Interstellar Overdrive

"Interstellar Overdrive" was one of the first psychedelic instrumental improvisations recorded by a rock band.{{cite book|last=Manning|first=Toby|title=The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd|year=2006|publisher=Rough Guides|location=London|isbn=1-84353-575-0|page=180|edition=1st}} It was seen as Pink Floyd's first foray into space rock{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/pink-floyd/every-pink-floyd-album-ranked-worst-to-best|title=Every Pink Floyd Album Ranked Worst to Best|first=Matt|last=Mitchell|date=17 August 2023|website=Paste|access-date=20 January 2025}} (along with "Astronomy Domine"), although band members would later disparage this term. It has been described as an experimental rock,{{cite news|last=Pinnock|first=Tom|date=24 July 2015|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/pink-floyds-30-best-songs-69875/11|title=Pink Floyd's 30 best songs|newspaper=Uncut|page=11|quote="Interstellar Overdrive" was avant-garde rock music.|access-date=25 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319123727/http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/pink-floyds-30-best-songs-69875/11|archive-date=19 March 2016}} psychedelic rock,{{cite book|last=Palacios|first=Julian|title=Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd: Dark Globe|year=2010|publisher=Plexus|location=London|isbn=978-0-85965-431-9|edition=Rev.|page=296}}{{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/psychedelic-rock-songs/|title=Top 20 Psychedelic Rock Songs|first=Ennio|last=Gallucci|date=24 February 2021|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|access-date=17 February 2025}} and free improvisation piece,{{cite book |last1=Cavanagh |first1=John |title=33 1/3: Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn |date=2003 |publisher=Bloomsbury |page=Ch. 1}} as well as an example of proto-prog.{{cite web|url=http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-11-06/history-of-prog-in-50-albums|title=The History of Prog in 50 Albums|date=6 November 2016|website=Prog}} "Interstellar Overdrive" originated when early Pink Floyd manager Peter Jenner was trying to hum a song he could not remember the name of (most commonly identified as Love's cover of "My Little Red Book").Manning 2006, p. 26Chapman 2010, pp. 125–6 Guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett followed Jenner's humming with his guitar and used it as the basis for the principal melody of "Interstellar Overdrive". Bassist Roger Waters once told Barrett that the song's riff reminded him of the theme tune from Steptoe and Son (by Ron Grainer).Chapman 2010, p. 126 Around the time the song was written, Barrett was inspired by AMM and their guitarist Keith Rowe, who had a pattern of moving pieces of metal along his guitar's fretboard. The free-form section (and also, "Pow R. Toc H.") was inspired by Frank Zappa's free-form Freak Out! and The Byrds' "Eight Miles High".

The song's main theme descends chromatically from B to G, before resolving to E, all chords major.{{cite book|last=Reisch |first=George A. |title=Pink Floyd and Philosophy: Careful With That Axiom, Eugene! |year=2007 |publisher=Open Court Publishing |isbn=9780812696363 |page=104 |edition=illustrated}} The opening hook of the piece is a distorted, descending guitar riff, played by Barrett, its composer, with Waters on bass and Richard Wright on organ. Nick Mason's drums then kick in, and after the riff repeats itself a bit, the track turns into improvisation, including modal improvisations, flourishes on the Farfisa organ, and quiet interludes.Palacios 2010, p. 189 The song gradually becomes almost structureless and in free-form tempo, punctuated only by strange guitar noises. Eventually, however, the entire band restates the main theme, which is repeated with decreasing tempo and more deliberate intensity. Waters once called the song "an abstract piece".Palacios 2010, p. 129 A bass riff in the song later evolved into another Pink Floyd song, "Let There Be More Light", which was written by Waters.Palacios 2010, p. 200Palacios 2010, p. 319

