A Saucerful Of Secrets

With Syd Barrett's unpredictability on stage reaching the point of embarrassment for the band, Pink Floyd-bassist Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Rick Wright-forged ahead into 1968 with fellow Cambridge guitarist and friend David Gilmour in tow. Driven by pressure from EMI for another hit, they first released a single, "It Would Be So Nice" b/w "Julia Dream" in April, but it was mostly throwaway. However, the album, A Saucerful Of Secrets, fared much better. A few of the songs, including Wright's "Remember a Day" and Barrett's "Jugband Blues," were recorded the previous year and sound it. The remaining tracks illustrate the transition to the post-Barrett Floyd. Clearly, it's Waters who came in to deliver the goods; just check out the wicked opening bass riff of "Let There Be More Light," the first track recorded without contribution from Barrett. Gilmour steps up to the microphone on the track, revealing a voice that would become a signature for the band. Brooding and pulsing, the title track and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" are propelled by Mason's deft but never busy drumming. Pink Floyd take a step toward progressive rock, relying on both their performance and the recording of the track to make their point. The ride is still psychedelic, but now more similar to the dark avant-garde of their live set than what they did previously with Barrett's gleeful compositions. But the album isn't without some duds: Waters's attempt at Barrett-like song-craft, "Corporal Clegg," and Wright's second tune on the album, "See-Saw," both miss the mark. Nevertheless, the record's marvel is that it existed at all. It was a definite success, breaking into the UK Top 10 at No. 9. The band released another single, "Point Me at the Sky" b/w "Careful with That Axe Eugene" in December, their last for almost a decade.