Interstellar Overdrive
Interstellar Overdrive is an instrumental psychedelic rock - piece of the British group Pink Floyd. In a nearly ten -minute-long version, it directs the B-side of their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn a; on the CD version, it is in seventh place. An earlier and longer version can be found on the soundtrack to the film Tonite Let's All Make Love in London, which was published in the same year. More versions have appeared on bootlegs.
Similar Astronomy Domine by Pink Floyd this piece is assigned to the space rock. The largely improvised structure has no great recognition value and the piece is not typical for the phase when Pink Floyd were under the leadership of Syd Barrett. The band opened with Interstellar Overdrive to 1970 often their concerts, later the piece was hardly played.
Structure
The piece begins with a descending theme that is played in unison on the distorted guitars, the bass and organ. It is followed by a transition to an improvisation in a church key, decorated with percussive, played on a Farfisa organ tones and quiet passages. The structure finally dissolve completely, a consistent pace is no longer observed. From minute 2:20 to 3:47 different sounds are heard, most of which were produced on the guitars. At the end, a common tempo gradually crystallizes out, and the theme is repeated.
The author of the theme of Pink Floyd manager Peter Jenner is called, is said to have been humming a song; it is believed that it has acted to My Little Red Book in the cover version of Love. Syd Barrett is said to have imitated Jenners buzz on the guitar and used as the theme of Interstellar Overdrive. Roger Waters remembered the tune of the theme from Steptoe and Son
The album version was recorded on 16 March 1967, and is also included on the compilations Relics and A Nice Pair.
Alternatives and live versions
A first demo version of Interstellar Overdrive was recorded on 31 October 1966. Another early version includes an interview with a Canadian station in December 1966. Two five-minute versions were in the UFO Club on January 20 and played and recorded live on 24 February 1967. For Joe Boyd's film Tonite Let's All Make Love In London, a 16-minute version was recorded on 11 January 1967 which can be found on the album London ( 1966/1967 ).
Until the late 1960s, the piece to the repertoire of Pink Floyd belonged. It was the last time performed live on November 21, 1970 in Montreux. Two five minute versions appear on the 40th Anniversary edition of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. The bootlegs with and without Syd Barrett show that the piece was often improvised and that the Arrangement is therefore changed with each performance. In a BBC radio program about Syd Barrett presented a very different version of the album recording, in its central part, the intensity of the organ is greatly increased. David Gilmour, however, unlike Syd Barrett, often played slide guitar in performances. For the album Ummagumma a live version was planned, but was then not be published.
" Interstellar Overdrive" has been covered by many musicians and bands such as Hawkwind, Camper Van Beethoven, The Melvins, Electric Wizard, Phish, Spiral Realms, Pearl Jam and The Mars Volta.
- John Frusciante said in an interview with radio station The End, that the Red Hot Chili Peppers have performed live on the night of Syd Barrett's death, " Interstellar Overdrive".
- The Mars Volta played the song at a memorial concert for Syd Barrett.