Chapter 3: Paint It Black (June 1966 - May 1967)

12 June 1966

The London Underground is not just a public transport system; it was the British equivalent to the hippie subculture of the United States with its own magazines, clubs, newspapers, lifestyles, and of course, music groups. Among those groups was Pink Floyd, consisting of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason, and they were to be among the select few of the London Underground that was destined for greater things.

Pink Floyd, 1966.

The band had played several venues during the mid-1960s but had not released an official album, save for a few recordings such as "Lucy Leave" and a cover version of "I'm a King Bee". Syd Barrett was the primary song writer with Roger Waters making his own occasional contributions, as did Richard Wright and Nick Mason. Fate would soon bestow the quartet on that concert in June at the Marquee Club in London.

NORMAN SMITH: "It was the twelfth of June when I first attended a show by Pink Floyd - then known as Pink Floyd Sound - as part of an invitation from a friend. The Beatles were working on the final recordings for their seventh long play, Abracadabra, unaware of the controversy that would bestow them in America. Listening to Pink Floyd do their thing, I felt that they had potential to be one of the biggest bands in the world. After they finished up their set, I asked to have a personal audience with them backstage, and the rest is history." (Synesthesia: A Taste of Music[1], 2007)

ROGER WATERS: "Syd and I were surprised that a record producer, of all people, wanted an audience with us, much less someone who was associated with the Beatles. Still, Norm seemed like a nice guy to talk to, and we spoke about many things like the changing music scene and whatnot." (1984)

1 January 1967

Pink Floyd signing with EMI Records, 1966.

Per Norman Smith's invitation, Pink Floyd (having dropped "Sound" from their name) were signed up to EMI Records by the end of 1966[2], and come New Year's Day, they had begun the framework for what was to be their first album, Projection.

NICK MASON: "Roger and Syd had written up some new material by then; they'd wanted to put out a double album with all the material we had, including the stuff written back in '65. Norm had other ideas, and insisted on a single album instead." (1979)

RICHARD WRIGHT: "[Projection] is practically an album of two sides; the first featuring self-contained songs, and the other's an instrumental jam we mucked around with." (1969)

NORMAN SMITH: "They had a lot of ideas for Projection, but some would eventually find their way onto future albums. It was at times exhausting to work with them, especially Syd, who was very loud and outspoken. Rick was quite cooperative, however, as were Nick and Roger to an extent. Following George Martin's shoes, I knew how to keep those boys in line. They've always been a good lot, they were." (2007)

The cover for Pink Floyd's debut single, "Arnold Layne".

One of the new songs written for Projection was Barrett's "Arnold Layne", about a transvestite man with a fascination with women's clothing. "Hilarious, and yet controversial all at once," Waters recalled. (1994) The single was released ahead of the album for a 10 March release with "Candy and a Currant Bun" as its B-side. The lyrics of the A-side would result in a radio ran, but it still managed to reach #20 in the United Kingdom, later becoming a cult classic in the Pink Floyd catalog.

21 March 1967
During a day off from the sessions, Pink Floyd decided to visit the studio next to them, and there, they witnessed the Beatles recording "Lovely Rita" for a new project they had dubbed Merseyside[3]. Nick Mason recalled the encounter "as if we had met God in a way, or something else that was out of the ordinary." (2006)

PAUL McCARTNEY: "We were very surprised to see Pink Floyd come into our studio whilst we did "Rita". They were nice blokes and all, even if Syd was a bit eccentric. They stayed a bit longer by the time John went up on the rooftops whilst on acid with Syd."[4] (1989)

GEORGE MARTIN: "Both John and Syd were making quite a ruckus when I went to check up on them. They weren't hitting each other, thankfully, but they were making a lot of noise and jumping about. I looked over the edge and saw some kids gazing up waiting for more of their nonsense. 'They seem to be enjoying the show both of you are putting on,' I told them. They both stopped to look at me, and then Syd turned to John and said, 'How do you feel about playing on stage together?'" (2000)

JOHN LENNON: "I don't fully remember [Pink] Floyd coming to see us in the studio. We got lots of visitors in the studio, so they might've turned up, but I can't remember. Lysergic can mess with yer head like that." (1969)

Even though John Lennon didn't remember his first meeting with Pink Floyd at the time, he still fancied the idea of playing with them on stage.

5 May 1967

Pink Floyd - Projection

Released: 5 May 1967

Recorded: January - April 1967

Producer: Norman Smith

Track listing[5]

Side A

Lucy Leave
Arnold Layne
Remember Me
Walk with Me Sydney
Butterfly
Candy and a Currant Bun

Side B

Interstellar Overdrive

Pink Floyd's debut album, Projection, was released to generally positive reviews, topping at #10 in the United Kingdom. The sound was a lot rougher in contrast to the more polished sound of recent releases such as Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced and the Rolling Stones' Between the Buttons, the latter of whom Pink Floyd was compared to sonically. Retrospective reviews would also compare Projection to the Velvet Underground's debut collaboration with Nico, produced by Andy Warhol.

For their future albums, Syd Barrett had wanted Pink Floyd to "sound less like the Rolling Stones, and more like Pink Floyd" (1967). That was a goal they would indeed achieve with their sophomore effort, as well as a brief tour with one of the biggest bands in the world...

Footnotes

1. OTL's John Lennon Called Me Normal, published March 16, 2007.
2. Pink Floyd has attracted the music industry in 1967, not 1966. A point of divergence indirectly caused by the release of the Rolling Stones' Could You Walk on the Water?.
3. OTL's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
4. Pink Floyd did indeed come to see the Beatles record "Lovely Rita". It was also around the time during the overdubs of "Getting Better" that John went onto the rooftop on acid. Syd Barrett never joined him up there, nor did he suggest playing together at a show.
5. Tracks from Side A are sourced from 1965: Their First Recordings and The Early Singles. "Interstellar Overdrive" is the almost-17 minute version taken from the 1990 edition of Tonite Lets All Make Love in London and takes up the entirety of Side B.

Author's Comments

We're still dipping a bit into 1966, but soon we'll be in the thick of 1967 were things really start to change. Whether they be for better or for worse, your stance will vary. Be prepared to suspend some disbelief as we delve into the next chapter of Phase One...