Fans are spoilt for choice regarding the most underrated Pink Floyd album, but some have suggested one discography gem is the band’s only “real” album.
A post to the r/PinkFloyd subreddit saw users suggest A Saucerful of Secrets was the band’s most underrated effort. A post to the subreddit reads: “Obscured by Clouds seems to be the popular take but I think A Saucerful of Secrets is Pink Floyd’s most underrated album.” Users agreed and suggested it was a transitional album which hears what the band would become without Syd Barrett’s involvement. One user wrote: “It’s the great gateway from Barrett to what they eventually become. Another added: “The only real Pink Floyd album really.
“All five members… space rock, fairy tale stuff, and experimental instrumentals. Perfection!” Others have suggested it is how they expected Pink Floyd to sound before ever having listened to the group, which would go on to rely on David Gilmour and Roger Waters for their direction after Barrett left the band.
One user wrote: “Yes – Before ever listening to them, this album is how I expected Pink Floyd to sound.” Some have praised the lyrics found on A Saucerful of Secrets and say it has some of the same psychedelic thrills as The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. One user pointed out a Richard Wright song as one of the album’s defining moments.
They suggested: “Remember a Day is great. Not sure why folks shit on the lyrics all the time, they are certainly better than those for Let There Be Light or Point Me At the Sky. It’s a wonderful psychedelic pop tune and Syd’s scary slide guitar adds so much menace to what is supposed to be sweet nostalgia.”
Another added: “Corporal Clegg is a fucking masterpiece, yet it never gets mentioned. The disharmonic guitars, the riffs, the kazoo orchestra… Perfection.” Not everyone was overwhelmed by A Saucerful of Secrets, though, with some saying live versions of the tracks are far superior to the “terrible” album mix.
Obscured By Clouds seems to be the popular take but I think THIS is PF’s most underrated album
byu/421continueblazingit inpinkfloyd
One user wrote: “The production on it is terrible. A Saucerful of Secrets and Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun sound 100x better on Live at Pompeii.” Another has suggested Ummagumma is the real underrated album. They wrote: “As someone who loves Ummagumma, let me offer: It is Ummugumma. Love Saucerful of Secrets, though. Great album.
Another user replied: “I had Ummagumma and listened to it more than almost any of their albums, since I only had a few and many portions of those were overplayed on the radio. I love the studio stuff, it’s hard to explain but it’s a vibe. It’s like you opened up a hidden cache and found all this stuff that generally nobody had ever heard and sounded like a weird old movie score.”
A third added: “Love ummagumma too. It sort of separates the ‘deep track’ Pink Floyd fans from the ‘arena rock PF fans.”
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Ummagumma. One of my favorites. I love their early, spacey, let structured music. But Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun and Astronomy Domine are two of my favorites. Live at Pompeii have amazing videos. I was half asleep the other night and the name Richard Wright sounded in my head very clearly. Still not sure why.
Wow, I was expecting to see Obscured by Clouds here, in the full context of being underrated. Saucerful of Secrets has some phenomenal music in it, but definitely not a transitional album, I’d say more of a very good first step on the way to legend.
I’m so glad that this album is finally appreciated. I like it as much as Dark Side of The Moon.
Animals is, and will always be, my favorite Pink Floyd album.
It’s Wish you were here for me. That’s the best album I’ve ever heard.