Curious to know what you guys think/like about Pink Floyd's early work

I've been a fan of Pink Floyd since their first hit...at least on L.A. radio...Interstellar Overdrive.  I bought every one of their LPs until their big hit...was it Dark Side of the Moon? I still occasionally listen to my LP of Atom Heart Mother. I saw them in concert several times in those early day at various mid-size L.A. venues. They also did a gig on a 1960's late night TV rock-and-roll concert series. They could be self-indulgent as hell but there was never any doubt as to their sheer scope and their commitment to their sound.

You are not alone. 

I much prefer later Floyd to the earlier stuff. Just my preference. Syd was a drug addict with mental problems, and imo, it showed. Again, jm2cw.

Success is not always relevant with new music horizons. If they stopped at DSOTM it would be fine. Only break with new sound was Animals, but thankfully those years punk exploded, after that boredom and repetitiveness.

Oddly, I was much more of a Pink Floyd fan before DSOTM, which I considered a bald if understandable bid to finally make some real money. It's the only Pink Floyd release where it truly took several months before I went to the record store to buy it.

I haven't listen to them in 30 years, and I don't miss it. They were trendy for a while but I never understood why.

Yeah, I own all of the early pre-DSOTM albums, and I try.  But they just don't interest me either.

Their first release was "Arnold Layne" (45rpm single) and it reached #20 on British charts. Bside was "Candy & a Current Bun". I have a copy of Aussie release and the B side is "See Emily Play". The songs were written by Syd Barrett. "Arnold Layne" was a song about a cross dresser stealing women's underwear from clotheslines at night (Go figure)

I think most people would agree that early Floyd was pseudo-experimental and the band finding their sound in the music of the day. I listen to the early albums more out of respect and to learn about their developing sound that culminated with the massive albums of the 70's. Surprised this chat did not spur more excitement about one of the truly great bands of all time. Their Big 4 are legendary and IMHO The Wall is one of the best 5 albums in rock history--just fabulous music from start to finish, After the Final Cut their music seemed less inspired but love Waters & Gilmour's solo albums.

There probably would have been more interest or excitement in the music forum. Anyway, to me The Pink Floyd ('the' was dropped after Syd left) is a totally different band than Pink Floyd without Sid. The Piper album was all Barrett's song writing in a style that fit the psychedelic mood of the time, but was a very personal mixture of experimentalism and playfulness. It was recorded in Abbey Road at about the same time as Sgt. Pepper and there are stories about the Beatles 'taking note' of what was going on 'in the other room'. Probably folklore, but Piper was hugely influencial when it came out. And of course Arnold Layne and See Emily Play had already been released. Barrett was probably not more of a drug addict then any other of his peers, but he did become the most famous LSD casualty in rock history. His solo albums are harrowing documents of his mental breakdown.

Pink Floyd never recovered and after some artistically uneven records they reinvented themselves as the heavy handed prog outfit they eventually became. But Syd's spirit hung around until Wish You Were Here, which was nothing less than a tribute to their 'lost' friend and collegue. After that it was Roger Waters who called all the shots and we know what he's like......

Yes Pink Floyd’s early work is less accessible, with all the comments about Sid’’s style accurate.  But there is some great stuff.  Gems like Arnold Layne, see Emily Play,  Cymbaline  and Careful with that Axe Eugene are great examples of their early work.

Then the album Atom Heart Mother is amazing start to finish, with the first side one long concept, and excellent singles on side 2.  Meddle is a classic, also with one long concept song and great individual songs on side 1.  Who can resist Semus, the dog outside the kitchen?

Obviously their later albums are more polished and commercially accessible.  I listen to very little after  The Wall.  Animals is another album that does not get much love, but is fantastic.

if you don’t get it, you don’t get it.  Anyone want to bash Yes’ first two albums?

If you like Pink Floyd at all, then you owe it to yourself to listen/watch Live at Pompeii.

