Syd Barrett, Founder of Pink Floyd, Dies

[chris817]

If you have never heard early Pink floyd you should check it out...

LONDON (AP) - Syd Barrett, the troubled Pink Floyd co-founder who spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, the band said Tuesday. He was 60.

A spokeswoman for the band said Barrett died several days ago, but she did not disclose the cause of death. Barrett had suffered from diabetes for years.

The surviving members of Pink Floyd - David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright - said they were "very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death."

"Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire," they said in a statement.

Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with Waters, Mason and Wright, and wrote many of the band's early songs. The group's jazz-infused rock and drug-laced, multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene. The 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" - largely written by Barrett, who also played guitar - was a commercial and critical hit.

But Barrett suffered from mental instability, exacerbated by his use of LSD. His behavior grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968 - five years before the release of Pink Floyd's most popular album, "Dark Side of the Moon" - to be replaced by Gilmour.

Barrett released two solo albums - "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett" - but soon withdrew from the music business altogether. An album of previously unreleased material, "Opel," was issued in 1988.

He reverted to his real name, Roger Barrett, and spent much of the rest of his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England. Moving into his mother's suburban house, he passed the time painting and tending the garden. His former bandmates made sure Barrett continued to receive royalties from his work with Pink Floyd.

He was a familiar figure to neighbors, often seen cycling or walking to the corner store, but rarely spoke to the fans and journalists who sought him out over the years.

Despite his brief career, Barrett's fragile, wistful songs influenced many musicians including David Bowie - who covered the Barrett track "See Emily Play."

Bowie said in a statement posted on his Web site that Barrett had been a "major inspiration."

"His impact on my thinking was enormous," Bowie write. "A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."

The other members of Pink Floyd recorded the album "Wish You Were Here" as a tribute to their troubled bandmate.

It contained the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" - "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun." The band also dwelt on themes of mental illness on the albums "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall."

The band spokeswoman said a small, private funeral would be held.

[weyes]

i thought he died long ago, and i used to be a HUGE pink floyd fan. yup, they say he tripped out --- so sad. one of my favorite songs from the pf of his era is "bike":

i've got a bike

you can ride it if you like

it's got a basket

a bell that rings

and things to make it look good

i'd give it to you if i could

but i borrowed it

chorus:

you're the kind of girl that fits in with my world

i'll give you anything

everything

if you want things

i know a mouse

and he hasn't got a house

i don't know why i call him gerald

he's getting rather old

but he's a good mouse

chorus

i've got a room

of musical tunes

some rhyme, some jing

most of them are clockwork

let's go into the other room

and make them work

words of a madman, but one that made me happy.

[chris817]

i thought he died long ago, and i used to be a HUGE pink floyd fan. yup, they say he tripped out --- so sad. one of my favorite songs from the pf of his era is "bike":

i've got a bike

you can ride it if you like

it's got a basket

a bell that rings

and things to make it look good

i'd give it to you if i could

but i borrowed it

chorus:

you're the kind of girl that fits in with my world

i'll give you anything

everything

if you want things

i know a mouse

and he hasn't got a house

i don't know why i call him gerald

he's getting rather old

but he's a good mouse

chorus

i've got a room

of musical tunes

some rhyme, some jing

most of them are clockwork

let's go into the other room

and make them work

words of a madman, but one that made me happy.

I love that song also.. one of my fav's.. Its scary to think how that happened to someone.. take too many drugs and you can turn into a person who just shuts down in the outside world..

[lolahotass]

Despite his brief career, Barrett's fragile, wistful songs influenced many musicians including David Bowie - who covered the Barrett track "See Emily Play."

See Emily Play is one of my all time fav PF songs.. its in a separate disc in the Shine On box set (which is one of my most prized and cherished collections)... awesome track.

Shine on you crazy diamond.... i cried the first time i heard all the parts of it.... the beginning is beautiful.. the words are awesome...

I fucking love pink floyd.. its a shame Syd's mental capacity couldn't handle reality.. his artistic side was unmatched.. to form the sounds, songs and lyrics of early Pink Floyd is freaking amazing.. to think what could have been had he been able to handle it.. but at the same time, I'm a very big fan of David Gilmour.. he's kept the band rolling forward even without Roger Waters...

