A Saucerful of Secrets (song)
Encyclopedia
"A Saucerful of Secrets" is a multi-part instrumental composition by the rock
band Pink Floyd
from the album A Saucerful of Secrets
, released in 1968
. The track lasts 11:52 and was composed by band members Roger Waters
, Richard Wright
, Nick Mason
, and David Gilmour
. It is an experimental
, avant-garde
piece featuring guitar feedback, a percussion solo section, and wordless vocals.
, and the version seen and heard in the film Live at Pompeii: Director's Cut
is considered by many to be the definitive version. In 1969, its fourth movement, "Celestial Voices", was incorporated into the live concept The Man and the Journey
as "The End of the Beginning". On the remastered Compact Disc
versions of the album, the song is listed on the CD itself as "A Saucerful of Secret".
Live performances of the song differed significantly from the studio version. The closely miked cymbal sound that starts the piece was instead performed as a two-note drone on the bass. For the "Syncopated Pandemonium" section, Richard Wright usually had to be content with playing his Farfisa organ instead of pounding a grand piano with his fists as on the studio recording (the version on Pompeii being a notable exception). The "Celestial Voices" section started with just organ as per the studio version, but gradually added drums, bass, guitar and wordless vocals, provided by David Gilmour.
The Japanese release of this song was simply titled , which translates as "Mystery". The album A Saucerful of Secrets, itself, also carried this title.
The song was David Gilmour's first songwriting credit with Pink Floyd. On the original vinyl, and early CD issues, his name was misspelled as "Gilmore". This was corrected with the remastered version released in 1994.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
from the album A Saucerful of Secrets
A Saucerful of Secrets
A Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by the English rock group Pink Floyd. It was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios on various dates from August 1967 to April 1968...
, released in 1968
1968 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
. The track lasts 11:52 and was composed by band members Roger Waters
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
, Richard Wright
Richard Wright (musician)
Richard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...
, Nick Mason
Nick Mason
Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
, and David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
. It is an experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
, avant-garde
Avant-garde music
Avant-garde music is a term used to characterize music which is thought to be ahead of its time, i.e. containing innovative elements or fusing different genres....
piece featuring guitar feedback, a percussion solo section, and wordless vocals.
Background
"A Saucerful of Secrets" was originally known as "The Massed Gadgets of Hercules" in its earliest performance and became a Pink Floyd live staple from 1968 until 1972. A live version of the track is available on Pink Floyd's 1969 double album UmmagummaUmmagumma
Ummagumma is a double album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1969 by Harvest and EMI in the United Kingdom and Harvest and Capitol in the United States...
, and the version seen and heard in the film Live at Pompeii: Director's Cut
Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii
Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii is a 1972 film featuring Pink Floyd performing six songs in the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy. It was directed by Adrian Maben and recorded in the month of October using studio-quality 24-track recorders without a live audience.The performances of...
is considered by many to be the definitive version. In 1969, its fourth movement, "Celestial Voices", was incorporated into the live concept The Man and the Journey
The Man and the Journey
The Man and The Journey are the names of two album-length suites of music performed in concert by Pink Floyd during their 1969 tour. They consist of several of their early songs coupled with material that would appear on Soundtrack from the Film More and Ummagumma, as well as unreleased songs...
as "The End of the Beginning". On the remastered Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
versions of the album, the song is listed on the CD itself as "A Saucerful of Secret".
Live performances of the song differed significantly from the studio version. The closely miked cymbal sound that starts the piece was instead performed as a two-note drone on the bass. For the "Syncopated Pandemonium" section, Richard Wright usually had to be content with playing his Farfisa organ instead of pounding a grand piano with his fists as on the studio recording (the version on Pompeii being a notable exception). The "Celestial Voices" section started with just organ as per the studio version, but gradually added drums, bass, guitar and wordless vocals, provided by David Gilmour.
The Japanese release of this song was simply titled , which translates as "Mystery". The album A Saucerful of Secrets, itself, also carried this title.
The song was David Gilmour's first songwriting credit with Pink Floyd. On the original vinyl, and early CD issues, his name was misspelled as "Gilmore". This was corrected with the remastered version released in 1994.
Structure
Although the song is listed on all pressings of the album as "A Saucerful of Secrets", some pressings of Ummagumma break the piece into four different sections. Roger Waters once stated in a Rolling Stone interview that the song was about a battle and the aftermath. "Something Else" represents the setup of the battle. "Syncopated Pandemonium" represents the actual battle. "Storm Signal" represents the view of the dead after the battle has ended, and "Celestial Voices" represents the mourning of the dead.- "Something Else" (0:00–3:57, slow closely miked cymbal fade-in and echoing organ)
- "Syncopated Pandemonium" (3:57–7:04, drum tape loop, cymbals, distorted guitar)
- "Storm Signal" (7:04–8:38, chimes and organ)
- "Celestial Voices" (8:38–11:52, bass, organ, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
and wordless chorus)
Other versions
- Pink Floyd performed the song 1968–1972, with the last performance taking place on 23 September 1972 at the Winterland Auditorium, San Francisco, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was regularly performed as an encore throughout that year. Nick Mason and Richard Wright briefly considered resurrecting the song for the 1987 'Lapse' tour, but Gilmour suggested that the song sounded too archaic. - The version found on the Live at Pompeii: Directors CutPink Floyd: Live at PompeiiPink Floyd: Live at Pompeii is a 1972 film featuring Pink Floyd performing six songs in the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy. It was directed by Adrian Maben and recorded in the month of October using studio-quality 24-track recorders without a live audience.The performances of...
is seen by some as the definitive version of the song. Nick Mason's drumming is much faster, and is also featured in the last two sections. David Gilmour does the vocalisations for only the last chord progression, instead of for the last two. - The UmmagummaUmmagummaUmmagumma is a double album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1969 by Harvest and EMI in the United Kingdom and Harvest and Capitol in the United States...
live version is only slightly longer than the studio version at 12:48. - Live performances of the song initially had a length of about 12–13 minutes, but later performances commonly ran for about 17–20 minutes.
- "Syncopated Pandemonium", the second part of the track, was one of the many tracks which were played at some point or another as "Doing It" (part of the conceptual concert The Man and the JourneyThe Man and the JourneyThe Man and The Journey are the names of two album-length suites of music performed in concert by Pink Floyd during their 1969 tour. They consist of several of their early songs coupled with material that would appear on Soundtrack from the Film More and Ummagumma, as well as unreleased songs...
, the focus of their 1969 tour). Others include "The Grand Vizier's Garden PartyThe Grand Vizier's Garden Party"The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" is a three-part instrumental from Pink Floyd's Ummagumma album. All three parts are written by Nick Mason following the structure of the album in which each band member made his own composition...
(Entertainment)", "Up the KhyberUp the Khyber"Up the Khyber" is an instrumental by the British rock band Pink Floyd. It was written by their drummer Nick Mason, and keyboardist Richard Wright.-Overview:...
", and "Party SequenceParty Sequence"Party Sequence" is the seventh track by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd on their third album, Soundtrack from the Film More. It is a short instrumental credited to all members of the band, and consists of a sequence of tribal percussion, and a penny whistle playing the melody to...
". All of these prominently feature drums. - As mentioned above, the "Celestial Voices" section was used as the finale to "The Man and the Journey" concept suite. At a performance of the suite on 26 June 1969 at the Royal Albert Hall, the Floyd were joined by a full brass band and choir for the piece.
Personnel
- David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
— guitar, vocals - Richard WrightRichard Wright (musician)Richard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...
— piano, organ, vocals and Mellotron - Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
— bass, percussion - Nick MasonNick MasonNicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
— drums, percussion