Why Syd Barrett Left Pink Floyd

Before diving into the Album Review of A Saucerful of Secrets, let's discuss Syd Barrett's departure from Pink Floyd and briefly touch on his short solo career with The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. #pinkfloyd #Albumreviews #SydBarrett
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Pink Floyd is without a doubt one of the greatest classic rock bands of all time. They began in the 60s with Roger Waters on bass, Nick Mason on drums, Richard Wright on organ and Syd Barrett on lead guitar and vocals. Syd was the band's leader and chief songwriter in the early days, penning their first singles Arnold Layne and See Emily Play. This would lead to the release of their 1967 album Piper at the Gates of Dawn, featuring classics like Astronomy Domine, Flaming, Bike and Interstellar Overdrive. Their live shows were equally inventive incorporating unique light shows. At some point in 67, Syd's behavior began to take a turn for the worse, refusing to mime TV appearances and detuning his guitar onstage. Reasons for his breakdown vary, mostly centered around his intake of Acid / LSD. There are also allegations of schizophrenia and the pressures of rock stardom. The Barrett penned single Apples and Oranges flopped and other tracks like Scream Thy Last Scream and Vegetable Man were shelved. After a cancelled US Tour, David Gilmour was brought in, eventually covering Syd's vocals and guitar parts. By 1968, the band began performing without Syd. This would become Pink Floyd's classic lineup. While they hoped Syd would continue as a songwriter, he eventually parted ways with the band. Roger Waters and Rick Wright took up the songwriter roles for their 1968 album A Saucerful of Secrets. The album was the only to feature all five band members and Syd's final composition with Floyd, Jugband Blues. Syd would release two albums in 1970 The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, but completely withdrew from the music business by 1974 to lead a private life. Meanwhile, unable to write singles, Pink Floyd carried on with albums like More and Ummagumma. In 1970, Atom Heart Mother proved to be a success. 1971's Meddle would turn out to be an important staple for the band with the rocking opener One of these Days and the 23 minute epic, Echoes, featuring Dave and Rick on vocals. It is often regarded as Progressive Rock's finest moment, from the opening ping of Rick's leslie piano. They would also perform both these songs along with earlier classics Live at Pompeii. The Obscured by Clouds soundtrack appeared in 1972. However 1973's Dark Side of the Moon would become one of the most successful albums of all time, staying on the charts for nearly 13 years and still a best seller today. Roger's lyrics dealt with the evils of society driving one to madness, while the music was nearly one entire inter-connected piece. Money was a hit single. Their 1975 followup Wish You Were Here, featuring the opening and closing piece Shine On You Crazy Diamond (a tribute to Syd Barrett who even showed up at the sessions), is thought to be equally great, if not greater, as Dark Side. But tensions between the band were beginning to rear their head. 1977 saw the release of Animals, likening three animals: Dogs, Sheep and Pigs to various classes of society. Roger became the band's main frontman and sole songwriter with Dave occasionally sharing the mic and writing credits. Tensions grew during the tour when Roger ended up spitting on a fan in Montreal and coming up with the idea for The Wall to separate himself from the audience. 1979 would see the release of The Wall, the album and later the tour and film. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 became their best selling single and Comfortably Numb remains one of their most popular tunes. But it nearly broke up the band as Roger fired Rick for lack of output, creating a greater rift between him and Dave. 1983's The Final Cut was Roger's final album with Pink Floyd before he officially left, leaving Dave and Nick to reunite with Rick for 1987's Momentary Lapse of Reason (Learning to Fly). Roger sued to break up the band, but failed to do so instead focusing on his solo career. The Gilmour led Floyd would produce 1994's The Division Bell (High Hopes) with Rick now sharing vocal and songwriting duties again. It wasn't until 2005's Live 8 concert when Dave, Nick and Rick reunited with Roger for a short set giving closure for many fans. Syd never performed with Pink Floyd again and died in 2006. Rick died in 2008. The album The Endless River was dedicated in his honor.

[@bretvyon2336]

I have a lot of respect for David and how he handled and had a lot of compassion for Sid. He wasn't just there to replace Sid and steal his job, he was a truly concerned friend.

[@pollyester6627]

Indeed, Gilmore did his bit in lending his talents to all three of Syd's major releases.

[@brunoquelhas8786]

David is the man. He made sure Pink Floyd paid him a salary up to his death in 2006. When Roger Barret died, he was worth around 5M pounds.

[@wasteofspace20]

As someone who lost their dad at 8 years old from a car wreck and felt tremendous guilt for years because we had had a disagreement just before he left on that fateful evening, I wanted to extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to your father's passing and it was exceedingly moving hearing you discuss in a previous Pink Floyd video how much listening to them connects you to him. Very deeply felt and I am very sorry for your loss.

