Syd Barrett... what makes him a legend? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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The T

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 20:56

It's a wonderful world...

Rocktopus

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 18:41

The T wrote:

Rocktopus wrote:

The Wizard wrote:

Syd Barrett is a legend because he recorded and 3 albums plus singles and others stuff that was pure genius and sounded like nothing else and then dissapeared from the public eye. You might * get it if you're a Dream Theatre fan though.

* = Might not get it?

If so, I totally agree.

Poor people...

Yes, I feel sorry for those poor DT fans myself.

Over land and under ashes
In the sunlight, see - it flashes
Find a fly and eat his eye
But don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
Don't believe in me

Thandrus

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 15:39

The T wrote:

Poor people...

The T

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 15:06

Rocktopus wrote:

* = Might not get it?

If so, I totally agree.

Poor people...

Floydoid

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 11:58

I've never quite got the legend thing either. As much as I adored dear old Syd, his main contribution to the Floyd odyssey is giving the band the kick start they needed, i.e. writing much of the early stuff, up to 1968. Had he continued as a band member, the Floyd would have quickly descended into obscurity. Drafting in DG was a stroke of genius, and had Roger's songwriting and concepts not developed as they did, PF would also have declined into obscurity.

I'll be contraversial and say that Syd was almost a postscript to the story, but a very important one. His solo work is good but patchy, and the aforementioned Kevin Ayers' stuff was much better IMO.

As I've commented many times before, the Floyd would never have got started without Syd, but they would never have continued with him.

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Visitor13

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 09:04

Does anyone know here know anything about Barrett's musical inspirations? I know AMM was one, anything else?

Certif1ed

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 08:49

Piper is a Masterpiece - although that may not be immediately apparent.

The "vibe" it puts across is above and beyond the notes or anything else in the music - it's like one of those 3d pictures that you have to squint at to see it properly.

When the force of Piper hits you, you'll realise just how amazing it is.

I know, because it happened to me - I couldn't see what the fuss was about, then I heard it.

Barrett's legendary status is well deserved - his cultured naiveity is a looking-glass into the child in all of us, and a peculiarly kaleidosopic and innocent way of seeing the world and using the imagination.

The other bits of the Syd legend are fascinating because of the initial shooting-star rise to popularity and well-documented breakdown. I find it a huge pity - the man really was a genius, as well as an irresistable character - not some freakshow, and I can't find any evidence that Pink Floyd ever exploited him.

The fact also remains that Roger, Rick, David and Nick were also extraordinarily gifted rock musicians with tremendous imaginations - as evidenced.

Edited by Certif1ed - October 17 2008 at 08:53

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Dean

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 05:38

Yorkie X wrote:

Seriously its the insanity the well documented mental health issues they seem to gain a certain mythical state about a person and capture imaginations of those who pursue the edges of higher art that a normal person couldn't fabricate this intrigues and from a marketing point of view sells and even floyd after Syd left didnt mind exploiting ... which is why I`m not a big Floyd fan .. I think I know a little about how these things work I suffer with a condition so I`m very sensitive to how the story goes.

While there is an element of truth in what you say about tragic figures (Brian Wilson is another), I do not believe Floyd exploited this in the case of Syd - there is a genuine affection and sense of loss in their view of Syd, (Syd was their friend first and band member second - Barrett went to school with Gilmour, and met the other members at college before starting the band - seeing a close friend deteriorate so quickly will have a profound affect on anyone), and anger at the music industry in exploiting their 'stars' regardless of the cost on the person, this is documented not only in Wish You Were Here (which I interpret as a heart-felt comment) and The Wall (which is a lambaste against 'stardom' and 'the system'), but also in earlier songs like Cymbaline and Free Four.

What?

Rocktopus

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 05:34

* = Might not get it?

If so, I totally agree.

Over land and under ashes
In the sunlight, see - it flashes
Find a fly and eat his eye
But don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
Don't believe in me

Yorkie X

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Posted: October 17 2008 at 05:22

Seriously its the insanity the well documented mental health issues they seem to gain a certain mythical state about a person and capture imaginations of those who pursue the edges of higher art that a normal person couldn't fabricate this intrigues and from a marketing point of view sells and even floyd after Syd left didnt mind exploiting ... which is why I`m not a big Floyd fan .. I think I know a little about how these things work I suffer with a condition so I`m very sensitive to how the story goes.

When Vincent Van Gogh (One of history's most famous artists ever and also a bi polar sufferer) was alive he was quoted as to saying "If only I could get back for the art the cost of the canvas" while vincent was alive he was pretty poor but soon after he died the wealthy accepted his "works" (surprise surprise will man ever get over his ignorance) and paid huge sums for it.

Syd was exploited on many different levels . Cry

Edited by Yorkie X - October 17 2008 at 05:38

The Wizard View Drop Down

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 20:53

Syd Barrett is a legend because he recorded and 3 albums plus singles and others stuff that was pure genius and sounded like nothing else and then dissapeared from the public eye. You might get it if you're a Dream Theatre fan though.

