The Songs of Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett, songwriter for legendary psych-rock band Pink Floyd, has long been considered a genius by music fans, but there are still many questions surrounding him.
Was his recreational use of LSD a factor in his decline? Why did he disappear from the music scene? What happened to Syd Barrett?
In this video, we'll be looking at what makes the songs of Syd Barrett so special, and what his music says about his state of mind.

[@BritishMusicHistory]

What do you think makes the songs of Syd Barrett so special? Post a comment below and let me know which ones are your favourite, and why.

[@stephensevenpounder5447]

His regression to a childlike status, after shouting it to the world, after achieving all, is quite fascinating.

[@caroleann_2142]

He hated the Industry, once he became familiar with it.

[@subooking]

The certain sound he gave Pink Floyd, the childlike lyrics, his voice, and maybe the fact that the songs are less mainstream.

[@RichardHowells1234]

It is Obvious track Brilliance

[@bongofury333]

I think he was a great rythym guitarist with alien chord progressions and tones. The lyrics are whimsical. Very unselfconscious.

[@johnbender4476]

He was one in a million, he's the reason Pink Floyd became who they are, even though he wasn't there

[@pjamdragon1]

Not physically but his spirit is totally there

[@rayinpau.s.a.6351]

Its sad how people do not and will not stand beside you when your ill , mentally or physically !

[@barankaradagg]

I think that would be a little harsh on his family and Pink Floyd members. Syd never wanted to be reminded of the band and comminucating with other band members would only worsen his condition

[@travelingtimes1993]

An extremely attractive, fascinating and talented individual. The mystery of what led to his decision to withdraw from society adds to the mystique. Though I think what he went through being ejected from his band and then seeing it take off to unbelievable heights would be very hard for most of us to take. As well as the feeling of betrayal from friends. And he came back in 1975, and they could have done more to make him feel welcome. He offered to play guitar at the Wish You Were Here session. Why would they not say yes Syd, please do! They wrote a song wishing that, and then he shows up--make him feel welcome! So one has to think they could have done more for him. Though who am into say, I wasn't there to fully understand the situation. And we know David Gilmore did at least help on his solo albums and get him the royalties. The music and art he left us with is fascinating. So unique, and creative. Different than what had come before. And once the taste for it is acquired , something that has stuck with me. People change over time, but he also had the most striking changes in physical appearance that I have ever seen. Over a year from 1967 to 1968, and then over the course of a decade as well. It is said he didn't have any friends and was terribly lonely from the 1970s onward. It is unfortunate, as I am sure many of us would have liked to be friends with him had that been possible. But he did find contentment in his life with family and his art and gardening, so that is good to know. Perhaps shedding the Syd persona and leaving behind the pain of the past betrayal was the best way he could cope, and perhaps any of us may have done the same in his shoes. Roger Keith Barrett, you'll never be forgotten by those of us who appreciate you and your work.

[@seanmccready9564]

The condition he showed up to the sessions in 1975 was why they didn’t say hey Syd join in. No one even recognized him initially and supposedly Roger Waters started crying because of just how messed up Syd was at the time.

[@MonkeyMagikz]

@@seanmccready9564roger waters was an ass and ousted syd from the band because he was a narcissist

[@lai8544]

He was so incredibly authentic, I love him

[@kevhead1525]

The Floyds were lost for years after Syd. It took remembering Syd to get them back on track.

[@Gunners_Mate_Guns]

Syd's signoff of "Jugband Blues" will forever be one of the most haunting in music history.

[@JanGreen-ff7bb]

What exactly is a yolk folks?

[@goldenhair1981]

Agreed, it's incredibly sad but beautiful❤

[@philrussell5258]

He just has a way of combining words and tunes in a very unexpected and innovative way. Playful and twee, surreal and painfully honest.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

I don't really care if he's crazy or how crazy he was or what antics he engaged in. I'd rather remember him for his music. Whatever the case, I think he's undeniably a genius and ahead of his time. Maybe those two things are the same.

