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"A Saucerful of Secrets" is a multi-part instrumental composition by
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
from their 1968 album of the same name. It is nearly 12 minutes long and was composed by
Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...
, Richard Wright,
Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation in ...
and
David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...
. The track features guitar feedback, a percussion solo section and wordless vocals.


Background

"A Saucerful of Secrets" was titled "The Massed Gadgets of Hercules" in its earliest performance and became a Pink Floyd live staple from 1968 to 1972. A live version of the track is available on their 1969 double album ''
Ummagumma ''Ummagumma'' is the fourth album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It is a double album and it was released on 7 November 1969 by Harvest Records. The first disc consists of live recordings from concerts at Mothers Club in Birmingham and the C ...
'', and an alternative version is seen and heard in the film '' Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii'', which was performed at director Adrian Maben's request, as he thought it would be a good addition to the film. The track was composed by
Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...
drawing diagrams on a piece of paper explaining how the music should progress. Gilmour later said he initially wasn't sure what to play. 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 played his Farfisa organ instead of pounding a grand piano with his fists as on the studio recording (the version on ''Pompeii'' being an 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 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. The first part, "Something Else", was logged as "Richard's Rave Up" when the song was recorded at
EMI Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music co ...
. The second part was recorded as "Nick's Boogie" before being retitled as "Syncopated Pandemonium", while the last part is titled "Celestial Voices". 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, slide guitar, bass, chimes, piano, vibraphone) #"Syncopated Pandemonium" (3:57–7:04, drum tape loop, cymbals, distorted guitars, piano) #"Storm Signal" (7:04–8:38,
floor tom A floor tom or low tom is a double-headed tom-tom drum which usually stands on the floor on three legs. However, they can also be attached to a cymbal stand with a drum clamp, or supported by a rim mount. It is a cylindrical drum without snare ...
, chimes, and organ) in the form of a
passacaglia The passacaglia (; ) is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre. Origin The ter ...
over a 16-bar bass line, continuing into the fourth section until the end of the piece #"Celestial Voices" (8:38–11:52, bass, organ, piano, chimes,
mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
and wordless chorus)


Live performances

*Pink Floyd performed the instrumental in 1968–72, with the last performance taking place on 23 September 1972 at the Winterland Auditorium,
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. It was regularly performed as an encore throughout that year. Nick Mason and Wright briefly considered resurrecting the instrumental for the 1987 Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, but Gilmour suggested that it sounded too archaic. *In the version found on ''Live at Pompeii: Directors Cut'', Mason's drumming is much faster and also featured in the last two sections. Gilmour sings for only the last chord progression, instead of for the last two. *The ''Ummagumma'' live version is only slightly longer than the studio version at 12:48, and is less freeform noise than its studio counterpart. *Live performances of the instrumental 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 Journey ''The Man and The Journey'' is a suite of music performed in concert by Pink Floyd during their 1969 tour. It consisted of several of their early songs, some unreleased songs, and material later included on ''More'' and ''Ummagumma''. The concerts ...
'', the focus of their 1969 tour). Others include "
The Grand Vizier's Garden Party ''Ummagumma'' is the fourth album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It is a double album and it was released on 7 November 1969 by Harvest Records. The first disc consists of live recordings from concerts at Mothers Club in Birmingham and the ...
(Entertainment)", "
Up the Khyber ''More'' is the third studio album and first soundtrack album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on 13 June 1969 in the United Kingdom by EMI Columbia and on 9 August 1969 in the United States by Tower Records. The soundtrack i ...
", "
Party Sequence ''More'' is the third studio album and first soundtrack album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on 13 June 1969 in the United Kingdom by EMI Columbia and on 9 August 1969 in the United States by Tower Records. The soundtrack i ...
". All of these prominently feature drums. *The "Celestial Voices" section was used as the finale to ''The Man and the Journey'' concept suite, renamed to "The End of the Beginning". At a performance of the suite on 26 June 1969 at the Royal Albert Hall, Pink Floyd were joined by a full brass band and choir for the piece. Rick Wright played the Royal Albert Hall pipe organ and the work ended with a very loud recorded explosion. * "A Saucerful of Secrets" has been performed by
Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets are an English rock band formed in 2018 to perform the early music of Pink Floyd. The band comprises the Pink Floyd drummer and co-founder Nick Mason, the bassist Guy Pratt, the guitarists Gary Kemp and Lee Har ...
since 2018.


Personnel

*
David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...
slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...
, vocals * Richard Wright
Farfisa organ Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professiona ...
,
Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
,
Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
, piano,
vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...
, vocals *
Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...
– bass guitar,
cymbals A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
, vocals *
Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation in ...
– drums, chimes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saucerful of Secrets, A Pink Floyd songs 1968 songs Rock instrumentals Songs written by David Gilmour Songs written by Nick Mason Songs written by Richard Wright (musician) Songs written by Roger Waters