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| The Piper at the Gates of Dawn | 
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| Artist: Pink Floyd
Label: Capitol
Category: Music
List Price: $38.98
Buy New: $26.84
You Save: $12.14 (31%)
New (40) Used (12) Collectible (1) from $19.39
Avg. Customer Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 7462
Format: Extra Tracks, Limited Edition, Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.6 x 0.8
EAN: 5099950391929
ASIN: B000T05R8Q
Release Date: September 11, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: All products brand new and factory sealed.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A great album. But a missed opportunity. September 17, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Once again consumers are faced with the decision of whether to get the latest issue of an album they have bought many times over. Sometimes with the assumption that the previous purchase of said item was supposedly the "definitive" or "limited" edition. Pink Floyd's catalog has been re-issued and re-packaged so many times one is left with a feeling of being "ripped off". It's nice to everything in one place but come on, why can't the fans get what they have been asking for?
Admittedly the first CD version of "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" was not very good. Then it was re-mastered and then re-mastered again for the mono edition that came out a while back and now we are faced again with another re-master of both mono and stereo versions. By buying this "limited edition" you get another CD of the singles released by the band in 1967 as well as some out-takes along with a replica of Syd Barrett's 1965 book of his collage work which is encased in a cloth covered book.
My review is not about the album. There really is no need to go into how great it is. Others more eloquent than I have already said all there is to say. My review is about the product. Here are 2 of my pet peeves:
1.There is no track or studio annotation. We know that Abby Road kept meticulous records of all the recording sessions so you would think there would be something included with this "limited edition". There aren't even any liner notes just the lyrics.
2.Lack of really rare tracks. The singles have been released separately before. The other bonus tracks are nice to have but isn't there anything else in the vaults? Any first run-throughs? Anything from prior to signing with EMI?
I feel an opportunity has slipped through EMI's fingers. I would have like to have seen something along the lines of Frank Zappa's 4 CD edition of MOFO or the Pet Sound Sessions. A collection of all of the surviving session tapes instead of something that most people have already.
Well, I can dream can't I?
I'll end with this. If this is your first upgrade than get this, you will not be disappointed.
Update: The mono version is the same as that other mono version from a few years ago. I have played them back to back and they sound the same. Also, there has been talk that Syd Barrett was involved in the mix. There is really no evidence to back this up. According to producer Norman Smith, he mixed it and the band approved the final mono mix and he did the stereo mix later with an Abbey Road staff engineer. It's that mono mix that's on this set and the previous "limited edition" mono edition.
Update #2: After listening to this again I am even more angry about this release. This entire collection could have fit on 2 discs with room to spare. They could have filled an entire disc with 70min of unreleased material. I feel so violated.
 Sigh, gotta go with five stars.......... September 25, 2007
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Wonderful release.
I could expound upon what ISN'T included here...but let's rate what IS. For only the third time since 1971 (Biding My Time, Embryo, When the Tigers Broke Free) Pink Floyd has released unreleased material; for the first time ever, SYD ERA unreleased material, and two tracks at that: an unknown take (6) of Interstellar Overdrive, which is sensational. And a very different version of Matilda Mother with the Belloc lyrics (previously only glimpsed from a short live fragment), different arrangement sans the familiar mid-song splice & with a vocal middle-eight, and newly revealed vocal and lead guitar layers on the final verse. The nerdiest Syd/Floyd nerds never knew these existed, and they're worth the price.
Contrary to a previous poster's conception that the mono mix is some new bastardization, it dates to 1967 just like the studio version we've always loved. As such, it's a truly alternate mix/vision of the album that reveals alot of different sounds. I won't say it's superior to the stereo, but since it's new to me, it's definitely the mix I've been playing. Pow R Toc H is quite different. I do prefer the mono Interstellar finale, which goes lighter on the headphones-only panning fury. As yet another alternate experience, we also get the French EP Interstellar mix~ one of the album version's source takes without overdubs~ in official CD quality at last; pity it still fades out, but so glad to have it.
