It was forty years ago today, when Syd Barrett taught the Floyd to play. He'd been going bonkers for a while. You could see that in his acid smile. So may I introduce to you, the eye of the British storm, 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'. For much of the free world, Pink Floyd starts with 'Dark Side' and ends with the David Gilmour show. One reason that this is such a pity is that the early Floyd records have informed a good chunk of modern music. Prog rock, Krautrock, Ambient, New York noise, New Wave, Creation records, Britpop, Japanese acid rock. You name it, early Floyd touches it and none no more than this 'Piper'. These songs are still way out there. Can you imagine the impact of 'Astronomy Domine' or 'Interstellar Overdrive' in 1967? Syd as guitarist not only paved the way for accentual rhythm guitar playing out-of-sync with the rhythm section, but for what Floyd would eventually become. Like he's out there circling the planet while the others keep the groove real here on earth. That Floyd groove, so effective on later tracks like 'Echoes' and 'Money' was already set. And as a lyricist, no one more innocently, or effectively, counterpointed hippy overindulgence with genteel British politesse ("Bike", "Scarecrow", "The Gnome"). Many have tried, none have equalled. The inclusion of the bonus disc with Floyd singles like "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" from the era allows us to ponder whether 67 Floyd not only challenged the Beatles for expermental rulers of modern music, but also as pure pop revisionists. This glorious reissue, as it were, sets the record straight.