Piper 40th Anniversary Editions!

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Astrakhan · Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 135 Location: nowhere, man

I've been listening to Piper quite a lot this last week; certainly far more than I have in some time, and I'd like to ask:

Is there a more perfect album from this era?

My reasoning:

Piper at the Gates of Dawn combines a number of defining elements of that period into one package.

There is strong pop craft with a mainstream appeal, as evinced by the singles Arnold Layne and See Emily Play, both of which were chart successes;

There is the oft referenced British whimsy, in the form of songs like Scarecrow and Bike;

There are examples of a harder edged psychedelic sound as well, with Astronomy Domine, perhaps Stethoscope, and the end of Bike;

It brings in a taste of the underground scene, with the extended, exploratory track like Interstellar Overdrive.

Of any other landmark album released in 1967, nothing crystallizes the sense of infinite possibility of that moment. Or, as the 3 Mustaphas 3 used to say, "Forward in All Directions!"
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What a shame Mary Jane caught a pain at the party!

Rockin'_Art_Lewis · Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 119 Location: Gallup, NM.

3Mustaphas3! I loved those guys! ("Shall we take it to the fridge?!)
I must confess some shared ignorance about "Piper". I had always assumed "Stethoscope" to be one of Syd's. It just has that implied menace going for it, along with the free association bits. Embarassed

Oh well. If any of us were perfect, we'd be a boring bunch of musi-geeks! Laughing

Peace!

R.A.L.
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The Watusi.....The Twist.......Eldorado?

JimENight · Site Admin Joined: 16 Jul 2006 Posts: 183

Yea, I'm holding out for the (inevitable) 50th anniversary re-issue. In a head shop here in CT, ten years ago, I came across the very nicely packaged mono mix that was re-issued. At first I sorta didn't believe the burt-out chap behind the counter when he told me how superior the mono mix was. Well boy am I glad I purchased that thing - after I heard the mono mix for the first time, I immediately sold off my crappy stereo copy at Cutler's in New Haven!
There's been no looking back.
"...floatingdownthesoundresoundsaroundmeiseewaterundergound"

Joe_Stax · Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 2:46 am Post subject:

I got my copy from iTunes, of all things. Maybe it's me, but I can't really hear a difference in the "new mono remaster" and the 30th anniversary mono version either.

And I agree with Jim E--the mono verson absolutely beats the stereo mix. Try them both, it's a real revelation.
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One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz.

Rockin'_Art_Lewis · Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 119 Location: Gallup, NM.

Hang on to that "head shop" copy, Jim E. It sounds a heckuva lot better than the 40th re-release. Need proof? Compare the "swipe" sounds on "Lucifer Sam" from yours, to the new one. There's a lot more treble there. In general, that whole disc sounds more "lively".
Wonder if there's any info in the booklet from the boxed set about how many generations down from the master copy the anniversary edition is.
Based on my somewhat limited expertise, however, I'd wager about three. Twisted Evil

Sometimes that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I actually liked the sound on The Beatles "Capitol Albums" compilations a lot more than the original 1986(?) mastered CDs. Those were taken off something like second gen "safeties" from what I understand. (The Capitol versions, not Parlophone)
Paul's Bass can actually be heard and the overall sound is....I dunno....bigger and more aggressive?

Peace!

R.A.L.

_________________
The Watusi.....The Twist.......Eldorado?