[@ALittleBitCheesy]

I'm a sucker for syd barret and this is a great video on him. I've watched countless doccumenturys on syd barret and this is one of the best. Most of them is the same things but this made me learn even more about this guy and his songs.

[@joofaloof3219]

Agree😊

[@toddbashem4018]

First and foremost congratulations on an outstanding short documentary! So informative with perfect pace reflecting the the genius subject for which it was created. Liked and subscribed! Keep this content coming, why there aren't 1000's of likes is beyond reason. Though Syd's talents may be rock music's obscure little secret, which was further obviscated by the shear volume of his former bands success, I personally know that throughout my circle of peers his music lives on strongly. I still find myself listening to his work many times a year- almost monthly. He is gone but never forgotten 💔

[@garryiglesias4074]

I'm too a Syd's and Floyd high frequency listener, and evangelizer... Not a day pass without I ask someone "Do you know about the good news ? Have you ever listen to Pink Floyd ?" :)

[@betacam235]

Nice documentary. I grew up in Cambridge, was hugely influenced by the early Pink Floyd, the first two albums, then later by Dark Side and others. I had some similar experiences, and then in late '79 actually met Syd on one of his fleeting visits to a local psych clinic, Adrian House. He had an acoustic guitar with him but I didn't hear him play it.

[@JohnDuca-dd2dm]

I luv "Mathilda Mother".

[@giorgioladd8720]

Seriously?

[@betacam235]

@giorgioladd8720 Of course seriously. I was working there at the time. He didn't stay long....I wish now I'd got into conversation with him but the moment was lost. Adrian House was a part of Fulbourn Psychiatric hospital just outside Cambridge, where Syd's mother lived.

[@DonBernardo]

My Favourite Syd Songs are "Vegetable Man", "Scream Thy Last Scream" and "Jugband Blues" !

[@twistedspanner]

If he'd have managed to hold it together a bit longer those songs would have appeared on the Floyd's second album along with In the Beechwoods. Syd had loads of song for Floyd's second album. You only have to listen to the songs he recorded in the aborted 1968 session he did with Peter Jenner. That appeared on Opel. Songs like Clowns and Jugglers could have been used on their second album. It would have been better than the disappointing 'Saucerful of Secrets' led by Waters for sure.

[@waynesilverman3048]

nice unusual pick 👏

[@robertdefex3439]

Or a sick man but I love that

[@ALEJANDROBUENAHORA]

A question, but somewhere you can hear the songs ´´Vegetable man´´ and ´´Scream thy last scream´´ with good song, because they really sond bad

[@John-om2ic]

I love Sid. A Genius. Piper at the gates of dawn is my favorite album.

[@jameslanclos568]

My favorite Floyd albums are the earliest ones.

[@adamfindlay7091]

One of mine

[@arejaycee5704]

Gotta agree mate a musical genius

[@trestabernae7250]

Yes, the real Floyd !

[@cugal1613]

It’s my fav Pink Floyd album and definitely in my top albums of all time. Love it.

[@allisonobrien-cn6is]

Excellent piece! Why are his songs amazing? Completely unique, inventive and somehow both musically and lyrically grab you with an emotional impact. And I’m not even English!

[@nickdebenedetto2267]

