Crazy Diamond

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Crazy Diamond
CrazyDiamond.jpg
Box set by
Released26 April 1993
Recorded Abbey Road May 1968 – July 1970
Genre Rock
Length2:58:37
Label Harvest
Producer Syd Barrett, Peter Jenner, Malcolm Jones, Roger Waters and David Gilmour
Syd Barrett chronology
Octopus: The Best of Syd Barrett
(1992)
Crazy Diamond
(1993)
Wouldn't You Miss Me?
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
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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. All discs are further augmented by various alternate takes.

Contents

"Our main plan was to find Syd's acoustic takes, before the other musicians were drafted in to overdub them. But we stumbled across some fascinating material that sheds new light on Syd's working methods." — Phil Smee [2]

Design and release

The box set is packaged in a 6 x 12-inch longbox, and also contains a 24-page booklet.

Simultaneously with this release, EMI reissued The Madcap Laughs, Barrett and Opel separately as well, along with the new bonus tracks of alternate takes.

Two unreleased Syd Barrett songs with Pink Floyd, "Scream Thy Last Scream" and "Vegetable Man" were remixed by Malcolm Jones, [3] and were planned to be released on Opel, but they were pulled, apparently by Pink Floyd. [4]

Title

The album is named after "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a composition by Pink Floyd about and dedicated to Barrett, who led the band during its earlier years.

Track listing

All songs written by Syd Barrett, except where noted.

Disc 1 – The Madcap Laughs

  1. "Terrapin" – 5:04
  2. "No Good Trying" – 3:26
  3. "Love You" – 2:30
  4. "No Man's Land" – 3:03
  5. "Dark Globe" – 2:02
  6. "Here I Go" – 3:11
  7. "Octopus" – 3:47
  8. "Golden Hair" (Syd Barrett/James Joyce) – 1:59
  9. "Long Gone" – 2:50
  10. "She Took a Long Cold Look" – 1:55
  11. "Feel" – 2:17
  12. "If It's in You" – 2:26
  13. "Late Night" – 3:11
  14. "Octopus" (Takes 1 & 2) – 3:09
  15. "It's No Good Trying" (Take 5) – 6:22
  16. "Love You" (Take 1) – 2:28
  17. "Love You" (Take 3) – 2:11
  18. "She Took a Long Cold Look at Me" (Take 4) – 2:44
  19. "Golden Hair" (Take 5) (Barrett/Joyce) – 2:28

Disc 2 – Barrett

  1. "Baby Lemonade" – 4:11
  2. "Love Song" – 3:05
  3. "Dominoes" – 4:09
  4. "It Is Obvious" – 3:00
  5. "Rats" – 3:02
  6. "Maisie" – 2:51
  7. "Gigolo Aunt" – 5:47
  8. "Waving My Arms in the Air" – 2:07
  9. "I Never Lied to You" – 1:52
  10. "Wined and Dined" – 2:59
  11. "Wolfpack" – 3:41
  12. "Effervescing Elephant" – 1:54
  13. "Baby Lemonade" (Take 1) – 3:46
  14. "Waving My Arms in the Air" (Take 1) – 2:13
  15. "I Never Lied to You" (Take 1) – 1:48
  16. "Love Song" (Take 1) – 2:32
  17. "Dominoes" (Take 1) – 0:40
  18. "Dominoes" (Take 2) – 2:36
  19. "It Is Obvious" (Take 2) – 3:51

Disc 3 – Opel

  1. "Opel" – 6:26
  2. "Clowns and Jugglers" (Original version of Octopus) – 3:27
  3. "Rats" – 3:12
  4. "Golden Hair" (Barrett/Joyce) – 1:44
  5. "Dolly Rocker" – 3:01
  6. "Word Song" – 3:19
  7. "Wined and Dined" – 3:03
  8. "Swan Lee (Silas Lang)" – 3:13
  9. "Birdie Hop" – 2:30
  10. "Let's Split" – 2:23
  11. "Lanky (Part One)" – 5:32
  12. "Wouldn't You Miss Me (Dark Globe)" – 3:00
  13. "Milky Way" – 3:07
  14. "Golden Hair" (Instrumental version) – 1:56
  15. "Gigolo Aunt" (Take 9) – 4:02
  16. "It Is Obvious" (Take 3) – 3:44
  17. "It Is Obvious" (Take 5) – 3:06
  18. "Clowns and Jugglers" (Take 1) – 3:33
  19. "Late Night" (Take 2) – 3:19
  20. "Effervescing Elephant" (Take 2) – 1:28

Tracks not included in this collection that were later officially released

  1. "Bob Dylan Blues" – 3:14
    As seen on The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? (2001) and An Introduction to Syd Barrett (2010).
  2. "Matilda Mother" (Alternate version) – 3:14
    As seen on An Introduction to Syd Barrett (2010).
  3. "Rhamadan" – 20:09
    As seen on An Introduction to Syd Barrett (2010) and The Madcap Laughs 2015 Japanese reissue.
  4. All 8 tracks from The Radio One Sessions (2004).

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Opel</i> (album) 1988 compilation album by Syd Barrett

Opel is a 1988 album compiled from recordings made by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett between 1968 and 1970. The album is a compilation of unreleased material and alternate takes of recordings from sessions for Barrett's solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Before they were vetoed by Pink Floyd, the album was to include two unreleased tracks that Barrett had worked on while with Pink Floyd, "Scream Thy Last Scream" and "Vegetable Man".

<i>The Madcap Laughs</i> 1970 studio album by Syd Barrett

The Madcap Laughs is the debut solo album by the English singer-songwriter Syd Barrett. It was recorded after Barrett had left Pink Floyd in April 1968. The album had a chequered recording history, with work beginning in mid-1968, but the bulk of the sessions taking place between April and July 1969, for which five different producers were credited − including Barrett, Peter Jenner, Malcolm Jones, and fellow Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Roger Waters. Among the guest musicians are Willie Wilson from Gilmour's old band Jokers Wild and several members of Soft Machine.

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References

  1. Unterberger, Richie. "Crazy Diamond – Syd Barrett : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  2. "Record Collector Magazine, April 1993". Archived from the original on 3 May 2010.
  3. Palacios, Julian (2010). Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd: Dark Globe (Rev. ed.). London: Plexus. p. 419. ISBN   0-85965-431-1.
  4. Manning, Toby (2006). The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd (1st ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 186. ISBN   1-84353-575-0.