[@tedetienne7639]

An excellent summary! As a deeply dedicated Floyd fan, I didn’t hear anything surprising here, but it was good to hear such a thoughtful and evenhanded review. One thing I like to remember is that the other members of Floyd were basically still kids then, with their own issues to cope with and their own careers to maintain. To continue on with Syd during his breakdown would have been superhuman.

[@duviodo9226]

i would say that Madcap laughs wasn't that bad. It was rushed I will say that but some songs have great meaning if listened carefully

[@royferguson3909]

wow

[@CoreyW6292]

@@crisprtalk6963 Terrapin!

[@MarkMikelVideos]

@@crisprtalk6963 I agree. It's a fantastic album. I love the Barrett album too.

[@arnoldlayne6743]

The Madcap is a fantastic album - rough around the edges at point, sure - but, and almost by accident he came up with one of the pioneering Lo Fi albums. Regarding him leaving The Floyd….never underestimate the amount of live gigs and travelling the Floyd we’re doing around that time. I think it all became very disorienting for him. What was once fun stopped being just that. Think he said it himself, all I ever wanted to do as a kid was jump up and down and play guitar, but too many people got in the way

[@royferguson3909]

deep man

[@kevinlittrell3407]

I think he was schizophrenic and the LSD acted as a trigger. By the way that slide guitar for the outro is badass!

[@Sandwich13455]

Darkside has 3 female singers and a saxophone

[@JTCurtisMusic]

5 actually

[@ryanedwards6923]

Flog 😂

[@Truckngirl]

Roger Waters stating "There's no doubt Syd is schizophrenic" just goes to show what a complete douche he is. Syd was never diagnosed with schizophrenia, and Roger Waters isn't a psychiatrist. Maybe Syd disliked being thrust into the spotlight as a popstar so much that he rebelled, which being the 1960's was kind of popular at the time, if you're familiar. Who knows what LSD did to him? Contemplating it is useless. Roger "Syd" Barrett was and always will be a brilliant musician, wordsmith and artist. It reflects well on you if you even know who he was...

[@JTCurtisMusic]

Well in John Edginton's full interview with David Gilmour, he says that he used to think it might have been more of the reluctant pop-star situation, but he was noticing the change before See Emily Play even came out, so clearly something was already going on, it just hadn't hit the wall yet. We're never really going to know if he had some underlying form of mental illness, if LSD was the culprit, but from everything I've read about him, there was clearly something wrong. No doubt Syd was a notable talent, but it was sadly a very short moment in history.

[@alexpetersen4403]

I actually love Madcap, there’s some concessions you have to make in regards to it (songs like If It’s in You have blatant mistakes in them) but they’re very chill albums and honestly very pleasant listens, songs like Octopus and Terrapin are some of my favorite songs he’s written

[@briang1663]

I cannot disagree with you more about Syd’s 2 solo albums. Yes Dave, Roger & Rick had to produce and shape the albums (musically) but those songs Syd wrote are fantastic. Dark Globe, Terrapin, Dominoes, Love Song, etc. Wonderful!!!!!

[@MrOctober44]

That's why it's called an opinion

[@philrussell5258]

Agreed. This is Syd at his best. To have created these whilst in the midst of severe mental health issues is astounding.

[@adabofeverything7120]

Dark Globe is a MASTERPIECE.

[@remingtongagnard4442]

Madcap is a beautiful underrated gem. Golden Hair and Long Gone feel way ahead of their time in terms of atmosphere and tone, truly some dark stuff. Then there's stuff like Here I Go that are joyous and blissful. Great album !

[@joshgofton]

The syd solo albums are very unique and I love them essentials in psych library

[@Deutschland8894]

He didn’t leave pink floyd… pink floyd left him

[@SpazamsTV]

I personally like Madcap laughs, it sounds like a depressed insane guy trying to act sane (so basically whimsical blues) which yes it is very much so a inquired taste

[@benmeltzer]

Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape member Skip Spence is another acid casualty. His solo album Oar is amazing.

[@julesotis13]

thanks JT... well done....oh and nice shirt - SJOCR

[@jordil6152]

I had friends who had too much fun ended up with the thousand yard stare and similar behavior. I could see his withdrawal from music and life in general being fuelled by too many bad trips. Sometimes the thoughts you think while high stick with you afterwards. At least he left the industry on his own terms.

