I heard that Syd Barrett had died on the radio this morning along with snippets from 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' from the 1975 Wish You Were Here album. Barretttook too many drugs, and the LSD, slowly wore him down. Laid low by mental illness he lived as a social recluse for the last 30 years. He looked terrible in a late photo that I saw--very obese.

I once owned 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn', Pink Floyd's debut album, and the only one made under Syd Barrett's leadership.

I remember the melodic instinct and whimsical lyrics and crazy feedback experiments and astral jams; recall the spacey 'Astronomy Domine' and the album pivoting around "Interstellar Overdrive," the 16-minute trip to end all trips. No lyrics, no structure - just one awesome riff and a leap into the unknown with throbbing bass lines, slashing guitars, whirling organ, and pounding percussion. It was nine minutes of loosely structured experimentation and jamming. I do not know Barrett's solo albums, 'The Madcap Laughs' and 'Barrett.'

I haven't heard Piper since. I understand it is now seen as a classic psychedelic album as an expression of Swinging London, very influential (meaning Bowie?) and fondly remembered by Pink Floyd fans. I understand that Barrett became a spiritual pied piper of 80s indie rock and by the 90s his spellbinding music was being referenced by all and sundry.

I'm not a fan of Pink Floyd, even if I enjoyed the 'Live at Pompeii video' on television. I dipped in and out of Pink Lloyd ---'Ummagumma', 'Atom Heart Mother', 'Meddle'--but found that the band were struggling to find their way as progressive" rock, after they sacked Barrett some time around the second album--- 'A Saucerful Of Secrets'. The work was hit and miss. The music became more inflated, bombastic and less interesting ---until 'Dark Side Of The Moon', and that, of course, changed everything. It is the "sound landscape", that makes this a noteworthy album.

I did find 'Wish You Were Here' poignant as it reached back to Barrett in the form of a requiem. I haven't heard 'Animals' (1977), even though it sounds an interesting reworking of Orwell's Animal Farm. I I stopped listening after 'The Wall', as Pink Floyd had became Roger Waters+session men, even if I enjoyed the band's fabulous visual effects of The Wall shows in 1980-81. I have never listened to the Pink Floyd without Roger Gilmour---'The Division Bell' or 'Pulse'--- as the band was not creating something new or original. Their time had passed.

Update: 16 July
I went and bought 3 CD's of Pink Floyd ---'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn', 'Dark Side Of The Moon', and 'Animals' -- today before the cheap priced CD's ($20) disappear and we are back to imports at $40. 'Dark Side Of The Moon', was reconnecting with well known music of a long time ago---I recognize that it was part of the soundscape to my life. 'Animals' is going to take many a listen to hear it properly.

Comments

Posted by: paul carr | July 13, 2006 7:55 AM

Posted by: Gary Sauer-Thompson | July 13, 2006 9:17 AM

Posted by: Dave | July 16, 2006 1:10 AM

Posted by: Gary Sauer-Thompson | July 16, 2006 11:49 AM