Bravo! very well made. I somehow missed this video up until this morning. Many of the vids made about Syd are lazily written and vapid. I appreciate that you don't make too many assumptions, but instead offer the proper questions. As a Syd admirer who has been somewhat haunted by Syd's story since I discovered him in my late 20s, I think the truth is caught in the thick of it. He was definitely a highly sensitive person who himself proclaimed of having a "very irregular head". But there is also no doubt in my mind that he suffered a severe reaction to whatever substance he ingested sometime around spring/summer of '67. My reasons for this belief you ask? For starters, there is plenty of evidence that shows he was a very articulate, sharp fella for at least the first half of 1967. There are interviews (both in print and on film) where you can see he is fully together. THEN Rick Wright explains that he went missing for a few days during a busy time in the Floyd's schedule (approx May-June). He remained missing until he was found on a Sunday (I believe it was Pete Jenner who found him). Rick said he saw an immediate change in Syd from that moment forward. His eyes looked different, and his mood was very unsteady from that weekend onward. This suggests that Syd sadly experienced a devastatingly bad trip as a result of a toxic chemical of sorts. Now, here's where many of the LSD lovers tell me that acid cannot cause brain damage no matter how much you take. To this I say BULL! I personally know people who changed for the worse as a result of too much trippin'. It does happen, and there are plenty of examples of this. Exactly why or how, I don't claim to know. But I know with certainty that powerful acid can take you for a ride that leaves you somewhere different from where you launched. Having said that, like in most things, there is more to the story. Syd had a tremendous amount of pressure on him at that time. I won't bother going into the details, but let's sum it up in saying that Pink Floyd's rise to prominence was very fast and gained them lots of attention. Many eyes were on Syd to sustain a level of creativity and production. Now let's remember that Syd was barely out of his teens in 1967 (he turned 21 in summer of '67). Ask yourself what you were doing when you were 20? Syd's confidence was far from bulletproof. His letters to girlfriends at that time are littered with insecurities in his voice and guitar playing. He himself once remarked that the figurative doors he had opened in music were done so "with cheap keys". He was in a fragile state overall. The combination of pressure, vulnerability, instability, and powerful drugs ultimately overwhelmed him to a point where he had a mental breakdown. Mental breakdowns can be highly destructive, changing the way your brain operates, fracturing your thoughts. Instead of seeking help and taking time to recover, Syd instead blazed forward with even more chemicals to his brain, more pressure to produce followup hits was lumped on, criticism from everyone ranging from music critics to fans to his own bandmates kept swirling, etc. By the end of '67 the damage was done. Syd's brain was permanently affected by the trauma of it all. The dizzying heights and altitude of stardom was too much for a young man who was ill equipped for it all. The Prince of Psychedelia was sacrificed on the altar. Throughout 1968, Syd regressed. He was shell-shocked, lost in the woods. By the time he emerged throughout '69 and put out Madcap and Barrett in 1970, his mind was rewired. As much as I cherish his solo work, you are only getting fleeting glimpses of his genius. His mood was so unstable that he would not speak coherently at times, he would go silent for hours on end. He referred to conversation as "superfluous". Dark Globe was written quickly during the recording sessions of Madcap. In my opinion, it is one of his most personal, most beautiful, most haunting, and most painful songs. "With eskimo chain, I tattooed my brain all the way Won't you miss me? Wouldn't you miss me at all" These lyrics reveal that he knew what was happening to him, he was all too aware actually. He was in trouble, he had self-inflicted damage to his brain ("I tattooed my brain all the way"). The only thing he didn't realize as he sang those words into a microphone in front of Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour was that he would indeed be missed. RIP Roger Keith Barrett - Nick D, Aug '23

[@scottmooneyham5521]

This is a great post and fits my own thoughts exactly. Perhaps he was mildly bipolar and the LSD was too much for someone with that condition, but difficult to buy the schizophrenia talk given his interview on the BBC show with Mr. “Why Does It Have to be So Loud.” I would suggest that the episode that led to his break happened in the final weekend of July, not earlier. That was when he had to be dragged to the final Top of the Pops session on a Friday, then refused to perform on the radio show the following Saturday morning, and then was basically incoherent at UFO that night. But all that was also proceeded by weeks of heavy LSD usage. No doubt though, that May-July period of 67 was the time that undid him.

[@AndyMangele]

I love his solo albums - they're not perfect, but they have a unique atmosphere.

[@michaelsuder486]

imo Syd Floyd is an acquired taste but once it hits you it truly is great music. The word genius is overused but like artists who paint outside of the box I truly believe he was a musical genius

[@doscwolny2221]

I agree. But it’s a fine line between genius and insanity and quite often he straddled that fence.

[@babylemonade2868]

Baby lemonade is my favourite Syd song

[@radiomindchatter7994]

I would put his song Feel forward as one of his greatest songs also..it's never mentioned, but it's up there with Dark Globe as for being so heartfelt.

