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Syd Barrett (1946–2006) was an English musician who recorded 37 songs during his short two-year solo career. One of the founding members of English rock band Pink Floyd, he was the dominant force in their early years, writing the majority of the material on their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,[1] contributing to their second, A Saucerful of Secrets,[2] and recording several unreleased songs with them.[3] As a result of Barrett's increasing mental illness, guitarist David Gilmour was hired as his possible replacement.[4][5] When his condition worsened, he was officially excluded from Pink Floyd in April 1968.[6] After his departure, Barrett recorded two solo albums, both released in 1970,[7][8] until he left the music business in 1972.[9]
Barrett returned to the studio in 1969 to begin work on his first solo album, The Madcap Laughs. His only single, "Octopus", was released in November 1969.[10] Work on The Madcap Laughs proved difficult, going through five different producers, including former Pink Floyd bandmates David Gilmour and Roger Waters, and Barrett himself.[7] Released in January 1970, the album received positive reviews from critics and enjoyed moderate commercial success, reaching number 40 in the UK charts.[11][12] Two months later, Barrett began recording his second and final solo album, Barrett. Produced by Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Richard Wright,[13] the sessions were recorded more sporadically than The Madcap Laughs.[14] Barrett was released in November 1970, but failed to chart;[12] no singles were issued from the album. Two years later, Barrett signed a document ending his association with Pink Floyd and any financial interest in future recordings and left the music business.[9] The Madcap Laughs and Barrett were paired and released as Syd Barrett in 1974.[15] Barrett made almost no public appearances for the remainder of his life,[16] and after suffering from Type 2 diabetes for several years, died at his home in Cambridge, England, in 2006 at age 60.[17][18]
Several compilation albums of Barrett's songs were released before and after his death. The first of these, The Peel Session, an EP containing recordings Barrett performed for the John Peel Top Gear show on 24 February 1970, contains the unreleased song "Two of a Kind".[19][20] In 1988, Barrett approved the release of Opel, a compilation that contained several unreleased songs and alternate takes of recordings from sessions for his two solo albums.[21] The 1993 box set Crazy Diamond included his solo albums, Opel, and more alternate takes.[22] The compilation album Wouldn't You Miss Me? followed suit, and contained Barrett's highly sought-after "Bob Dylan Blues".[23] The song, along with "Terrapin" from The Madcap Laughs and "Maisie" from Barrett, reflect Barrett's early interest in the blues.[24] The next greatest hits album, An Introduction to Syd Barrett, contained the previously unreleased twenty minute instrumental "Rhamadan" as a CD bonus track.[25][26] In 2016, Barrett's Pink Floyd-era songs "In the Beechwoods", "Vegetable Man", and "Scream Thy Last Scream" were officially released on the Pink Floyd compilation box set The Early Years 1965–1972;[27] they were meant to be released earlier but were blocked by Pink Floyd.[28]
Pink Floyd members – from top to bottom, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and Richard Wright – all contributed to Barrett's solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett.
All songs written by Syd Barrett, except where noted.
| † | Indicates compilation album track only |
|---|---|
| Song | Producer(s) | Original release | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Baby Lemonade" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [29] |
| "Birdie Hop" † | David Gilmour[lower-alpha 1] | Opel | 1988 | [31] |
| "Bob Dylan Blues" † | David Gilmour | The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? | 2001 | [23] |
| "Clowns and Jugglers"[lower-alpha 2] † | Malcolm Jones | Opel | 1988 | [30] |
| "Dark Globe" | David Gilmour Roger Waters |
The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [32] |
| "Dolly Rocker" † | David Gilmour[lower-alpha 1] | Opel | 1988 | [30] |
| "Dominoes" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [29] |
| "Effervescing Elephant" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [33] |
| "Feel" | David Gilmour Roger Waters |
The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [34] |
| "Gigolo Aunt" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [33] |
| "Golden Hair"[lower-alpha 3] | David Gilmour Roger Waters |
The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [34] |
| "Here I Go" | Malcolm Jones | The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [32] |
| "If It's in You" | David Gilmour Roger Waters |
The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [34] |
| "It Is Obvious" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [29] |
| "Lanky (Part 1)" † | Peter Jenner | Opel | 1988 | [31] |
| "Late Night" | Malcolm Jones | The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [34] |
| "Let's Split" † | David Gilmour[lower-alpha 1] | Opel | 1988 | [31] |
| "Long Gone" | David Gilmour Roger Waters |
The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [34] |
| "Love Song" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [29] |
| "Love You" | Malcolm Jones | The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [32] |
| "Maisie" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [29] |
| "Milky Way" † | David Gilmour[lower-alpha 1] | Opel | 1988 | [31] |
| "No Good Trying" | Malcolm Jones | The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [32] |
| "No Man's Land" | Malcolm Jones | The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [32] |
| "Octopus" | David Gilmour Roger Waters |
The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [34] |
| "Opel" † | Malcolm Jones | Opel | 1988 | [30] |
| "Rats" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [29] |
| "Rhamadan"[lower-alpha 4] † | Peter Jenner[7] Malcolm Jones[7] |
An Introduction to Syd Barrett | 2010 | [26] |
| "She Took a Long Cold Look" | David Gilmour Roger Waters |
The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [34] |
| "Swan Lee (Silas Lang)" † | Peter Jenner | Opel | 1988 | [31] |
| "Terrapin" | Malcolm Jones | The Madcap Laughs | 1970 | [32] |
| "Two of a Kind"[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6] † | John Walters | The Peel Session | 1987 | [20] |
| "Waving My Arms in the Air"/"I Never Lied to You"[lower-alpha 7] | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [33] |
| "Wined and Dined" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [33] |
| "Wolfpack" | David Gilmour Richard Wright |
Barrett | 1970 | [33] |
| "Word Song" † | David Gilmour[lower-alpha 1] | Opel | 1988 | [30] |
| "Wouldn't You Miss Me"[lower-alpha 8] † | David Gilmour[lower-alpha 1] Roger Waters |
Opel | 1988 | [31] |
- "Clowns and Jugglers" is an early version of "Octopus".[7]
- Written by Barrett–Joyce. Music by Barrett, based on a poem by James Joyce.[34][35]
- An option to download the track online was given with the CD release.[26]
- "Two of a Kind" is credited to Barrett on The Peel Session and other compilations the song appears on, including The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me?.[23] However, Richard Wright reportedly wrote the song but Barrett insisted it was his own composition[36] and wanted to include it on The Madcap Laughs.[37]
- "Waving My Arms in the Air" and "I Never Lied to You" were split into two separate tracks for the 1994 reissue of Barrett.[38]
- "Wouldn't You Miss Me" is an early version of "Dark Globe".[7]
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