[@williamlangan5902]

For those of you who read my story where my father allegedly asked if I wanted to grow up to be like Syd. Naturally, I didn't. He was a talented but tortured man. Tortured by his personal demons. Not sure if he would've gotten the help he needed nowadays but Pink Floyd always felt sad due to his demise. And for the record, my Dad just heard what happened while I had my radio playing during a few household chores. Fortunately, he cared too much to let me go down the same path as Syd. So fortunately, he didn't ask me if I wanted to become the next Syd. RIP, Syd. Your flame was quenched too soon.

[@zachgeyer8090]

I love this series! Subscribed the second I’d seen you started it.

[@Spacemuis1981]

Hi

[@rayana4941]

Hello!

[@assumptionsocccerlunch]

6:46 you mentioned syd would never play the same song twice, Among other things. What were those, and if they’re too much for KZbin, is there a documentary I can watch for it?

[@JTCurtisMusic]

John Edginton's interviews reveal a lot. David Gilmour explain a lot of the recording process for Syd's solo albums in his interview: kzbin.info

[@johonnydesain7275]

Thanks to the release of Opel and Dave's remastered album you can hear several different takes of the same song which clearly verify this. Syd's solo material is greatly aided by Soft Machine on the first Album, Dave should have released that version of Octopus waivering meter and all, Rick's organ on the second. Stripped of that, Dark Globe pretty much sums it up.

[@rikriley5992]

Great episode on Syd......

[@daemonspudguy]

David singing Flaming in the most unenthusiastic way he can will never not be funny.

[@catmando7262]

I may have caught one of Syd's TV appearances where he did nothing but stand there. It was a Top Of The Pops and I distinctly remember one of the acts that night had a member who didn't join in, standing with a guitar but arms hanging by his sides. Now I was four years old so I might be mistaken and don't remember if it was Pink Floyd playing. But it was remarkable whoever it was.

[@JTCurtisMusic]

I’ve read some differing accounts on their Top of the Pops experiences. There is one you can see on KZbin where Syd is miming See Emily Play convincingly, the other appearance differs depending on who’s telling the story, and there may have been a planned 3rd one that didn’t happen (maybe the one Rick talks about in the video). Apparently he did stand with his arms down on the Pat Boone Show and even on the Dick Clarke show his barely mimes as the camera cuts to the others.

[@catmando7262]

@@JTCurtisMusic Like I say, I don't remember who it was and I was too young to worry about any act apart from The Monkees. But like you say there are lots of versions of the story and no doubt memories have been fogged over time, including mine. I wonder if any of your viewers saw this or a similar performance. I'm not sure anyone has checked. The BBC has extensive archives and may well have viewer's letters that mention a Syd stand still. I might do some snooping myself.

[@JTCurtisMusic]

@@catmando7262 You'd be surprised. Often times, they would tape over their last show to save money and thus a lot of Tops of the Pops have been lost over time. Even that clip of Syd's Floyd is a damaged copy and probably one of the only in existence.

[@JTCurtisMusic]

@@catmando7262 Actually I did a bit of digging and here's what I found, courtesy of Lost Media Wiki: "It was reported in April 2003 that BBC had wiped nearly 3,500 performances from the show dated from 1964 to 1976 and only holds 55 performances and very few episodes from this time period." It goes on to say that Pink Floyd performed in 1967 3 times: 7/6, 7/13 & 7/27 (the later possibly being the one Syd either didn't turn up for during his "Lost weekend" or stood there as you said). Only the 7/6 footage has seen the light of day.

[@catmando7262]

@@JTCurtisMusic Thank you for that. The BBC's policy of wiping video tape denied us many performances. Ironically, the only clip of the wiped Beatles performance of Ticket To Ride is in an episode of Dr Who that somehow managed to avoid erasure like so many other episodes from the time did.

[@michaelholtermann9129]

The healthy Syd Barrett was very creative. He was a talented, gifted young man. Unfortunately, he had the wrong friends. He started taking drugs at a very early age. The first record with Pink Floyd The Piper... is a good record... Unfortunately, he took LSD several times a week. That's too much, no brain can handle that!!!! At 22, Syd was a sick person!!!! He was lethargic... He was mentally absent... He didn't live in the here and now... He could no longer play the right scale... He had thinking and speaking disorders... He wanted to climb walls... He wanted to start a cult... He wanted to get married and become a doctor... He wanted to hit his sister Rosemary's head with his guitar... Psychiatry wasn't ready at that time... He stopped therapy. I don't know if he ever found redemption or peace for his soul??? 🎞️🎥 His whole life should be made into a movie.. He wrote 52 songs.. He failed as a painter and musician.

