Syd Barrett born
Roger Keith Barrett, was an English
singer-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
,
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, and
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, best remembered as a founding member of the band
Pink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's
psychedelicPsychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
years, providing major musical and stylistic direction in their early work, including their name. He left the group in 1968 amid speculations of mental illness exacerbated by drugs, and was briefly hospitalised.
Besides being a pioneer in psychedelic rock with his expressive guitar playing and imaginative compositions, Barrett was also a pioneer in the
space rockSpace rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
and psychedelic folk genres. He was active in music for only about seven years, recording four singles, two albums, and several unreleased songs with
Pink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
; and a
singleOctopus, also known as Clowns and Jugglers, is a 1969 song by Syd Barrett, and appeared on his first solo album, The Madcap Laughs. The album's title came about as a result of co-producer David Gilmour mishearing a line from this song Octopus, also known as Clowns and Jugglers, is a 1969 song by...
and two albums, plus
a third one of unreleased tracks/alternate takesOpel is an album released in 1988, compiled from recordings made by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett between 1968 and 1970. It consists of 8 previously unreleased songs and 6 alternate versions of already released ones....
, as a solo musician, before going into self-imposed seclusion lasting more than thirty years.
In his post-musician life, he continued with his painting and dedicated himself to gardening, never to return to the public eye. He died in 2006. A number of biographies have been written about him since the 1980s, and Pink Floyd wrote and recorded several tributes to him after he left, most notably the 1975 album
Wish You Were Here.
Early years
Barrett was born as Roger Keith Barrett in the English city of
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
to a middle-class family. His father, Arthur Max Barrett, was a prominent pathologist, and both he and his wife, Winifred, encouraged the young Roger (as he was known then) in his music. When Barrett was three years old, his family moved to 183
Hills RoadThis article is about the street. For the Sixth Form College commonly known as "Hills Road", see Hills Road Sixth Form CollegeHills Road is an arterial road in southeast Cambridge, England...
. After his brothers and sisters left home, his mother rented out rooms to lodgers, including a future Prime Minister of Japan. One common tale of how Barrett acquired the nickname "Syd" at the age of 14, is of a reference to an old local Cambridge
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
double bassist, Sid 'the beat' Barrett, which claims Syd Barrett changed the spelling in order to differentiate himself from his namesake. However, when he was 13, his schoolmates nicknamed him "Syd" after he showed up to a field day at Abington Scout site wearing a
flat capA flat cap is a rounded men or women's cap with a small stiff brim in front. Cloths used to make the cap include original wool, tweed , and cotton. Less common materials may include leather. Cord flat caps are also worn in various colours. The inside of the cap is usually lined with silk for...
instead of his Scout beret; making reference to "Syd" being a "working-class" name. He used both names interchangeably for several years and his sister Rosemary stated, "He was never Syd at home. He would never have allowed it". He attended
Cambridgeshire High School for BoysThe Cambridgeshire High School for Boys was founded as the Cambridge and County School for Boys in Cambridge, England, in 1900.-History:...
and
Cambridge College of Arts and TechnologyAnglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in Eastern England, United Kingdom, with a total student population of around 30,000.-History:...
.
His father died of cancer on 11 December 1961, less than a month before Barrett's 16th birthday. Eager to help her son recover from his grief, Barrett's mother encouraged the band he played in, Geoff Mott and the Mottoes, to perform in their front room.
Roger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
and Barrett were childhood friends, and Waters often visited such gigs. Barrett enrolled in
Camberwell Art SchoolCamberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, and is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost art and design institutions. It is located in Camberwell, South London, England, with two sites situated at Peckham Road and Wilson Road...
in South London in 1964 to study painting.
Pink Floyd years (1965–68)
Starting in 1964, the band that would become Pink Floyd underwent various line-up and name changes such as "The Abdabs", "The Screaming Abdabs", "Sigma 6", and "The Meggadeaths". In 1965, Barrett joined them as The Tea Set, and when they found themselves playing a concert with a band of the same name, Barrett came up with the name "The Pink Floyd Sound" (later "The Pink Floyd"). He devised the name "Pink Floyd" by juxtaposing the first names of
Pink Anderson"Pink" Anderson was a blues singer and guitarist, born in Laurens, South Carolina.-Life and career:After being raised in Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina, he joined Dr...
and
Floyd CouncilFloyd Council was an American blues guitarist and singer. He became a well-known practitioner of the Piedmont blues sound from that area, popular throughout the southeastern region of the US in the 1930s....
whom he had read about in a sleeve note by
Paul Oliver-Biography:Oliver was a researcher at the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development , and from 1978-88 was Associate Head of the School of Architecture. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Gloucestershire...
for a 1962
Blind Boy FullerBlind Boy Fuller was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss.-Life and career:Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina,...
LP (Philips BBL-7512): "
Curley WeaverCurley James Weaver was an American blues musician, also known as Slim Gordon.-Early years:He was born in Covington, Georgia, United States, and raised on a farm near Porterdale...
and Fred McMullen, (...)
Pink Anderson"Pink" Anderson was a blues singer and guitarist, born in Laurens, South Carolina.-Life and career:After being raised in Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina, he joined Dr...
or
Floyd CouncilFloyd Council was an American blues guitarist and singer. He became a well-known practitioner of the Piedmont blues sound from that area, popular throughout the southeastern region of the US in the 1930s....
—these were a few amongst the many blues singers that were to be heard in the rolling hills of the
PiedmontThe Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
, or meandering with the streams through the wooded valleys". Barrett also told the story that the name was transmitted to him by a flying saucer while he was sitting on
Glastonbury TorGlastonbury Tor is a hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, which features the roofless St. Michael's Tower. The site is managed by the National Trust. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument ....
.
London Underground
While Pink Floyd began by playing cover versions of American
R&BRhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
songs (in much the same vein as contemporaries
The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
,
The Yardbirds- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
, and
The KinksThe Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
), by 1966 they had carved out their own style of improvised rock and roll, which drew as much from improvised
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
as it did from British pop-rock, such as that championed by
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. In that year, a new rock concert venue, the
UFOThe UFO Club was a famous but shortlived UK underground club in London during the 1960s, venue of performances by many of the top bands of the day.-History:...
, opened in London and quickly became a haven for British
psychedelic musicPsychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
. Pink Floyd, the house band, was its most popular attraction and after making appearances at the rival
RoundhouseThe Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
, became the most popular musical group of the so-called "
London UndergroundThe Underground was a countercultural movement in the United Kingdom linked to the underground culture in the United States and associated with the hippie phenomenon. Its primary focus was around Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill in London...
" psychedelic music scene.
By the end of 1966, Pink Floyd had gained a reliable management team in
Andrew KingAndrew King or Andy King may refer to:*Andrew King , member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri*Andy King , British Labour politician...
and
Peter JennerPeter Jenner is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises.- Early career :...
