An Introduction to Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett was the first genius to emerge from Pink Floyd and the first to crack from the strain of success and unusually large amounts of LSD. His sense of whimsy, his lyrical flights of fancy, and the unforeseen chord structures made his music a singular achievement. Psychedelic folk-rock for the people. This collection is the first to combine his early work with Pink Floyd with his solo recordings. “Arnold Layne” sounds as desperate as ever. “See Emily Play” wanders off the playground in search of the lost chord. Band-mate and producer David Gilmour remixed five of the tracks for stronger effect, but it’s not disconcerting to ears that have grown up on the original vinyl releases. There is simply too much wonderful music here to go wrong. “Bike,” “Terrapin,” “She Took a Long Cool Look,” “Baby Lemonade,” “Gigolo Aunt” and the twenty-minute “Rhamadan” make for a fantastic overview of a man who left the creative world far too soon. Barrett was a musical iconoclast, plain and simple. Here is the proof.