| Released | August 4, 1967 |
| Recorded | April 11 - 13, 1967 |
| Genres | Psychedelic rock • space rock |
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios |
| Length | 4:12(Piper) 8:32(Ummagumma) 4:20(Pulse) 5:02(Live in Gdańsk) |
| Label | EMI Columbia (UK) Tower (US) |
| Vocalists | Syd Barrett • Richard Wright |
| Songwriters | Syd Barrett |
| Producers | Norman Smith |
"Astronomy Domine" (alternative "Astronomy Dominé") is a psychedelic rock song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It is the opening track on most releases of their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). The song was written by original frontman and guitarist Syd Barrett some time from late 1966 to early 1967[1] and is sung by him and keyboardist Richard Wright. The working title of the track was "Astronomy Dominé (An Astral Chant), and the word "domine" in the title is the Latin vocative of "Lord"; as such, the full title may be translated as "An Astral Chant to the Lord".
Astronomy Domine is one of a few early Pink Floyd tracks credited with cementing the band's legacy as one of the original space rock bands.
Music[]
Alternative versions and live performances[]
"Astronomy Domine" was played regularly in concert from 1967 until it was dropped in mid-1971. The first known time it was played was on October 14, 1966 at All Saints Church Hall in London[2]. The last time the song was played with bassist Roger Waters was on June 20, 1971, at PalaLottomatica (then known as Palazzo dello Sport) in Rome, Italy[3]. 143 performances of the song by Pink Floyd have been documented prior to its revival in 1994, after which it was played another 91 times; in total, 234 live performances of "Astronomy Domine" by the band have been documented.[4]
Ummagumma[]
A live version of the track, performed by the post-Barrett band with David Gilmour, can be found on the first half of the 1969 double album Ummagumma. It was one of the four "fan favorite" tracks chosen for inclusion on the live half of the album. This version of the song is over twice the length of the original, clocking in at 8:32 in comparison to the original's runtime of 4:12. This performance features Gilmour in place of Barrett on guitar and vocals. To extend the song's length, the first verse is repeated twice, followed by a lengthy instrumental section as a merge of the psychedelic and progressive styles of the band at the time.
Pulse[]
Although the song had been dropped from their live set in mid-1971, it was brought back 23 years later as the opening song from some performances on the band's 1994 tour of The Division Bell. This performance features as the second track on the Pulse live album and is very similar to the original studio version of the song from 1967. It is the only song on the album to feature no backing musicians, although touring band member Guy Pratt is present on the bass and vocals.
Personnel[]
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn version
- Syd Barrett - lead and slide guitar (Fender Esquire), low vocals
- Richard Wright - Farfisa organ, high vocals
- Roger Waters - bass guitar
- Nick Mason - drums
- Peter Jenner - spoken word intro
Ummagumma live version
- David Gilmour - guitar, high vocals
- Richard Wright - Farfisa organ, low vocals
- Roger Waters - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Nick Mason - drums
Pulse live version
- David Gilmour - guitar, vocals
- Richard Wright - keyboards, vocals
- Nick Mason - drums
- Guy Pratt - bass guitar, vocals
Live in Gdańsk live version
- David Gilmour - guitar, vocals
- Richard Wright - keyboards, vocals
- Guy Pratt - bass
- Jon Carin - keyboards, vocals
- Steve DiStanislao - drums
- Phil Manzanera - guitar
Sources[]
- ↑ https://www.sydbarrett.com/featured_songs/astronomy-domine/
- ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/pink-floyd/1966/all-saints-church-hall-london-england-6bd436fe.html
- ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/pink-floyd/1971/palazzo-dello-sport-rome-italy-63d61aaf.html
- ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/pink-floyd-13d6adc5.html?songid=5bd69fc8