(who went on to manage
new waveNew Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band
Ian Dury & The BlockheadsIan Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
). The duo befriended American expatriate
Joe BoydJoe Boyd is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
, the promoter of the
UFO ClubThe UFO Club was a famous but shortlived UK underground club in London during the 1960s, venue of performances by many of the top bands of the day.-History:...
, who was making a name for himself as one of the more important entrepreneurs on the British music scene.
Releases
Joe Boyd produced a recording session for the group in January 1967 at Sound Techniques in Chelsea, which resulted in a demo of the single "
Arnold LayneDavid Gilmour, during his solo tour promoting On an Island, unexpectedly added the song to the setlist near the end of the American tour on the 17 April 2006 show at the Oakland Paramount Theatre...
". King and Jenner took the song to the recording behemoth
EMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, who were impressed enough to offer the band a contract, under which they would be allowed to record an album; the band accepted. By the time the album,
The Piper at the Gates of DawnThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the debut album by the English rock group Pink Floyd, and the only one made under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership. The album contains whimsical lyrics about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles and fairy tales, along with psychedelic instrumental songs...
, was released, "Arnold Layne" had reached number 20 on the British singles charts (despite a ban by Radio London) and the follow-up single, "
See Emily Play"See Emily Play" was the second single recorded by the English psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd. It was written by original frontman Syd Barrett and recorded on 23 May 1967. The single featured "Scarecrow" as its B-side...
", had done even better, peaking at number 6.
Their first three singles, including their third ("
Apples and Oranges"Apples and Oranges" is the third United Kingdom single by Pink Floyd and the final one written by Syd Barrett. The B-side was "Paint Box" written by Richard Wright. The song is about a girl whom the narrator meets at the supermarket...
"), were written by Barrett, who also was the principal visionary/author of their critically acclaimed 1967 debut album. Of the eleven songs on
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Barrett wrote eight and co-wrote another two.
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was recorded intermittently between January and July 1967 in Studio 3 at Abbey Road Studios, and produced by former Beatles engineer Norman Smith. At the same time,
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
were recording
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
in Studio 2 and the
Pretty ThingsThe Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
were recording
S.F. SorrowS.F. Sorrow is the title of the fourth LP by the British rock group The Pretty Things, released in 1968.One of the first rock concept albums, S.F. Sorrow was based on a short story by singer-guitarist Phil May. The album is structured as a song cycle, telling the story of the main character,...
in Studio 1. When
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was released in August of that year it became a smash hit in the UK, hitting #6 on the British album charts (although it was not nearly so successful in the US). However, as the band began to attract a large fan base, the mounting pressures on Barrett are thought to have contributed to his escalating psychological problems.
Barrett's departure from Pink Floyd
Through late 1967 and early 1968, Barrett's behaviour became increasingly erratic and unpredictable, partly as a consequence of his reported heavy use of psychedelic drugs, most prominently LSD. Many report having seen him on stage with the group, strumming on one chord through the entire concert, or not playing at all. At a show at
The FillmoreThe Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
in San Francisco, during a performance of "
Interstellar Overdrive"Interstellar Overdrive" is a psychedelic composition written by Pink Floyd in 1966, which appears on their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn at almost ten minutes in length. An earlier, longer recording, 16:52, can be heard on the soundtrack to the film Tonite Let's All Make Love in...
", Barrett slowly detuned his guitar. The audience seemed to enjoy such antics, unaware of the rest of the band's consternation. Interviewed on
Pat BooneCharles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
's show during this tour, Syd's reply to Boone's questions was a "blank and totally mute stare"; according to Nick Mason, "Syd wasn't into moving his lips that day". Barrett exhibited similar behaviour during the band's first appearance on Dick Clark's popular TV show
American BandstandAmerican Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
. When asked two questions by Clark, Barrett's answers were terse, almost to the point of rudeness (though, as Clark admitted, they had been flying non-stop from London to Los Angeles). Before a performance in late 1967, Barrett reportedly crushed
MandraxMethaqualone is a sedative-hypnotic drug that is similar in effect to barbiturates, a general central nervous system depressant. The sedative-hypnotic activity was first noted by Indian researchers in the 1950s and in 1962 methaqualone itself was patented in the US by Wallace and Tiernan...
tranquilliser tablets and an entire tube of
BrylcreemBrylcreem is a brand of hair styling products for men. The first Brylcreem product was a pomade created in 1928 by County Chemicals at the Chemico Works in Bradford Street, Birmingham, England. The pomade is an emulsion of water and mineral oil stabilised with beeswax.Beecham was the longtime...
into his hair, which subsequently melted down his face under the heat of the stage lighting, making him look like "a guttered candle". Nick Mason later disputed the Mandrax portion of this story, stating that "Syd would never waste good mandies".
During their UK tour with
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
in November 1967, guitarist
David O'ListDavid 'Davy' O'List is a rock guitarist, vocalist and trumpeter.Most notably, he played with The Attack, The Nice and Jet.- Career :...
from
The NiceThe Nice were an English progressive rock band from the 1960s, known for their blend of rock, jazz and classical music. Their debut album, The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack was released in 1967 to immediate acclaim. It is often considered the first progressive rock album...
was called in to substitute for Barrett on several occasions when he was unable to perform or failed to appear. And sometime around Christmas,
David GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
(a school friend of Barrett's) was asked to join the band as a second guitarist to cover for Barrett, whose erratic behaviour prevented him from performing. For a handful of shows David played and sang while Barrett wandered around on stage, occasionally deciding to join in playing. The other band members soon grew tired of Barrett's antics and, on 26 January 1968, on the way to a show at Southampton University, the band elected not to pick Barrett up: one person in the car said, "Shall we pick Syd up?" and another said, "Let's not bother" (Gilmour interview in
Guitar World, January 1995). The band's initial plan was to keep him in the group as a non-touring member— as
Brian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
did for
The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, Barrett had, up until then, written the overwhelming bulk of their material, but this soon proved to be impractical.
There are many stories about Barrett's bizarre and intermittently
psychoticPsychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
behaviour, some known to be true. According to Roger Waters, Barrett came into what was to be their last practice session with a new song he had dubbed "Have You Got It, Yet?". The song seemed simple enough when he first presented it to his bandmates, but it soon became impossibly difficult to learn and they eventually realised that while they were practising it, Barrett kept changing the arrangement. He would then play it again, with the arbitrary changes, and sing "Have you got it yet?". Eventually they realised they never would and that they were simply bearing the brunt of Barrett's idiosyncratic sense of humour.
