would Be So Nice" and Waters' "Julia Dream".Template:Refn Template:Sfn In early February, it was announced Waters’ track "Corporal Clegg" would be the next single;Template:Sfn however, due to pressure from the label, the songTemplate:Sfn was earmarked for the album, and "It Would Be So Nice" was released in April,Template:Refn with "Julia Dream" on the B-side.Template:Sfn The single failed to make the charts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Throughout April, the band took stock of their work.Template:Sfn Waters blocked "Vegetable Man"Template:Refn and "Scream Thy Last Scream" from the album. Years later Nick Mason had offered the following opinion on the two tracks not being included in the album: "they were initially intended to be potential singles, but were never satisfactorily finished. Both of these had vocals from me included in the mix, which may have had some bearing on the matter."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In lieu of the two songs, the band retained "Jugband Blues" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun".Template:Sfn Without enough material to fill an album, the band started putting together music that became the title track.Template:Sfn Mason and Waters planned it out as if it were an architectural design, including peaks and troughs.Template:Sfn Smith did not approve, telling them they had to stick to three-minute songs.Template:Sfn On 25 June, the band recorded another session for the BBC radio show Top Gear, including two tracks from the album: the session featured two tracks from Saucerful: "Let There Be More Light" and an abridged version of the title track, "The Massed Gadgets of Hercules".Template:Sfn

Composition and music

Unlike The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which was dominated by Barrett's compositions, A Saucerful of Secrets contains only one Barrett original: "Jugband Blues". Ritchie Unterberger of AllMusic assessed that with A Saucerful of Secrets, "the band begin to map out the dark and repetitive pulses that would characterize their next few records." He described the sound as "spacy, ethereal material" that still "retain[ed the] gentle, fairy-tale ambience" of the previous album.<ref name="AllMusic">Template:Cite web</ref>

With Barrett seemingly detached from proceedings, it came down to Waters and Wright to provide adequate material. The opening, "Let There Be More Light", written by Waters, continues the space rock approach established by Barrett on their debut LP on songs like "Astronomy Domine" and "Interstellar Overdrive". "Let There Be More Light" evolved from a bass riff that was part of "Interstellar Overdrive".<ref name=DarkG319/> Both "Remember a Day" and "See-Saw" use a similar whimsical approach that Barrett had also established on their debut.<ref name=DarkG285>Palacios 2010, p. 285</ref><ref name=Phil272>Reisch 2007, p. 272</ref> Wright remained critical of his early contributions to the band.Template:Sfn

"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" was first performed with Barrett in 1967.<ref name="DarkG271">Palacios 2010, p. 271</ref> The success of the track was such that it remained in their live setlist until 1973 where it appeared in a greatly extended form.<ref name="Mabbett2">Template:Cite book</ref> Waters later performed the track during solo concerts from 1984 and later.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Waters borrowed the lyrics from a book of Chinese poetry from the Tang dynasty, like Barrett had used in "Chapter 24".<ref name="DarkG265">Palacios 2010, p. 265</ref>

"Corporal Clegg" 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 on the 1983 album The Final Cut.<ref name="Mabbett2"/> The title track was originally written as a new version of "Nick's Boogie".<ref name="DarkG322">Palacios 2010, p. 322</ref> The track is titled as four parts<ref name="FAQ">Template:Cite web</ref> on Ummagumma. A staple in the band's live set until summer 1972,Template:Sfn a live version of the song was recorded on 27 April 1969 at the Mothers Club in Birmingham for inclusion on Ummagumma.Template:Sfn<ref name="Mabbett-3">Template:Cite book</ref>

"Jugband Blues" is often thought to refer to Barrett's departure from the group ("It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here / And I'm most obliged to you for making it clear that I'm not here").<ref name="Phil236">Reisch 2007, p. 236</ref><ref name="Irgh190">Chapman 2010, p. 190</ref> A promotional video was recorded for the track.<ref name="DarkG286" /> The band's management wanted to release the song as a single, but it was vetoed by the band and Smith.Template:Sfn

Unreleased songs

Template:Main As well as "Jugband Blues", the album was to include "Vegetable Man", another Barrett composition.<ref name="Phil230">Template:Cite book</ref> The song was to appear on a single as the B-side to Barrett's "Scream Thy Last Scream".<ref name=Irgh187 /><ref name=MCLM23/> The band performed "Jugband Blues", "Vegetable Man" and "Scream Thy Last Scream" for a Top Gear session, recorded on 20 December 1967, and broadcast on the 31st.Template:Sfn Two additional Barrett songs, "In the Beechwoods",<ref name=Irgh193>Chapman 2010, p. 193</ref> and "No Title" (frequently referred to on bootlegs as "Sunshine"),Template:Refn were recorded early in the album sessions.<ref name=MCLM25>Jones 2003, p. 25</ref> After years of only being available via bootlegs, "Vegetable Man", "Scream Thy Last Scream", and "In the Beechwoods" were officially released on The Early Years 1965–1972 compilation. At least one other song, "John Latham", was recorded during these sessions and has been released.<ref name=MCLM25/>

