Syd Barrett

005 Syd Barrett
Ah, the travails of the rock mythologist -- this must be where I make my peace with Pink Floyd, not that any of them ever cared a fig for my torments. I can see now, from the Syd Barrett-centric view of matters (generally before my time, or at least, seen only fleetingly in peripheral vision for years), a story parallel to that of Brian Jones, Jonathan Richman, and/or Brian Wilson. Whether for reasons of mental illness, drug abuse, pathological proclivity to daydream, just plain low levels of motivation, or any combination of the above, all have in common that something of great interest flashed around them and then somehow went suddenly seemingly awry. This, then, must be chapters from "The Story of the Piper at the Gates of Dawn."

Pink Floyd, "Astronomy Domine" (1969) The live LP of the double album Ummagumma has always been my favorite more or less album by Pink Floyd. (The studio LP of the set on the other hand is just bad.) Recently, I was disappointed to hear drummer Nick Mason on the radio pronouncing the title with the dead schwa, as in "um" or "gum," which I suppose does make the most sense. For all those decades I had taken the side of the krautish (or so I thought of it, giving it an umlauted/"ü" kind of twist) and used the vowels sounds of "room" or "zoom." Another illusion shattered the more's the pity. (8:29)
Pink Floyd, "Astronomy Domine" (1967) From The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. (4:12)
Pink Floyd, "Julia Dream" (c. 1967) From bootleg All Movement Is Accomplished. (2:21)
Pink Floyd, "Julia Dream" (c. 1967) From bootleg All Movement Is Accomplished. (2:32)
Pink Floyd, "See Emily Play" (c. 1967) From bootleg All Movement Is Accomplished. (2:54)
Syd Barrett, "Dolly Rocker" (c. 1971) From Opel. I like how he sounds offended that he has to explain what the song title means. (3:00)
Syd Barrett, "Effervescing Elephant" (c. 1970) Twee, of course, but the willfully deadpan delivery undercuts that in a weird way. (1:04)
Syd Barrett, "Gigolo Aunt" (c. 1968) Heavy version, my favorite. Bad sound. From Magnesium Proverbs. (4:54)

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