Today's edition of the UK's The Sun newspaper has a fascinating two-page interview with Nick Mason, focusing on 1967, the recording and release of Piper At The Gates of Dawn, and the immeasurable contribution that Syd Barrett made to the band.

In the interview, Nick says: "I know it was only the first album of a band that has staggered on for 40 odd years but if it hadn’t been for Syd, we wouldn’t exist in the form we do or probably any form. I think it is nice to credit him with that."

He also acknowledges the connection between the fledgling sounds heard on PATGOD, with the band's later work: "The business of launching into sound effects began with Piper. I can't remember if wind noise is on there but we ended up using it everywhere else in our lives. EMI had this great wind machine. It was a wooden drum that you turned and it had a canvas flap. It was fantastically good, probably last used by The Goons! I think we are into the butterfly theory here. If we hadn't come across that funny machine in the corner we might have turned into Led Zeppelin or indeed an early version of Take That..."

The full interview can be seen in full here.