[@rjlchristie]

A great song, one that took me decades to sort out the lyrics "Folly grew, a deicide in a dell..." and apparently "Nocturne de blonde" is a reference to a painting. Finishing with bells ringing over the suicide of the song's subject, a young woman,, an angel, a daughter.

[@arejaycee5704]

I'd add Late Night a haunting song still gives me chills

[@riphopfer5816]

The answer to what happened with Syd isn’t ‘It was acid,’ or ‘It was the relentless boredom of playing the same fucking songs over and over every night whilst touring.’ It was a little bit of everything. Touring, drugs, a natural emotional sensitivity, perhaps a bit of burgeoning depression… all of these things, together.

[@stuartholmes8526]

Yes. Syd was creative, a natural artist. No artist want to keep painting the same picture again and again, over and over. But the lure of success and pressure from producers, then they didn't like his last songs , vegetable man, scream thy last scream, too much with all the other stuff going on, he didn't know what to do in the end, and how do you leave the band you started, too much. Those last songs were brilliant

[@branevans3705]

Very handsome man

[@darrylmars]

Early Floyd remains among my favorite music ever, listened to Piper yesterday. Wish he cd have kept it together & made more great music w his friend David on guitar. Set the controls............

[@michaelgoodridge6813]

I will always remember my late teens very fondly, with Syd's music the perfect accompanying soundtrack. RIP Syd - total legend.

[@philipditchfield439]

there are some people who come into this world with the purpose of providing the rest of the world with something the rest of the world cannot do or create itself. Syd is one of those!

[@GCorvetti]

Love Syd and his music, great video 👌

[@crisprtalk6963]

Dark Globe is one of the finest recordings of all time. It embodies everything music and art should.

[@koenraad4618]

What a great YT documentary about Syd Barett. Syd's voice was just beautiful, never out of key (musical ears), had excellent volume and over several octaves. He was a natural born singer. The Pink Floyd (with Syd and later on with David) never sounds outdated, like all good music does, the truth vibrates the soul. IMHO Syd dropped out for all the reasons already talked about, a combination of those. We all have inclinations written in our DNA and within boundaries we think of ourselves as normal. Creative minds want much more than normal society (which isn't normal because it is run by psychopaths), and this requires madness, but drugs and DNA do not always match well, I stay away from it. Another option exists to let the lies drop like flies.

[@christopher9152]

Apples and Oranges is underrated...as are the (then) unreleased Vegetable Man and Scream Thy Last Scream.

[@westcoastmex629]

Jug band blues is amazing few words and sounds to say so many things . Barrett is the 60s incarnated

[@polymerspammer]

Syd was such a genius, his story is so depressing.

[@scottmooneyham5521]

Octopus, IMHO, best demonstrates Syd’s genius, even more than anything on Piper and even as it perhaps could have been slicker had he not been damaged at that point. There is a Monk-like quality to the music, and the lyrical connection between a child at a carnival- both excited and scared - and an adult facing the modern world, is brilliant. His story is so sad that it becomes mythological.

[@KinKnives]

That cats something I can't explain

[@ALEJANDROBUENAHORA]

EXACTLY....´´THAT CATS SOMETHING I CAN´T EXPLAIN´´....THAT VERSE OF THE SONG IS GREAT...THE WAY HE SINGS , IT WITH THAT EMPHASIS ´´ IT´S CAPTIVATING´´

[@marionodom9585]

Interesting reference to the influence of Leo G. Carroll's imagery on Barrett. McCartney said most of the imagery in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" came from Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass". Great minds......

[@leebritnell2405]

Leo G.Carroll was an actor-Man from Uncle, Tarantula,etc.

[@rossjohnson1872]

There are bootlegs of Apple Studio rough drafts, just Syd & guitar, which did not make the solo albums. These are also mind-blowingly brilliant and worth pursuing a listen. Pity you did not reveal a bit of these here😢. Syd had some tough psychological blows before the London drug scene, like his father dying unexpectedly. Also, like many painters he may have been suffering heavy metal poisoning. Watching home movies from his childhood, and hearing accounts from his friends one gets the impression of a very high functioning, high I.Q. autistic.

