Posted on 07/16/2006 5:51:32 PM PDT by gawatchman
Syd Barrett, a founding member of Pink Floyd who wrote the bulk of the legendary UK rock band's early material, died Friday. He was 60.
The exact cause of death is unknown, although Barrett was known to suffer from diabetes and had battled various forms of mental illness for years, with many fans speculating that his years of heavy psychedelic drug use had sent him over the edge. Barrett had lived a reclusive life since the 1970s, living at his parents' home in Cambridge.
Word of Barrett's death spread today, and the band--David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright--released a statement: "The band [members] are naturally very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death. Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire."
Barrett's brother Alan also issued a statement today, saying: "He died peacefully at home. There will be a private family funeral in the next few days."
Barrett was the ultimate mystery in a band whose collective mystique was bolstered over the years by decades of infighting, mostly between Waters and Gilmour, who joined the band in 1968, shortly before Barrett left, as a second guitarist.
Artists like David Bowie and Pete Townshend cited Barrett as an influence. In a posting on his Web site today, Bowie wrote: "I can't tell you how sad I feel. Syd was a major inspiration for me. The few times I saw him perform in London at UFO and the Marquee clubs during the sixties will forever be etched in my mind. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter. His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."
(Excerpt) Read more at mp3.com ...
He actually did Jugband Blues on Saucerful of Secrets, and others such as Apples and Oranges, and see Emily Play but they never made it on any Floyd albums.
I have a cousin in a similar situation, drinks heavily, around fifty, still living off his ninety year old mother. Before he went doper, he had a tryout with the Cincinnati Reds and a college baseball scholarship. Wasted life.
A few of the live songs on Ummagumma were taken from the first 2 Floyd albums such as Astronomy Domine and, I am not sure, but it sounds like Syd singing on that particular track.
http://pinkfloyd-co.com/disco/umma/umma_album.html
Yup, sounds like him, but for whatever reason no credit in the disc's literature.
I had always hoped that he'd get his, um, stuff together and write/sing/play more. Sigh- no chance of that now.
maybe they'll find a chest with a hundred reels of 2 inch Ampex with unheard-of tunes on it...
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
RIP Syd
My favorite band of all time. Welcome to the Machine, Syd.
Yes, that would be great. A friend of mine used to have bootlegged copies of rare recordings by Syd/Pink Floyd such as Apples and Oranges, and Vegetable Man, and several other songs by him that I had never heard of. But, I can't find copies of these recordings anywhere. I wish too that we had been able to hear more material from him. Much of it was brilliant in my opinion.
Hmmm... now I've got to find out. I thought Syd Barrett was a part of the album but maybe not. I lost it at La Vallee but got it back at Wish You Were Here. Lost it again after The Wall. They're definitely one of my favorites. Animals is a great album too.
"You were caught on the crossfire
Of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine! "
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