Syd Barrett | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Like a supernova, Roger "Syd" Barrett burned briefly and brightly, leaving an indelible mark upon psychedelic and progressive rock as the founder and original singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist of Pink Floyd. Barrett was responsible for most of their brilliant first album, 1967s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, but left and/or was fired from the band in early 1968 after his erratic behavior had made him too difficult to deal with (he appears on a couple tracks on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets). Such was his stature within the original lineup that few observers thought the band could survive his departure; in fact, the original groups management decided to keep Syd on and leave the rest of the band to their own devices. Pink Floyd never recaptured the playful humor and mad energy of their work with Barrett. After a period of hibernation, Barrett re-emerged in 1970 with a pair of albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, which featured considerable support from his former bandmates (especially his replacement, David Gilmour, who produced most of the sessions). Members of Soft Machine also play on these records, which have a ragged, unfinished, and folky feel. Barretts eccentric humor, sly wordplay, and infectious melodies range from brilliant to chaotic on his solo work. Lacking the taut power of his recordings with the Floyd in 1967, they nevertheless remain fascinating and moving glimpses into a creative psyche gone awry after (it is theorized) too much fame and too many drugs too early. With increasing psychological problems, Barrett withdrew into near-total seclusion after these albums and never released any more material. Although they attracted little attention upon their release, his albums also attracted a cult audience. Barretts music and mystique achieved a lasting influence that continues to grow over two decades later. Latter-day new-wave psychedelic acts like Julian Cope, the Television Personalities, and (especially) Robyn Hitchcock acknowledge Barretts tremendous influence on their work. The Barrett cult became large enough to warrant the release of an entire album of previously unreleased material and outtakes, Opel, in the late 80s, as well as his sessions for the BBC. As for the man himself, after 1973 he remained hidden away at his mothers home in Cambridge, turning away both curious fans and any offers to play music (though he did show up at sessions for Pink Floyds 1975 album Wish You Were Here, and once the band recognized him, they declined his offer to participate). The occasional photo of Barrett surfaced over the years, revealing him to be a perfectly normal, if grumpy, looking fellow. After battling diabetes for several years, Barrett died peacefully in July 2006 at the age of 60. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 10 Title: The Madcap Laughs Released: 1970-01-03 Tracks: 13 Duration: 37:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Terrapin (05:04) 2 No Good Trying (03:26) 3 Love You (02:29) 4 No Man’s Land (03:03) 5 Dark Globe (02:02) 6 Here I Go (03:12) 7 Octopus (03:48) 8 Golden Hair (02:00) 9 Long Gone (02:50) 10 She Took a Long Cold Look (02:06) 11 Feel (02:36) 12 If Its in You (01:57) 13 Late Night (03:17) |
| The Madcap Laughs : Allmusic album Review : Wisely, The Madcap Laughs doesnt even try to sound like a consistent record. Half the album was recorded by Barretts former bandmates Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour, and the other half by Harvest Records head Malcolm Jones. Surprisingly, Jones tracks are song for song much stronger than the more-lauded Floyd entries. The opening "Terrapin" seems to go on three times as long as its five-minute length, creating a hypnotic effect through Barretts simple, repetitive guitar figure and stream of consciousness lyrics. The much bouncier "Love You" sounds like a sunny little Carnaby Street pop song along the lines of an early Move single, complete with music hall piano, until the listener tries to parse the lyrics and realizes that they make no sense at all. The downright Kinksy "Here I Go" is in the same style, although its both more lyrically direct and musically freaky, speeding up and slowing down seemingly at random. Like many of the "band" tracks, "Here I Go" is a Barrett solo performance with overdubs by Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, and Robert Wyatt of the Soft Machine; the combination doesnt always particularly work, as the