A Saucerful of Secrets

A Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 28 June 1968 by EMI Columbia in the UK and in the US by Tower Records. The mental health of the singer and guitarist Syd Barrett deteriorated during recording, so David Gilmour was recruited; Barrett left the band before the album's completion.

Whereas Barrett had been the primary songwriter on Pink Floyd's debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), on A Saucerful of Secrets each member contributed songwriting and lead vocals. Gilmour appeared on all but two songs, while Barrett contributed to three. "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is the only song on which all five members appear.

Following "Remember a Day," the sessions for A Saucerful of Secrets included several unreleased tracks that showcased Syd Barrett's increasingly erratic state of mind. Songs like "Vegetable Man," a raw and chaotic composition about alienation, and "Scream Thy Last Scream," with its unsettling vocals and disjointed structure, reflected Barrett's deteriorating mental health and growing detachment from reality. Other tracks, such as "Reaction in G" captured his unpredictable creativity, blending surreal lyrics with experimental sounds. These recordings, largely unreleased at the time due to their unconventional nature and concerns about Barrett's condition, provide a stark contrast to the band's earlier work and highlight the challenges Pink Floyd faced during this transitional period.

A Saucerful of Secrets reached number nine in the UK charts, but did not chart in the US until April 2019, peaking at number 158. It received mostly positive reviews, though many critics have deemed it inferior to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.