Syd Barrett | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | 14 November 1974 | |||
Recorded | Abbey Road, May 1968 – July 1970 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 76:30 | |||
Label | Harvest/EMI | |||
Producer | Syd Barrett, Peter Jenner, Malcolm Jones, Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Richard Wright. | |||
Syd Barrett chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | B [2] |
Tom Hull | C [3] |
Syd Barrett is a 1974 double-album pairing of Syd Barrett's two solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett , both originally released in the UK in 1970.
During the summer of 1965, Barrett had his first acid trip in the garden of his friend Dave Gale, [4] [5] with Ian Moore and Storm Thorgerson. [4] While on the influence of the substance, Barrett had placed an orange, plum and a matchbox into a corner, while staring at the fruit, which he claimed symbolized "Venus and Jupiter". [4] [5] Thorgerson used this imagery when he added these items to the cover of Syd Barrett. [4]
After the unexpectedly massive success of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon , EMI re-issued the Barrett-era albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets as A Nice Pair in the hope that fans would be interested in the band's earlier work with Barrett. Once that was a success, primarily in the US, Syd Barrett was compiled to meet demand. [1]
As a result, The Madcap Laughs/Barrett (as it was titled in the US) made number 163, [1] giving Barrett his only US chart album. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote of the album: "Admittedly, a lot of what results is worthy of the wimp-turned-acid-casualty Barrett is. But a lot of it is funny, charming, catchy--whimsy at its best... I know damn well it gives me more pleasure than The Dark Side of the Moon ." [2]
All songs by Syd Barrett, except where noted.
Album - Billboard
Year | Chart | Position |
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1974 | Pop Albums | 163 [1] |
A Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 28 June 1968 by EMI Columbia in the UK and on 27 July 1968 in the US by Tower Records. The mental health of singer and guitarist Syd Barrett deteriorated during recording, so guitarist David Gilmour was recruited; Barrett left the band before the album's completion.
A Nice Pair is a compilation album by Pink Floyd, re-issuing their first two albums—The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets—in a new gatefold sleeve. The album was released in December 1973 by Harvest and Capitol in the United States and the following month in the United Kingdom by Harvest and EMI. It reached number 36 in the US Billboard album charts and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 1994.
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.
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 lengthy recording history, with work beginning in May 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.
Barrett is the second and final studio album of new material released by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett. Recording began at Abbey Road Studios on 26 February 1970, and lasted for 15 sessions until 21 July. The album was produced by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Richard Wright, who also contributed on bass and keyboards respectively, along with previous Madcap contributor Jerry Shirley on drums.
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.
"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
"Octopus" is a song by Syd Barrett. In January 1970 it appeared on his first solo album The Madcap Laughs.
"Arnold Layne" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd. Released on 10 March 1967, it was the band's first single and was written by Syd Barrett.
Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was the band's frontman and primary songwriter, known for his whimsical style of psychedelia, English-accented singing, and stream-of-consciousness writing style. As a guitarist, he was influential for his free-form playing and for employing effects such as dissonance, distortion, echo and feedback.
"Dark Globe" is a song by Syd Barrett, released on his first solo album The Madcap Laughs.
The Radio One Sessions is a live album by former Pink Floyd vocalist and guitarist, Syd Barrett. It is the last Barrett album released in his lifetime before his death in 2006.
"Vegetable Man" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, written by the frontman, Syd Barrett, and recorded in 1967. It was considered for a release as a single or for inclusion on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, but went unreleased. Bootlegged for decades, the song did not have an official release until 2016, when it was included on the box set The Early Years 1965–1972.
"Scream Thy Last Scream" is a song by Pink Floyd, written by frontman Syd Barrett and scheduled to be the band's next single after "See Emily Play".
"Singing a Song in the Morning" was the first solo single released by Kevin Ayers, one of the founding members of the band Soft Machine. It was issued three months after Ayers' debut solo LP Joy of a Toy, and the artist was credited on the record label as Kevin Ayers and the Whole World. Although the song was not included on the original Joy of a Toy album, the single's B-side, "Eleanor's Cake ", was on the album.
"Terrapin" is the opening song on Syd Barrett's first solo album The Madcap Laughs. Its arrangement is sparse, like much of the album, and features only acoustic and electric guitar accompaniment to the vocals. This song, along with "Maisie" and "Bob Dylan Blues"; reflected Barrett's early interest in the blues. Iggy the Eskimo, one of Barrett's acquaintances, had called the song "quite catchy".
An Introduction to Syd Barrett is a 'best of' compilation featuring the work of Syd Barrett spanning the period 1967–1970, including both material written during his time with Pink Floyd and his post-band solo career.
"Here I Go" is a song by former singer/songwriter of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett and is the sixth track on his first solo album, The Madcap Laughs.
Syd Barrett (1946–2006) was an English rock musician who was best known as the original frontman and primary songwriter of Pink Floyd. With the band, he recorded and wrote the majority of songs for their first album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and was credited for one song on their second album A Saucerful of Secrets. To this day, his Pink Floyd songs are used frequently on the band's various compilations.