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Interstellar Overdrive

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"Interstellar Overdrive"
B-side label of the FrenchArnold LayneEP, featuring an edit of "Interstellar Overdrive"
InstrumentalbyPink Floyd
from the albumThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Released5 August 1967(1967-08-05)
RecordedMarch and April 1967
Genre
Length9:41(album version)
16:49(London '66-'67version)
3:02(Tonite Lets All Make Love in Londonversion)
14:57(1966 recording)
Label
Composer(s)
Producer(s)Norman Smith

"Interstellar Overdrive"is an instrumental composition written and performed by the EnglishrockbandPink 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.[1][2]It features long sections offree-form instrumental improvisationreflective of the group's live performances.

The song originated when guitaristSyd Barrettheard the band's managerPeter Jennerhumming a song, which Barrett tried to interpret by playing it on his guitar. Sharing the same emphasis onchromaticismwith "Astronomy Domine",the piece was recorded in several takes during March and April 1967. An earlier, longer recording of the song can be heard on the soundtrack to the filmTonite Let's All Make Love in London,which was recorded at Sound Technique Studios in early 1967 and was released in the same year. Other versions of the track appear on variousbootleg recordings.The piece has been covered by acts such asT. Rex,Pearl Jam,Camper Van Beethoven,Hawkwind,theMelvins,andSimon House.

Composition and music[edit]

"Interstellar Overdrive" was one of the first psychedelicinstrumentalimprovisationsrecorded by arock band.[3]It was seen as Pink Floyd's first foray intospace rock[3](along with "Astronomy Domine"), although band members would later disparage this term. It has been described as anexperimental rock,[4]psychedelic rock,[5]andfree improvisationpiece,[6]as well as an example ofproto-prog.[7]"Interstellar Overdrive" originated when early Pink Floyd managerPeter Jennerwas trying to hum a song he could not remember the name of (most commonly identified asLove's cover of "My Little Red Book").[2][8][9]Guitarist and vocalistSyd Barrettfollowed Jenner's humming with his guitar and used it as the basis for the principal melody of "Interstellar Overdrive". BassistRoger Watersonce told Barrett that the song's riff reminded him of the theme tune fromSteptoe and Son(byRon Grainer).[3][10]Around the time the song was written, Barrett was inspired byAMMand their guitaristKeith Rowe,who had a pattern of moving pieces of metal along his guitar'sfretboard.[11]The free-form section (and also, "Pow R. Toc H.") was inspired byFrank Zappa's free-formFreak Out!and The Byrds' "Eight Miles High".[8]

"Interstellar Overdrive" shares an emphasis onchromaticismwith "Astronomy Domine".The main theme descends chromatically from B to G, before resolving to E, all chords major.[12]The openinghookof the piece is a distorted, descending guitarriff,played by Barrett, its composer, with Waters on bass andRichard Wrighton organ.[5]Nick Mason's drums then kick in, and after the riff repeats itself a bit, the track turns into improvisation, includingmodalimprovisations, flourishes on theFarfisaorgan, and quiet interludes.[13]The song gradually becomes almost structureless and in free-form tempo, punctuated only by strange guitar noises.[5]Eventually, however, the entire band restates the main theme, which is repeated with decreasing tempo and more deliberate intensity.[13]Waters once called the song "an abstract piece".[14]A bass riff in the song later evolved into another Pink Floyd song, "Let There Be More Light",which was written by Waters.[11][15][16]

Recording[edit]

The stereo version of the song has an organ moving from speaker to speaker; the effect is lost on the mono version of the song, where it simply gains an extra organ and guitar sound.[3]However, the organ is very prominent during the first 50 seconds of the mono version—along with some special effects—but inaudible in the stereo mix until the improvised section. Five takes of the song were originally recorded on 27 February 1967,[17][18]with a sixth later recorded on 16 March 1967, in an attempt to create a shorter version,[19]with overdubs in June of that year. ThePiperversion also appears on the official compilation albumsRelics[nb 1][nb 2]andA Nice Pair.[nb 3][nb 4][2]Despite Smith trying to bring the rest of the album's tracks from a jam-long length to something more manageable,[24][25]Smith relented for "Interstellar Overdrive", as Jenner recalled: "It was definitely the deal that—hey, here you can do 'Interstellar Overdrive', you can do what you like, you can do your weird shit. So 'Interstellar Overdrive' was the weird shit... and again, hats off to Norman for letting them do that."[26]Adelay effectwas created by producerNorman Smithby superimposing a second version of the song over a previous version.[3]Smith played the drum roll on the song near the very end.[27]

