Cirrus Minor
Roger Waters / 5:18
Musicians
David Gilmour: vocals, acoustic guitar
Rick Wright: keyboards
Roger Waters: bass, acoustic guitar (?)
Recorded
Pye Studios, London: early February 1969
Technical Team
Producer: Pink Floyd
Sound Engineer: Brian Humphries
Genesis
Cirrus is a Latin word meaning a “curl of hair.” It is also the name of the clouds made up of separate filaments, usually white, appearing at elevations of 19,700 to 39,400 feet (6,000 to 12,000 meters), which are often said to resemble angel hair. Should the title of this song be seen as an explicit reference to the character Stefan’s state of mind? Perhaps. The soothing notes of “Cirrus Minor” can be heard around three-fifths of the way through Barbet Schroeder’s movie, while the young romantic from Germany is high on marijuana or heroin—although only the final two verses are actually sung in the movie.
Roger Waters’s lyrics also make an important contribution to this fantastic and psychedelic journey. Following some gentle chirruping, the words tell of a yellow bird that, in a cemetery near a river, lazes in the midday haze and laughs in the long grass. Waters also describes a journey to Cirrus Minor (a planet on the outer fringes of the universe perhaps?) during which the narrator sees a crater in the sun, a thousand miles of moonlight later. This is a new incursion by the songwriter into the literary domain of science fiction and, at the same time, a new borrowing from Chinese poetry. The phrase A thousand miles of moonlight comes from a poem by Li He, from whom Waters had also taken his inspiration for “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” (translated by A. C. Graham in his collection Poems of the Late T’ang as “On the Frontier”). “Cirrus Minor” would also be included on the 1971 compilation Relics.
Production
This superb ballad by Roger Waters opens with the sound of birdsong. Most probably taken from EMI’s sound effects library (and added at Pye Studios), this sonic atmosphere plays an important role in the song. Not only can it be heard for almost a minute before the entry of the first instrument, it is present virtually throughout the number, accentuating the meditative atmosphere generated by the music and the words. Reverb of varying intensity is added in certain passages, especially during the fade-out, lending the birdsong an unreal character.
The key of “Cirrus Minor” is E minor: does this have any connection with the title? The sung section does not begin until 0:58 and continues for no more than 1:45. While this is relatively short, it is long enough for the Floyd to establish an entrancing and almost wistful atmosphere. David Gilmour plays acoustic guitar, most probably his Levin LT 18, alternating strumming and arpeggios. Supported by Rick Wright’s Farfisa organ, he also sings lead vocal in a gentle voice that is pitched relatively low in his range. He doubles this vocal part by singing along with himself on another track, which is to say without the help of ADT. There is some strong reverb in the fourth verse and particularly on the words Cirrus Minor, thereby heightening the intensity of the suggested images. Although difficult to verify, it sounds as if Gilmour is accompanied by a second acoustic guitar (listen between 2:30 and 2:40). Could this be Roger Waters playing? There can be no doubt, on the other hand, that Waters is on bass, albeit recessed in the mix.
After the birdsong and the sung verses, there is a third and last section in which Wright is on organ with Waters on his Rickenbacker bass. This time it is a Hammond M-102 organ that Wright plays, its mellow and ethereal sonority bearing some resemblance to that of the “Celestial Voices” section of the track “A Saucerful of Secrets” on the group’s previous album. The ambiance is relatively cold, disquieting, and troubling, all the more so as Wright also uses a second keyboard (Hammond? Farfisa?), this time with the Echorec. The effect is psychedelic in a similar way to the group’s first two LPs. The number concludes with the birdsong moving back into the foreground steeped in reverb.
The first track on the group’s third album, “Cirrus Minor” is a very good introduction to the acoustic sonorities that would from now on form part of the group’s range of musical expression. This piece presents a perfect blend of the evocative universe of Pink Floyd and the aesthetic of Barbet Schroeder.
IN YOUR HEADPHONES
By listening carefully around 0:55, it is possible to hear someone (Gilmour?) counting in: “… 2, 3, 4”!