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. 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,{{cite book|last=Palacios|first=Julian|title=Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd: Dark Globe|year=2010|publisher=Plexus|location=London|isbn=978-0-85965-431-9|edition=Rev.|page=188}}Palacios 2010, p. 187 with a sixth later recorded on 16 March 1967, in an attempt to create a shorter version,Palacios 2010, p. 195 with overdubs in June of that year. The Piper version also appears on the official compilation albums Relics{{refn|UK Starline SRS 5071/EMI IE 048 o 04775{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-Relics/release/448497 |title=Pink Floyd - Relics (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs |date=14 May 1971 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103032125/http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-Relics/release/448497 |archive-date=3 November 2012}}|group=nb}}{{refn|US Harvest SW-759{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-Relics-A-Bizarre-Collection-Of-Antiques-Curios/release/1102560 |title=Pink Floyd - Relics - A Bizarre Collection of Antiques & Curios (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs |year=1971 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=23 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201193911/http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-Relics-A-Bizarre-Collection-Of-Antiques-Curios/release/1102560 |archive-date=1 February 2014}}|group=nb}} and A Nice Pair.{{refn|UK Harvest SHDW 403{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-A-Nice-Pair/release/373513 |title=Pink Floyd - A Nice Pair (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs |date=18 January 1974 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=23 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220092454/http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-A-Nice-Pair/release/373513 |archive-date=20 December 2013}}|group=nb}}{{refn|US Harvest SABB-11257{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-A-Nice-Pair/release/1163389 |title=Pink Floyd - A Nice Pair (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs |year=1975 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=23 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626150529/http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-A-Nice-Pair/release/1163389 |archive-date=26 June 2012}}|group=nb}} Although producer Norman Smith tried to reduce the album's other tracks from a jam-long length to something more manageable,Manning 2006, p. 34{{cite book|last=Blake|first=Mark|title=Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd|year=2008|publisher=Da Capo|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=978-0-306-81752-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/comfortablynumbi00mark/page/84 84–85]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/comfortablynumbi00mark/page/84}} he 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."{{cite book|last=Cavanagh|first=John|title=The Piper at the Gates of Dawn|year=2003|publisher=Continuum|location=New York [u.a.]|isbn=978-0-8264-1497-7|pages=72–73}} Smith created a delay effect by superimposing a second version of the song over a previous version, and played the drum roll on the song near the very end.Chapman 2010, p. 170

The studio recording on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is 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,Manning 2006, p. 28 recorded live-in-studio at Thompson Private Recording Company.Palacios 2010, p. 136 This version was used as the audio sound to the film San Francisco, which was made by a friend of Barrett's, Anthony Stern.Palacios 2010, pp. 136–137 While filmmaker Peter Whitehead and 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".Palacios 2010, p. 156 Stern said that "they're successful now", and suggest the pair go watch Pink Floyd, at their gig at the Royal College of Art. 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." Whitehead convinced Pink Floyd to record "Interstellar Overdrive" for a film he was working on.Palacios 2010, p. 157 Before turning up at the recording studio, the band held a rehearsal, and the next day, 11 January 1967,Manning 2006, p. 31Chapman 2010, p. 123 went to Sound Techniques studios. The studio, which was originally a dairy factory, was run by engineers Geoff Frost and John Wood.

For the session, which was booked for two hours, Wood and Joe Boyd operated the mixing desk, while Whitehead and Stern were filming. This recording of the song lasted nearly 16-minutes in length, recorded onto a 4-track recorder{{cite book|editor=Gordon, Kylee Swenson|title=Electronic Musician Presents the Recording Secrets Behind 50 Great Albums |year=2012 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=9781476821368}} in one take, as the band didn't want to have to play through the song again. The band then played another original instrumental, titled "Nick's Boogie". While 5 seconds of the band playing was included in Whitehead's Tonite Let's All Make Love in London film, edits of the recording was included on the film's respective soundtrack. The soundtrack (released in 1968){{refn|UK Instant INLP 002{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Various-Tonite-Lets-All-Make-Love-In-London/release/3814164 |title=Various - Tonite Let's All Make Love in London (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs |year=1968 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=23 April 2013}}|group=nb}} includes an edited version of the song and two reprises of it. The full version is available on the album London '66–'67.{{refn|UK See for Miles SFMDP 3{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-London-66-67/release/551478 |title=Pink Floyd - London '66 - '67 (CD) at Discogs |year=1995 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=23 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307110222/https://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-London-66-67/release/551478 |archive-date=7 March 2016}}|group=nb}} While attempting to get the band a record deal, Boyd returned with the group to Sound Techniques studios.Manning 2006, p. 29Manning 2006, p. 32 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". An early, unoverdubbed, shortened mix of the album's "Interstellar Overdrive" was used for a French EP released in July 1967.{{refn|France EMI Columbia ESRF 1857{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-Arnold-Layne/release/3589619 |title=Pink Floyd, The* – Arnold Layne (Vinyl) at Discogs |work=Discogs |year=1967 |access-date=24 December 2012}}|group=nb}} The 40th anniversary edition of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn{{refn|Two CDs: Europe EMI 503 9232;{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-The-Piper-At-The-Gates-Of-Dawn/release/2850240 |title=Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn at Discogs |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=23 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207065851/http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-The-Piper-At-The-Gates-Of-Dawn/release/2850240 |archive-date=7 February 2014}} three CDs: Europe EMI 50999 5 03919 2 9{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-The-Piper-At-The-Gates-Of-Dawn/release/1060844 |title=Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn at Discogs |date=11 September 2007 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=23 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121131641/http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-The-Piper-At-The-Gates-Of-Dawn/release/1060844 |archive-date=21 January 2013}}|group=nb}} contains two different, five-minute-long versions of the song, one of them being take 6 from 16 March.