[@branevans3705]

See Emily Play is iconic

[@WillStephensArt]

Single most influential artist on my life

[@malbrown1868]

In my own opinion, See Emily play is one of the best songs ever made.And I was priveleged to be around when it was in the charts.

[@grangrampa832]

Thank you ❤

[@trinaedwards8182]

The first time I heard Pink Floyd on the radio I had to get there record

[@patrickreilly7256]

Half/half... just once I'd like to hear expose' of Syds music w/o the back ground noise of his life and mental state. We all have that.

[@pretorious700]

See Emily Play and Arnold Lang are brilliant.

[@ALEJANDROBUENAHORA]

also ´´Flaming´´

[@marieeary5573]

❤Love SYD❤

[@robertdefex3439]

He's full of ideas unlike everyone else

[@cybermaventech]

I think the impact of new innovations in electronic music are being missed. Yes, acid is an influence, but other documentaries go deeper into the power and inspiration electronic music had for Syd.

[@robertdefex3439]

Syd and Eddie have once again saved rock n roll thanks to the internet

[@rhemium]

Gigolo Aunt, Dominos, Octopus and Dark Globe are on my master mix playlist.

[@kkupsky6321]

Syd is a champion and I sing his songs all the time. Lsd is great. My dude was further out than that.

[@jamesheath7601]

Piper at the gates of Dawn ❤ Madcap Laughs ❤

[@willmac5642]

Barrett can't have been very happy with his old band using his plight for song material, esp after forcing him to sign his rights away before the release of Dark Side.

[@allisonobrien-cn6is]

100 percent agree. What impact did this have on his exhausted and fragile state?? And being fetishized as a crazy lunatic genius still as a young man….and it continued on….at least he got the royalties!

[@chancesareshewears]

It's so apparent how much Bowie was influenced by Syd...

[@bugeanuflorin1531]

Genius Syd Barrett rip.

[@philsophkenny]

❤

[@mike747436]

Thank you for this informative video. For me, Pink Floyd remain head and shoulders above all others. Did he take too much LSD?’……like there’s a ‘safe’ amount😮

[@paulgrey8028]

I'm unable to equate anything done by Syd with the Pink Floyd that I've loved since I was dropping LSD at 15yo listening to Dark Side of the Moon for hours on end. It's easy to see Syds slide into mental illness in his music. The question must be asked, would we have albums like Dark Side, Animals or Wish You Were Here [just to name a few of my favourites . . . No not The Wall; that album sucked] had Syd remained with the band? I think not.

[@mcbillygoat]

Syd is one of perhaps 3 composers that shine immaculate for the British rock scene. I don’t know if I can name another person better than Syd Barrett when it comes to breaking new ground. My votes go to John Lennon, Roger Waters and Syd Barrett for English rock composers.

[@leebritnell2405]

Kevin Ayers?

[@seanmccready9564]

Ray Davies?

[@canesvenatici4259]

1:30 That wasn't a picture of Floyd "Dipper Boy" Council onscreen that's Blind Boy Fuller

[@FloydGuy1980]

I am producing a retrospective film on Roger Waters. Could I please ask permission to maybe use a small clip of this video? Kind regards Barry

[@SalvatoreCremeOfficial]

Where was that footage at 6:23 from?

[@seamonkey000001]

The drugs won’t have helped obviously, but I’m a believer that unfortunately syd was just never mature or secure enough to live life as an adult. Perhaps mental illness even prior to the pink Floyd years.

[@carlosaelens7563]

❤❤❤

[@caledor7226]

Agree...

[@weeooh1]

As inspiring and exalted a musical visionary as Syd was, lets face it, Pink Floyd only really took off into the stratosphere after Gilmour joined. I doubt they would have been as big as they became if Syd maintained his sanity in the band without Gilmour being a part of it.

[@gregvanblair9096]

Thank You !!!

[@danielorlando8172]

Maybe they should have changed the name instead of Pink Floyd and called it the Syd Barrett experience

[@MrPanama9red]

David Gilmore rules!

[@darrent4652]

Andy Gray

[@wretch1]

His music does absolutely nothing for me, but I'm a big Pink Floyd fan albeit post Barrett.