Archive. org -https://archive.org/details/pink-floyd-live-at-pompeii-1972-remastered

This is Floyd as they transition from the Syd days to DSOTM and beyond. 

Can also stream the compilation 1972 Obfusc/ation which contains the live tracks-Qobuz, Tidal, etc.

@edgewear 1+ There are some bright spots in all the early albums, indications of what was to come.  I listen to Atom Heart Mother on occasion, more frequently than the others. Animals remains my favorite followed by The Wall. Dark Side got played to death on me in college. I album I dislike the most is Wishing You Were Here. Syd was a sad case of self destruction and I see no reason to ruminate on him. He never became a "diamond" , but who knows how he would have developed. 

I like the stuff with Syd. I like the stuff after Syd. The only version of Pink Floyd I don't much care for is the post-Roger PF.  Also saw Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, and that was great interpretations of older material....

You might get even more response by posting this under 'Music' as well as 'Misc Audio'. 

@fastfreight  Yes Pink Floyd’s early work is less accessible, with all the comments about Sid’’s style accurate.  But there is some great stuff.  Gems like Arnold Layne, see Emily Play,  Cymbaline  and Careful with that Axe Eugene are great examples of their early work.

This sums it up nicely.

@coralkong THANK YOU. I was thinking along those same lines. I was  deeply influence by the DRUG culture in those days and actually liked the early sound, but when I got my act together I lost all interest and the political influencing found in the later years just sealed my beliefs that much further.

I doubt many casual Pink Floyd fans realize 7 of their 15 studio albums were released prior to DSOTM. Fans of the very early work are likely generational not being able to be completely objective regarding the quality of content. "See Emily Play" their only radio hit prior to DSOTM sounds like a Sgt. Pepper's toss out track with the band lacking little if any original identity.

….and you find the early Beatles stuff full of quality content? :)

Listening through Pink Floyd's entire studio album discography these days. I mostly know their work from the 70's to 90's. I will admit, I haven't quite connected fully with their early psychedelic years from Piper to Ummagumma yet. I suppose I'm a bigger fan of their "BIG sound" that would evolve later on with David's important guitar riffs, solos, conceptual records https://vidmate.onl/ , unique production and Waters' lyrics. Those first records honestly do not really delight me always. I'm really open to hearing thoughts, discussing factors and history of these records that could give me a more open perspective, and maybe understand the importance of these works. Why do some of you like them? Is it the history of the band forming? Starting out with Syd? Any documentaries or books that focus on the early years?

i got this...

  Love their music but in the beginning they were in an evolution period until they found their true sound. Umagama  and a Saucer Full of Secrets” were a period of progression from a Progressive Rock Style/Band. After I listened to all their albums I still go back to the beginning to catch that change which was evident in “More”. All great bands like them, Beetles as well went through a period of growth. I think it’s the difference between a great band and a good band with a couple of hit albums

In 1968 I went to the Village to attend a Cream concert at the Village Theater (soon to be renamed Fillmore East).  I stopped in at the record store on MacDougal and Bleeker to buy a 45 of 'Spoonful' (still have it) and they were playing The Pink Floyd "Piper" on the shop stereo.  It did nothing for me.  I didn't start listening until DSOTM, when Gilmour's bluesy guitar work caught my ear.  I never went back to really listen to the early stuff.  Maybe now....

Division Bell. 

I like Piper, Saucer, Atom, Obscured, and Meddle...  not necessarily every single cut, but overall I like all of that better than the unbearable Wall and Wish You Were Here.  

The "On Thin Ice" documentary (Youtube) is worth a look.

Relics is a compendium of some of this early stuff, which I really like and has more originality than credited IMO.  I listened to it again for the first time in years recently and it sounds great

I’m not the biggest fan in general, but like some of the later stuff (love “Fearless,”  “Have a Cigar”, really don’t care for The Wall)

If I listen to them, it’s the early Syd stuff.