The early singles sound worlds better here than on the 90's "First Three Singles" disc; Arnold Layne has never sounded this good. And the remastered stereo Apples & Oranges sounds better than any mix ever has (probably my least favorite Barrett song, and I'm loving it).
I've only had the very first cd release of Piper, so the remastered stereo album icings the festivities. Therefore, on artistic & sound grounds, five stars all the way, and here's to what I hope is only the beginning of the opening of the vault.
As to what ISN'T here~ surprisingly, the single mix of Flaming, with the drums pounding thru the instrumental break (otherwise, I prefer the album mix anyway).
No unreleased songs could be a good sign, one can dream that some Relics 2 might be planned; or at the very least a limited edition Saucerful that includes Scream Thy Last, Vegetable Man, Beechwoods (c'mon guys, even without vocals it's fantastic), and a few other bits in addition to the 68 singles. Committee main theme, slow & fast versions, anyone?
Back to reality...supposedly few Piper session bits survive. Specifically, the master tape for She's a Millionaire~ the one true lost Piper outtake that no one ever seems to clamor for~ reportedly no longer exists. But you can't tell me Nick Mason doesn't have an acetate! Geez, does everything have to be perfect quality or nothing with the Floyds? Same with Lucy Leave...after 40 years, the circulating acetate is GOOD ENOUGH for gifting the historical record. Likewise, with some technical magic, the acetate of Currant Bun with original lyrics.
But that's all wishful thinking. I LOVE this release!!! Lack of liner notes/recording info is my only true complaint--but the Syd notebook is quite the consolation prize. Well done, guys, & THANK YOU.
A Fight Between the Pink You Once Knew September 17, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
It's about time Pink Floyd's classic debut album got the royal reissue treatment. But what's a mere 40 years in the course of rock history? This special edition combines the album itself with the singles and B-sides of the same period, which were intentionally left off the original release due to practices in the British market at that time. (That's why the classics "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" have only been available on compilations until now.) Piper is clearly one of the most assured and varied slabs from the weird world of British psychedelia, and its combination of musical skill, songwriting experimentation, and Syd Barrett's unique personality make the album a deserved classic from a musical scene that it effortlessly rose above. The psychedelic vibes range widely from the spacy "Astronomy Domine" to the sinister "Lucifer Sam" to the twee "The Gnome" to the outright unhinged "Bike." The album also shows what Pink Floyd could have been, and highlights the differences in sound and outlook between the brief Syd Barrett period and the band's later years of mega-stardom. Fans of Floyd's later monster albums may be surprised to find that in the beginning, Richard Wright's keyboards were arguably the largest component of the band's sound, and Roger Waters actually had a bit of a sense of humor. But Floyd historians will be able to pick out the sly influence of Syd's material on the later albums, and I bet that a less loopy remake of the instrumental "Pow R. Toc H." might have even sounded at home on Dark Side of the Moon.
Regardless, the one-of-a-kind talents and complex outlook of the dearly departed (in more ways than one) Syd Barrett are what make this album special, and he was just so mind-bendingly unique that there's no way Pink Floyd could have sounded the same after his departure. This deluxe package can be seen as both a valuable overview for Syd fans, and a revelation for fans of the later Floyd who might be aware of Syd's early influence on the band, but haven't been able to truly experience that influence without the aid of a definitive package. After a mere 40 years, we finally have it. [~doomsdayer520~]
Please Release The Entire Pink Floyd Discography In Multi-disc Limited Cloth-covered Book Format September 17, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Finally the mono Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is back in print!
I hope the complete Pink Floyd library gets produced in this format. Not just because a row of the hardcover books would look great on the shelf, all designed by Storm Thorgerson like this one. But because there is so much great Floyd music that is unrealeased, or has been out of print for a long time.
Most importantly would be the mono A Saucerful Of Secrets, which, like The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, is better in many respects than the stereo version, though the stereo release has merit too. And the quadraphonic Atom Heart Mother.
Neither of these have been released on CD yet, as far as I know. But they should be.
The third disc of bonus material would be easy to come up with for both of these, since the 1968 singles together with alternate takes of a few songs would go nicely with Saucerful Of Secrets. And Atom Heart Mother might be quadraphonic converted to stereo for disc two, and quadraphonic converted to 5.1 surround for disc three.
