Since last week, I’m been very much in a Barrett mood.
It’s been a while since I last listened to Madcap Laughs and Barrett, and I was only slightly surprised to see that they had been pulled from my streaming service. It seems like albums are chronically coming and going, especially when they are from acts “across the pond” [Syd Barrett joins Jesus and Mary Chain for albums I can’t listen to… at the moment]. Without super-simple access to Syd’s solo albums, I opted for Pink Floyd’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn album to tide me me over until I could either pull up my MP3s or find time to find a quality upload of the complete albums up on YouTube for me.
Listening with “fresh ears”, it strikes me just how much Syd indirectly and directly influenced some of my tastes in music.
I came to early Pink Floyd later in life, being quite content to listen to their albums post-Dark Side. The Barrett years are rough around the edges, as the band had yet to really develop their signature sound, so it can be off-putting for folks less used to their more psychedelic sound (their later music I would probably class as progressive rock and not psychedelic).
As I listened over the weekend and into this week, I came to the slow realization that some of the more manic post-punk music I listened to growing up was probably directly influenced by Syd. I now hear his influences in everything from Love and Rockets/Bauhaus/Tones on Tail to David Bowie to The Cure. To an unnerving degree, if I’m honest about it.
Obviously, the darker music I listened to growing up has less of his stamp on it, but quite a few of his songs feel “familiar” when I think of quite a few songs I listened to growing up.
I won’t go much into Syd’s decline during his final days before Pink Floyd fired him (with good reasons, honestly) and his descent into mental illness during and afterwards. Suffice it to say, it was as tragic as the other rock n’ roll deaths out there, no less devastating than deaths from suicides or overdoses. And, in ways, it was a bit of a slow death, not quite getting around to finishing up until his actual death in obscurity during the 2000s.
Syd may have had a serious mental illness — never publicly disclosed, if it was ever actually diagnosed — and there can be no argument that he suffered from something…
But some of his approaches towards music and lyrics are absolute genius, in my opinion (although he rejected that notion when he was still competent enough to say something). The way he wove words was a tangled weave and I think he did the best that he could within his limitations.
As I said, it has been a while and now that I can see some of his influences elsewhere, I realize that — in subtle ways and indirectly — that much of the writer I am carries some of his writing DNA within my own pieces.
That’s pretty amazing to have that insight into one’s own creativity.
I leave you with “Octopus”, a song that is mostly accessible, but shows off his distinct sound [the link goes to the correct timestamp for the song]. Not all of his music is so accessible; while I like 95% of it, I recognize that the first album (or two solo albums) can be more difficult to listen to, as he was given free rein in it’s production and engineering. The second album, while more cohesive, still carries elements of his illness and distraction.
So trip to heave and ho
Up down, to and fro'
You have no word
Please, leave us here
Close our eyes to the octopus ride
Isn't it good to be lost in the wood?
Isn't it bad so quiet there, in the wood?
Meant even less to me than I thought
With a honey plough of yellow prickly seeds
Clover honey pots and mystic shining feed
12 responses to “Revisiting Syd”
RIP Syd. 🙁
And… Shine on. 🙂
Indeed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Now these are albums (especially Madcap) which really affected me when I was younger and still do, although in perhaps arguably slightly different ways.
I think that lyrically his writing was masterful, although, as you say, not always as accessible as many of those whom he influenced. Perhaps this says more about the general populace, though.
Musically too his guitar work was quite unique, far from the cut and dried ‘lead & rhythm ‘ that most guitarists employ.
My only wish would be that he died content within himself.
I came to them in my late twenties, although I couldn’t tell you why I put it off. I quite liked Bike (a friend loaned me his copy of “Works”) and Lucifer Sam (after an introduction via a cover by Love and Rockets), so you’d think I would have come to them sooner. I recall the CD releases back in the day and thought, now that looks interesting…
I think the way he crammed what he wanted to say in the space provided or, makes the space bigger so he can say what he wanted to say is part of the genius. I think that part of the approach can be off-putting for folks who are used to tempo not being a fluid musical concept. And I think that the general populace tends to not want awkwardness and complexity if they can avoid it.
His playing of lead and rhythm at the same time and flowing between the two is amazing. Few artists can pull it off well. I think that might have been just how his mind worked.
I haven’t followed his later life much, but it sounds like he might not have even been aware that he was off on another planet. Perhaps he was content with his gardening? As I said, I’m not familiar with the details of his life before he died.
The first Floyd album I heard was ‘Dark Side’ and I decided to work back to the beginnings and remember just being floored by ‘Piper’…which led on to Syd’s solo work which moved me like nothing else. I was about 15.
I agree that his writing seemed to open up spaces which were simultaneously filled with what he wanted to say and yet left room for the listener to fall into. I guess, subconsciously, it’s a style I’ve tried to adopt in my own writing – leaving those gaps for the reader’s imagination. As you say, the mass populace want simple!
Yes, he kept himself pretty much to himself as he grew older; you probably know that he lived with his mum and then in the same house until his death. He painted a lot, but used to destroy much of what he had created. I guess he understood that the process of creation is more valuable than the outcome. Well, that’s my theory and hope for him.
The first for me (aside from the radio single for “Another Brick in the Wall”) was Dark Side of the Moon as well. I went the other direction with their catalog.
I knew he lived with his mum and I thought he had a decent relationship with his sister until the end. I do wonder at the flavor of his “madness” (or was it just extreme creativity?).
Interesting person. And I realize that in many ways, that exploring writing in an unconventional way is probably inspired (in part) by his approach towards such things. As I mentioned in other comments, I think he was part rock n’ roll “shaman”, much like Morrison or Curtis was — never quite happy with the status quo and trying to communicate something that is largely not given to being communicated.
🙂
I love Madcap so much! I’m definitely a Syd fan. Great listening choices.
I sometimes envy the perspective he had. In another world, he might have been a shaman. And maybe he was one of those rock n’ roll subvariants.
I never could stand Syd Barrett. I don’t like the way his music makes me feel.
It can be very ungrounding. It follows conventions until it doesn’t (and you didn’t always see the change coming) and that can leave an unsettled feeling. He’s definitely not for everyone.