[@craigbroussard1010]

wassah up bro

[@featherinthewind333]

He is myhthologised because we like a tragedy, had he survived and his career carried on til later he wouldn't of been so lionised. The band he helped form somehow struggled on without him, then finding their feet and making a run of albums that sold silly amounts,

[@rjlchristie]

For 50 years I have considered "The Madcap Laughs" to stand head and shoulders above "Barrett" in terms of creative genius yet have had to listen to others claiming the latter is "more polished" etc.....Nah.

[@faborwick5887]

Umm, excuse me, am I the only one that thinks Wined and Dined is the best song on any of his solo albums?

[@dacappo4804]

The fact is the more acid you take, the less it works ! Even those who were habitual users packed in after one bad trip,. commonly called the horrors.

[@Dude0000]

0:18 I read a very detailed account of him taking ‘STP’, a similar hallucinate to LSD, but with ‘methamphetamine’ type properties which drove a lot of people crazy using it. This was after after LSD was criminalised, and the stocks depleted in 1967/68ish. Seams credible, however, as one of my best mates had schizophrenia and so firsthand witness to how it progresses, I think he was always destined to succumbed to it. Schizophrenia is like the US Supreme Court’s description of what ‘porn’ is. ‘Everyone knows it when they see it’. Certainly is for me as describing it just doesn’t do it justice. It’s something you have to witness pretty close up to even begin to understand.

[@ulricvoncatalyst1507]

According to his family, Roger/Syd was never given any specific diagnosis by a mental health professional, and was definitely not schizophrenic. That diagnosis appears to have come about thanks to endless repetition by the esteemed mental health expert Roger Waters. Rob Chapman has speculated that he may have had a form of autism, and makes a credible case for this in his Syd Barrett biography 'A Very Irregular Head'.

[@christopher9152]

@@ulricvoncatalyst1507 He makes a not very credible case for it in my opinion. Syd's easy charm and emotional expressiveness were well attested to by almost all who knew him. In no way, shape or form, does he appear to have been on the autistic spectrum, a fuzzy "diagnosis" that is, to say the least, overused these days.

[@christopher9152]

Schizophrenia has a genetic component, and it can be triggered in those who are inherently susceptible to it by heavy marijuana or acid/psychedelic use. Such was the case with Syd, I would bet, but we will actually never know for sure. The "explanations" some give that he was just "acting/playing crazy" or that he was rebelling against the music business though otherwise fine have very little to support them. Clearly, he suffered some sort of mental/emotional breakdown or change that affected him to some degree for the rest of his life.

[@ulricvoncatalyst1507]

@@christopher9152 You're right to say "we will...never know", but we can at least draw on statements from his immediate family, who have actual first-hand experience of his dealings with mental health professionals, rather than rely on speculation by unqualified people posting on the internet.

[@Dude0000]

@@ulricvoncatalyst1507 it was a good story that sounded legit. That’s all I know as I’m not interested enough to take the time to research it for myself. Have you any knowledge of STP? I’ve had a cursory look and not found anything. Thanks for some actual knowledge based in reality unlike the story I read that may or may not be true, lol.

[@trillioncrowns]

all the big bands betrayed a member to reach the top! the beatles pete best, the stones brian jones, acdc bon scott, metallica dave mustain, nirvana chad,

[@wickedPrints3256]

All of the greats are tad bit nuts I suppose.

[@jimantonino4394]

Tragedy

[@chrisgeo1642]