My two favorite Pink Floyd albums are More and Obscured By Clouds. They are the ones I keep playing over and over to this day. I know there is a song in the film 'More' that isn't on the soundtrack, and one of the songs has different lyrics in the film, so I imagine there is enough material to fill bonus discs. Both of these albums would be fun if they were paired with DVDs of the films. And this would work well for The Wall, paired with 'The Wall' DVD and disc four of bonus material in a limited cloth-covered book, as well.
Ummagumma could be an incredible 40th Anniversary Limited Edition. One disc of bonus studio tracks like Embryo, and Biding My Time, and Careful With That Axe, Eugene. And one disc of bonus live recordings from that wonderful, psychedelic period.
'Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii' is a terrific performance. And as far as I know, the sountrack for the film has never been released. This is another one that would be fabulous as DVD paired with soundtrack CD, together with disc three of bonus material for the limited edition.
Meddle, and The Dark Side Of The Moon, and Wish You Were Here, and Animals, and The Final Cut, and A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, and The Division Bell, and Delicate Sound Of Thunder, and Pulse. You get my point. It might take twelve years to release them all in 40th anniversary editions through The Wall, and 30th anniversary editions of the four from the 1980s, and 20th anniversary editions of Pulse and The Division Bell.
But if they are released in this beautifully designed cloth-covered book format, even if it takes twelve years, I will buy them all.
I am excited to find out what bonus material is discovered!
Please release the entire Pink Floyd library in multi-disc limited cloth-covered books like this.
Dan, Saint Paul
Pink Floyd's "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" back to Mono!!! September 18, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
At last, the glorious, original Mono mix of this unmissable Floyd masterpiece is newly available, freshly (and excellently) remastered on CD!!!
For a long time I had heard persistent rumours that THIS was the true, genuine version of Pink Floyd's long-playing debut; Yet, this long overdue reissue proved to be my very first chance to actually HEAR it with my own ears.
To say the very least, and make a long story short, there's simply no comparison between this one and the flat, muddy sounding Stereo mix I've known (and deeply adored) for ages.
First of all, it must be noted that, in the mid-Sixties, records were still primarily mixed in Mono, only to be later converted to Stereo (still a young format, in those times) with results that were often a far cry from the original article (another obvious case being The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's.." album, also screaming for a Mono-reish!!!).
Everything sounds crispier and sharper here, light is brought back on countless details which the Stereo mix had mercilessly drawned and blackened out.
There is a wealth of keyboard parts, phasing effects and general directness which can only add up to the general dream-like, spaced-out atmosphere of the whole concept, not to mention to the poignancy of Syd Barret's words and phrasing.
I had never heard his guitar sound so mind-bending, or Rick Wright's organ so remarkable and crucial to the whole band's economy, for that matter.
And, as if this was not enough, there's two more CDs in this wonderfully packaged, cloth-bound edition.
Disc 2 features the familiar Stereo verion, while on the third disc sit all sides from the first three, seminal 1967 Barrett-era 45 RPM singles; Namely "Arnold Layne b/w Candy And A Currant Bun", "See Emily Play" (whose B-side "Scarecrow" can be found in the album's tracklist) and "Apples And Oranges b/w Paintbox", cornerstones of the sound of british Psychedelia, as well as some of the highest points of artistic expression rock music has ever achieved.
This is pure ART with block, capital letters, influential to countless generations that followed in its wake.
No sign of long-elusive, latter-day Syd outtakes such as "Scream Thy Last Scream" or "Vegetable Man", yet there are two alternate versions of "Interstellar Overdrive" (possibly the closest officially released approximation to how Floyd must have sounded like on stage back then), a stereo mix of "Apples And Oranges" and the original, previously unheard take of "Matilda Mother".
Throwing in a faithful reproduction of Syd Barrett's notebook for good measure, this release stands as an act of cultural and artistic justice to an immortal masterpiece; A no-nonsense feat, in a time of not always essential repackagings that, basically, only force fans to buy the same product several times over.
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