 (1964–1968)
Band years
The band Pink Floyd was formed in 1964. Barrett
named the band (which had been previously known as "The Tea
Set," "The Abdabs" and "Leonard's Lodgers")
after two obscure bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
Barrett wrote most of the Floyd's early material; he was also
an innovative guitarist, exploring the sonic possibilities of distortion
and especially the echo machine.
One of Barrett's trademarks was playing his Fender guitar by sliding
a Zippo lighter up and down the fretboard to create the mysterious,
otherworldly sounds that became associated with the group.
As Pink Floyd were hailed by critics and achieved
public acclaim, the pressures placed on the already sensitive Barrett
proved too much. There are many stories about Barrett's bizarre
and intermittently psychotic behaviour, some of these tales are
undoubtedly apocryphal, although some are known to be true.
On one famous occasion, he displayed signs of catatonia during
the taping of an appearance on the Pat Boone TV show, standing
stock still, his arms limp by his sides, eyes staring fixedly into
the camera.
In another well-known incident, shortly before going on stage,
Syd crushed up the entire contents of his bottle of Mandrax tranquilizer
tablets, mixing them with a large quantity of pudding; he then
placed the mixture on top of his head and as he played under the
hot stage lights, the viscous mixture softened and began to ooze
down his forehead, giving the appearance that his face was melting.
Another oft-repeated tale is that of Barrett appearing at the
recording studio one day with a new song which he called "Have
You Got It Yet". As he taught the group the song, it soon
became obvious that he was changing the chords each time he played
it through, making it virtually impossible for them to learn it
(hence the title).
Sometimes, he would even stand on stage and de-tune his guitar
until the strings fell off.
It has been claimed that his experience with drugs may not have
been entirely of his own making, and that he was given LSD without
his knowledge (Nick Kent discusses this in his article "The
Cracked Ballad of Syd Barrettt", reprinted in his book The
Dark Stuff).
When Barrett's childhood friend David Gilmour was asked to join Pink
Floyd, the original intention was for him to augment
the lineup in a live setting, freeing Barrett from some of the
stresses of touring. It was thought that Syd could continue to
write and record with the group and, because he was the singer,
songwriter, and lead guitarist, it was hoped that he would play
a similar role to the Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, who had
also withdrawn from live performances but had continued to write
for that group. However, it soon became apparent that such a
situation would not be possible as Barrett was becoming increasingly
reclusive and was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital
in Cambridge. Gilmour's performances lacked the experimentalism
that Barrett was renowned for, but he was a dependable singer
and guitarist. Gilmour became a permanent member, with bassist
Roger Waters taking over de facto leadership of the band after
Barrett's departure.
Barrett's decline was to have a profound effect on Waters' songwriting,
and the theme of mental illness and the shadow of Barrett's disintegration
permeated Pink Floyd's later albums, particularly
The Wall and 1975's Wish You Were Here, which was a tribute to
Barrett. Barrett turned up unannounced at one session for the album,
where his dishevelled appearance moved the remaining band members
to tears; Barrett would retreat even further after this encounter.
The song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", which opens and
closes the album, is explicitly about their former leader (it has
been suggested that arraning the song title as an acronym and removing
every other word will spell SYD). Roger Waters drew on Syd's condition
as a major inspiration for Pink Floyd's future
material. The behaviour and personality of Pink, the main character
from The Wall, was partly based on Barrett.
(1968–1973) Solo years
Barrett increasingly withdrew from the world of music, although,
at the behest of EMI and Harvest Records he did have a brief solo
career, releasing two mercurial and highly-regarded solo albums,
The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. The songs are startling in their
use of language and imagery and often haunting in their distress.
Much controversy has risen around David Gilmour's production work;
he chose to leave Barrett's more vulnerable moments on tape to
give the records a more "authentic" feel, but many feel
it does Barrett few favours and instead takes advantage of his
fragile condition. Much of the material on both albums dates from
Barrett's most productive period of songwriting and it is believed
that he wrote few new songs after he left Pink Floyd.
Regardless, both albums stand as stark reminders of his abilities
as a songsmith and his enduring appeal as a singer.