The truth is Syd was not a musical genius, he wasn’t even a very good musician, he was an artistic genius and instinctively knew how to capture an emotion with just a tone or a few simple words, I am not disrespecting his work at all I own original 33s of both his solo albums and still live the old Floyd stuff but in terms of him as a musician it was never going to work. As for his fall acid was definitely a factor but you can hear in his music as well as hear directly from engineers and producers that tried to work with him that he didn’t want to write pop and to be successful the label was squeezing the music for pop value. Like all good record execs (that’s an oxymoron) they heard his stuff and thought “hey that’s great but it’s not the Beatles, let’s make a record that has this but also has the Beatles because the kids love that” he didn’t want to work with them as they tell it he would do a take and they would ask for another but at a slightly different tempo or key and he would either do it exactly the same or do the opposite of what they asked. He knew they were packaging the songs to sell to slightly experimental Beatles fans and even mocked the “John Lennon doesn’t have to do this” when prepping for top of the pops. By the end of it he really just wanted to go back to tripping balks under stage lighting while the band jammed around him. It’s also worth mentioning when the band started none of them really knew how to play weight was the only with any real musical education and they had all gotten better but he hadn’t. Music wasn’t the focus for him art was and as the rest of the band wanted to expand in musical directions he just wasn’t equipped to do it which caused some resentment. Waters, who knew him from childhood maintains he was schizophrenic and he likely was with the vast amount of acid making the condition worse but the bottom line if it all is he wanted to be an artist not a pop star the irony is if the babe had come out in the mid seventies his art would have been enough but in the sixties it was about being a pop band and they have never been a pop band.

[@stevedickson4744]

Syd Barrett died for our sins.

[@TrevorSachko]

None, he was pretty average.

[@dunatyphon5416]

Ugh! The best thing Pink Floyd ever did was to ditch him.

[@I_kill_hooez]

people sit here and actually pretend him going mad wasnt a blessing David Gilmour is Pink.

[@adeo.4473]

A genius. John Peel once remarked, 'I just want to hear something I've never heard before." Syd provided that, in abundance. Truly unique songs in all respects. May they live on, through the generations...

[@PinkFloydCollectors]

For me, a genius, he moved British pop forward, ultimately the music scene wasn’t for him and he recoiled into his art…

[@itsalive1488]

Yup his early paintings prove he was truly in another dimension of his own

[@Josh_J91]

Come on mate I think the Beatles did that hahahahah

[@johnmichaelpatrick369]

He didn't just write Jugband Blues for the album Saucerful of Secrets, but the other members of the band thought that his other songs were too dark... Like Vegetable Man and Scream Thy Last Scream ! These are fucking masterpieces, and Syd's solo albums were genius, even with his mental health declining... He invited us into his mind, he gave us insights to the madness and the genius ! I really think that Syd Barrett remains underrated, even if he's 'respected' for his contribution to music. All I want to say is that I would like to see more people getting into the Syd Barrett rabbit hole🐰!

[@garryiglesias4074]

Yeah, he's overacted as an pop icon, but underrated about his real genius. A lot of people misinterpret the "bad voice" or the "average playing" on his solo work, but it was not a lack of skill, it's an interpretation, it was a way to convey his special POV to the audience. He was more a "graphic artist" than a musician, he thought about music like a "visual trip", I think he's why Pink Floyd became able to write and produce real "audio movies" (With the golden arc from Dark Side to The Wall). I also think that "Wish You Were Here" (the song) is an obvious explicit answer to "Dark Globe"... But I never see anybody mentioning Dark Globe while doing "WYWH analysis". Syd was a genius, a complete artist, not "just" a musician. And most people don't get it. Although his early punk style might be also part of the "coolness" of being a mundane Syd Barrett influenced person.

[@jameslanclos568]

@@garryiglesias4074 They don't make rock stars like they used to. Now all there is, is a bunch of tik tok crap.

[@lindsayevans2922]

Great to see Nick Mason playing Vegetable Man on his Saucerful tours. Growing as a teenager in the 1970s I would read of Vegetable Man and Scream Your Las Scream being licked in an EMI vault as they were too poor to release. It was great to see them eventually released and Nick Mason playing VM and speaking so lovingly of Syd. Roger Waters did a fantastic interview recently and talked candidly of Syd. It was so touching when he said they were in LA and while on the street by their record company Syd was so far gone that he thought they were in Lis Vegas. Waters said ‘they were so young’. And they really were. Syd shine so brightly for such a brief period of time. Like when Tyrell tells Roy in Blade Runner that he was not built to last as he is a ‘light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very very brightly’. Sums up what happened. So sad.

