Do you think syd barrett is overrated

Hi,

I'm not sure what "overrated" really means, but as a "writer" of poetry and stories, I would suggest that Syd Barrett stands way up there ... however, we don't always think of rock music as an artistic endeavor and think that lyrics that TELL YOU what they are about are more interesting than a story about a mouse that I call Gerald, the humor and satire of which is way out there in terms of literature. 

Let's face it ... how do you compare one of those early songs, with a Chuck Berry song in terms of lyrics ... you don't. One is not about your willy, so to speak. It's about something else that most poetry and writers work on, even if you call it "cleverness" or something else. Like the Oxford/Cambridge connection is not similar and almost the same.

I would not use Syd Barrett's solo albums as an example at all, although some lyrics are OK, however, the music used was no longer "interpretive" of the words, as the earlier songs were, and the adventure and the liveliness and fun that was with some of his early lyrics, was wasted, and I think that this is what hurt his words, more than anything else. But that way of interpreting his early work, must give a lot of care and attention to the other three members that nurtured the songs so well. On Syd's solo albums, maybe one or two songs were nurtured and the rest was just throw away stuff that made Syd look bad and out of it, which of course, history seems to tell us he was.

I'm sure there were other writers and artists that were much more out of it, that were also "underrated" and "overrated". But most "song writing" in the rock music era, is not that artistic and that intelligent, though some of them are very pointed and strong. And some are way out there to the point that no one knows what it means ... heck, folks are still trying to interpret Milton and Shakespeare, and all come off differently!

Hi,

"Overrated in Britain, underrated elsewhere..."

I agree and disagree, being multi-national and having lived in 3 different countries. In both england and America, since the 1960's, the media has been exceedingly strong, and in love with themselves to the point where anything they said, "was right", and in the end, it was in the name of commerciality ... which benefitted both countries really well when it came to their artists, and films as well. Even Fellini, did not get as much attention in Italy, for example, since even their studio couldn't stand him, and the same thing in Tokyo with Akira Kurosawa.

That made it more difficult for other countries to be reviewed and written about, on par with many of these continentals (American and British), which I think created a two headed monster that pretty much states, nowadays, it all has to be in English, or its crap. many fans, here, still cringe about the foreign languages thing, as if the emotion and the feel of the music itself required any lyrics to show up and talk to you!

Thus, it is easier to think that Syd Barrett is this and that, and others are not. And the fact that PF went on about him in at least two other albums, made it look like there was something to it all in the back of everyone's mind, that the band had to deal with.

There is an issue, even here, of undcerstanding and getting some information as how/what happened, even in the 1960's, and our Southern California FM radio experience during that time, that was hard to recognize even by Dean standards. And it became the history of the "progressive music" by default, by the Brittish, and anyone else saying anything is not correct and few people are even capable of adding to it, subrtracting, and not get involved in the personal thing. I can tell you what I saw and experienced. I can not argue with anyone that thinks that what I went through as a person during that time, is not a valid experience, because their view is more complete and important than mine!

We're all right, and at the same time, we're all also wrong. What happened to one is not the same as another, but what sometimes I think that someone is objecting to, is that a foreigner is talking about their Gods ... and they are not my Gods ... and we already know how that discussion goes around the world. Stupid and worst results in the name of essentially ignorance.

IF, we want to expand our "progressive music", we have to allow and expand, on our views and critical studies. Making fun of them, and breaking up the thread, should not be allowed and that should be on the hand of the moderators, who tend to favor their friends, and not the subject at hand.

Over-rated or not ... depends on our complete view of the whole thing, not just as a favorite, but other than a handful of us, I have not met many who appreciate the early material as much as the later material. I have preferencesm yes I do, but the writing and quality of the poetry and wording in Syd's pieces, and almost second to none in the history of pop music, and they are very special, and show a side of English/British literacy that is not always visible in a lot of their material ... what with the media's interest in the fad's ... instead of the art of it all.