Barrett did not contribute material to the band after
A Saucerful of SecretsA Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by the English rock group Pink Floyd. It was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios on various dates from August 1967 to April 1968...
was released in 1968. Of the songs he wrote for Pink Floyd after
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, only one ("
Jugband Blues"Jugband Blues" is a song by British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, and is featured on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets...
") made it to the band's second album; one ("Apples and Oranges") became a less-than-successful single, and two others ("Scream Thy Last Scream" and "
Vegetable Man"Vegetable Man" is an unreleased song by the English psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. The song was recorded from October 9–12, 1967, and was an attempt to record a follow-up single to "See Emily Play", as well as the beginning of sessions for the album which would eventually become A Saucerful of...
") were never officially released. Barrett supposedly spent time outside the recording studio, waiting to be invited in. He also showed up to a few gigs and glared at Gilmour. Barrett played slide guitar on "
Remember a Day"Remember a Day" is a song by British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, and is featured on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets . The song, written and sung by Richard Wright, was recorded in October 1967 at De Lane Lea Studios in London, England...
" (which had been first attempted during
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn sessions), and also played on "
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is a song by British rock band Pink Floyd and is featured on their second album A Saucerful of Secrets . It was written by Roger Waters and features a drum part by Nick Mason played with timpani mallets...
". On 6 April 1968, the group officially announced Barrett was no longer a member of Pink Floyd.
Solo years (1968–72)
After leaving Pink Floyd, Barrett distanced himself from the public eye. At the behest of EMI and
Harvest Records-References:* Harvest Records collectors guide ISBN 978-5-9622-0021-7...
, he embarked on a brief solo career, releasing two solo albums,
The Madcap LaughsThe Madcap Laughs is an album by British singer/songwriter Syd Barrett, released on 3 January 1970. It was his first solo album after being replaced in the band Pink Floyd by his old school friend David Gilmour.- History :...
and
BarrettBarrett was the second and final studio album of new material released by former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett. In February 1970, shortly after releasing his first album, The Madcap Laughs, Barrett appeared on John Peel's Top Gear radio show where he presented only one song from the newly released...
. Most of the compositions on both albums date from Barrett's most productive period of songwriting, late 1966 to mid-1967, and it is believed that he wrote few new songs after he left Pink Floyd.
The first album,
The Madcap Laughs, was recorded in two sessions, both at Abbey Road Studios: a few tentative sessions took place between May and June 1968 (produced by Peter Jenner), while the bulk of the album was recorded between April and July 1969. The record was produced first by Malcolm Jones, a young EMI executive, and then by David Gilmour and Roger Waters. In his book
The Making of the Madcap Laughs, Jones states that "when Dave came to me and said that Syd wanted him and Roger to do the remaining parts of the album, I acquiesced." A few tracks on the album feature overdubs by members of the band
Soft MachineSoft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
. Barrett also played guitar on the sessions for Soft Machine founder
Kevin AyersKevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
' debut LP
Joy of a ToyJoy of a Toy is the debut solo album of Kevin Ayers, a founding member of Soft Machine. Its whimsical and unique vision is a clear indication of how Soft Machine might have progressed under Ayers' tenure...
, although his performance on "Religious Experience" was not released until the album was reissued in 2003.
The second album,
Barrett, was recorded more sporadically than the first, with sessions taking place between February and July 1970. The album was produced by
David GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
and
Richard WrightRichard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...
, featured Gilmour on bass guitar, Wright on keyboard and
Humble PieHumble Pie was a rock band from England, finding success both in the UK and the US. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee" "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor", and "Natural Born Bugie"...
drummer
Jerry ShirleyJerry Shirley is an English rock drummer, best known for his work with the rock band Humble Pie and appeared on all their albums...
.
Despite the numerous recording dates for his two solo albums, Barrett undertook very little musical activity between 1968 and 1972 outside the studio. On 24 February 1970, he appeared on
John PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's BBC radio programme
Top Gear playing five songs—only one of which had been previously released. Three would be re-recorded for the
Barrett album, while the song "Two of a Kind" was a one-off performance (the song appears on the 2001 compilation
The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me?The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? is a single disc compilation album, released in 2001. Comprising highlights from Syd Barrett's two 1970 albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, and the 1988 out-takes collection Opel, the album was issued to service casual Barrett fans who presumably...
) with the lyrics and composition having since been credited to Richard Wright. Barrett was accompanied on this session by David Gilmour and Jerry Shirley who played bass and percussion, respectively.
Gilmour and Shirley also backed Barrett for his one and only live concert during this period. The gig took place on 6 June 1970 at the Olympia Exhibition Hall, London, and was part of a
Music and Fashion Festival. The trio performed four songs, playing for less than half an hour, and because of poor mixing, the vocals were inaudible until part-way through the last number. At the end of the fourth song, Barrett unexpectedly but politely put down his guitar and walked off the stage.
Barrett made one last appearance on BBC Radio, recording three songs at their studios on 16 February 1971. All three came from the
Barrett album, and were presumably aired to encourage people to buy the record. After this session, he took a hiatus from his music career that lasted more than a year, although in an extensive interview with
Mick RockMick Rock is a British photographer best known for his iconic shots of rock and roll legends such as Queen, David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, Crossfade, Thin Lizzy, Motley Crue, and Blondie...
and
Rolling Stone in December, he discussed himself at length, showed off his new 12-string guitar, talked about touring with
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, and stated that he was frustrated in terms of his musical work because of his inability to find anyone good to play with.
Final recordings
In February 1972, after a few guest spots in Cambridge with ex–
Pink FairiesPink Fairies were an English rock band active in the London underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug taking and anarchy and often performed impromptu gigs and other agitprop stunts, such as playing for free outside the gates at the Bath and Isle of Wight...
member
TwinkJohn Charles Alder , better known as Twink, is an English drummer, singer and songwriter who was a central figure in the English psychedelic movement, and an actor.-Early life and career:...
on drums and
Jack MonckJack Monck is a bass guitarist. He has worked with Syd Barrett and David Thomas and Phil Miller from In Cahoots and Delivery.He was also in Stars, Delivery, and The Pedestrians...
on bass using the name The Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band (backing visiting blues musician
Eddie "Guitar" BurnsEddie "Guitar" Burns is an American Detroit blues guitarist, harmonica player, singer and songwriter...
and also featuring Henry Cow guitarist
Fred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
), the trio formed a short-lived band called
StarsStars was a short-lived British supergroup that played a small number of live concerts in Cambridge in February 1972. Its members were Syd Barrett on guitar, Twink on drums, and Jack Monck on bass.-Beginnings:...
