Last Updated on 27 January 2026 by Massimo M.
The Piper at the Gates of dawn is the first album recorded by Pink Floyd under the guidance of Syd Barrett.
Today we’re talking about one of the albums that most influenced the evolution of psychedelic music, that is The piper at the gates of dawn.
The piper at the gates of dawn, in addition to being a work that has long influenced a large number of psychedelic artists, is the first album released by Pink Floyd and is also the only one entirely designed by the founder of the band, Syd Barrett . In fact the songs are all written by Barrett except for Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk which instead were written by Roger Waters
The original album was released in the UK on the EMI/Columbia label catalog SX 6157, in mono on 5 August 1967, followed approximately a month later by the stereo version.
In October 1967 it also comes out in the United States, published by the Tower records label (catalogue ST 5093)
Immediately after its release it received very positive reviews that have remained so over the years up to decree, for this LP, the status of milestone of psychedelic rock and rock music in general.
As with other musical groups, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones above all, records released in America differ from those released in the UK.
In this case the vinyl released in the USA was titled simply Pink Floyd, although the title of the original album was still indicated on the back
The American publication also differs from the UK one for the lower number of tracks included on the disc: Astronomy Domine, Flaming and Bike were replaced by the single See Emily Play. In the Tower Records album, the songs were ordered differently than they had been wanted by Pink Floyd. For example Interstellar Overdrive fades out instead of continuing to kick off The Gnome.
The best international release is the Japanese one which is, in fact, absolutely identical to the English release with, in addition, the addition of the single See Emily play inserted as the last track on the disc.
As often happens, the Italian edition arrived four years after the English and American publications and was published with a completely different cover from the original.
In 2007 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of The piper of the gates of dawn, a triple album was released. The packaging of this disc, designed by Storm Thogerson, the British photographer and designer who designed the cover of The dark side of the moon, it looks like a book with a cloth cover, containing a reproduction of a Syd Barrett notebook. The first two discs reproduce the mono and stereo versions of the disc while the third collects numerous unpublished works and some singles by Pink Floyd.
Tracklist of songs contained in the UK version
Side A
Astronomy Domine – 4:12
Lucifer Sam – 3:07
Matilda Mother – 3:08
Flaming – 2:46
Pow R. Toc H. – 4:26
Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk – 3:05
Side B
Interstellar Overdrive – 9:41
The Gnome – 2:13
Chapter 24 – 3:42
The Scarecrow – 2:11
Bike – 3:21
Tracklist of songs contained in the USA version
Side A
See Emily Play – 2:54
Pow R. Toc H. – 4:26
Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk – 3:05
Lucifer Sam – 3:07
Matilda Mother – 3:08
Side B
The Scarecrow – 2:11
The Gnome – 2:13
Chapter 24 – 3:42
Interstellar Overdrive – 9:41
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