Thandrus

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 20:26

Dunno really... but form what I see here in Georgia, he seems to be a "legend" in casual (I mean non-prog) circles as well... I doubt it to be because his music was "all-that-transcendental". Well I credit him for PF contributions, his solo albums are also not bad but... a LEGEND? I don't like when extramusical things make a musician a legend, sorry... I think, we all here can find a deeper or more mystical genius within prog.

But as I said, dunno.. that's why charisma is charisma... Unexplainable... But I'd rather see Anthony Phillips as legend than Syd Barrett...

Anyway he was a good musician, no question...

Sorry for incompreensible nonsense, but it's 4:27am and I have a headache LOL

Listened to Metallica's 6 albums in a row... Why did I... Dead

Dean

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 18:48

Syd's myth status began in the late 60s soon after he dropped out of the music scene and was further perpetrated with the formation of Syd Barrett Appreciation Society and it's associated fanzine Terrapin (yes, we had fanzines back then

). If memory serves, later editions also included Steve Peregrine Took, who recorded an unreleased track with Barrett (Ramadan) in the early 70s.

For those that are interested, the complete collection of Terrapin the fanzine have been collected together as a book (http://www.inkyfingers.com/TERRAPINS/Terrapins.html)

What?

Vibrationbaby View Drop Down

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 16:25

Totally agree with that. I think I pointed that out earlier.

Ivan_Melgar_M View Drop Down

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 15:15

I believe he's a legend because of the way he almost vanished from public life being young.

He didn't died, but he was almost dissapeared, only some photos once in a while made us remember he was alive, so people didn't saw him grow old, fat and millionaire, the legend of the kid making the music he wanted for love will always remain.

Also important how the urban myths of the guy escaping from his custody to see Pink Floyd concerts, he lived almost 40 years covered by a veil of mystery.

Now, despite how much I like Piper and Syd's contribution, I believe that the best thing that could happen to Pink Floyd was Gilmour replacing Barrett. Without Gilmour, PF would had been just another Psychedelic band that, most surely wouldn't survived the early 70's.

The Gilmour - Waters duo created a whole new personality for Pink Floyd.

Iván

Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - October 16 2008 at 16:36

Vibrationbaby View Drop Down

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 11:19

He was definitely living with his mother at some point or another. If he`s not a genius or a legend he certaily still holds a certain amount of mystique even in death. We`re up to three pages already

el dingo

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 11:10

Vibrationbaby wrote:

Valdez wrote:

Someone once said that if Syd had stayed on in Pink Floyd they would all be playing banjo's and jews harps.

Yeah. Good point "what if" ? his solo material wasn`t anything to write home about. I think he enjoyed gardening more than music after he lost his head. And you have to also wonder "what if" Syd wasn`t taking lethal doses of LSD when he wrote all that "legendary" music. Don`t get me wrong I really dig that first album but Floyd created enough "legendary" music without him. They could have been singing about a head of cabbage or Gimour`s dog that died when he was 7 years old on Wish You Were Here. I`m not bashing Syd at all here but I`m sure that whatever was left of his brain when Wish You Were Here came out it probably was wondering why all the bru ha ha?

I'm new to this forum but it sure gets you talking and thinking. I don't know about the gardening but I do know (now) from a very reliable source I spoke to today that Syd worked totally incognito as a hospital porter at Papworth Hospital Cambridge for quite a few years. The same contact told me he also lived for a long while in a relative's cellar in Cambridge. No more detail I'm afraid. PS if you want to hear Floyd singing about dogs, check out Seamus on Meddle. Hardly a classic, I admit.

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Abstrakt

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 10:52

I wonder the same. I don't really like the barret-style songs.
The only good ones from 66-68 is "Interstellar Overdrive" & "Astronomy Domine", imo.

Vibrationbaby View Drop Down

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 10:27

Valdez wrote:

Someone once said that if Syd had stayed on in Pink Floyd they would all be playing banjo's and jews harps.

MaidenMadness View Drop Down

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Posted: October 16 2008 at 08:41

i consider the piper to be one of the greatest pf albums ever. up there with their 70ties stuff. i love that album but it has very different sound compared to everything post barrett era.

i agree that his tragic story added to his cult status, however to contribute his cult status only or even mostly to that imo is wrong. pf is syd's child. roger, david, nick and richard only took it to its greatest heights, but it was syd who started it all, it was syd who installed the wish for constant experimenting trying out different things. as someone wrote before without syd pink floyd would have never become anything more than just another meaningless band who played r&b. pink floyd was different from mainstream music of the time because syd wanted to be different. without syd there would have been any meddle, animals, wish you were here, the wall, dark side of the moon simply because without syd other pf members would have never moved away from r&b.

however he also had negative impact as well, since in the early days syd took the most prominent role other band members just took a backseat. syd writting all the songs and lyrics never forced roger to get actively involved in utilizing his potential to write awesome lyrics.

syd's departure is the main event in history of pink floyd since it forced others to get more involved in creating the music.