. Though the band was initially well received at gigs in the Dandelion coffee bar and the town's Market Square, one of their gigs at the
Corn ExchangeThe Cambridge Corn Exchange is a concert venue in Cambridge, England. It is also used as an examination hall for students at Cambridge University.-Building the venue:...
in
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
with the MC5 proved to be disastrous. Monck described how disastrous it was in a 2001 TV interview for the BBC Omnibus series documentary 'Crazy Diamond'. A few days after this final show, Twink recalled that Barrett stopped him on the street, showed him a scathing review of the gig they had played, and quit on the spot despite having played at least one subsequent gig at the same venue supporting Nektar. A tape of the Eddie "Guitar" Burns gig surfaced recently but has yet to see a commercial release though brief snippets have appeared on the internet. Similarly, all the Stars shows were recorded but the tapes are considered lost. The tenuous Pink Fairies connection is continued with the appearance of Barrett on at least one track, possibly more, on a posthumous release by founder Fairy and ex Tyrannosaurus Rex bongo player Steve Peregrine Took alongside assorted members of the Pink Fairies and Took's own band Shagrat.
Syd attended an informal jazz and poetry performance by Pete Brown and former
CreamCream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
bassist
Jack BruceJohn Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
in October 1973. Brown arrived at the show late, and saw that Bruce was already onstage, along with "a guitarist I vaguely recognised", playing the
Horace SilverHorace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer....
tune "Doodlin'". Later in the show, Brown read out a poem, which he dedicated to Syd, because, "he's here in Cambridge, and he's one of the best songwriters in the country" when, to his surprise, the guitar player from earlier in the show stood up and said, "No I'm not."
By the end of 1973, Syd had returned to live in London, staying at various hotels and, in December of that year, getting accommodation at Chelsea Cloisters. He had little contact with others, apart from his regular visits to his management's offices to collect his royalties, and the occasional visit from sister Rosemary. He was often seen out wandering London streets by former friends, including on one notable occasion when Syd was approached by someone who knew him (Usually reported as either Bernard White or
Roy HarperRoy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
), and he was asked "Where are you going?". Syd fixed the person with an icy stare and said "Far further than you could possibly imagine", before walking off.
In August 1974,
Peter JennerPeter Jenner is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises.- Early career :...
persuaded Barrett to return to
Abbey Road StudiosAbbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in hope of recording another album. According to
John LeckieJohn Leckie is a British music producer, notable for producing many high-profile albums such as The Stone Roses's debut and Radiohead's The Bends...
, who engineered these sessions, even at this point Syd still "looked like he did when he was younger..long haired". Little became of the sessions, which lasted three days and consisted of blues rhythm tracks with tentative and disjointed guitar overdubs (the only titled track is "If You Go, Don't Be Slow"). Once again, Barrett withdrew from the music industry. He sold the rights to his solo albums back to the record label and moved into a London hotel. During this period, several attempts to employ him as a record producer (including one by
Jamie ReidJamie Reid is a British artist and anarchist with connections to the Situationists. His work, featuring letters cut from newspaper headlines in the style of a ransom note, came close to defining the image of punk rock, particularly in the UK...
on behalf of the
Sex PistolsThe Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, and another by The Damned, who wanted him to produce their second album), were all fruitless.
Withdrawal to Cambridge
In 1978, when the money ran out, he moved back to Cambridge to live with his mother. Barrett returned to live in London again in 1982, but this only lasted a few weeks, and he soon returned to Cambridge for good. Legend has it, and his sister confirms, that Syd walked the 50 miles from London to Cambridge. Until his death, Barrett still received royalties from his work with Pink Floyd from each compilation and some of the live albums and singles that featured his songs. Gilmour commented that he (Gilmour) "[made] sure the money [got] to him all right".
According to a 2005 profile by biographer Tim Willis, Barrett, who had reverted to using his original name of Roger, continued to live in his late mother's semi-detached home in Cambridge, and had returned to his original art-form of painting, creating large abstract canvases. He was also said to have been an avid gardener. His main point of contact with the outside world was his sister, Rosemary, who lived nearby. He was reclusive, and his physical health declined, as he suffered from stomach ulcers and type 2 diabetes.
Although Barrett had not appeared or spoken in public since the mid-1970s, time did little to diminish interest in his life and work. Reporters and fans still travelled to Cambridge to seek him out, despite his attempts to live a quiet life and public appeals from his family for people to leave him alone. Many photos of Barrett being annoyed by
paparazziPaparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
when walking or biking, from the 1980s until his death in 2006, have been published in various media.
Apparently, Barrett did not like being reminded about his past as a musician and the other members of Pink Floyd had no direct contact with him. He did go to his sister's house in November 2001 to watch the BBC
Omnibus documentary made about him – reportedly he found some of it "a bit noisy", enjoyed seeing Mike Leonard of Leonard's Lodgers again, calling him his 'teacher', and enjoyed hearing "
See Emily Play"See Emily Play" was the second single recorded by the English psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd. It was written by original frontman Syd Barrett and recorded on 23 May 1967. The single featured "Scarecrow" as its B-side...
" again.
Death and aftermath
After suffering from diabetes for several years, Barrett died at his home in Cambridge on 7 July 2006. He was 60 years old. The cause of death was
pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. The occupation on his death certificate was given as "retired musician." He was
crematedCremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
, with his ashes given to a family member or friend.
In 2006, his home in St. Margaret's Square was put on the market and reportedly attracted considerable interest. After over 100 showings, many by fans, it was sold to a French couple who bought it simply because they liked it; reportedly they knew nothing about Barrett. His other possessions were sold at an auction at Cheffins, with £120,000 being raised for charity.
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
produced a tribute issue to Barrett the week after with a photo of him on the cover. In an interview with
The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, Barrett's sister revealed that he had written a book: "He read very deeply about the history of art and actually wrote an unpublished book about it, which I’m too sad to read at the moment. But he found his own mind so absorbing that he didn’t want to be distracted."
According to local newspapers, Barrett left approximately £1.7 million to his two brothers and two sisters. This sum was apparently largely acquired from royalties from Pink Floyd compilations and live recordings featuring songs he had written while with the band.
A tribute concert was held at the
Barbican CentreThe Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
, London on 10 May 2007 with
Robyn HitchcockRobyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
,
Captain SensibleCaptain Sensible is a singer, songwriter, guitarist who grew up in Croydon, England, and co-founded the punk rock band The Damned in 1976. After leaving the band, he reinvented himself as an alternative pop singer with a rebellious, self-conscious image...
,
Damon AlbarnDamon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
,
Chrissie HyndeChristine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
,
Kevin AyersKevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
and his Pink Floyd bandmates performing (albeit not on stage at the same time).
Wish You Were Here sessions
Barrett had one noted reunion with the members of Pink Floyd, which occurred in 1975 during the recording sessions for
Wish You Were Here. He attended the Abbey Road session unannounced, and watched the band record "
Shine On You Crazy Diamond"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour. The song is a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, although it was not originally explicitly written with him in mind. It was first performed on their 1974 French...