[@neillenet291]

I don't think Syd Barrett left pink floyd, I think Pink Floyd left him behind

[@carlostadeuforville5411]

I don't know why they attribute the success of the PF to Syd, which wasn't his, as he didn't participate in the 70s

[@cesarmadero05]

6:05 Well, which instruments and resources where used on Dark Side of the Moon? At some part of it, Vocal singers who were women and saxophones!

[@zzebowa]

I bet you dont like the Kinks either. Madcap laughs is in part an example of that London sound, and it is a good album, it has some good stuff on it, with all the interesting word play and timing that is typical of Barret. I think you just dont get it.

[@JTCurtisMusic]

When in the video did I say I don't like Madcap Laughs?

[@zzebowa]

@@JTCurtisMusic Where did I say you dont like it? You said they are an 'aqquuuuiiirrreeed' taste, pejoratively. You clearly dont get it, stick to your country and western, clearly thats all your brain understands.

[@JTCurtisMusic]

@@zzebowa "I want to tell you a story about a little man if I can. A troll named zzebowa. And little trolls have tightened holes."

[@zzebowa]

@@JTCurtisMusic Oh, sorry, did I have the effrontery to reply to a video you made PUBLIC? Hahahah! Oh didums, someone out there disagrees with you and you get all upset about it! Pathetic, really pathetic. Stop whining.

[@obamaslefteyeball1710]

@@JTCurtisMusic ‘wriiiiitng, tyyyyyyping, in mother’s house’

[@Theakker3B]

Syd leaving the band turned out to be the best decision.

[@80sOGRE]

FYI according to the biography LOST IN THE WOODS Syd Barrett and the Pink Floyd, The song Remember a Day was actually written and recorded for Piper but didn't make the cut so the it is Syd on slide guitar, not sure if it's him singing.

[@rodm7959]

As a long time PF fan, I have to say that I really appreciate your reasoned perspectives on their music and lives. However I love Grantchester Meadows 😊

[@toddglacysacredsoundandliv7971]

Having spent a lot of time looking into Syd and what happened, I tend to agree with Bob Rock's impression that "Syd simply lost interest" in being a pop star....and got out of the "machine" in the only way he could....escaping the situation with LSD and sabotaging his "Pop Star" image....which most definitely threatened the rest of the group and their opportunity to remain professional musicians.

[@fossilmatic]

It’s very revisionist to say “mental illness wasn’t taken very seriously”. There was little understanding of the causes or corresponding treatments, but being mentally ill was socially unacceptable leading to rejection and discrimination. The consequences for the mentally ill were certainly serious and there was a clear understanding of this amongst the band and their close associates. Not knowing what the hell to do about the illness didn’t stop them from seeking to first accomodate, then later ensure the man had some income support at least. The real problem is the romanticisation of Barrett’s illness and/or drug taking where it is seen as essential to his creativity. That has to stop. His state, whatever the cause, lead to his death as a musician; something that has no mystery about it at all.

[@JTCurtisMusic]

You're reading too much into the language here, what you said about rejection and discrimination is exactly what I meant. We do agree that the romanticization of drugs for creativity's sake is overblown, though I can tell you from experience that sometimes mental illness (in its various forms) can inadvertently lead to sublime art. In fact it's the channeling of that art that allows people to cope with their demons. My own piece ELEMENTS came out of extreme grief (among other things) and I personally think it's the best thing I ever made.

[@scottmooneyham5521]

Exactly. This is the spot on analysis. Regardless of what he might have done or not, and the cause of his illness, it was a tragedy.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

The moral of Syd's story is that Cocaine is a hell of a drug - Rick James (The Chappelle Show). Next Up, A Saucerful of Secrets.

[@johncollier9280]

Golden Hair 'n Long Gone...two classic Syd solo songs.

[@sirhenners204]

I know a lot of people don't have the highest opinions for the madcap laughs, but i love it for its little imperfections. it makes the record feel more personal

[@jlouis4407]

Syd not only had mental problems, he had problems with the commercial exposure of the band and having to mime on TV shows. He was also abused by his hangers on who fed him acid.

[@camblas6380]

Syd was nothing short of an artist, from painting, to music, to his sloppy carpentry and gardening later in life. He was always creating. His contributions to pink floyd still echo with the band to this day, and have since he started the band. His music is definitely an aquired taste, like you said, its very psychedelic in its style. Not everyone enjoys the mind bending music syd produced, but those who do, cherish it. I personally love all his works, from early floyd, to his solo albums madcap laughs and barrett. Its a shame people fed him excessive ammounts of LSD while he was having a tough time already, then him being put on mandrax by his doctor made things worse. The LSD molecule itself is a powerful mind expanding compound, and it has given us tonnns of great music, culture, and science. But being a mind expanding drug, you can only expand your mind so much before it bursts like a balloon. A balloon can only hold so much air before it pops. Although his music career was abruptly brought to an end, his family said he went on to live a normal home life, and preferred to be called by his birth name, Roger Barrett. May the crazy diamind forever shine on

[@rockhardrockhounds9970]

Humans created amazing things with and without drugs. LSD doesn’t “expand” your mind. It simply warps your view for a time. It doesn’t “burst” your brain unless that mental illness is already brewing.