Softs jazzy, improvisational style is hemmed in by having to follow Barretts predetermined lead, so on several tracks, like "No Good Trying," they content themselves with simply making weird noises in the background. The solo tracks are what made the albums reputation, though, particularly the horrifying "Dark Globe," a first-person portrait of schizophrenia thats seemingly the most self-aware song this normally whimsical songwriter ever created. Honestly, however, the other solo tracks are the albums weakest tracks, with the exception of the plain gorgeous "Golden Hair," a musical setting of a James Joyce poem thats simply spellbinding. The album falls apart with the appalling "Feel." Frankly, the inclusion of false starts and studio chatter, not to mention some simply horrible off-key singing by Barrett, makes this already marginal track feel disgustingly exploitative. But for that misstep, however, The Madcap Laughs is a surprisingly effective record that holds up better than its "ooh, lookit the scary crazy person" reputation suggests. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 10 Title: Barrett Released: 1970-11-14 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Baby Lemonade (04:11) 2 Love Song (03:05) 3 Dominoes (04:09) 4 It Is Obvious (03:00) 5 Rats (03:02) 6 Maisie (02:51) 7 Gigolo Aunt (05:47) 8 Waving My Arms in the Air (02:07) 9 I Never Lied to You (01:52) 10 Wined and Dined (02:59) 11 Wolfpack (03:41) 12 Effervescing Elephant (01:54) |
| Barrett : Allmusic album Review : On his second solo album, Barrett was joined by Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley and Pink Floyd members Rick Wright (organ) and Dave Gilmour (guitar). Gilmour and Wright acted as producers as well. Instrumentally, the result is a bit fuller and smoother than the first album, although its since been revealed that Gilmour and Wright embellished these songs as best they could without much involvement from Barrett, who was often unable or unwilling to perfect his performance. The songs, however, are just as fractured as on his debut, if not more so. "Baby Lemonade," "Gigolo Aunt," and the nursery rhyming "Effervescing Elephant" rank among his peppiest and best-loved tunes. Elsewhere, the tone is darker and more meandering. It was regarded as something of a charming but unfocused throwaway at the time of its release, but Barretts singularly whimsical and unsettling vision holds up well. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 10 Title: "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett" Released: 1974 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:12:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Terrapin (05:04) 2 No Good Trying (03:26) 3 Love You (02:29) 4 No Man’s Land (03:03) 5 Dark Globe (02:02) 6 Here I Go (03:12) 7 Octopus (03:48) 8 Golden Hair (02:00) 9 Long Gone (02:50) 10 She Took a Long Cold Look (01:48) 11 Feel (02:10) 12 If Its in You (02:27) 13 Late Night (03:17) 1 Baby Lemonade (04:07) 2 Love Song (03:02) 3 Dominoes (04:02) 4 It Is Obvious (02:55) 5 Rats (02:57) 6 Maisie (02:46) 7 Gigolo Aunt (05:42) 8 Waving My Arms in the Air / I Never Lied to You (03:55) 9 Wined and Dined (?) 10 Wolfpack/Effervescing Elephant (05:32) |
 | Album: 4 of 10 Title: The Peel Session Released: 1988 Tracks: 5 Duration: 12:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Terrapin (03:07) 2 Gigolo Aunt (03:41) 3 Baby Lemonade (02:34) 4 Effervescing Elephant (01:01) 5 Two of a Kind (02:33) |
 | Album: 5 of 10 Title: Opel Released: 1988-10-17 Tracks: 14 Duration: 45:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Opel (06:26) 2 Clowns & Jugglers (Octopus) (03:28) 3 Rats (03:13) 4 Golden Hair (vocal version) (01:44) 5 Dolly Rocker (03:01) 6 Word Song (03:20) 7 Wined and Dined (03:03) 8 Swan Lee (Silas Lang) (03:14) 9 Birdie Hop (02:30) 10 Lets Split (02:23) 11 Lanky, Part One (05:32) 12 Wouldnt You Miss Me (Dark Globe) (03:00) 13 Milky Way (03:07) 14 Golden Hair (instrumental) (01:50) |
