| ||
Product details
|
This box set is basically a purple box, with OK liner notes and the three Syd solo albums- The Madcap Laughs, Barrett & the out-takes/rarities collection Opel- complete with extra tracks/alternate takes. Pity that the Peel Sessions is overlooked, ditto the single Vegatable Man/Scream Your Last Scream (which turn up regularly on Floyd bootlegs). Despite this it is well worth buying, because despite the myth (I saw Syd Barrett taking things out of a bin in Cambridge, he must have been 60 stone...) and the allure of the damaged (see also Roky Erikson, Brian Wilson ,Shane MacGowan), these songs are simply wonderful.
The Madcap Laughs was the debut album with production input from Malcolm Jones, Dave Gilmour, Roger Waters & Pete Jenner. His muse is damaged, but far from destroyed- every song is fantastic, highlights including Dark Globe, Terrapin and Late Night (these have been covered by REM, Marc & the Mambas & This Mortal Coil respectively). My favourite songs are Golden Hair (with lyrics from James Joyce's Ulysses) and Octopus- which is damaged and emotional. The extra takes are good, if slightly disturbing- as with songs like The Gnome or Bike, the child-like lyrics compund this fear- such as on I Love You: "Ice (s)cream 'scuse me...".
The follow up album, Barrett, is just as good- Dave Gilmour now the sole producer and conduit for vanishing Syd. Highlights here include Wined & Dined, Gigolo Aunt, Rats & It is Obvious. Faves here are Effervescing Elephant (think Lear, Coleridge, Carroll), Dominoes ("it's an idea") & opening track Baby Lemonade (as great as anything on the 1st Floyd album). Again the alternate takes are nice, the two versions of Dominoes particularly.
Opel was released in 1988 and is a collection of out-takes/anomalies, it's a bit patchy in parts but the early version of Octopus (Clowns & Jugglers) is great, as is the title track, Dolly Rocker & Swan Lee (Silas Lang). The bonus tracks are from both albums and are amongst the finest songs Syd wrote (Late Night, Gigolo Aunt etc).
As with all great art it transcends the era and circumstances in which it was made, the lyrics like poetry (with contributions from those mandrax demons) and Barrett's guitar playing extremely wonderful and original. There is no one quite like Syd Barrett, wouldn't we miss him?
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|