A Saucerful of Secrets

About A Saucerful of Secrets

A Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 29 June 1968 by EMI Columbia in the United Kingdom (following adverts in Melody Maker giving that date) and released on 27 July 1968 in the United States by Tower Records. It is the only album to be credited to the band as a five-piece, consisting of Syd Barrett (guitar), David Gilmour (guitar), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass) and Richard Wright (keyboards). Barrett's behavior had become unpredictable during the recording of the album, so David Gilmour was recruited to complement Barrett, who eventually left the band before the completion of the album. While the prior record had been creatively driven by Barrett as the band's leader and principle songwriter, this album showed a much more diverse set of influences, with every member contributing to songwriting and lead vocal roles. Gilmour, new with the band, appears on five songs (all except "Remember a Day" and "Jugband Blues"), while Barrett, in his final appearance on a Pink Floyd album, contributed to three ("Remember a Day", "Jugband Blues" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"). "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" was the only song all five members appeared on together. The band's drummer, Nick Mason, has declared A Saucerful of Secrets to be his favourite Pink Floyd album. Upon release, A Saucerful of Secrets reached number nine in the UK charts, but it didn't chart in the US until April 2019, peaking at number 158. The album received mostly positive reviews, though many critics have deemed it inferior to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. more »