| Released | June 28, 1968 |
| Recorded | 1968 |
| Genres | Avant-garde |
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios |
| Length | 11:57 (album version) |
| Label | EMI Columbia (UK) Tower (US) |
| Vocalists | Wordless vocals: Roger Waters David Gilmour Richard Wright |
| Songwriters | Roger Waters David Gilmour Richard Wright Nick Mason |
| Producers | Norman Smith |
"A Saucerful of Secrets" is an instrumental by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It is the fifth track of their 1969 album of the same name. Its original album release is just under twelve minutes long and composed of four parts. It is also the first Pink Floyd song to feature a writing credit for guitarist David Gilmour, who had recently been brought in to cover for band co-founder Syd Barrett.
Structure[]
Overview[]
Info[]
- This is an experimental, avant-garde piece featuring howling feedback, menacing percussion, and eerie wordless vocals.
- This became a live staple from 1968-72. A live version is available on Pink Floyd's 1969 double album Ummagumma, and the version seen and heard in the film Live At Pompeii: Directors Cut is considered by many to be the definitive version. In 1969, "Celestial Voices," was incorporated into The Man And The Journey as "The End Of The Beginning."
- Roger Waters once stated in a Rolling Stone interview that this was about a battle and the aftermath. "Something Else" represents the setup. "Syncopated Pandemonium" represents the actual battle. "Storm Signal" represents the view of the dead after the battle's ended, and "Celestial Voices" represents the mourning. Live performances differed significantly from the studio version. The closely miked cymbal sound that starts the piece was instead performed as a two note bass drone. For "Syncopated Pandemonium", Richard Wright had to be content with playing Farfisa organ instead of pounding a grand piano with his fists like the studio recording. The "Celestial Voices" section started with just organ like the studio version, but gradually added drums, bass, guitar, and wordless vocals, provided by Gilmour. This led to a strong climax of the song, that can be best appreciated by the applause at the end of the Ummagumma version.
- Some pressings of Ummagumma break this into 4 sections:
- "Something Else" (fade-in of slow closely miked cymbal, echoing organ, fade-out)
- "Syncopated Pandemonium" (fade-in of tape loop drum solo, furious cymbals, screeching guitar, fade-out)
- "Storm Signal" (fade-in of chimes, organ, fade-out)
- "Celestial Voices" (fade-in of bass, organ, mellotron, wordless chorus)
- Some live performances ran for over 20 minutes.
Personnel[]
- Roger Waters - bass guitar, cymbals, vocals
- David Gilmour - slide guitar, vocals
- Richard Wright - Farfisa organ, Hammond organ, Mellotron, piano, vibraphone, vocals
- Nick Mason - drums, chimes