" — a song that happened to be about Barrett. By that time, the 29-year-old Barrett had become quite overweight, had shaved off all of his hair (including his eyebrows), and his ex-bandmates did not at first recognise him. Eventually, they realised who he was. Barrett's behaviour at the session was erratic; he spent part of the session brushing his teeth while standing. Roger finally managed to ask him what he thought of the song and he simply said "sounds a bit old". He briefly attended the reception for Gilmour's wedding immediately following, however he left early without saying goodbye. Apart from a brief encounter between Roger Waters and Syd in
HarrodsHarrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
a couple of years later, this was the last time any member of Pink Floyd saw him. Waters is unsure of whether Syd recognised him during this encounter. There is a reflection on the day in Nick Mason's book
Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd. A reference to this reunion also appears in the film
The WallPink Floyd—The Wall is a 1982 British live-action/animated musical film directed by Alan Parker based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album The Wall. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters. The film is highly metaphorical and is rich in symbolic imagery and sound...
, where the character
PinkFloyd Pinkerton, more commonly known as Pink Floyd, is the fictional central character of Pink Floyd's album/rock opera The Wall and the accompanying film Pink Floyd The Wall , in which he is portrayed by Bob Geldof. He is also mentioned in The Final Cut...
, played by
Bob GeldofRobert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, shaves his body hair after having a mental breakdown, just as Barrett had.
Compilations
In 1988, EMI Records released an album of Barrett's studio out-takes and previously unreleased material recorded from 1968 to 1970 under the title
OpelOpel is an album released in 1988, compiled from recordings made by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett between 1968 and 1970. It consists of 8 previously unreleased songs and 6 alternate versions of already released ones....
. The disc was originally set to include the unreleased Barrett Pink Floyd songs "Scream Thy Last Scream" and "
Vegetable Man"Vegetable Man" is an unreleased song by the English psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. The song was recorded from October 9–12, 1967, and was an attempt to record a follow-up single to "See Emily Play", as well as the beginning of sessions for the album which would eventually become A Saucerful of...
", which had been remixed for the album by Malcolm Jones. However, the two songs were pulled (reportedly by the remaining members of Pink Floyd) before
Opel was finalised.
In 1993 EMI issued another release,
Crazy DiamondCrazy Diamond is a 1993 triple-CD boxed set of Syd Barrett's two 1970 albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, and Opel, an out-takes compilation from 1988...
, a box set of all three albums, each with further out-takes from his solo sessions that illustrated Barrett's inability or refusal to play a song the same way twice.
EMI also released
The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? in the UK on 16 April 2001, and in the US on 11 September 2001. This was the first time his song "Bob Dylan Blues" was ever officially released, taken from a demo tape that David Gilmour had kept after an early 1970s recording session. Gilmour still has the tape, which also contains the unreleased "Living Alone" from the
Barrett sessions. The 2010 compilation
An Introduction to Syd BarrettAn Introduction to Syd Barrett is a 'best of' compilation featuring the work of Syd Barrett spanning the period 1967–1970, including both material written during his time with Pink Floyd and his post-band solo career. The album was released in the UK and Europe on October 4, 2010, with different...
includes the downloadable bonus track "Rhamadan", a 20 minute track recorded at one of Syd's earliest solo sessions, in May 1968.
A number of bootleg LPs, CDs and other recordings of Barrett's live and solo material exist.
For years the "off air" recordings of the BBC sessions with Barrett's Pink Floyd circulated, until an engineer who had taken a tape of the early Pink Floyd gave it back to the BBC—which played it during a tribute to
John PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
on their website. During this tribute, the first Peel programme (Top Gear) was aired in its entirety. This show featured 1967 live versions of "Flaming", "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", and a brief 90-second snippet of the instrumental "Reaction in G".
In October 2010 Harvest/EMI and Capitol Records released
An Introduction to Syd BarrettAn Introduction to Syd Barrett is a 'best of' compilation featuring the work of Syd Barrett spanning the period 1967–1970, including both material written during his time with Pink Floyd and his post-band solo career. The album was released in the UK and Europe on October 4, 2010, with different...
—a collection of both his Pink Floyd and remastered solo work. In 2011, it was announced that a vinyl double album version would be issued for
Record Store DayRecord Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music...
.
Creative impact and technical innovation
Barrett wrote most of Pink Floyd's early material. He was also an innovative guitarist, using extended techniques and exploring the musical and sonic possibilities of
dissonanceIn music, a consonance is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance , which is considered to be unstable...
,
distortionA distortion is the alteration of the original shape of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted, and often many methods are employed to minimize it in practice...
,
feedbackAudio feedback is a special kind of positive feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output...
, the
echo machineAn echo machine is the early name for a sound processing device used with electronic instruments to repeat the sound and produce a simulated echo. The device was popular with guitarists and was used by Brian May, Jimmy Page and Syd Barrett among others. Nowadays it would normally be called a Delay...
, tapes and other effects; his experimentation was partly inspired by free improvisation guitarist
Keith RoweKeith Rowe is an English free improvisation tabletop guitarist and painter. Rowe is a founding member of both the hugely influential AMM in the mid-1960s and M.I.M.E.O. Having trained as a visual artist, Rowe's paintings have been featured on most of his own albums...
. One of Barrett's trademarks was playing his guitar through an old echo box while sliding a Zippo lighter up and down the fret-board to create the mysterious, otherworldly sounds that became associated with the group. Barrett was known to have used
BinsonBinson was an early manufacturer of echo machines. Unlike most other analog echo machines, they used an analog magnetic drum recorder instead of a tape loop. Their most famous product was the Binson Echorec....
delay units to achieve his trademark echo sounds.
Daevid AllenDaevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
, founding member of
Soft MachineSoft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
and
GongGong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...
has cited Barrett's use of slide guitar with echo as a key inspiration for his own "glissando guitar" style.
Barrett's free-form sequences of sonic carpets pioneered a new way to play the rock guitar. He played several different guitars during his tenure with Pink Floyd, including an old
Harmonythumb|right|250px|A collection of Harmony guitars:SS Stewart gold acoustic, H73 [[Roy Smeck]], H37 Hollywood, Silvertone 1446, H44 StratotoneThe Harmony Company was an American company that, in its heyday, was the largest musical instrument manufacturer in the USA...
hollowbody electric, a Harmony acoustic, a Fender acoustic, a single-coil Danelectro 59 DC, several different
Fender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
s, and a white
Fender StratocasterThe Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
used in late 1967. A silver
Fender EsquireThe Fender Esquire is a solid body electric guitar manufactured by Fender, and was the first guitar sold by Fender in 1950. Shortly after its introduction a two-pickup version named the Broadcaster was introduced while the single pickup version retained the Esquire name...
with mirrored discs glued to the body was the guitar he was most often associated with and the guitar he "felt most close to."
