Pink Floyd
Register
Advertisement
"Lucifer Sam"
Song by Pink Floyd
Track 2 on the album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Released August 4, 1967
Recorded April 12 - 18, 1967
Genres Psychedelic pop
Space rock
Studio Abbey Road Studios
Length 3:07(Piper)
3:12(Live at the Roundhouse)
Label EMI Columbia (UK)
Tower (US)
Vocalists Syd Barrett
Songwriters Syd Barrett
Producers Norman Smith

"Lucifer Sam" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd that features on their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Written and sung by former frontman and lead songwriter Syd Barrett, the track was recorded from the 12th to the 18th of April of 1967. During recording sessions, the working title for the song was "Percy the Rat Catcher", which was also to be the name of an unaired film that Pink Floyd was working on at the time.

Music[]

Alternative versions and live performances[]

"Lucifer Sam" was not a regular part of Pink Floyd's live repertoire, having only been performed by the band in 1967. It was notably played as an encore at the Games for May concert on May 12th of that year. There are seven documented performances of the song by Pink Floyd, the earliest of which taking place on April 15 at the obscure K4 Discotheque in Brighton, England, and the final performance taking place on November 10, 1967 at the Winterland Arena in San Francisco. Although it was dropped after this concert, it was performed by Syd Barrett's band Stars in 1972 at least once on February 24. Decades later, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets would pick up the song again as a regular part of their live set, first being performed at May 20 in 2018.

Live at the Roundhouse[]

The song is featured as the third track on the Live at the Roundhouse live album by Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets. This version of the song is close to the original in duration, and is supplied by additional lyrics.

Personnel[]

Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets - Live at the Roundhouse
The listed credits are not specific to the song; as such, the following list may not be entirely accurate to the track

  • Nick Mason - drums, percussion
  • Guy Pratt - bass, lead vocals
  • Gary Kemp - guitars, lead vocals
  • Lee Harris - guitars, backing vocals
  • Dom Beken - keyboards, programming, backing vocals
Advertisement