SYD BARRETT

This is a sad couple of discs really.

Syd had so much potential, to which 'Piper..' attests, however toooo much acid had taken it's toll before his solo work was recorded. I remember when I bought this at 15/16yrs old, and thought it really funny, laughing out loud at some of the songs and the talking to the engineers etc. However, some 20 yrs later, and I've had a lot of experience of those with mental illness I have a very different perspective.

I used to know both LPs contained here very well, but hadn't listened for a lot of years. Relistening I found to be a very depressing experience. I won't go through tracks, but rather it is the quality of Syd's performances which are the saddest thing. Where there had been hope, all you can hear is confusion and rambling. Roger Waters surmised 'Did you exchange a walk on part in the war, for the lead role in a cage?' which is a more than adequate description.. Syd had gone from having a shared vanguard role in the shaping of psychedelic rock and the formation of prog, to being an isolated also-ran.

These two discs chart the final stages of a fallen hero, who's demise began with the opening bars of 'Piper..'. Realistically, Syd had already contributed what he was able to before they committed a note to tape.

wrt the music, the production team did a very admirable job working with what sparce material there was to use, and for this the discs are excellent; however for actual content this isn't for collectors only - it's for voyeurs only...

This is a little known 2-album collector's edition of Syd's first two records. (Hell even I didn't know about it!) There aren't any additional songs other than those from his first two albums on it, but the gatefold display, and artwork make this a definite collector's album. As far as I know (from my limited internet research on it) this limited edition was never released in digital format (CD) or even in cassette, so if you come across this in a second-hand store, buy it right away, it has value for collectors.

All in all it is probably just as easy to buy "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett" individually. But a cool album to own nevertheless! 3/5 stars