Pink Floyd – A Saucerful of Secrets Review

Had Pink Floyd not made the move from psychedelic rock to progressive powerhouses heard after A Saucerful of Secrets, there is every chance they would not be the influence on music they are now considered. There is very little identifiable with the Syd Barrett-led pieces of the early Pink Floyd style and what would become the finely-tuned moments of a back-and-forth between Roger Waters and David Gilmour. Their sophomore release has them step away from what made The Piper at the Gates of Dawn so lopsided, and Barrett’s departure should have been a death knell for the band. But they persevered and slowly cracked this experimental appeal. It took time, but A Saucerful of Secrets are the very early steps. A band who wishes to continue as they were, but feel a change in the times.  

Groovy opener Let There Be More Light is a sign of this. Without the raspy and astral thoughts of Barrett there is a chance to lean into the instrumental flurry of which The Piper at the Gates of Dawn benefitted from. This is a band reeling from the departure of their frontman but realising they are up to the task of filling his place. Touches of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club can be heard, with mentions of those diamond-clad skies forming part of the cosmic powers of Let There Be More Light. Still holding onto the psychedelic edge in the hopes of expanding it, much of A Saucerful of Secrets can discard the lyrics and focus on the instrumental energies instead. The drums of Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun are remarkable. Such a rich tapestry of instrumental fury here – disguised as this relaxed and building psychedelic piece. It is one of the raw signs of their progressive rock form.  

There is still an attempt at this psychedelic experience with Corporal Clegg, a song which feels of the times in the best way possible. A time capsule of the latter years of this sound, and the nonsensical joys of the lyrics are all part of this charm. Far from their best work but a neat deep cut to pull from A Saucerful of Secrets. Considering the album did not fall to pieces at the moment frontman Barrett decided to leave, this second album is a triumph. What remains of Pink Floyd had the willpower to continue and consolidate an agreeable yet boundary-pushing sound which would develop them as one of the finest rock outfits of all time. Clangs and sound effects on the title track have a cartoonish yet sinister effectiveness to them, and such is the joy of this ever-changing second album.  

Pink Floyd were adrift without a captain and as such were keen to explore their options. With no lifeboats or direction set, they could have ripped themselves apart and made a disaster of what, in hindsight, was an opportunity to cement a new noise. What had worked in the past was not guaranteed for the future and the move away from psychedelics, heard here with a wide berth of instrumental excess and gothic flourishes buried deep within, is a monumental change for the band. It works well and A Saucerful of Secrets, while appearing to be a transitional album, is filled with effective displays of emotion. This is not a send-off to Barrett, there was little time to make one when his departure had been so sudden. Instead, this is a band realising they must act fast and wildly to survive, and they did.