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Progland was founded by John Gabbard in 2005. It's purpose has been to provide you, the music community with the latest music and dvd reviews. It will continue to be your link to the most popular music reviews in the progressive world.

 

Roger “Syd” Barrett (1946-2006) of Pink Floyd

Label - EMI and Assorted
Reviewed by: Wayne Klein
1946-2006) of Pink Floyd
Bio: Story

Careful with that Ax Syd:

By Wayne A. Klein

Before his fragmented breakdown Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett was the guiding light and behind Pink Floyd. His contribution to progressive rock can’t be underestimated. While Barrett only recorded two albums as a member of Floyd his impact on other musicians (including his replacement in the band David Gilmour and as inspiration for many of writer/bassist Roger Waters’ best songs) stretched far beyond his limited musical legacy. Barrett died July 7, 2006 due to complications from diabetes but many believed that whatever was the essence of the Syd they knew died a long time nearly 30 years ago. ***

Barrett like many musicians from the UK at the time was an aspiring art student. Barrett met many of his musical and artistic collegues at Cambridge’s College of Art and Technology. His musical inspiration was surprising and included blues and jazz albums. He picked up the banjo (like John Lennon) before turning to guitar. Syd joined future Floyd members bassist Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Richard Wright all of whom had played together in a band they called Sigma 6 and became front man almost by default when guitarist Bob Close left. The band’s long jams were distinguished from others at the time by Barrett’s use of guitar feedback and their elaborately structured instrumental sections. ***

Taking the band’s name from two bluesmen he admired Pink Anderson and Floyd Council Barrett’s music had little in common with his inspiration. His fragmented, whimsical songs from “See Emily Play” with its cascading organ intro, tinkling piano played by Richard Wright and catchy chorus to his last Floyd contribution “Jug Band Blues” were kaleidoscopes of sound incorporating everything from his stylized guitar p laying and amazingly catchy relics of acid rock. ***

Pink Floyd were signed to EMI and Barrett’s song “See Emily Play” became a chart hit. It’s a catchy slice of psychedelic rock pared down to less than 3 minutes representing everything that in one form or another that would end up on the band’s first album. Meanwhile the band had another hit with “Arnold Layne” a strange surrealistic song about a man who steals women’s underwear. ***

Increasing his use of LSD Barrett became increasingly fragmented and the use of drugs brought out a condition that probably had always existed below the surface—schizophrenia. As Barrett’s drug use escalated he became divorced from reality. The decline became most noticeable on the band’s first U.S. tour and eventually the rest of Floyd hired Gilmour to play with them as Barrett would sometimes appear dazed on stage strumming the same guitar chord for the entire evening. *** As Barrett lost touch with reality Roger Waters engineered replacing him with the steady and imaginative Gilmour. Waters’ guilt over his treatment of Barrett and the loss of his friend (and rival) led to Waters’ composing much of the lyrics to “Dark Side of the Moon”, “Wish You Were Here” and, most explicitly, “The Wall”. ***

Even in his diminished mental state Barrett continued to write rich, unusual songs like “Terrapin” and “Octopus” and the haunting “Opel” recording his first solo album with members of The Soft Machine and initially produced by Malcolm Jones before his friends David Gilmour and Roger Waters stepped in to insure that Barrett’s album was completed. Gilmour and Richard Wright stepped in to produce Barrett’s second solo albu m. Some of the material here sounds the most like Floyd for a simple reason—Gilmour and Wright would frequently finish the accompaniment on songs that Barrett would suddenly just stop playing. Aside from a 1974 attempt to complete another album (during which Syd bit the hand of the person who presented him with the lyric sheet because it was printed in red ink and he thought it was a bill), Barrett disappeared from the music world wandering in now and again to collect his latest royalty check but spending the bulk of his time living with his mother in Cambridge. ***

Curiously Barrett showed up during the playback of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” expecting the band to suddenly put him back in as its front man. He listened to the track (according to the late Floyd biographer Nicholas Schaffner) and disappeared just as mysteriously as he had appeared. Barrett’s tenure with his band was short but influential. His impactful, wistful and frequently surreal songs helped create the template from which the more familiar Waters led Floyd would construct their sound with Gilmour’s guitar as the bricks and mortar that held it all together. ***

Without Barrett we wouldn’t have the fractured humor and bizarre songs of Robyn Hitchcock or his band The Soft Boys, Martin Newell, Guided by Voices or The Teardrop Explodes. Barrett became a victim of an excessive time and a victim of his own brain chemistry. To paraphrase “Bike” he may not have fit into our world which is why he left. Now all I can think of is the line from the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” as I hear the parade of bike bells ringing at the beginning of “Bike”. Another angel’s got his wings but this surreal angel will leave a smile on God’s face just as he left a smile on the faces of music fans everywhere. I just wish that the turmoil and confusion within Syd hi mself could have been solved as easily as listening to one of his own songs.

 

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