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 book Inside 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 at London underground clubs such as the UFO (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. The song had first appeared in live performances in the autumn of 1966. 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." After recording session for Piper were over, Pink Floyd played a 30-minute version of "Interstellar Overdrive".Palacios 2010, p. 232 Pink Floyd were filmed performing the song for Granada Television's Scene Special Documentary, in January 1967 at the UFO Club.{{cite book|last=Carruthers|first=Bob|title=Pink Floyd – Uncensored on the Record|year=2011|publisher=Cooda Books Ltd|isbn=978-1-908538-27-7|edition=E-book}} A late-Barrett era rendition was recorded live in Rotterdam in November 1967, at the Hippy-Happy Fair.Palacios 2010, p. 299 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.Palacios 2010, p. 275Palacios 2010, p. 301 It continued to be performed as an encore, with the last documented appearance in Montreux on 22 November 1970.{{cite book |last=Povey |first=Glenn |title=Echoes : The Complete History of Pink Floyd |year=2007 |publisher=Mind Head Publishing |isbn=978-0-9554624-0-5 |edition=New| page=139}} A version of "Interstellar Overdrive" was cut from the Ummagumma live album.{{cite book|last=Schaffner|first=Nicholas|title=Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey|year=2005|publisher=Helter Skelter|location=London|isbn=1-905139-09-8|edition=New|page=156}} The song was played by Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in 2018.

In 1969, Frank Zappa joined the band onstage at the Actuel Festival in Amougies, Belgium, to perform a long loose version of the song.{{cite web|title=Pink Floyd - with Frank Zappa 1969|website=YouTube |date=3 July 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz9bn24rxrI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/zz9bn24rxrI |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}} 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."{{cite web|url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitaraficionado/pink-floyd-frank-zappa-1969|title=Watch Frank Zappa Jam with Pink Floyd|last=Fanelli|first=Damian|date=21 November 2017|website=Guitar Player}}

The song has been released in many different lengths across different releases, original 1967 Piper at the Gates of Dawn releases have the track at {{Duration|m=9|s=41}}, whilst the edited 1968 Tonite Lets All Make Love in London version clocks in at {{Duration|m=3|s=02}}. This same recording was released in its entirety twice, first on the 1990 reissue of the album, and then again in 1995 on the EP London '66–'67 clocking in at {{Duration|m=16|s=49}}. The earliest studio recording of the song to be released was the 1966 recording with a running time of {{Duration|m=14|s=57}} and was released in 2017 on the Interstellar Overdrive single. Three live performances of the song featured on The Early Years 1965–1972 boxset, with timings being {{Duration|m=4|s=24}} (recorded in 1969), {{Duration|m=8|s=57}} (recorded in 1967) and {{Duration|m=9|s=37}} (recorded in 1968).