[@maggiemae7539]

He was no genius! He was just as bad as frusciante when he went nuts and solo. Did Barrett dress up in women’s clothes like frusciante did?

[@arejaycee5704]

Rob Chapmans book A Very Irregular Head is the best book you'll ever read about Syd .

[@louisskulnik7390]

7:08 BS. Syd had only just begun when he quit Pink Floyd. Don’t say unfortunately. Do not take one iota of a second off this man’s legend.

[@snelgrave101]

All I would like to say is Syd was and still is an inspiration, Thank's Syd 👍

[@chriscatton705]

This is a well done video!. Syd is and will forever be a fascinating and truly talented artist who has made a profoundly enormous impact on music. He refused to be defined and made to comply with the soul-sucking rules of the music industry. Good for him.

[@tonickton]

Very nice tribute, the Syd period of Floyd is as important to me as the rest of Floyd. His solo stuff has so much unusual great music also. He is one of my few favorite all time heros in music!

[@crisprtalk6963]

Jugband Blues is still a tremendous piece of art. Well done Syd!

[@SuperNevile]

Of all the songs on Saucerful, why did they film Jugland? I think we should be grateful that someone had the vision to do it.

[@JohnHWelch63]

Love Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Syd not only wrote and composed very unique songs, but he had a unique style of guitar playing. He could play a series of random notes very fast and make it fit right in with the rhythm and sound grest. He also had a great singing voice. It's a shame they dismissed him from Floyd instead of getting him help and letting him stay. We probably wouldn't have great bodies of work like Dark Side, The Wall, etc, but who knows what masterpieces we'd have instead.

[@davebowers8631]

I got into Floyd when Animals was out. Worked my way back through to Piper then to Barretts solos. Gotta say some of it was rough to digest. But in all of that discovered some absolute GEMS. Dominoes for one. It's a trip to think that the best band ever to me would not have been the same without his departure. Was he a genius? Not sure. I just love what he left us. Thanks for the video!

[@johnmichaelpatrick369]

A genius songwriter... A genius period !!! I'm sorry, I don't have the words...

[@garryiglesias4074]

A true poet. A genius. But you could also say: "A bleeding heart and an Artist"...

[@guilhermetonon7267]

"YOU HAVE NO WORDS" -octopus

[@willtricks9432]

That was Syd's job.

[@johnmichaelpatrick369]

@@willtricks9432 ... to find the words ?

[@willtricks9432]

@@johnmichaelpatrick369 I think so, He was a great wordsmith. I can't explain how but hr did.

[@TurnFullCircle]

He was my younger years...and shines bright. Musical genius that still is an enigma. Thank you.

[@fatbelly27]

A unique genre. No-one quite like him

[@johncheney950]

Long live, Syd! His music is eternal!

[@JohnDuca-dd2dm]

long live syd

[@JohnDuca-dd2dm]

u f o club

[@ulricvoncatalyst1507]

Poorly researched essay, trotting out all the well-rehearsed myths about Barrett, while disregarding cogent facts that contradict the dominant narrative predominantly spun by Roger Waters (whose current mental state appears to be as much a cause for concern as his bandmate's ever was). Lots of pretty pictures of Syd, though, so not a complete basket case.

[@damiensuil2183]

well said..roger waters mental health issues have always been a concern

[@rjlchristie]

yes dear.

[@redMaple_QC]

Love everything he did. Barrett (album) is a masterpiece. Wined and Dined is one of my favorite.

[@leebritnell2405]

I love that one too.

[@carlosimotti3933]

The Madcap Laughs was butchered by the production, and by Gilmour's absurd decision to include false starts on some songs as well as the painfully unlistenable "If it's in you". Looks like a sabotage. It has amazing songs throughout and fine playing by the Soft Machine guys on some of them (as well as Rick Wright whom I think plays piano on Love You and organ on Long Gone), and Syd still paints with electric guitar overdubbed tracks like in Octopus. The second album Barrett was better produced although the songs were a notch less good than Madcap's, except for Dominoes which is his best solo song joint with Octopus

[@Truckngirl]

Lovingly and tastefully done. Bravo. The algorithm brought me.