| Opel : Allmusic album Review : For several years, the existence of "lost" material by Syd Barrett had been speculated about by the singers vociferous cult, fueled by numerous patchy bootlegs of intriguing outtakes. The release of Opel lived up to, and perhaps exceeded, fans expectations. With 14 tracks spanning 1968 to 1970, including six alternate takes and eight songs that had never been officially released in any form, it is equally as essential as his two 1970 LPs. The tone is very much in keeping with his pair of solo albums; ragged, predominantly acoustic, melodic, and teetering on the edge of dementia. At the same time, its charming and lyrically pungent, with Barretts inimitable sense of childlike whimsy. The production is generally more minimal than on his other albums, even bare-bones at times, but if anything, this adds to the musics stark power. Highlights are the lengthy brooding title track, the multi-layered swirl of "Swan Lee," the alternate take of "Dark Globe" (with much better, more restrained vocals than the previous version), and the exuberant, infectious "Milky Way." Meticulous liner notes and excellent sound complete this lovingly archival package. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 10 Title: Octopus Released: 1992 Tracks: 14 Duration: 52:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Octopus (03:48) 2 Swan Lee (Silas Lang) (03:14) 3 Baby Lemonade (04:09) 4 Late Night (03:17) 5 Wined & Dined (02:56) 6 Golden Hair (02:00) 7 Gigolo Aunt (05:47) 8 Wolf Pack (03:45) 9 It Is Obvious (02:56) 10 Lanky, Part One (05:32) 11 No Good Trying (03:26) 12 Clowns & Jugglers (Octopus) (03:28) 13 Waving My Arms in the Air (02:12) 14 Opel (06:26) |
 | Album: 7 of 10 Title: Crazy Diamond Released: 1993 Tracks: 58 Duration: 3:01:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Terrapin (05:04) 2 No Good Trying (03:26) 3 Love You (02:29) 4 No Man’s Land (03:03) 5 Dark Globe (02:02) 6 Here I Go (03:12) 7 Octopus (03:48) 8 Golden Hair (02:00) 9 Long Gone (02:50) 10 She Took a Long Cold Look (01:55) 11 Feel (02:17) 12 If It’s in You (02:26) 13 Late Night (03:11) 14 Octopus (takes 1 & 2) (03:09) 15 It’s No Good Trying (take 5) (06:22) 16 Love You (take 1) (02:28) 17 Love You (take 3) (02:11) 18 She Took a Long Cold Look at Me (take 4) (02:44) 19 Golden Hair (take 5) (02:28) 1 Baby Lemonade (04:11) 2 Love Song (03:05) 3 Dominoes (04:09) 4 It Is Obvious (03:00) 5 Rats (03:02) 6 Maisie (02:51) 7 Gigolo Aunt (05:47) 8 Waving My Arms in the Air (02:07) 9 I Never Lied to You (01:52) 10 Wined and Dined (02:59) 11 Wolfpack (03:41) 12 Effervescing Elephant (01:54) 13 Baby Lemonade (take 1) (03:46) 14 Waving My Arms in the Air (take 1) (02:13) 15 I Never Lied to You (take 1) (01:48) 16 Love Song (take 1) (02:32) 17 Dominoes (take 1) (00:40) 18 Dominoes (take 2) (02:36) 19 It Is Obvious (take 2) (06:23) 1 Opel (06:26) 2 Clowns and Jugglers (03:27) 3 Rats (03:13) 4 Golden Hair (01:44) 5 Dolly Rocker (03:01) 6 Word Song (03:20) 7 Wined and Dined (03:03) 8 Swan Lee (Silas Lang) (03:14) 9 Birdie Hop (02:30) 10 Lets Split (02:23) 11 Lanky, Part One (05:32) 12 Wouldnt You Miss Me (Dark Globe) (03:00) 13 Milky Way (03:07) 14 Golden Hair (instrumental) (01:56) 15 Gigolo Aunt (take 9) (04:02) 16 It Is Obvious (take 3) (03:44) 17 It Is Obvious (take 5) (03:06) 18 Clowns and Jugglers (take 1) (03:33) 19 Late Night (take 2) (03:19) 20 Effervescing Elephant (take 2) (01:28) |
| Crazy Diamond : Allmusic album Review : A three-CD box set that enshrines Barretts complete recorded legacy as a solo artist. Besides including his two 1970 albums, this collection includes the 1989 compilation of unreleased material, Opel. The chief attraction of this set for Barrett fans is no less than 19 previously unreleased alternate takes from throughout his quite brief solo career. All of those alternate takes, its important to note, are alternate versions of songs that appear on the three previously available albums; no entirely unheard compositions were unearthed. Nonetheless, these alternate takes are more interesting listening than you might expect, for a couple of reasons. First, Barrett was so mercurial (and occasionally unfocused) in the studio that it was difficult to get him to play a song the same way twice. Second, the alternate takes are usually starker and more acoustic in nature than the official versions; theyre not better, but have interesting different slants. With some of the songs repeated two, three, or even four times, this is definitely for the hardcore fan. But its a beautifully produced document, with a meticulously detailed booklet, of a uniquely primitive visionary, and has many moments of charming and chilling power. It includes everything salvageable that he produced, with the exception of the Peel Sessions. It doesnt match his work with the original Pink Floyd, but the music continues to influence and be emulated (most notably by Robyn Hitchcock), though never equaled. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 10 Title: Wouldnt You Miss Me? The Best of Syd Barrett Released: 2001-03-27 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:13:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Octopus (03:46) 2 Late Night (03:17) 3 Terrapin (05:04) 4 Swan Lee (Silas Lang) (03:14) 5 Wolfpack (03:45) 6 Golden Hair (02:00) 7 Here I Go (03:11) 8 Long Gone (02:50) 9 No Good Trying (03:26) 10 Opel (06:26) 11 Baby Lemonade (04:09) 12 Gigolo Aunt (05:45) 13 Dominoes (04:09) 14 Wouldnt You Miss Me (Dark Globe) (03:00) 15 Wined and Dined (02:56) 16 Effervescing Elephant (01:53) 17 Waving My Arms in the Air (02:07) 18 I Never Lied to You (01:52) 19 Love Song (03:05) 20 Two of a Kind (02:35) 21 Bob Dylan Blues (03:13) 22 Golden Hair (instrumental) (01:50) |