[@peterolbrisch1653]

Misleading headline.They left him, at home.

[@lucasconti2768]

what's that song at the end credits?

[@scottmooneyham5521]

Regardless of the difficulties recording, and even if a few songs on Madcap are not well-produced or even finished, not sure how anyone can describe the solo albums this way. In some respects, his genius is more evident on them than on Piper, even if they are a bit more ragged and raw, and lack some of the intricacies. Barrett was absolutely brilliant at matching lyric and meter on Piper, but what a lot of people don’t seem to get is how in all his stuff he absorbed a unique trait to pop, from listening to jazz like Monk, to follow two or three phrases with a third or fourth discordant phrase, and to do it in a way that incorporates pop sensibilities. The other key to his musical genius was he had no filters. That is how it all flowed so easily. Of course, that might have also led to his personal destruction

[@davidmalone1784]

I am sixty five years old and l have never really talked about this but l Will try l had a friend with whom l did a lot of LSD with and other drugs with he was a creative wonderful guy he became a paranoid schizophrenic like Sid it was very sad to see him like that we were Big Pink Floyd fans but the truth is l never realized till years later what the drugs had done to him back in those days we thought were expanding our minds.

[@JTCurtisMusic]

Sorry to hear about your friend. LSD might be an interesting experience if done minimally (I've had my small experiences) but too much can be a huge problem.

[@Paul-by2nz]

Excellent review

[@Craigevansagain]

Syd was a misunderstood innocent and amazing genius. His personality had shattered following his breakdown in mid 1967. This made it very difficult for Syd to express himself properly and to the best of his former glory on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn as well as Pink Floyd's far out gigs in 1966 and early 1967. I have been watching and reading stuff about Syd Barrett since 2001 and I have seen many people crap on Syd from Floyd Haters to so-called fans and even Nick Mason and Norman Smith but I have never seen anyone else crap on Syd with the "misogynistic" label until you. Without Syd, there would be no Pink Floyd. If Syd had never fallen apart, Pink Floyd could have been an even greater progressive rock n' roll band than they were and without any help from David Gilmour notwithstanding how awesome Gilmour was prior to Animals (1977). As tragically short as Syd's musical career was, Syd was a phenomenal genius who changed music for the better. Unfortunately, Syd's demise has ultimately changed music for the worst. The loss of Syd is one of the biggest ever losses in music history. Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd rox, peace dude!✌🎹🎸 David Gilmour was great (especially before A Momentary Lapse Of Reason) and the post-Syd Pink Floyd was also great (until AMLOR raised its ugly head) but Syd was also great as was his great and tragically short-lived Pink Floyd line-up! Syd was responsible for lots of crazy, cool stuff for the precious few years that he was in and even leading the Pink Floyd. If Syd had recovered enough in time for the "golden years" of the 70s or had never became severely ill in the first place, I've always believed Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett in Gilmour's place would have been just as great if not even more great. Psychedelic pop music as heard on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and their early singles was not Syd's endgame musically. He certainly wasn't satisfied with things like See Emily Play. At least at the height of his musical creativity in 1966-1967, Syd had great plans for Pink Floyd. He didn't see himself truly as a popstar, but Syd really wanted to make rock music for art's sake, so Syd had at least foreseen progressive rock music. The epic Interstellar Overdrive and the other improvised jams The Floyd use to do at places like the UFO Club were hints of this at the very least I believe. Along with Richard Wright, Syd was very important at least in terms of the early development, evolvement and refinement of the classic dark psychedelic and pastoral Pink Floyd soundscape beginning in songs such as "Astronomy Domine", "Pow R Toc H" and "Interstellar Overdrive". However, Syd became very frustrated when he couldn't recreate the full musical picture that he had formed in his mind in the studio. This wasn't helped by Norman Smith's interference in the studio and the primitive recording technology back in '67. However, if Syd had held out for just a few more years and with the superior recording technology of the early 70s, the Pink Floyd with Syd would have still produced phenomenal progressive rock albums at least as great as Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here. On the latter mentioned albums as well as all of the wonderful experimental albums in between Syd's departure and DSOTM, Roger Waters and Gilmour had also left plenty of room for Richard Wright to place his own beautiful and magical keyboard textures and melodies into the musical picture, and we all know Syd was very accommodating of Wright in both the live jams and on Pow R Toc H and Interstellar Overdrive. No wonder Peter Jenner saw Syd and Wright as the musical heart and soul of Pink Floyd. With this combined with Waters's bass and Nick Mason's drums, percussion and sound effects, the ingredients were there all along but for Syd's illness! Of course since Syd's lyrical vision while he was healthy was a lot lighter and whimsical, at least compared to Waters, his Pink Floyd would have been somewhat different, probably something like Yes, unless Syd had still allowed Waters to take over the lyrics and concept aspects of The Floyd in the 70s and early 80s. Another possibility is that The Floyd with Syd could have discarded lyrics altogether on at least some albums, and they might have had beautiful instrumental albums similar to Mike Oldfield's best like Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Incantations and Amarok. Another possibility is that Syd, Waters and even sometimes Wright could have taken turns with their lyrical ideas and/or interspersed them in between or after the aforementioned instrumental albums. I hate it when so-called Pink Floyd fans underestimate Syd Barrett's potential in a cynical way. Even Nick Mason has devalued Syd's potential over the years. Syd Barrett was a phenomenal genius, both at playing the guitar, writing for it and writing lyrics. If he hadn't had his irreversible breakdown, I believe Pink Floyd, with Syd writing and playing guitar parts at least, would still have been a great progressive rock n' roll band. At least Interstellar Overdrive and Pow R Toc H showed that Syd could share his music writing with Richard Wright just like how Rick and David Gilmour would form the key musical partnership behind Pink Floyd's best albums. Even Roger Waters and Nick Mason are co-writers in that early epic. Interstellar Overdrive was also already an early precursor of the longform progressive direction Pink Floyd would embark upon, albeit ultimately without Syd sadly. Pink Floyd, with Syd, could at least have been as great if not even better than they turned out, although of course it would have been just in a somewhat different way to how things turned out. RIP Syd! Rock on bro!🎸❤