Musical and pop culture influence
Many artists have acknowledged Barrett's influence on their work.
Paul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
,
Pete TownshendPeter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
,
Jon FishmanJon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
,
Marc BolanMarc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
, and
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
were early fans;
Jimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
,
Brian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, and The Damned all expressed interest in working with him at some point during the 1970s. Bowie recorded a cover of "
See Emily Play"See Emily Play" was the second single recorded by the English psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd. It was written by original frontman Syd Barrett and recorded on 23 May 1967. The single featured "Scarecrow" as its B-side...
" on his 1973 album
Pin Ups- Personnel :* David Bowie – vocals, guitar, tenor and alto saxophone, harmonica, arrangements, backing vocals, Moog synthesizer* Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements* Trevor Bolder – bass* Aynsley Dunbar – drums- Additional personnel :...
. Townshend called Barrett "legendary".
Barrett's decline had a profound effect on Roger Waters' songwriting, and the theme of mental illness would permeate Pink Floyd's later albums, particularly 1973's
The Dark Side of the MoonThe Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...
and 1975's
Wish You Were Here which was a deliberate and affectionate tribute to Barrett, the songs "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and the title track being specifically about him. The title track borrows imagery of a "steel rail" from Barrett's solo song, "If It's In You," from
The Madcap Laughs album.
In 1987, an album of Barrett cover songs called
Beyond the WildwoodBeyond the Wildwood - A Tribute to Syd Barrett is a tribute album consisting of music written by Pink Floyd's original guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter Syd Barrett. The musicians performing on the album are British and American indie rock artists...
was released. The album collected songs from Barrett's Pink Floyd albums and his solo albums. Artists appearing were UK and US indie bands including
The ShamenThe Shamen were an experimental electronic music band, from 1985–1999, initially formed in Aberdeen, Scotland, as a psychedelic-influenced indie rock act. The founding members are Colin Angus , Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie...
,
OpalOpal were an American alternative/psychedelic band in the 1980s. They were part of the Paisley Underground musical style.The group formed in the mid-'80s under the name Clay Allison, featuring guitarist David Roback , bassist Kendra Smith and drummer Keith Mitchell...
,
The Soup DragonsThe Soup Dragons were a Scottish alternative rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Named after a character in the 1970s children's television show Clangers, the group is best known for its cover of the Rolling Stones' song "I'm Free."-History:...
, and
PlasticlandPlasticland is an American Neo-Psychedelic and Garage rock band, formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1980 with two members of Arousing Polaris, Glenn Rehse and John Frankovic....
.
Other artists who have written tributes to Barrett include his contemporary
Kevin AyersKevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
, who wrote "Oh Wot a Dream" in his honour (Barrett provided guitar to an early version of Ayers' song "Religious Experience: Singing a Song in the Morning").
Robyn HitchcockRobyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
has covered many of his songs live and on record, and has paid homage to his forebear with the songs "The Man Who Invented Himself" and "(Feels Like) 1974". Phish has covered Bike, No Good Trying, Love You, Baby Lemonade, and Terrapin. The
Television PersonalitiesThe Television Personalities are an English group with a varying line-up. The only constant member is singer–songwriter Dan Treacy , who uses the band as a vehicle for his music...
' track "I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives" from their 1981 album
And Don't the Kids Love It is another tribute. (The Television Personalities became the subject of controversy and derision when, as they had been selected as the opening act on David Gilmour's
About Face tour in the early 1980s, lead singer Dan Treacy decided to read aloud Barrett's real home address to the audience of thousands. Gilmour removed them from the tour immediately afterwards.) In 2008,
The Trash Can SinatrasThe Trash Can Sinatras, now generally known as Trashcan Sinatras, are a Scottish band that was formed in Irvine, Scotland in 1986. The band's music makes frequent use of wordplay and pop harmonies.-Formation:...
released a single in tribute to the life and work of Syd Barrett called "Oranges and Apples", from their 2009 album
In The Music. Proceeds from the single go to the Syd Barrett Trust in support of arts in mental health.
Johnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
has shown interest in a biographical film based on Barrett's life.
Barrett is also portrayed briefly in the opening scene of
Tom StoppardSir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
's play
Rock 'n' RollRock 'n' Roll is a play by British playwright Tom Stoppard that premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2006.-Plot summary:The play is concerned with the significance of rock and roll in the emergence of the socialist movement in Eastern Bloc Czechoslovakia between the Prague Spring of...
(2006), performing "Golden Hair". His life and music, including the disastrous Cambridge Corn Exchange concert and his later reclusive lifestyle, are a recurring motif in the work. Barrett died during the play's run in London.
Mental state
There has been much speculation concerning Barrett's psychological well-being. Many believe he suffered from
schizophreniaSchizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. A diagnosis of
bipolar disorderBipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
has also been considered. Some have also suggested that Barrett might have had Asperger's Syndrome, an
autism spectrumThe term "autism spectrum" is often used to describe disorders that are currently classified as pervasive developmental disorders. Pervasive developmental disorders include autism, Asperger syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise...
disorder.
Barrett's use of psychedelic drugs, especially
LSDLysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
, during the 1960s is well documented. In an article published in 2006, in response to notions that Barrett's problems were the result of such, Gilmour was quoted as saying: "In my opinion, his nervous breakdown would have happened anyway. It was a deep-rooted thing. But I'll say the
psychedelic experienceThe term "psychedelic experience" is vague – characterized by polyvalence or ambiguity due to its nature – however in modern psychopharmacological science as well as philosophical, psychological, neurological, spiritual-religious and most other ideological discourses it is understood as an altered...
might well have acted as a catalyst. Still, I just don't think he could deal with the vision of success and all the things that went with it."
Many stories of Barrett's erratic behaviour off stage as well as on are also well-documented. In
Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey, author
Nicholas SchaffnerNicholas Schaffner was an American non-fiction author, journalist, and singer-songwriter. As an author, his works include the biographies The Beatles Forever and A Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey as well as the children's book The Boys from Liverpool: John, Paul, George, Ringo...
interviewed a number of people who knew Barrett before and during his Pink Floyd days. These included friends Peter and Susan Wynne-Wilson, artist
Duggie FieldsDuggie Fields is a British artist, born in Tidworth in 1945 and resident in London, in the Earls Court area.He spent his youth in the English countryside with his family, then briefly studied architecture at Regent Street Polytechnic...
(with whom Barrett shared a flat during the late 1960s), June Bolan and
Storm ThorgersonStorm Thorgerson is an English graphic designer, known for his work for rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, 10cc, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Cranberries, and Biffy Clyro.-Biography:...