The first album is an insight into Barrett's state of mind, with
tracks like the unnerving "Dark Globe," a first-person
narrative of schizophrenia, clearly showing that, while he still
had some fine material to draw on, he was evidently barely able
to perform on some sessions. The second album is polished but Barrett
is arguably in a worse state, which ironically makes the songs
even more incongruous. On both albums, he worked together with Pink
Floyd manager Peter Jenner, with Waters, Wright and Gilmour,
and with members of Soft Machine.
Barrett spent many of the subsequent years painting at his mother's
home in Cambridge, where he lives to this day. The paintings which
he sold or gave away are highly sought after by fans. He continues
to paint but seldom listens to music, although it has been reported
that he enjoys the classical composers, a love shared by his late
father, Dr. Max Barrett; he reportedly paid no attention whatsoever
to a Pink Floyd compilation that was given to
him, although his sister reported that he had a "spring in
his step", after watching a Floyd documentary. He reportedly
told her that he enjoyed seeing his "teacher", architect
and landlord, Mike Leonard, but found the film "a little noisy."
Fans around the world retain a fierce and devout love for Barrett
although it has to be noted that the remaining Pink Floyd members
(especially Waters and Gilmour) are not comfortable about all this,
pointing out that he is unwell, that the attention of certain fans
does him harm, and that what happened to him was not a thing to
celebrate, but a sad thing.
(1973—) Later years
There has been much speculation concerning the psychological well-being
of Syd Barrettt. It has been suggested that he has Asperger's syndrome,
a form of autism, owing to certain traits in his behaviour.
Barrett remains a beloved songwriter of considerable talent, fondly
remembered by many and an inspiration to other musicians. Although
Barrett has not appeared or spoken in public since the mid-1970s,
time (not to mention the media's fascination with his story) has
done little to diminish interest in his life and work; reporters
and fans still travel to Cambridge to seek him out, despite his
attempts to live a quiet life.
In 1988, EMI Records released Opel, an album of Barrett's studio
outtakes and previously unreleased material recorded in 1970. EMI
also released The Best of Syd Barrettt: Wouldn't You Miss Me? in
the UK on April 16, 2001, and in the United States on September
11, 2001. This was the first time Barrett's "Bob Dylan Blues" was
ever officially released. The song was taken from a demo tape that
Dave Gilmour had taken home with him after an early 70s recording
session and kept for 30 years. Also worthy of mention is the bootleg
collection Have You Got It Yet?, a 19-disc audio/visual compilation
composed of several live performances of Barrett both solo and
with the Pink Floyd, with some versions being
considered superior than those which were officially released.
One of the main attractions of the collection are tracks for his
never-released third album. There are also interviews with other Pink
Floyd members, video footage and covers from other artists.
Many artists have recorded tributes to Barrett throughout the
decades. His contemporary Kevin Ayers wrote the song "Oh Wot
a Dream" as a tribute (Barrett provided guitar to an early
version of Ayer's "Singing a Song in the Morning"). R.E.M.
has covered the haunting "Dark Globe", as has Placebo.
The Television Personalities track "I Know Where Syd Barrettt
Lives" is another well-known tribute, apparently based on
fact. At the Drive-In recorded a cover version of "Take Up
Thy Stethoscope and Walk" (which was in fact written by Roger
Waters) and its frontmen (now the main members of The Mars Volta)
have claimed that they tried to emulate The Piper at the Gates
of Dawn's sound in their music. Other artists/bands that have claimed
influence and/or covered Barrett's work include David Bowie, The
Jesus and Mary Chain, Robert Smith (of The Cure), Voivod, The Smashing
Pumpkins, Julian Cope, My Bloody Valentine, Captain Sensible (of
The Damned) and Robyn Hitchcock.
Discography
Albums with Pink Floyd
Solo studio albums
- The Madcap Laughs - January 1970 #40 UK
- Barrett - November 1970
- Opel - October 1988
Solo compilations
- Syd Barrett (November 1974) US #163: The
Madcap Laughs and Barrett packaged
together
- Crazy Diamond (April 1993): Boxed set with
all three studio albums with bonus tracks
- The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? (16
April 2001): Contains one previously unreleased track ("Bob
Dylan Blues")
Solo singles
- "Octopus"/"Golden Hair" (15 November 1969)
|