[@stude1953]

where's part 2?

[@michaelholtermann9129]

It would have been better if Syd Barett had eaten apples and oranges instead!!! Unfortunately Syd took too many drugs!! Unfortunately he had the wrong friends.. He hung out with junkies too much.. A real tragedy for Syd and the whole family!!! He was still taking drugs on his 2 solo albums from 1970.. Drug addiction is an illness.. On his solo albums Syd was on the verge of schizophrenia.. Psychiatry wasn't ready back then.. Syd obviously wasn't ready for therapy either... He didn't get out of the car 🚙.. Syd could have become something.. He failed as a painter and musician.. I'm interested in how Syd lived with his illness ??? Unfortunately there are no more books in German...

[@darryl3422]

Too much acid?.We still don't know what Sid's mental diagnosis was

[@adrianamatlack532]

Syd played on 3 songs for Saucerful Of Secrets, he is on Set The Controls For the Heart Of the sun, possibly the only song with Gilmour and Syd as well. Syd is also playing all the guitar on Remember a Day, a song that was actually recorded during the Piper Sessions and finished the later part of 67 when only Syd was in the band. The recording Session For Emily was after the Piper Sessions too. Incidentally Reaction in G was also recorded, but has never been released and is still in the vault. For some reason EMI never released that track, it was recorded in Sept 67 and was intended for Saucerful. These are well documented in David Parker's book Random Precision. The whole acid thing is not known for sure, some say he took a lot, and also it's said he was spiked on a regular bases by roommates who allegedly spiked is tea in the morning, though others who knew him say that did not happen based on what they knew about the people he lived with on Cromwell Road. The Joe Boyd, and Storm both have stories about the acid, seems likely he did take a lot, but the rumor about all the time etc are most likely should be taken with a grain of salt. The reason the band did not have problems when Syd left is because most people could not tell who was on stage with their light show, many did not pay too much attention to the music either when they played outside of London, though there were exceptions where they band was received very well in the North and in parts of Scotland. I am not a fan of his solo records, they are good but too different from his work with Pink Floyd and I just can not bare to listen to them knowing how amazing he was in 67, I have tried to listen to the solo stuff but it is painful for me. You are glossing over a topic that could take many hours to cover, and you made a lot of mistakes, frankly, but I suppose it's OK for someone who is just getting into Syd.