Alternative versions and live performances[edit]

The studio recording onThe Piper at the Gates of Dawnis the one that most listeners are familiar with, yet several other versions survive from both the recording studio and the stage. It was first recorded as a demo on 31 October 1966,[2][28]recorded live-in-studio at Thompson Private Recording Company.[29]This version was used as the audio sound to the filmSan Francisco,which was made by a friend of Barrett's,Anthony Stern.[30]While filmmakerPeter Whiteheadand his secondhand Stern were having a discussion, the topic about Pink Floyd was brought about by Stern, to which Whitehead told him, "yeah, terrible music".[31]Stern said that "they're successful now", and suggest the pair go watch Pink Floyd, at their gig at theRoyal College of Art.[31]Whitehead recalled that they "went to UFO and I liked them. Not connected to pop music, a long improvisatory quality, ideal for what I wanted."[31]Whitehead convinced Pink Floyd to record "Interstellar Overdrive" for a film he was working on.[32]Before turning up at the recording studio, the band held a rehearsal,[32]and the next day, 11 January 1967,[2][33][34]went to Sound Techniques studios.[33][34]The studio, which was originally a dairy factory, was run byengineersGeoff Frost and John Wood.[32]

For the session, which was booked for two hours, Wood andJoe Boydoperated themixing desk,while Whitehead and Stern were filming.[32]This recording of the song lasted nearly 16-minutes in length,[33][34]recorded onto a4-track recorder[35]in one take, as the band didn't want to have to play through the song again.[32]The band then played another original instrumental, titled "Nick's Boogie".[32]While 5 seconds of the band playing[32]was included in Whitehead'sTonite Let's All Make Love in Londonfilm, edits of the recording was included on the film's respectivesoundtrack.[2][33][34]The soundtrack (released in 1968)[nb 5]includes an edited version of the song and two reprises of it.[34]The full version is available on the albumLondon '66–'67.[nb 6][33][34]While attempting to get the band a record deal, Boyd returned with the group to Sound Techniques studios.[38][39]There, Boyd and the band recorded a demo tape which was to be given to various record labels, one of the songs that features on the tape was "Interstellar Overdrive".[39]An early, unoverdubbed, shortened mix of the album's "Interstellar Overdrive" was used for a FrenchEPreleased in July 1967.[nb 7][5]The 40th anniversary edition ofThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn[nb 8]contains two different, five-minute-long versions of the song,[2]one of them being take 6 from 16 March.[19]

Despite its encapsulation of their concert repertoire under the leadership of guitarist and composer Barrett, the long, improvisational, freeform structure of the piece is not particularly representative of the group's recorded output. As drummer Mason states in his bookInside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd,live versions of the song featured many sections that did not appear on the album, and would often last more than 20 minutes. During the band's days playing in residence atLondonunderground clubs such as theUFO (Underground Freak Out),the song usually opened their show. It occupied other positions, including the encore, until it was retired from the band's setlist in 1970.[2]The song had first appeared in live performances in the autumn of 1966.[8]During one performance of the song, at a gig organized by Hoppy Hopkins, Pink Floyd managed to blow out the power of a venue. Hopkins called it "Very cold, very dirty but very nice."[28]After recording session forPiperwere over, Pink Floyd played a 30-minute version of "Interstellar Overdrive".[43]Pink Floyd were filmed performing the song forGranada Television'sScene Special Documentary,in January 1967 at theUFO Club.[11]A late-Barrett era rendition was recorded live inRotterdamin November 1967, at the Hippy-Happy Fair.[44]The song was later replaced by "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"as the main part of the band's set lists, after Barrett left the band.[45][46]It continued to be performed as an encore, with the last documented appearance inMontreuxon 21 November 1970.[47]A version of "Interstellar Overdrive" was cut from theUmmagummalive album.[48]The song was played byNick Mason's Saucerful of Secretsin 2018.[49]

In 1969, Frank Zappa joined the band onstage at the Actuel Festival in Amougies, Belgium, to perform a long loose version of the song.[50]Although Zappa himself later had no recollection of the performance, Floyd drummer Mason praised him, saying, "Zappa is really one of those rare musicians that can play with us. The little he did in Amougies was terribly correct."[51]

The song has been released in many different lengths across different releases, original 1967Piper at the Gates of Dawnreleases have the track at9:41,whilst the edited 1968Tonite Lets All Make Love in Londonversion clocks in at3:02.This same recording was released in its entirety twice, first on the 1990 reissue of the album, and then again in 1995 on theEPLondon '66–'67clocking in at16:49.The earliest studio recording of the song to be released was the 1966 recording with a running time of14:57and was released in 2017 on theInterstellar Overdrivesingle. Three live performances of the song featured onThe Early Years 1965–1972boxset, with timings being4:24(recorded in 1969),8:57(recorded in 1967) and9:37(recorded in 1968).

