Syd Barrett is one of those shadowy cult heroes of rock and roll who burned brightly for a brief period before flaming out. In fact, he is probably the most famous rock and roll flameout. His legend looms large as the first leader of Pink Floyd, yet they only released a handful of singles and one record with Barrett before transforming into the Pink Floyd most classic rock radio listeners know.
In the late 1960’s Pink Floyd were on the vanguard of London’s psychedelic movement. Even then, they had a reputation for putting on a visually dazzling show to accompany their psychedelic experiments. Innovative back projection, lighting rigs (including using stretched condoms to shine stage lights through) and mirrors were all employed to enhance the musical trip.
Pink Floyd originally consisted of Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and Barrett, who was the lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter. Early Pink Floyd was Syd Barrett’s band, his vision. But very early on Barrett started to lose his grip on reality. By all accounts he was a sweet, outgoing, almost childlike character who was easy to love. But many believe that he already had some sort of neurological problem, possibly schizophrenia? When combined with a prodigious use of LSD, it was a tragic combination. He lost his mind. But before Barrett went over the cliff, he led Floyd in creating what stands, in my view, as the pinnacle of psychedelic music.
While there are some additional b-sides and Barrett-era tracks that surfaced later, Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd legacy is really two remarkable singles (“Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play”) and their stunning debut record, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which is hands down the greatest psychedelic album ever made. Their music was what it was due to the unique mental state of Barrett. The songs have an unmatched combination of childlike innocence and imagery with a dark musical undercurrent, sometimes barely avoiding devolving into chaos. Syd Barrett Pink Floyd captures the psychedelic era in all of its complexity. Mind opening and playful, yet the danger of madness is always there. Since that was Syd Barrett in a nutshell, Pink Floyd’s early music is an unparalleled allegory to the psychedelic era generally. It is even present in his remarkable (not as in technically impressive, but as in idiosyncratic) guitar playing. Fragmented, but bursting forth with creative expression, even if his technique was somewhat rudimentary.
ABOVE: The brief five man line-up of Pink Floyd, with Syd Barrett (second from left) typically off in his own world
Eventually Barrett became impossible to work with. During live performances, sometimes he would stand motionless on stage, just staring down at his guitar strings. He stopped cooperating in the studio, reportedly performing perfect rehearsals but then refusing to play when the tapes were rolling. In order to survive as a band, they had to get a 5th member to play the guitar parts live and basically step in for Barrett whenever necessary. Fortunately for them (and for us), that person was David Gilmour. For a brief period, Pink Floyd was officially a five-piece, but Syd Barrett was already out the door. For a time, they considered using him like the Beach Boys used the fragile but brilliant Brian Wilson for awhile, as a non-performing songwriter. But that didn’t work for long either. One of my favorite stories is of the song “Have You Got It Yet?” Perhaps a bit upset at his obvious sidelining, Barrett brought in a new tune he called “Have You Got It Yet?” He played it through to show the group, but every time the band tried to join in with their parts, he would completely change the structure of the song, so the band could never, well, get it, as Barrett sang the chorus “Have you got it yet?,” with the band being instructed to respond “no, no.” Once Waters realized what was happening, he put down his bass, walked out of the room, and never played alongside Syd Barrett again.
But to their credit, Pink Floyd always took care of Syd Barrett. He released some fractured but beloved solo records, before withdrawing from music and public life altogether. Even through the legendary bitter legal battles between Waters and Gilmour over the future of Pink Floyd that unfolded in the 80’s, the one thing they all did agree on was that Barrett would at least be financially taken care of. They always made sure that Barrett received his royalties (and then some), all the way to Barrett’s death in 2006.
The classic Pink Floyd record Wish You Were Here was in part inspired by Syd Barrett (the gorgeous title song and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” were explicitly about him). The often told story goes that Barrett unexpectedly showed up to visit his former band in the studio as they were recording Wish You Were Here. He had put on weight and his head completely shaven, at first the band did not even recognize him. He was completely oblivious to the fact that they were in the midst of recording a classic record inspired by him.
What To Listen To:
Well, obviously, I recommend Piper at the Gates of Dawn as the best that psychedelic music has to offer. After Barrett’s departure, Pink Floyd had some rough years where they had to reinvent themselves and figure out their new identity. Some of those records are interesting, but have only a handful of actually good songs. Fortunately, Waters and Gilmour eventually found their footing as songwriters, and released a series of albums in the 70’s that stand as some of rock’s most enduring classics. Often forgotten in the wake of what came immediately after, I love Meddle. The epic “Echoes” encapsulates what was great about their most successful era. Dark Side of the Moon deserves its enormous success, selling 45 million copies and remaining on the charts from 1973 until 1988, the longest run for an album in history. Wish You Were Here is another wonderful concept record, while the underrated Animals continued the streak. The last great Pink Floyd record is The Wall, and while I think it a tad overrated, it is still essential. I really like the live version of The Wall available on Is Anybody Out There? over the studio version. While missing some essentials, the innovative compilation Echoes is worth having for novices and fans alike. It is a rare compilation which shows you the tunes in a new light, sequenced thematically, with songs edited so they fade into one another. It plays like its own album as opposed to just a collection of hits. And the edited version of “Echoes” actually makes the song stronger than its sprawling original version, and I like the edited together “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (the song originally was split into two, bookending Wish You Were Here).
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