, among others.
"For June Bolan, the alarm bells began to sound only when Syd kept his girlfriend under lock and key for three days, occasionally shoving a ration of biscuits under the door." A claim of cruelty against Barrett committed by the groupies and hangers-on who frequented his apartment during this period was described by writer and critic
Jonathan MeadesJonathan Turner Meades is a British writer on food, architecture, and culture, as well as an author and broadcaster. He is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society and a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.-Education:Meades was born in Salisbury Wiltshire, and...
. "I went [to Barrett's flat] to see Harry and there was this terrible noise. It sounded like heating pipes shaking. I said, 'What's up?' and he sort of giggled and said, 'That's Syd having a
bad tripBad trip is a disturbing experience sometimes associated with use of a psychedelic drug such as LSD, Salvinorin A, DXM, mescaline, psilocybin, DMT and sometimes even other drugs including cannabis, alcohol and MDMA....
. We put him in the linen cupboard.'" Storm Thorgerson responded to this claim by stating "I do not remember locking Syd up in a cupboard. It sounds to me like pure fantasy, like Jonathan Meades was on dope himself."
In the book
Crazy Diamond: Syd Barrett and the Dawn of Pink Floyd, authors Mike Watkinson and Pete Anderson included quotes from a story told to them by Thorgerson that underscored how volatile Barrett could be. "On one occasion, I had to pull him off Lindsay (Barrett's girlfriend at the time) because he was beating her over the head with a mandolin."
According to Gilmour in an interview with
Nick KentNick Kent is a British rock critic and musician.-Career:Along with writers including Paul Morley, Charles Shaar Murray and Danny Baker, Nick Kent is seen as one of the most important and influential UK music journalists of the 1970s. He wrote for the British music publication New Musical Express,...
, the other members of Pink Floyd approached psychiatrist R. D. Laing with the 'Barrett problem'. After hearing a tape of a Barrett conversation, Laing declared him "incurable".
After Barrett died, his sister, Rosemary Breen, spoke to biographer Tim Willis for
The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
. She insisted that Barrett neither suffered from mental illness nor received treatment for it at any time since they resumed regular contact in the 1980s. She allowed that he did spend some time in a private "home for lost souls" — Greenwoods in Essex—but claimed there was no formal therapy programme there. Some years later, Barrett apparently agreed to sessions with a psychiatrist at
Fulbourn psychiatric hospitalFulbourn Hospital, known as the County Pauper Lunatic Asylum for Cambridgeshire, the Isle of Ely and the Borough of Cambridge at the time of its opening in 1858, is a mental health facility located between the Cambridgeshire villages of Fulbourn and Cherry Hinton, about south-east of the centre of...
in Cambridge, but Breen claimed that neither medication nor therapy was considered appropriate in her brother's case.
His sister denied he was a recluse or that he was vague about his past: "Roger may have been a bit selfish — or rather self-absorbed — but when people called him a recluse they were really only projecting their own disappointment. He knew what they wanted, but he wasn't willing to give it to them." Barrett, she said, took up photography and sometimes they went to the seaside together. "Quite often he took the train on his own to London to look at the major art collections — and he loved flowers. He made regular trips to the Botanic Gardens and to the
dahliaDahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, some like D. imperialis up to 10 metres tall. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants...
s at
Anglesey AbbeyAnglesey Abbey is a country house, formerly a priory, in the village of Lode, 5 ½ miles northeast of Cambridge, England. The house and its grounds are owned by the National Trust and are open to the public as part of the Anglesey Abbey, Garden & Lode Mill property, although some parts remain...
, near
LodeLode is a small village in East Cambridgeshire on the southern edge of The Fens. It lies just north of the B1102 between Quy and Swaffham Bulbeck, to the north east of Cambridge....
. But of course, his passion was his painting", she said.
Commemoration and recent events
An auction of Barrett's house contents at Cheffins auction house in Cambridge on 28 November 2006 raised £119,000 for charity. Items sold included paintings, scrapbooks and everyday items that Barrett had decorated.
A series of events called
The City Wakes was held in Cambridge in October 2008 to celebrate Barrett's life, art and music. Barrett's sister, Rosemary Breen, supported this, the first-ever series of official events in memory of her brother.
After the success of
The City Wakes festival in 2008, arts charity Escape Artists announced plans to create a centre in Cambridge, using art to help people suffering from mental health problems. The charity has set up a trust to raise money for the centre and has started fundraising by auctioning a mosaic designed by Syd while he was a teenager growing up in Cambridge. The glass mosaic of two warriors was donated by Rosemary Breen, who was keen to help others affected by the problems that plagued her brother until his death in 2006.
Barrett also is featured as a character in Tom Stoppard's 2006 play "Rock 'N' Roll." He is referred to as "The Piper." Barrett died during the initial run of the play in London.
The Idea Generation Gallery in London announced on 28 January 2011 that an exhibition of the original art and letters of Syd Barrett would be held from 18 March to 10 April 2011.
Singles with Pink Floyd
- "Arnold Layne
David Gilmour, during his solo tour promoting On an Island, unexpectedly added the song to the setlist near the end of the American tour on the 17 April 2006 show at the Oakland Paramount Theatre...
" (Barrett) / "Candy and a Currant Bun"Candy and a Currant Bun" was the B-side to Pink Floyd's first single, Arnold Layne. When performed live in 1967, the song was known as "Let's Roll Another One" and contained the line "I'm high - Don't try to spoil my fun", but the record company forced Syd Barrett to rewrite it without the...
" (Barrett) (1967) (#20 UK)
- "See Emily Play
"See Emily Play" was the second single recorded by the English psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd. It was written by original frontman Syd Barrett and recorded on 23 May 1967. The single featured "Scarecrow" as its B-side...
" (Barrett) / "The Scarecrow"The Scarecrow" is a song on Pink Floyd's debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn , though it first appeared as the B-side of their second single "See Emily Play" two months before...
" (Barrett) (1967) (#6 UK, #134 U.S.)
- "Apples and Oranges
"Apples and Oranges" is the third United Kingdom single by Pink Floyd and the final one written by Syd Barrett. The B-side was "Paint Box" written by Richard Wright. The song is about a girl whom the narrator meets at the supermarket...
" (Barrett) / "Paint Box" (Wright) (1967)
- "Flaming
"Flaming" is a song by psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, and is featured in their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. The song, written by Syd Barrett, is basically a child-like game scenario between two friends, hence "Lazing in the foggy dew"...
" (Barrett) / "The Gnome"The Gnome" is a song by British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. It was written by the band's first leader, Syd Barrett. "The Gnome" is the 8th song on their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.-Information:...
