I have to say Piper at the gates of dawn.

altho the Beatles is my favorite band, but Piper is just perfect, from Astronomy Domine till Bike ... the album feels like a single 40 min track ...

and i feel that Sgt. pepper isn't the best beatles album.

Have you heard S.F. Sorrow?

^not yet, that's the problem

Give it a go. I ended up likeing it more than Piper. Pepper still takes the cake for me though.

Yeah this is what I've decided.

Sgt Pepper > S.F. Sorrow > Piper

Piper is a great album. But eh, I prefer at least two thirds of Floyd's discography to that album, and I just don't see how the 9th or 10th best Floyd album can beat two albums that were the pinnacles of their respective bands' careers.

Smashing contribution ol' chap, smashing indeed. http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...us/Monocle.gif

Having listened to all these albums recently, I really think both Sgt.Pepper and SF Sorrow stand out as complete Psychedelic works and are masterpieces in every sense, whereas Piper is the first Pink Floyd album and displays the potential of the group and not too much more despite some really good songs, had Syd Barrett not gone crazy and totally lost the plot Pink Floyd could very much have built on from this (A Syd Barrett version of the group)

The singing is better too esp. the harmony vocals and John's exquisite vocal on ADITL


I've not heard SF Sorrow so i can't say

A bit late on this, sorry for necro-ing the thread.

I've already commented at length (too long!) elsewhere on Sgt Pepper so I'll try not to repeat any of that.

It has to be 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' for me. Whilst all three albums are highly acclaimed, I think 'Piper...' stands apart in that whilst 'S.F. Sorrow' is practically always praised as the pinnacle of the Pretty Things powers, as is 'Sgt Pepper' with the Beatles, 'Piper...' is different in that, as great as it is, it's often overshadowed by later arena juggernauts such as 'Dark Side of the Moon'.

I also think 'Piper...' works better as an album, despite the fact that the other two are meant to be concept albums to varying degrees. There's a continuity that runs through 'Piper...' in both sound and feel that isn't there with the other two. It also has, for me, a sense of whimsy that isn't on even things like 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'.

I generally can't fault 'Piper...' but, for various reasons, and as much as I like the other two, it's easy for me to pick faults with S.F. Sorrow and Sgt Pepper.

As the thread is now revived.

I since did listen to S.F Sorrow, and it is a really great album also (as many have said earlier). I really loved it, even got hooked on it for some time, but I still prefer Piper at the gates to it.

I do feel that Piper ... has a much more concept album feel to it, than the other two.