Set the controls for the heart of the sun
| Set the controls for the heart of the sun | |
|---|---|
| Pink Floyd | |
| publication | June 29, 1968 |
| length | 5:18 |
| Genre (s) | Progressive rock , psychedelic rock |
| text | Roger Waters |
| music | Roger Waters |
| album | A Saucerful of Secrets |
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun is a song by the British rock band Pink Floyd that was released on their second album A Saucerful of Secrets in 1968. It's the third track on the album.
Music and lyrics
The music of the piece is dominated by drum beats and guitar sounds, it has an oriental or Far Eastern touch due to the Phrygian scale of the bass line . Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun is consistently slow and calm, and the middle part also contains an extended passage in which the penetrating bangs of Nick Mason can be heard. According to the bassist Roger Waters, the text was at least partially taken over (“borrowed”) from poems of the late Chinese Tang dynasty , for example from works by Li Shangyin and Li He . Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun is the only Pink Floyd song ever to feature Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason together on the studio version. The piece was written and composed by Roger Waters alone.
Publication and live performance
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun was first released on A Saucerful of Secrets in 1968, and a live version of the piece was also released on Ummagumma in 1969 . Another live performance is included in the 1972 musical film Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii . A new studio version can be found on Roger Waters' solo album In The Flesh . It can also be found on Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd (2001).
Pink Floyd played Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun regularly live between 1968 and 1973. It was later used in Roger Waters' solo tour program after separating from the band. It was often performed on the Radio KAOS tour, as well as on the In-the-Flesh tour and the tours between 2006 and 2008. However, it was partly heavily changed and supported by a background choir . During a Waters appearance in 2002 joined Nick Mason surprise guest musician at Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun on.
There are cover versions of Psychic TV , The House of Usher , 1349 , Salem , Chris & Cosey , The Smashing Pumpkins , OSI , Tiamat , Vibravoid , Kylesa and The Ruins of Beverast, among others .
occupation
- Richard Wright - Farfisa organ , vibraphone
- Roger Waters - vocals , bass
- Nick Mason - drums (played with drumsticks )
- David Gilmour - guitar
- Syd Barrett - guitar
literature
- Andy Mabbett: The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd , London, Omnibus, (1995). ISBN 0-7119-4301-X .
- Julian Palacios: Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd: Dark Globe , London, Plexus, 2010 - 443 pages. ISBN 978-0-85965-431-9 .