SYD BARRETT

An Introduction to Syd Barrett

[Capitol]

The driving force behind just three full-length albums—Pink Floyd’s 1967 masterpiece The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and the 1970 solo albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett—the late Syd Barrett nonetheless had a profound impact on rock. This 18-song collection, culled from the above albums and fleshed out with three essential singles, shows why Barrett remains such a revered cult figure. “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play” sound as fresh as ever, and warrant high-level slots in the British pop pantheon. “Bike” and “Octopus” are nearly as good, each sporting melodies that enthrall and lyrics that sparkle like demented nursery rhymes. Even the disjointed oddities—“Dark Globe,” for instance—percolate with Barrett’s whimsical genius. By the mid-’70s, emotional and mental difficulties had put an end to Barrett’s recording career. This compilation, sporting five tracks newly remixed by Floyd’s David Gilmour, reminds us why his spiral into dysfunction constitutes one of rock’s saddest episodes. –RH