Tankx!!.
Pura Vida!.
There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
Duke Ellington.
I have a dvd called Syd Barret and the Pink Floyd story which focuses mainly on him within the context of PF(ie: his era of the band).
I hope this doesn't include the story of Syd appearing at the studio during recording of WYWH as if there's anyone who's not heard it.
Sounds interesting
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Watching it right now, and as the biggest Arthur Lee/Love fan on PE, was astonished & pleased that Interstellar Overdrive was conceived starting with the descending chord progression at the beginning of My Little Red Book that Roger showed to Syd!
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
There's even been a stage play about Syd just recently:
https://www.list.co.uk/article/85586...ll-as-a-dream/
Johnny Depp supposedly interested in doing a character role of Syd. How do you think that would work out?
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
I remember back when Debra Winger was supposedly going to do Grace Slick (whom she'd somewhat resemble, at least given a bittu makeup) and, way worse, Gwyneth Paltrow was rumoured to do Sandy Denny (apparently on her own insistance). Betcha'm glad they didn't come into real play.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
What's with the fascination for Syd? I've never liked anything by Floyd that he was on, if Gilmour hadn't joined they'd have faded into nothingness.
"And this is the chorus.....or perhaps it's a bridge...."
I'm a fan of Syd's music. Don't know why. I get a visceral response. I prefer the Floyd of Saucerful, Careful, Set the Control, The Embryo, Echoes, etc. But I like Syd.
I agree with Steve983's assessment of Floyd's staying power after the Barrett-for-Gilmour transition. There's a youtube video of Waters & Mason taking internet questions & THEY agree with this assessment. Can't do better than that. I, for one, didn't take Steve's post as negative. He was stating his like/dislike & there should be no fear of doing that on this website. It's all about personal taste.
I've got a bike you can ride it if you like
Being an academic historian guilty of several articles about the 60s Swingin' London phenomenon and the general relevance of the ensuing psychedelic counterculture in Britain and Europe, I can't even begin to explain how preposterously ridiculous this "assessment" appears. Sorry. What you yourself happen to "like" or not has about as much significance in this as a very tiny hemorrhoid.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
It's a drag that, by dint of keeping the name, any discussion of Floyd often elicits the binary response of putting oneself in the Syd/ Post-Syd camp.
It's not like, say, comparing Hatfield and The North to National Health who were, harmonically-speaking, very similar bands, despite the name change.
The Syd Floyd and the post-Syd Floyd (once they'd found 'their sound') were radically different bands with completely different objectives and stylistic approaches.
Syd's music connected and continues to connect with me on a very profound level in a way that, despite its obvious accomplishments, the later stuff does not. For the record, I do rather like a lot of it.
In asking what the big deal is about Barrett's music, I could talk your ear off with plenty of examples, none of which have to do with the story, his position in popular culture or the myth but here's one that struck me recently having known the song for years...
Take a listen to the intro and first verse of Baby Lemonade from Barrett.
Not one of my favourites by any means, but that chord progression at the beginning and the quite extraordinary melody he sings over the top of it (and also those beautifully poetic and ambiguous words, Water's lyrics were anything but ambiguous.. that was kinda the point) are so particular to him and his vision.
Can you think of anywhere else in pop music where there were chords or melodies like that? It seems to have no precedent. It's such an ambitious melody too. You just don't hear ideas like that in the later band, which is not a criticism but I can't imagine something like that cropping up on Wish You Were Here.
It's SO unique to Syd. What I find so remarkable is that this very young guy left us with so little (a Floyd album, a few singles, b-sides, two solo albums and a handful of bits and bobs) and yet in this scant lot is a songwriter who's individuality and uniqueness is utterly stamped into everything he wrote.
He totally has his own sound, harmonic and melodic language.
It's real otherworldly magic, to these ears at least.
I wish that every song Syd had written had been performed by himself, Wright, Mason and Waters and produced by Joe Boyd. Man, I wish Piper had been produced by Joe Boyd but it is what it is.
I think some folks listen to a song like Opel and only hear the performance rather than the tune itself. Of course it could have been vastly improved if it had been given the full 1967 psychedelic Floyd treatment but nonetheless it's such a spectral, haunting and absolutely devastating song that no primitive performance and basic production alters that.
That's what the big deal with Syd was and why I still, thirty years after first hearing him, go back to his music and get inspired.
Last edited by Kavus Torabi; 10-31-2016 at 11:18 AM.
^Me too.
There's so many wonderful songs on his two completed albums. Some of the outtakes were also strong- the version of 'Dark Globe' put out in the 80s is a much more 'together' performance than the 'wailing' one originally released on The Madcap Laughs.
I find it amazing that we will at last soon be getting 'Vegetable Man' on an official release!
What a ridiculous post. Just because you don't appreciate his contribute to Floyd nobody else should? To say they would have 'faded into nothingness' as if that was set in stone is ludicrous. IMHO of course.
Jon
My favorite of solo Syd's is "Dominoes." What would THAT have sounded like if given the full-Floyd treatment! (Exclamation point; not question mark)
I've got a bike you can ride it if you like
I happen to enjoy post-Syd Floyd more than the first couple of albums but I can appreciate the English whimsy, as someone else stated that Syd brought to the band. Certainly an important document of British psychedelic rock music and are still very enjoyable even to this day.
Jon
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