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Pink Floyd's first album from 1967, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, featuring their original guitar player / singer / songwriter Syd Barrett. The album kicks off with Astronomy Domine, features Lucifer Sam, Interstellar Overdrive and ends with Bike. How does it hold up after all these years?

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Pink Floyd is without a doubt one of the greatest classic rock bands of all time. They began in the 60s with Roger Waters on bass, Nick Mason on drums, Richard Wright on organ and Syd Barrett on lead guitar and vocals. Syd was the band's leader and chief songwriter in the early days, penning their first singles Arnold Layne and See Emily Play. Piper at the Gates of Dawn was released on August 5th 1967, the 60s summer of love! Released by EMI, the album was produced by The Beatles' engineer Norman Smith, recorded at the same time The Beatles were working on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The record kicks off with the space-rock gem Astronomy Dominé, featuring both Syd and Rick on vocals. Lucifer Sam, written about Syd's cat, is very much in that proto-punk style and features a bowed bass solo by Roger. Rick sings co-lead on Matilda Mother and plays a solo on his farfisa organ. Flaming carries on with a child-like melody while Pow R. Toc H. is a sample of their avant garde live sound from UFO Club and the like (note Roger's dolphin screams). Side one ends with Roger's song Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk. For Side two, we open with another sample of their live improvisational style, Interstellar Overdrive. But this is soon followed by more whimsical material like The Gnome, Chapter 24 (taken from the I Ching) Scarecrow, and finally ending with Bike, featuring some soundscapes to end the LP. The album fared well enough upon released, but many fans felt it was not an accurate reflection of seeing the band live in concert. Due to Syd's intake of LSD mixed with a breakdown involving schizophrenia, he would gradually be pushed out of the band he fronted, being replaced with David Gilmour on guitar. This would become Pink Floyd's classic lineup with Roger taking more of a songwriter role, including the song Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun which would appear on their 1968 album A Saucerful of Secrets. The album was the only to feature all five band members and Syd's final composition with Floyd, Jugband Blues. Syd would released a couple albums as a solo artist, including Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Ultimately he would drop out of the music business completely by 1974. Meanwhile Pink Floyd struggled to find their new sound on albums like More, Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother. But by 1971, they began to find their feet on Meddle, particularly with the opening instrumental One of These Days and the epic piece Echoes, taking up the entire B-side. With Roger now taking over the lyrics department and coming up with conceptual ideas, they would find more creative outlets through Live at Pompeii and Obscured by Clouds. However 1973's Dark Side of the Moon would become one of the most successful albums of all time, staying on the charts for nearly 13 years and still a best seller today. Roger's lyrics dealt with the evils of society driving one to madness, while the music was nearly one entire inter-connected piece. Money was a hit single. Their 1975 followup Wish You Were Here, featuring the opening and closing piece Shine On You Crazy Diamond (a tribute to Syd Barrett who even showed up at the sessions), is thought to be equally great, if not greater, as Dark Side. But with Roger assuming more creative control, tensions between the band were getting worse by the album Animals and even more so on The Wall, a triumph in concept, but the album that essentially ended the classic Pink Floyd lineup. Rick was fired from the band creating a greater rift between Roger and Dave. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 became their best selling single and Comfortably Numb remains one of their most popular tunes.1983's The Final Cut was Roger's final album with Pink Floyd before he officially left, leaving Dave and Nick to reunite with Rick for 1987's Momentary Lapse of Reason. Roger sued to break up the band, but failed to do so instead focusing on his solo career. The Gilmour led Floyd would produce 1994's The Division Bell (High Hopes) with Rick now sharing vocal and songwriting duties again. It wasn't until 2005's Live 8 concert when Dave, Nick and Rick reunited with Roger for a short set giving closure for many fans. Syd never performed with Pink Floyd again and died in 2006. Rick died in 2008. The album The Endless River was dedicated in his honor. Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets performs a lot of Syd's material keeping his legacy alive.

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