" (Barrett) (1967)[US Only]
Albums with Pink Floyd
- The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the debut album by the English rock group Pink Floyd, and the only one made under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership. The album contains whimsical lyrics about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles and fairy tales, along with psychedelic instrumental songs...
(5 August 1967) #6 UK, #131 U.S.
- A Saucerful of Secrets
A Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by the English rock group Pink Floyd. It was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios on various dates from August 1967 to April 1968...
(29 June 1968) #9 UK
- London 1966/1967 2005
Compilations with Pink Floyd (featuring his work)
- The Best of the Pink Floyd (1970)
- Relics
Relics is a compilation album by Pink Floyd released in 1971. The album was released on 14 May in the UK and 15 July in the United States. A re-mastered CD was released in 1995 with a different album cover, a three-dimensional version of the original sketch drawn by drummer Nick Mason for the...
(14 May 1971) #34 UK, #152 U.S.
- A Nice Pair
A Nice Pair is a compilation album by Pink Floyd, re-issuing their first two albums—The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets—in a new gatefold sleeve. The album was released in December 1973 by Harvest and Capitol in the United States and the following month in the United Kingdom...
(1974)
- Masters of Rock (1974, Europe)
- Works
Works is a Pink Floyd compilation album released in 1983 by their former American label, Capitol Records, to compete with their then-current album The Final Cut...
(1983)
- Shine On
Shine On is a 1992 nine-CD box set by Pink Floyd which was released through EMI Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States to coincide with Pink Floyd's 25th anniversary as a recording and touring band...
(1992)
- Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd is a compilation album by Pink Floyd. It was released by EMI Records in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2001 and the following day in the United States through Capitol Records. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart on 24 November 2001, with sales...
(5 November 2001) #2 UK, #2 U.S.
- Oh, by the Way
Oh, by the Way is a compilation box set by Pink Floyd released on 10 December 2007, by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States through Capitol Records. The box set includes all fourteen of their standard studio albums, packaged as mini-vinyl replicas...
(2007)
Solo single
- "Octopus
Octopus, also known as Clowns and Jugglers, is a 1969 song by Syd Barrett, and appeared on his first solo album, The Madcap Laughs. The album's title came about as a result of co-producer David Gilmour mishearing a line from this song Octopus, also known as Clowns and Jugglers, is a 1969 song by...
" (Barrett) /"Golden Hair" (Barrett/Joyce) (15 November 1969)
Solo albums
- The Madcap Laughs
The Madcap Laughs is an album by British singer/songwriter Syd Barrett, released on 3 January 1970. It was his first solo album after being replaced in the band Pink Floyd by his old school friend David Gilmour.- History :...
- (3 January 1970) #40 UK
- Barrett
Barrett was the second and final studio album of new material released by former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett. In February 1970, shortly after releasing his first album, The Madcap Laughs, Barrett appeared on John Peel's Top Gear radio show where he presented only one song from the newly released...
– (14 November 1970)
Solo compilations
- Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett is a 1974 double-album pairing of Syd Barrett's two solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, both originally released in the UK in 1970....
(November 1974) #163 U.S.: The Madcap LaughsThe Madcap Laughs is an album by British singer/songwriter Syd Barrett, released on 3 January 1970. It was his first solo album after being replaced in the band Pink Floyd by his old school friend David Gilmour.- History :...
and BarrettBarrett was the second and final studio album of new material released by former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett. In February 1970, shortly after releasing his first album, The Madcap Laughs, Barrett appeared on John Peel's Top Gear radio show where he presented only one song from the newly released...
packaged together
- Opel
Opel is an album released in 1988, compiled from recordings made by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett between 1968 and 1970. It consists of 8 previously unreleased songs and 6 alternate versions of already released ones....
– (17 October 1988)
- Octopus: The Best of Syd Barrett
Octopus: The Best of Syd Barrett, released May 29, 1992 is a one disc compilation of songs by Syd Barrett. It contains songs from his albums The Madcap Laughs , Barrett , and the compilation rarities album Opel.-Track listing:# "Octopus" -3:48# "Swan Lee " -3:14# "Baby Lemonade" -4:10# "Late Night"...
(29 May 1992): Greatest hits album issued on the Cleopatra label.
- Crazy Diamond
Crazy Diamond is a 1993 triple-CD boxed set of Syd Barrett's two 1970 albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, and Opel, an out-takes compilation from 1988...
(April 1993): Boxed set with all three studio albums with bonus tracks
- The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me?
The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? is a single disc compilation album, released in 2001. Comprising highlights from Syd Barrett's two 1970 albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, and the 1988 out-takes collection Opel, the album was issued to service casual Barrett fans who presumably...
(16 April 2001): Contains one previously unreleased track ("Bob Dylan Blues")
- An Introduction to Syd Barrett
An Introduction to Syd Barrett is a 'best of' compilation featuring the work of Syd Barrett spanning the period 1967–1970, including both material written during his time with Pink Floyd and his post-band solo career. The album was released in the UK and Europe on October 4, 2010, with different...
(October 2010): A collection of Barrett tracks including Pink Floyd and his solo work (2010 remixes) - #104 UK
Bootlegs
- Melk Weg (1970): tracks recorded by Syd Barrett and various members of Pink Floyd. The title refers to the Dutch venue Melkweg
The Melkweg is a popular music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is located on the Lijnbaansgracht, near the Leidseplein, a prime nightlife center of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former warehouse and is divided into a number of spaces of varying sizes...
.
Solo radio session recordings
- The Peel Session (25 January 1987): Recorded for John Peel's BBC radio show "Top Gear" with David Gilmour and Jerry Shirley backing. Contains the otherwise unrecorded "Two of a Kind".
- The Radio One Sessions
The Radio One Sessions is an album by early Pink Floyd vocalist and guitarist Syd Barrett.It features the complete Peel Sessions recordings, which originally was released in 1991, plus three unreleased songs recorded for a Bob Harris show in 1971....
(March 2004): The album contains the five songs of from The Peel Session and bootleg-quality recordings of three songs broadcast on the Bob Harris radio show in 1971.
Appearance
- Joy of a Toy
Joy of a Toy is the debut solo album of Kevin Ayers, a founding member of Soft Machine. Its whimsical and unique vision is a clear indication of how Soft Machine might have progressed under Ayers' tenure...
by Kevin AyersKevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
(November 1969) Plays guitar on "Religious Experience: Singing a Song in the Morning" – bonus track on remastered 2003 CD.
Filmography
- Syd's First Trip (1966)
- London '66–'67 (1967)
- Tonite Lets All Make Love in London (1967)
- The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story
The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story is a documentary released on DVD on 24 March 2003, produced by Otmoor Productions in 2001 as part of the BBC's Omnibus series and originally called Syd Barrett: Crazy Diamond...
(2003)
External links