[@jamesskinner7185]

Does seem like Syd just didn’t care anymore… artists be like that

[@arshiahomayoonmehr2420]

Anyone knows what happened to Syd barrett and Pink Floyds Pat Boone Show 1967 tapes?? I searched all over the internet there is nothing The only thing We Know is what Happened bc Roger Waters talked about it but It seems like it is indeed lost media and its Gone forever. Not only that I even Heard there are some Syd barrett floyd Tunes that are bootleged here and there In internet with awful Quality but it seems that Producer Norman Smith had one of those Songs. Now of course Syds "Vegetable man" , "Scream Thy Last Scream" , "In The Beechwoods" plus two other Jam songs "Nicks Boogie" and "Reaction In G"(this one is live) are Available plus a 30 minute Avant Garde and experimental Song "John Latham Recordings"(this one Im not a fan of its very very Avant garde kinda like Ummagumma ) But there is at least 2 songs that probably still Exist "She was a Millionaire" and "One In A million" There are some live Bootlegs but Nothing more

[@JTCurtisMusic]

A lot of footage is lost because at the time they used to tape over whatever they had taped the previous week, thinking there was no reason to preserve the performance since everyone already saw it on live TV. VCRs were still years away from being mass consumer products, so there was no reason to preserve it. A shame that all this media has been lost to time.

[@arshiahomayoonmehr2420]

@@JTCurtisMusic such a shame

[@assumptionsocccerlunch]

Quick question: what do you think of more? Often cited as their worst album?

[@JTCurtisMusic]

Will get to that one soon enough ;)

[@Huhujadu]

ummagumma is def the worst, more is quite good. listened to it a billion times.

[@kennywolfe208]

Love the "More "lp

[@Watcher4111]

More is worst? No Way. It has 2 greatest heaviest Pink Floyd tunes. More is great

[@louisskulnik7390]

It is ironic that they did bring in a sax player.

[@TuckerPiper]

My teacher calls syd the guinnie pig of Pink Floyd straying them away from acid and for the later years drugs as a whole

[@hernancoronel]

He didn’t leave, they just didn’t pick him up…

[@ekerishcountryball]

I love how you told this tragic story may that crazy diamond shine on

[@grrr.9998]

I think you intended to say "there was a suggestion of schizophrenia " and possibly not "allegations of schizophrenia"?

[@loneliestpunk7929]

The saxophone idea / girls isn’t THAT out there considering that’s exactly what they did on dark side

[@JTCurtisMusic]

True but the way Roger describes it in interviews seems like it might been some random suggestion out of nowhere.

[@assumptionsocccerlunch]

@@JTCurtisMusic yeah, it’s kinda like if ac/dc hired an oboe player

[@familysounds]

I read stories about Syd locking his girlfriend in an acid binge... Been found in the streets...

[@hitfan2000]

David Gilmour and Syd Barrett were childhood friends and I read somewhere that he actually taught Syd how to play guitar. While Gilmour wasn't as talented a songwriter as Syd, he was a more versatile performer and musician. Moreover, he has similar-sounding vocals and so he was definitely a suitable replacement.

[@Kenszen]

How you think you are qualified to do Pink Floyd?

[@JTCurtisMusic]

See my intro video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqqxlWRol5KCp5Y

[@gjermundification]

6:04 Never underestimate the value of desire.

[@Oh_I_Will]

Dave doesn’t remember the timeframes…Syd wasn’t in disarray during the recording of Piper…it was shortly thereafter

[@jlouis4407]

No he already was at the time of recording

[@birdman7135]

I gave your video documentary a thumbs-up, but Syd Barrett is the audio version of "The Emperor's New Clothes." Compared to other bands emerging around that time, Syd's works were disjointed and unremarkable. The best thing to happen to Pink Floyd was his departure.

[@JTCurtisMusic]

Well thank you for the thumbs-up, but if you saw my other videos, you'll know I'm not the biggest Syd Barrett fan. I credit him for that initial spark and certainly for inspiring so many of Pink Floyd's greatest material, but yeah there's no question that they flourished after his departure - even if it took a little while.

[@birdman7135]

@@JTCurtisMusic We are in agreement. Excellent documentary, none the less.

[@thornil2231]

Why Syd Barrett Left Pink Floyd? Do you other stupid questions like that? It would have been a better question to ask "Why Syd Barrett Left The Planet? "Or even "Why Syd Barrett Left Syd Barrett?"

[@JTCurtisMusic]

"Do you other stupid questions like that?" Ah the irony...

[@Protostarofficial]

Madcap laughs and (especially) Barrett werent really a chaos to record and you can hear from the alt takes that syd could in fact play the same thing twice or more. Otherwise a pretty good explanation

[@JTCurtisMusic]

According to everyone involved they were indeed a nightmare to record. Dave tells a few stories about that in John’s interviews. But once they did get something worthwhile on tape, it worked out.