My roommate in college played DSOTM all night while we slept. I liked the album. I bought their catalog. Never could get into anything before Meddle. The WYWH album is also a fav. I like their live albums as well. David Gilmour also played the old stuff quite well live. I have seen Roger Waters twice in the last few years. He plays their catalog to perfection. Pink Flod is a top 5 band for me. I listen to new music as well and still play their stuff regularly. 

I suppose I’m in the minority on this one. Random play in the car just set me up with Astronomy Domine coming in today. Their earlier at work is best in my opinion. I stop listening before DSOTM - can stand them after that. They are a good example of what was happening at the Spontaneous Underground at the time - Soft Machine, Please, The Attack, Pretty Things, etc. There’s a Screaming Abdabs bootleg that captures their live feeling very well. Norman ‘Normal’ Smith did his best to hold them back at Abbey Roads. Syd also did 3 decent solo efforts - singer songwriter type with Robert Wyatt backing him at times. Great writing. 

I hear early PF as the making of puzzle pieces. The pieces start coming together on Meddle then perfected on DSOTM and after. Echos is my fav PF song. Its like a changing landscape. D.G. & R.W. vocal harmonys blend perfectly. The music starts mellow, builds to a crescendo, then eases to a mellow ending.

My earliest fav is"More". Another showcase of their early development.  

Seems like whole concept album listening faded in the 1980s as post baby boomers seemed to move toward the popish sounds and single track listening.

I believe PF was one of the most creative prog bands and Sid was a huge influance on their style. 

Syd would love these posts. Mostly insane with slight touch of reality! 

ironically funny @ricmci !

I can’t get into the Syd Barrett music. It’s just too weird and not melodic for me. 

I really liked Meddle, Ummagumma, and Astronomy Domine. One thing we should all keep in mind when judging these albums is the crazy rate they were churned out. Back in those days, bands were on a treadmill by their labels to put out new albums around every 6 months. That is crazy.  Today, many artists go two years (or more) between albums, even with all the modern technology that ought to make the process easier, so they have time to hone songs and make sure the material is exactly as they want.  Those in the late 1960s/early 70s, didn't have that luxury. 

Since you are referring to their early work then you mean the Syd Barrett era. Much of it isn’t nearly as accessible to listeners as their much better known great later works like Wish You Were Here, but I have come to love their early works just as much. For me, they are much more introspective and psychedelic. My first introduction as a kid was Echos. I continue to come back to that incredible long cut regularly throughout the years. For me, I’m transported to a massive underground cavern where musical notes drip into a deep placid pool like water off of stalactites. I had the incredible fortune of seeing Nick Mason & his band at The Tulsa Theater October of last year and was seriously impressed. They only performed Nick Mason/Pink Floyd’s early works and I was mesmerized. See him if you can before the opportunity is gone forever. It was an absolutely magical show!

I listen pretty much only to early Floyd, up to and including DSOTM, but especially Meddle, Atom Heart Mother and Ummagumma. I don’t listen to their later work as much.

 I loved Pink Floyd's early albums. Umugumma was definitely out there, my favorite and much underrated was Atom Heart Mother, very different and a classic. Echoes was another outstanding album, then they went for a more commercial sound and lost IMO, much of their innovative work.

A little late to this party but: +1 @unreceiveddogma, @bishop148 and some others - when I have Pink Floyd in heavy rotation it will be pre-Dark Side 6 days out of 7. I love the greater variety of musical styles in the early stuff and the shorter pieces that populated many of those albums. While I still enjoy their later works, especially the sonics, to me there seems to be an increasing tendency toward bombast.

and @drbb, thanks much for the great concert link - I hadn't run across that one.

Delicate Sound of Thunder definitely the best Pink Floyd recording and it was without Waters. But if he is saying that we have no business in Ukraine  I agree. Two Russia dictators fighting it out bores me.

Early PF is great.  Tonight let's make love in London is among the finest 

Have all PF's albums.

The only one I never get tired of listening to is DSOTM.

Just my 2c, FWIW.