Covers and legacy[edit]

"Interstellar Overdrive" has been covered by many artists, includingTeenage Fanclub[52]andKylesa.[53]

Personnel[edit]

Personnel perThe Piper at the Gates of Dawnliner notes.[61]

with:

References[edit]

Footnotes

  1. ^UK Starline SRS 5071/EMI IE 048 o 04775[20]
  2. ^US Harvest SW-759[21]
  3. ^UK Harvest SHDW 403[22]
  4. ^US Harvest SABB-11257[23]
  5. ^UK Instant INLP 002[36]
  6. ^UK See for Miles SFMDP 3[37]
  7. ^France EMI Columbia ESRF 1857[40]
  8. ^Two CDs: Europe EMI 503 9232;[41]three CDs: Europe EMI 50999 5 03919 2 9[42]

Citations

  1. ^Strong, Martin C. (2004).The Great Rock Discography(7th ed.). Edinburgh:Canongate Books.p. 1177.ISBN1-84195-551-5.
  2. ^abcdefghMabbett, Andy (1995).The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd.London:Omnibus Press.ISBN0-7119-4301-X.
  3. ^abcdeManning, Toby (2006).The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd(1st ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 180.ISBN1-84353-575-0.
  4. ^Pinnock, Tom (24 July 2015)."Pink Floyd's 30 best songs".Uncut.p. 11.Archivedfrom the original on 19 March 2016.Retrieved25 March2016."Interstellar Overdrive" was avant-garde rock music.
  5. ^abcdPalacios, Julian (2010).Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd: Dark Globe(Rev. ed.). London: Plexus. p. 296.ISBN978-0-85965-431-9.
  6. ^Cavanagh, John (2003).33 1/3: Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.Bloomsbury. p. Ch. 1.
  7. ^"The History of Prog in 50 Albums".Prog.6 November 2016.
  8. ^abcManning 2006, p. 26
  9. ^Chapman 2010, pp. 125–6
  10. ^Chapman 2010, p. 126
  11. ^abcCarruthers, Bob (2011).Pink Floyd – Uncensored on the Record(E-book ed.). Cooda Books Ltd.ISBN978-1-908538-27-7.
  12. ^Reisch, George A. (2007).Pink Floyd and Philosophy: Careful With That Axiom, Eugene!(illustrated ed.). Open Court Publishing. p. 104.ISBN9780812696363.
  13. ^abPalacios 2010, p. 189
  14. ^Palacios 2010, p. 129
  15. ^Palacios 2010, p. 200
  16. ^Palacios 2010, p. 319
  17. ^Palacios, Julian (2010).Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd: Dark Globe(Rev. ed.). London: Plexus. p. 188.ISBN978-0-85965-431-9.
  18. ^Palacios 2010, p. 187
  19. ^abPalacios 2010, p. 195
  20. ^"Pink Floyd - Relics (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs".Discogs.14 May 1971.Archivedfrom the original on 3 November 2012.Retrieved23 April2013.
  21. ^"Pink Floyd - Relics - A Bizarre Collection of Antiques & Curios (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs".Discogs.com. 1971.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2014.Retrieved23 April2013.
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  26. ^Cavanagh, John (2003).The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.New York [u.a.]: Continuum. pp. 72–73.ISBN978-0-8264-1497-7.
  27. ^abChapman 2010, p. 170
  28. ^abManning 2006, p. 28
  29. ^Palacios 2010, p. 136
  30. ^Palacios 2010, pp. 136–137
  31. ^abcPalacios 2010, p. 156
  32. ^abcdefgPalacios 2010, p. 157
  33. ^abcdeManning 2006, p. 31
  34. ^abcdefChapman 2010, p. 123
  35. ^Gordon, Kylee Swenson, ed. (2012).Electronic Musician Presents the Recording Secrets Behind 50 Great Albums.Backbeat Books.ISBN9781476821368.
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  37. ^"Pink Floyd - London '66 - '67 (CD) at Discogs".Discogs.com. 1995.Archivedfrom the original on 7 March 2016.Retrieved23 April2013.
  38. ^Manning 2006, p. 29
  39. ^abManning 2006, p. 32
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External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interstellar_Overdrive&oldid=1226902298"