Syd Barrett - 1946-2006
By: Thomas Hannan
Rockfeedback is deeply saddened to hear that Pink Floyd legend and true one off Syd Barrett, died aged 60 on Friday at his home in Cambridgeshire after a diabetes-related illness.
An integral part of the early Pink Floyd sound and inspiration to everyone from David Bowie to Graham Coxon and countless others, Barrett formed the band in 1965 with Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright. Their first LP - considered Barrett's masterpiece due to his famously innovative guitar technique and compositional flair - 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn', was released in 1967. It hit the top 10 in the UK and maintains a cult following to this day, many considering it to be the Floyd's greatest legacy.
As the album soared, Barrett's intake of hallucinogenic drugs increased and his mental state deteriorated, leading to increasingly erratic behaviour. To allow for such, David Gilmour was drafted in towards the end of 1967 to substitute for Syd should his antics lead to him not being able to perform shows. The band's second album, 'A Saucerful of Secrets' saw the light of day in 1968, but after a difficult gestation period, 'Jugband Blues' was the only Syd Barret song to make the final LP. In March 1968, it was officially announced that Barret was out of the band.
1970 saw Syd release two solo albums, 'The Madcap Laughs' and 'Barrett', occasionally with the musical backing of Gilmour and Waters. Two years later, a band, Stars, were formed, but lasted the duration of only one show. In 1974, Barrett sold the rights to his solo records and returned to live with his mother at home in Cambridgeshire until his death, with Pink Floyd still insisting he took a decent cut of royalty payments and penning tracks such as 'Wish You Were Here's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' and 'The Dark Side of The Moon's 'Brain Damage' about Syd. Remarkably, whilst recording the former, Barrett showed up in the studio unannounced, gazing at first in secrecy at his former band recording their tribute to their friend.
In later life, he retired totally from the music business, reportedly indulging more and more his love of painting. Seeing as he purportedly was not fond of being reminded of his time as a musician, we implore those currently planning hugely profitable retrospective box sets on the man to look more carefully at the person it is they're trying to profile. A fitting tribute? Read this from David Gilmour - "do find time today to play some of Syd's songs and to remember him as the madcap genius who made us all smile with his wonderfully eccentric songs about bikes, gnomes and scarecrows. His career was painfully short, yet he touched more people than he could ever know."
Our sympathy goes out to his family, band mates, friends and admirers the world over. RIP Syd, and thanks.
Artists in this article: Syd Barrett