Artwork

A Saucerful of Secrets was the first of several Pink Floyd album covers created by the design group Hipgnosis.<ref name="DarkG330">Palacios 2010, p. 330</ref> After the Beatles, it was the second time that EMI had permitted one of their acts to hire outside designers for an album jacket.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The cover, designed by Storm Thorgerson, contains an image of Doctor Strange from issue #158 of the comic book Strange Tales, illustrated by Marie Severin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Release and reception

Template:Music ratings The album was released in the UK on 28 June 1968 on EMI's Columbia label, reaching number 9 in the UK charts.<ref name="ukchart">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn It was released in the US by the Tower Records division of Capitol, where it was the only Pink Floyd album not to chart until 2019, when it peaked at 158.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, when reissued as A Nice Pair with the original version of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn after the success of The Dark Side of the Moon, the album did chart at number 36 on the Billboard 200.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Let There Be More Light" was released as a single, backed with "Remember a Day", in the US on 19 August 1968.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rolling Stone was unfavourable, writing that the album was "not as interesting as their first" and "rather mediocre", highlighting the reduced contributions from Barrett.<ref name="Rolling Stone">Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, in recent years via The Rolling Stone Album Guide, it was given an updated rating of 3 stars, which indicates a positive rating.

The stereo mix of the album was first released on CD in 1988, and in 1992 was digitally remastered and reissued as part of the Shine On box set.Template:Sfn The remastered stereo CD was released on its own in 1994 in the UK and the US. The mono version of the album has never been officially released on CD. The stereo mix was remastered and re-issued in 2011 by Capitol/EMI as part of the Discovery series,<ref name="NA">Template:Cite web</ref> and again in 2016 by Sony Music under the Pink Floyd Records label.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> The mono mix was reissued on vinyl for Record Store Day in April 2019 by Sony Music and Warner Music Group under the Pink Floyd Records label.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album finally charted on the Billboard 200 as a standalone peaking at No. 158 when the mono mix was re-released for Record Store Day.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger draws attention to the album's "gentle, fairy-tale ambience", with songs that move from "concise and vivid" to "spacy, ethereal material with lengthy instrumental passages".<ref name="AllMusic"/> In a review for BBC Music, Daryl Easlea said Saucerful was "not without filler", adding that "Jugband Blues" was "the most chilling" song on the album.<ref name=BBC>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014, Mason named A Saucerful of Secrets his favourite Pink Floyd album: "I think there are ideas contained there that we have continued to use all the way through our career. I think [it] was a quite good way of marking Syd's departure and Dave's arrival. It's rather nice to have it on one record, where you get both things. It's a cross-fade rather than a cut."<ref name="officer">Template:Cite news</ref>

Track listing

Template:Track listing Template:Track listing

Outtakes

No.	Title	Length	Recorded	Status / notes
1	"Scream Thy Last Scream"	4:42	7–8 August 1967, De Lane Lea Studios, London	Intended as a single with "Vegetable Man" as the B-side, but withdrawn by EMI. Unreleased until 2016, when it appeared officially on the box set The Early Years 1965–1972.<ref name="mason2004">Mason, Nick (2004). Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd. Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-4254-8.</ref><ref name="strong2004">Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.</ref>
2	"Vegetable Man"	2:29	9–11 October 1967, De Lane Lea Studios, London	Unreleased until 2016, when it appeared officially on the box set The Early Years 1965–1972.<ref name="theey2016">The Early Years 1965–1972 (booklet). Pink Floyd. London: Pink Floyd Records. 2016.</ref><ref name="palacios1998">Palacios, Julian (1998). Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd: Dark Globe. London: Plexus. ISBN 0-85965-310-2.</ref>
3	"In the Beechwoods"	4:40	Summer 1967, De Lane Lea Studios, London	Instrumental outtake, unreleased until 2016 box set The Early Years 1965–1972.<ref name="theey2016"/><ref name="chapman2010">Chapman, Rob (2010). Syd Barrett: A Very Irregular Head. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-23854-9.</ref>

Personnel

Track numbers noted in parentheses below are based on CD track numbering.

Pink Floyd

David Gilmour – guitars (all except 2 and 7), kazoo (4), vocals (1, 4)<ref name="Mabbett2"/>
Nick Mason – drums (all except 2), percussion (1, 5, 6, 7), lead vocals (4),Template:Sfn kazoo (7)Template:Sfn
Roger Waters – bass guitar (all tracks), percussion (3, 5), vocals<ref name="Mabbett2"/>
Richard Wright – Farfisa organ (all tracks), piano (1, 2, 5, 6), Hammond organ (1, 4, 5), Mellotron (5, 6), vibraphone (3, 5), celesta (3), xylophone (6), tin whistle (7), vocals
Syd Barrett – vocals (7), slide guitar (2), acoustic guitar (2, 7), electric guitar (3, 7, 1?)<ref name="Mabbett2"/>Template:Refn