A Saucerful of Secrets (instrumental)

## About

A Saucerful of Secrets

**“A Saucerful of Secrets”** is a song released by the English psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. It was the fifth track from from their 1968 album of the same name. It is nearly 12 minutes long and was composed by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and David Gilmour. The track features guitar feedback, a percussion solo section and wordless vocals. The song was a popular live piece and was later included on the live half of the double fourth album *Ummagumma* (1969). Saucerful Of Secret’s initials spell “SOS”.

*(Whilst the Ummagumma version features wordless vocals, this suite is an instrumental, so there are no lyrics available).*

## Parts

This track has the same name of the album it features in. The track has four parts to it.

* Part 1; Something Else
* Part 2; Syncopated Pandemonium
* Part 3; Storm Signal
* Part 4; Celestial Voices

There are two common interpretations to what this instrumental piece is supposed to represent.

The official interpretation – according to Roger Waters – is the depiction of a battle:

* Part 1 is the set up of battle.
* Part 2 is the battle.
* Part 3 is the view of the dead.
* Part 4 is the mourning of the dead.

The second interpretation is what happens to the mind while tripping on LSD. This has not been mentioned or confirmed by any member of Pink Floyd.

* Part 1: Vague sensations within your stomach.
* Part 2: the trip proper, the brain is turned into a furnace, burning higher and higher and higher.
* Part 3: the ghosts you befriended all night are slowly swept away in the wind and you realize it’s over
* Part 4: stepping outside, you see with the eyes of a newborn child that the bright yellow sun is still shining high up in the blue sky, and the grass is yet a vivid green under your feet

## Info

* This is an experimental, avant-garde piece featuring howling feedback, menacing percussion, and eerie wordless vocals.
* The name “*A Saucerful of Secrets*” refers to LSD pills passed around in a saucer. Instrumentally, the track is trippy and psychedelic in order to simulate the effects of an LSD trip. In this case, the “secrets” are the LSD pills. LSD (and most other drugs) cause the pupils to dilate, making users' eyes seem saucer-like.
* The track was created in the late 1960s during the early era of Pink Floyd, when LSD was not yet known for its harmful effects on the human mind. These effects would later affect frontman Syd Barrett, causing him to play the wrong songs when performing live. As a consequence, he created a sharp dissonance between himself and the rest of the band.
* *Jugband Blues*, the final song on this album, was the last Pink Floyd song to feature him. He later deteriorated from LSD use to the point that the band could not even recognize him during the recording of *Wish You Were Here.*
* This became a live staple from 1968-72. A live version is available on Pink Floyd's 1969 double album *Ummagumma*, and the version seen and heard in the film Live At Pompeii: Directors Cut is considered by many to be the definitive version. In 1969, "*Celestial Voices*," was incorporated into *The Man And The Journey* as "*The End Of The Beginning*."
* Roger Waters once stated in a Rolling Stone interview that this was about a battle and the aftermath. "*Something Else*" represents the setup. "Syncopated Pandemonium" represents the actual battle. "*Storm Signal*" represents the view of the dead after the battle's ended, and "*Celestial Voices*" represents the mourning. Live performances differed significantly from the studio version. The closely miked cymbal sound that starts the piece was instead performed as a two note bass drone. For "*Syncopated Pandemonium*", Richard Wright had to be content with playing Farfisa organ instead of pounding a grand piano with his fists like the studio recording. The "*Celestial Voices*" section started with just organ like the studio version, but gradually added drums, bass, guitar, and wordless vocals, provided by Gilmour. This led to a strong climax of the song, that can be best appreciated by the applause at the end of the *Ummagumma* version.
* Some pressings of Ummagumma break this into 4 sections:
	1. "Something Else" (fade-in of slow closely miked cymbal, echoing organ, fade-out)
	2. "Syncopated Pandemonium" (fade-in of tape loop drum solo, furious cymbals, screeching guitar, fade-out)
	3. "Storm Signal" (fade-in of chimes, organ, fade-out)
	4. "Celestial Voices" (fade-in of bass, organ, mellotron, wordless chorus)
* Some live performances ran for over 20 minutes.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A\_Saucerful\_of\_Secrets
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A\_Saucerful\_of\_Secrets\_(instrumental)
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink\_Floyd\_discography
4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ummagumma
5. ↑ https://genius.com/Pink-floyd-a-saucerful-of-secrets-lyrics
6. ↑ https://www.songfacts.com/facts/pink-floyd/a-saucerful-of-secrets