•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
This is not a review of the debut of the Floyd but an appendix to what Benson&Hedges wrote. An appendix that raises questions I would like to share with you. I hope I have not used this space inappropriately.
Barrett decided to record this album when he had already "stopped" being "Syd." Already after See Emily Play, things unfortunately degenerated. The album is unclassifiable in beauty and perfection. If I really have to find a flaw, perhaps I find it in Waters' track, saved by Barrett's guitar. Let's not forget Rick Wright's superhuman ability to invent melodies on Barrett's themes. In Matilda Mother, Rick is almost the absolute protagonist. At least as much as Syd. And this applies to the entire album. Rick Wright years later confessed he was ready to form a new band with Syd if only he had recovered (in 1968) when Blackhill ent. dissolved (the Floyds' agency). Personally, I will never stop asking myself these questions..
1- Why did Gilmour and Waters ensure that Madcap was so wonderfully sparse (they only had 3 days to finish the record.. I know.. but the track "If it's in you" could easily have been replaced with "Opel" or other valuable out-takes, giving Syd a less crazy and uncontrolled image).
2- Why in the subsequent "Barrett" did Rick Wright only limit himself to making accompaniments without expressing his genius in perfect harmony with Syd, further enhancing the album, perhaps "bringing it closer" to Piper.
3- and above all.. why in 1975 during the Wish you were here sessions when Syd said he was ready to do his part they told him "No, the guitars have already been done..". What would it have cost them to let him record? In your opinion... a recording of Barrett playing on Shine on you crazy diamond.. Wish you were here.. does it have a price? Even if at the time they would not have included it in the final mix, it would have been crucial for Syd. And in the "Immersion" version of Wish you were here, we would have really found a diamond.. and not that nonsense with violinist Grapelli.
And maybe Syd, driven by emotion, would have made the third album. All hypotheses, but with one single truth. Syd took the first step... but the day ended that with all the billions made with Dark side of the moon, they let him go home hitchhiking without even paying for a taxi. After all, it was Gilmour's wedding..
Personally, I adore every phase of the English band, but the Barrett chapter is something apart.
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
This review reflects deeply on Syd Barrett’s diminishing role during and after the recording of Pink Floyd’s debut album. It highlights Rick Wright’s significant musical input and questions key band decisions that neglected Barrett’s later potential. The writer admires all phases of Pink Floyd but regards the Barrett era as uniquely special and separate.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd formed in London in 1965 and became a defining force in psychedelic and progressive rock. The classic lineage spans Syd Barrett’s founding vision, Roger Waters’ conceptual leadership, Richard Wright’s harmonic textures, Nick Mason’s pulse, and David Gilmour’s arrival in 1968, shaping their signature sound.237 Reviews
Other reviews
By charles
From the very first record, you can tell what they would do in the future, which is create a sound all their own.
Excellent record, which deviates a bit from the typical Pink Floyd sound but is still a colossus in the history of music.
By zaireeka
Written at the tip of LSD.
One of those clocks, orphaned by the irreversible madness of Syd Barrett, was preserved by his old companions and made to chime once again at the start of Time.
By Moro1
Only Barrett can explain the masterpiece he composed and wrote, and he does it through the stories of a king told in a mother’s fairy tale.
He sang it almost 40 years ago and it is still the most beautiful of all.
By anthon
"From these first seconds, the listener is transported into an otherworldly dimension, a dimension that characterizes much of the album."
"Interstellar Overdrive represents the true innovation, in terms of harmonic-melodic physiognomy, of the album."
By AJAX
The early Pink Floyd managed to synthesize into a unique and inimitable vision the impulses from West Coast acid rock, ... and the love for genuinely English fairy-tale elements.
'The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' captures both sides of the coin, marking a year when pop and the avant-garde went hand in hand.