| Wouldn't You Miss Me? The Best of Syd Barrett : Allmusic album Review : You know the situation is getting desperate when a compilation recycles material from an outtakes collection released a decade prior. Such is the case with The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldnt You Miss Me?, a package that basically combines the best of Syd Barretts two proper albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, with a number of previously issued outtakes and a straggler from producer and Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmours vaults ("Bob Dylans Blues"). But to be perfectly fair, the now-recycled outtakes release in question, 1989s Opel, was a rare instance where such a release lived up to the quality of the artists proper studio albums. And its not as if The Madcap Laughs and Barrett feature such a glossy, professional sheen that the average ear would need to tell the difference between the painstakingly crafted and the whimsically patched together. (Barrett wasnt exactly Jeff Lynne, was he?) So, in this most bizarre situation, it makes a fair amount of sense to consider some of the Opel material to be worthy of inclusion on a best-of. If youre keeping score at home, heres how the track distribution works out: Seven songs come from The Madcap Laughs, nine are from Barrett, four are from Opel. That leaves enough space for the early "Bob Dylans Blues," a decent song that serves as a flimsy ruse to rope completists into buying the disc, as well as a previously available Peel Session version of "Two of a Kind." All in all, it is a fine introduction to Barretts solo material, but does someone who released two proper studio albums really need an "introduction" to their work? Longtime fans might want to exercise some restraint, especially since those still-unissued outtakes are being released water-torture style. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 10 Title: The Radio One Sessions Released: 2004-03-29 Tracks: 8 Duration: 19:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Terrapin (03:07) 2 Gigolo Aunt (03:41) 3 Baby Lemonade (02:34) 4 Effervescing Elephant (01:01) 5 Two of a Kind (02:33) 6 Baby Lemonade (02:23) 7 Dominoes (03:02) 8 Love Song (01:27) |
 | Album: 10 of 10 Title: An Introduction to Syd Barrett Released: 2010-10-08 Tracks: 18 Duration: 59:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Arnold Layne (02:53) 2 See Emily Play (02:53) 3 Apples and Oranges (stereo version) (03:04) 4 Matilda Mother (alternative version) (2010 mix) (03:57) 5 Chapter 24 (03:42) 6 Bike (03:21) 7 Terrapin (05:04) 8 Love You (02:29) 9 Dark Globe (02:02) 10 Here I Go (2010 remix) (03:18) 11 Octopus (2010 mix) (03:54) 12 She Took a Long Cool Look (2010 mix) (01:46) 13 If It’s in You (02:26) 14 Baby Lemonade (04:07) 15 Dominoes (2010 mix) (04:06) 16 Gigolo Aunt (05:43) 17 Effervescing Elephant (01:54) 18 Bob Dylan Blues (03:08) |
| An Introduction to Syd Barrett : Allmusic album Review : There have been a number of Syd Barrett compilations but, remarkably, 2010’s An Introduction to Syd Barrett is the first to combine Pink Floyd material with his solo recordings, so it truly provides an introduction in a way no previous collection has. It’s possible to quibble that there are a few Floyd songs that should have made it here -- mostly selections from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, including “Astronomy Domine” and “Lucifer Sam,” but this favors the non-LP early singles “Arnold Layne,” “See Emily Play,” and “Apples and Oranges,” which do point the way toward such solo cuts as “Octopus,” “Baby Lemonade,” “Terrapin,” “Gigolo Aunt,” and “Effervescing Elephant,” all present and accounted for here. Some may also quibble about inclusions of new mixes for “Here I Go," “Octopus,” “She Took a Long Cool Look,” “Dominoes,” and “Matilda Mother,” preferring the original mixes, but these new mixes don’t call attention to themselves nor do they detract from the first disc to provide a strong, concise introduction to Barrett’s twisted genius. | ||