[@scottmooneyham5521]

Both of you could be correct, you know. Apparently Malcolm Jones stated that Syd was in pretty good form during the recording of 5-6 songs, including Opel, and was quite energetic and excited at that point. Also, it was Syd who approached Gilmour about assisting in completing the album. By the time he did, Syd was not as focused. On the Barrett recordings, besides the mental issues, he was also using Mandrax a lot. But point is, 69-70, some days were better than others, and no reason to think that different people didn’t see the best and worst.

[@righthand7965]

Never sold out

[@pasqualemuzzupappa8596]

He had personality disorder as stated by doctors that visited him, no schizophrenic!

[@reinaldofavoreto7160]

to get to the other side of the road

[@snowcrest7863]

Mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia) combined with mind-altering drugs is a bad combination. Trying to self-medicate with that is worse.

[@jim5247]

Dave made sure that Sid still got any royalties do him from his work with Floyd

[@righthand7965]

They sold him out, Floyd is nothing without him...

[@123vaporize]

ok so you too are saying it wrong soooo ..I have to say the expression is "I COULDN'T care less" NOT I "could" care less!!!!!!!!

[@JTCurtisMusic]

Technically you're right but I've heard both used even in academic writing or journalism. I have no idea why and it in retrospect it doesn't make a lot of sense, it just seems to have a more poetic idiom to it in some cases. English is a weird language.

[@davidabramyk2999]

I always assumed syd burned his brain out with drugs

[@Huhujadu]

when gilmour said in a interview, i dont remember the specific one but it goes along the lines of : "should we pick syd? And someone said, nah. So we never picked him up again". makes me quite sad to think how they left a sick friend behind but... they were young and stupid I'm pretty sure that they would think about "what if we picked syd... what if we didnt left him behind".. its quite sad but yea

[@JTCurtisMusic]

Well, you gotta think they were doing all these shows where Syd just stood there or detuned his guitar, he really was becoming a liability. They couldn’t carry on with him that way. They probably should have had be upfront and just told him, “You can’t play shows with us anymore” but like you said, they were young and just had no idea what to do.

[@rizope4281]

Love the video but have to say Madcap Laughs is a fantastic album.

[@neoaeonmusick]

He didn't leave Pink Floyd one day they just never picked him up

[@CobblesteinSwobblepop]

Guess this guy doesn't like female sax players

[@tammyphxaz]

he didnt leave the band,,,,he was voted out and fired

[@rozennbergfridi9206]

Roger is such a snake.

[@twistedspanner]

Syd's first attempts at recording solo material was first produced by his manager Peter Jenner who wasn't a producer. So that was abandoned. When he recorded Madcap he was produced by Malcolm Jones who also wasn't a producer. The sessions dragged on so long the record company were gonna pull the plug on the project that's until Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour stepped in last minute to record mostly the acoustic songs in a very short space of time given to them to finish the album. Arnold Layne producer Joe Boyd was not impressed with Madcap's production. One can only imagine how the album would have turned out if Joe Boyd had produced it.

[@Chico50445]

The Dick Clarke interview was so ridiculous, like he didn't really care to ask any interesting questions about the band so he talks about cheeseburgers.

[@peteytwofinger]

stp dom

[@ndesdsadfd]

They haven't begged Gilmour. It was Gilmour himself who took interest in producing these sessions. Anyway, The Madcap Laughs is brilliant.

[@PUNKinDRUBLIC72]

He didn't leave Floyd,he was fired! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@jamesbrothers4222]

GILMOUR IS THE BETTER MUSICIAN I DONT THINK PINK FLOYD WOULD BE WERE THAY WERE IF SYD WOULD OF STAYED

[@hatujemeletsplayeryheskyce6460]

Leave

[@ChurchillGeoff]

to be fair, Brian Wilson had good reason to be paranoid considering who was staying at his house

[@ryanedwards6923]

Syd Floyd isn't great to listen to. It's pretty horrible music

[@jlouis4407]

Wrong

[@ryanedwards6923]

@@jlouis4407 no it's correct. How often do you hear him played on the radio or by other people. No one's ever said, you know what will get this party started..... original Floyd with sid 😂

[@oklahomawheeling4x4]

The guy went crazy. I think from many interviews I've seen with the other members of Pink Floyd they loved him.

[@HotSexyMan229]

whats the outro song?

[@JTCurtisMusic]

My own song: WATER from the piece ELEMENTS (you can hear it on this channel)

[@HotSexyMan229]

@@JTCurtisMusic thanks