"Interstellar Overdrive" has been covered by many artists, including Teenage Fanclub{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-king-mw0001002387 |title=The King - Teenage Fanclub : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=22 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211123324/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-king-mw0001002387 |archive-date=11 December 2012}} and Kylesa.{{cite web |last=Sullivan |first=Patrick |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/like-black-holes-in-the-sky-the-tribute-to-syd-barrett-mw0000796864 |title=Like Black Holes in the Sky: The Tribute to Syd Barrett - Various Artists : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=22 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115165504/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-piper-at-the-gates-of-dawn-mw0000191309 |archive-date=15 January 2013}}

• Camper Van Beethoven covered the song{{cite book| first= Martin C.| last= Strong| year= 2000| title= The Great Rock Discography| edition= 5th| publisher= Mojo Books| location= Edinburgh| page= 147| isbn= 1-84195-017-3}} on their studio album Camper Van Beethoven.{{cite web |last=Raggett |first=Ned |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/camper-van-beethoven-mw0000618322 |title=Camper Van Beethoven - Camper Van Beethoven : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=18 June 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304115135/http://www.allmusic.com/album/camper-van-beethoven-mw0000618322 |archive-date=4 March 2013}}
• Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets included it in their repertoire of early Floyd material. "What I don't want to do is slavishly copy what we did on the album," Mason noted. "The great thing with 'Interstellar' is that it's a piece that lends itself to improvisation. What I'd like to do is capture some of the weirdness – some of the very specific things that Syd did – but actually bring a bit of our own language into it."{{cite magazine|first=Henry|last=Yates|title=Set the controls for 60s Floyd|magazine=Classic Rock|date=July 2018|issue=250|page=14}}
• The album version was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time.{{cite web |url=http://stereogum.com/10114/rolling_stones_100_greatest_guitar_songs_of_all_ti/list/ |title=Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time |publisher=Stereogum |date=30 May 2008 |access-date=30 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930231925/http://stereogum.com/10114/rolling_stones_100_greatest_guitar_songs_of_all_ti/list/ |archive-date=30 September 2012}}
• The song featured on Pink Floyd's compilation Relics,{{cite web |last=Kellman |first=Andy |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/relics-mw0000309068 |title=Relics - Pink Floyd : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=18 June 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601094301/http://www.allmusic.com/album/relics-mw0000309068 |archive-date=1 June 2013}} and was considered for—but ultimately left off—their career-spanning retrospective Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.{{cite web|url=http://www.pinkfloyd.co.uk/echoes/ae/james.html|title=James Guthrie: Audio: Building A Compilation Album|last=Guthrie|first=James|publisher=Pink Floyd|access-date=17 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602090835/http://www.pinkfloyd.co.uk/echoes/ae/james.html|archive-date=2 June 2010}}
• Hip-hop group Death Grips sampled the song in 2011 for the song 'I Want I Need It (Death Heated)' on their debut mixtape Exmilitary.
• "Interstellar Overdrive" was used in the 2016 film Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role.{{cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/essentials/culture/benedict-cumberbatch-playing-doctor-strange-real-superhero-wife/|title=Benedict Cumberbatch on playing Doctor Strange: 'The real superhero is my wife'|date=27 October 2016|website=inews.co.uk|access-date=29 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930084442/https://inews.co.uk/essentials/culture/benedict-cumberbatch-playing-doctor-strange-real-superhero-wife/|archive-date=30 September 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/nov/02/doctor-strange-psychedelic-dna-pink-floyd|title=Why Doctor Strange shares its psychedelic DNA with Pink Floyd|first=Jordan|last=Hoffman|date=2 November 2016|website=The Guardian|access-date=29 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930131107/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/nov/02/doctor-strange-psychedelic-dna-pink-floyd|archive-date=30 September 2017}}

Personnel per The Piper at the Gates of Dawn liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=The Piper at the Gates of Dawn |author=Pink Floyd |year=1967 |publisher=EMI |id=SCX6157}}

• Syd Barrett – guitar
• Roger Waters – bass guitar
• Rick Wright – Farfisa organ
• Nick Mason – drums

with:

• Norman Smith – drum roll

Footnotes

{{reflist|2|group=nb}}

Citations

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• [{{Allmusic|class=song|id=t1530791|pure_url=yes}} AMG song review]

{{The Piper at the Gates of Dawn}}

{{Pink Floyd}}

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Category:Pink Floyd songs

Category:1967 songs

Category:Rock instrumentals

Category:Songs written by Syd Barrett

Category:Songs written by Nick Mason

Category:Songs written by Roger Waters

Category:Songs written by Richard Wright (musician)

Category:Song recordings produced by Joe Boyd

Category:1960s instrumentals