ladyislingering
retired
Amongst the likes of elaborate artistic endeavors masqueraded by Peter Gabriel's Genesis and the psychedelic vibe of Soft Machine surfaced a new dimension to the UK's underground music scene: Pink Floyd.
In 1963, two architecture students from London's Regent Street Polytechnic university when they performed together, by chance, in a band that would soon be named Sigma 6. These two were Nick Mason and Roger Waters, who were recruited by Keith Noble, his sister Sheilagh, and Clive Metcalfe.
Sigma 6 performed songs originally recorded by The Searchers, who are best known for their covers of classic songs such as "Needles and Pins" (originally by Jackie DeShannon) and "Love Potion No. 9" (The Clovers). However, they also performed songs written by a friend and fellow student, Ken Chapman. Incidentally, Ken was also Sigma 6's manager.
Sigma 6 changed their name on many occasions; for a while they were the Abdabs (also adopting several variants of one such moniker, such as the Architectural or Screaming Abdabs), the Megadeaths, and finally settled on Tea Set.
One of Regent Street Polytechnic's tutors, Mike Leonard, provided shelter for Nick and Roger in September of 1963. Mike was also a technician of light machines - projectors that provided crazy backdrops for all kinds of situations - and a keyboardist. Guitarist Bob Klose moved into Mike's flat when Nick moved out. By 1964, Clive Metcalfe and Keith Noble left Tea Set to create their own band. However, Bob and Roger were soon to join a 17-year-old musician from London's Camberwell College of Art.
Syd Barrett and Roger Waters were childhood friends; they knew each other well but hadn't collaborated in an actual band until this point. Roger had visited many performances orchestrated by Syd and his band, The Mottoes, which was formed with the encouragement of Syd's mother to aid him in coping with his father's recent death.
Tea Set was without a proper vocalist once Clive and Keith left, so Bob recruited Chris Dennis (who was also a technician for the Royal Air Force). Shortly thereafter, Syd discovered another local band sharing their name (and that they would likely perform at the same venues) thus, Tea Set was named The Pink Floyd Sound. Tea Set's new name was created by Syd, who was influenced by Pink Anderson and Floyd Council - two artists in his record collection. When Dennis left for a job in Bahrain, Syd took over as The Pink Floyd Sound's new frontman.
At the Coundown Club in London, The Pink Floyd Sound was well-received, and well-known. They often played for many hours at a time, pulling off three sets in a row, all 90 minutes long. This was when they discovered that a song could be significantly lengthened by the use of epic compositions and solos. After appearing on Ready, Steady, Go! and in many other paid venues, The Pink Floyd Sound earned a gig at The Marquee Club (which was the site of the Rolling Stones' first gig four years earlier) in 1966. It was there that they were discovered by a professor from the London School of Economics, Peter Jenner. (Peter would later move on to producing for bands like T-Rex and The Clash.)
Peter was astounded by what he was seeing (and hearing); he teamed up with one of his colleagues, Andrew King, and together they would manage their new discovery. Neither of these men had much of any experience in the music industry, but were able to round up enough money for the foundation of Blackhill Enterprises. They then provided the band with new instruments and soon set them up with a gig at the newly-opened Roundhouse. Among this audience were approximately 2,000 people - including Marianne Faithfull and Paul McCartney. It was because of Peter and Andrew's social connections that The Pink Floyd Sound gained recognition from The Financial Times and The Sunday Times, thus propelling them into social awareness practically overnight.
Syd's high-energy frontman antics became quite a spectacle, and the audiences the band played to were often strung out on a wide array of drugs, while the band was completely clean. By 1967 psychedelic rock was in full swing, and the band was welcomed by American record producer Joe Boyd, who was working for Sound Techniques in West Hampstead. Here, the band recorded (with the help of booking agent Bryan Morrison) a set that featured "Arnold Layne". Joe and Bryan were impressed with The Pink Floyd Sound, as were producers from Polydor, though they signed with record label EMI. It was a £5,000 contract - of which Joe had no involvement.
During this time The Pink Floyd Sound became, simply, Pink Floyd. "Arnold Layne" was released as their first single on March 11, 1967. Its B-side was called "Candy and a Currant Bun" which included the notorious Waters scream (also heard on "Careful With that Axe, Eugene). Both songs saw controversy - "Arnold Layne" for its crossdressing references, and its B-side for its original lyrics containing a drug reference: "I'm high, don't try to spoil my fun". The single wasn't present on Pink Floyd's debut record.
Pink Floyd's performances were glittered with new lighting concepts strained through ordinary objects, such as mirrors and stretched condoms. They traveled to over 200 locations with their new tour manager, Peter Willson, who had once been a roommate to Syd. One such performance occurred at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, where they introduced their new single (released in June of 1967) "See Emily Play". The single shot up to #17 in the charts after only having been released two weeks prior. Its B-side was called "Scarecrow". The band appeared on Top of the Pops to promote their new single, but their next appearance, scheduled at the Beat Club, was cancelled when Syd refused to play. His behavior would continue to be erratic, disturbing, and driven by his increased use of LSD.
*note: please refrain from comments until I can get a fair chunk of text in the thread. it's being written little by little. thanks.
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