Games for May was a
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
concert that took place at the
Queen Elizabeth Hall on 12 May 1967, three months after the venue opened.
It was one of the first significant concert events held by
Pink Floyd.
[ The show was organized by Pink Floyd managers Andrew King and ]Peter Jenner
Peter Julian Jenner (born 3 March 1943) is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises.
Early career
Peter Jenner is the son of Willia ...
of Blackhill Enterprises
Blackhill Enterprises was a rock music management company, founded as a partnership by the four original members of Pink Floyd ( Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright), with Peter Jenner and Andrew King.
Blackhill were th ...
, and promoted by classical music promoter Christopher Hunt.[
]
History
Games for May was described as a "Space age relaxation for the climax of spring – electronic composition, colour and image projection, girls, and the Pink Floyd".[ The concert featured some of the band's early singles as well as material from their yet-to-be-released debut album – '']The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 5 August 1967 by EMI Columbia. It is the only Pink Floyd album made under the leadership of founding member Syd Barrett (lead vocals, g ...
''. During the performance, some of the band members created sound effects by chopping up wood on stage,[ and the bubbles produced from a machine while the show was in progress stained all the furniture in the hall.][ As a consequence, Pink Floyd were banned from ever playing there again.][
It was the first concert in Britain to feature both a complex light show and a four channel ]quadraphonic
Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic and sometimes quadrasonic) sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of a listening space. The system allows for th ...
surround sound speaker system.[
A sound mixing device called the " Azimuth Co-ordinator" was used to direct sounds to multiple speakers all around the room.]Rick Wright
Richard William Wright (28 July 1943 – 15 September 2008) was an English musician who was a co-founder of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He played keyboards and sang, appearing on almost every Pink Floyd album and performing on a ...
while the ending piece was constructed by Barrett.[ At this time, the song that would become "]See Emily Play
"See Emily Play" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, released as their second single in June 1967. Written by original frontman Syd Barrett, it was released as a non-album single, but appeared as the opening track of the U.S. edition of ...
" was known as "Games for May."[
]
Setlist
The following songs were performed at the show (all songs written by Syd Barrett
Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...
, unless otherwise noted)[
*Dawn (tape recording)
*" Matilda Mother"
*" Flaming"
*" The Scarecrow"
*" Games for May"
*"]Bike
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
"
*"Arnold Layne
"Arnold Layne" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd. Released on 10 March 1967, it was the band's first single release. It was written by Syd Barrett.
Lyrics
The song's title character is a transvestite whose strange hobby is stealing wo ...
"
*"Candy and a Currant Bun
"Candy and a Currant Bun" is the B-side to Pink Floyd's first single, "Arnold Layne".
Its lyrical content is about drugs and casual sex.
Lyric change
When performed live in 1967, the song was known as "Let's Roll Another One" and contained the ...
"
*"Pow R. Toc H.
"Pow R. Toc H." is an instrumental, with vocal effects, by Pink Floyd on their 1967 album '' The Piper at the Gates of Dawn''. In addition to the vocal effects, the piano is a prominent instrument in the piece.
Background
Toc H. was the army sig ...
" (Barrett, Waters, Wright
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...
, Mason
Mason may refer to:
Occupations
* Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces
* Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...
)
*"Interstellar Overdrive
"Interstellar Overdrive" is an instrumental composition written and performed by Pink Floyd. The song was written in 1966 and is on their 1967 debut album, ''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'', clocking in at almost ten minutes in length.
The son ...
" (Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason)
*Bubbles (tape recording)
*Ending (tape recording)
Encore:
*"Lucifer Sam
"Lucifer Sam" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, featured on the band's debut album ''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'' (1967).
Music and lyrics
The song is built around a descending riff, with the dominant instrument being composer Syd ...
"
See also
*The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream
The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream was a concert held in the Great Hall of the Alexandra Palace, London, on 29 April 1967. The fund-raising concert for the counterculture paper ''International Times'' was organised by Barry Miles, John "Hoppy" Hopkins ...
References
* Mason, Nick. '' Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', 2004.
External links
An article at Offthetelly.co.uk about a contemporary television appearance by Pink Floyd, including a description of Games for May
{{Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
1967 in London