May you rest in peace Syd.. you will always be the original heart and soul behind Pink Floyd

[misk]

......i dunno if the drugs are to blame or to credit....i think half the inspiration he drew was from lsd.........floyd was always a drug fueled band playing drug fueled music.......thats not saying it cant be appreciated ..someone with underlying mental problems can trigger crazy shit when the start using drugs...acid no less....im just saying i dont know so much that drugs took him away or delivered him ......

...either way rip.

[slydem]

See Emily Play is one of my all time fav PF songs.. its in a separate disc in the Shine On box set (which is one of my most prized and cherished collections)... awesome track.

Shine on you crazy diamond.... i cried the first time i heard all the parts of it.... the beginning is beautiful.. the words are awesome...

I fucking love pink floyd.. its a shame Syd's mental capacity couldn't handle reality.. his artistic side was unmatched.. to form the sounds, songs and lyrics of early Pink Floyd is freaking amazing.. to think what could have been had he been able to handle it.. but at the same time, I'm a very big fan of David Gilmour.. he's kept the band rolling forward even without Roger Waters...

May you rest in peace Syd.. you will always be the original heart and soul behind Pink Floyd

Very well said.

[chris817]

Its sad... i have a childhood friend who was so outgoing and everybody loved him.. He took a lot of acid and E and one day he just withdrew from everything aound 25... Had paranoid thoughts thinking everyone was against him.. He now just stays home and lives with his parents... Does not talk to anybody, its really sad what some drugs can do to people

Here is a link to some picts of syd later in life

http://www.pink-floyd.org/barrett/pictures.html

RIP

[misk]

..he looks hot here

[JonStephen]

See Emily Play is one of my all time fav PF songs.. its in a separate disc in the Shine On box set (which is one of my most prized and cherished collections)... awesome track.

Shine on you crazy diamond.... i cried the first time i heard all the parts of it.... the beginning is beautiful.. the words are awesome...

I fucking love pink floyd.. its a shame Syd's mental capacity couldn't handle reality.. his artistic side was unmatched.. to form the sounds, songs and lyrics of early Pink Floyd is freaking amazing.. to think what could have been had he been able to handle it.. but at the same time, I'm a very big fan of David Gilmour.. he's kept the band rolling forward even without Roger Waters...

May you rest in peace Syd.. you will always be the original heart and soul behind Pink Floyd

I agree with you wholeheartedly

Floyd is, was, and always will be one of my favorite bands of all time. Syd laid the foundation of what the rest of the band members would eventually evolve into what we all recognize Floyd to be. What a talent and what a waste given away.

I'm with you Lola in my craze for Floyd. I've had every album ever produced since my days in college and still break out Piper or Meddle just for the hell of it (Echoes is their greatest song ever produced). Its not to say that Roger Waters taking over as the primary songwriter didnt elevate the band to what it is today, but Barrett was definitely the initial cornerstone.

Its just such an amazement of what eventually came out of the music that was so raw in the late 60's. Its such an early form that eventually came to be known as Psychodellia and became the musical theory behind modern day new age and trance. Although I never really emmulated the guy or followed him I will recognize that he left a legacy that'll be remembered

RIP

[9mile]

......i dunno if the drugs are to blame or to credit....i think half the inspiration he drew was from lsd..........

Drugs were def 100% to blame. He went crazy from the shit. There is nothing in the world like tripping on acid, it unlocks a load of creativity, i try to trip whenever I can - Infact I tripped last weekend, but there is a thin line and once you cross it you cant go back. He crossed that line very early in his life, and it ruined him, turned him into a shell of his former self.U gotta know your limits, and I am sure being a multi-millionare rock star he probably was taking like 10 hits or more a day (also the fact that they were $1 a hit back then as opposed to $20 a hit now helped)

[misk]

...yea but i am saying ......blaming the drugs for ruining him ....and at the same time u have to recognize the music u are praising wouldnt even be what it is unless he was such an lsd freak...

........that shit is gonna come back and haunt u man..

[jimk29]

(also the fact that they were $1 a hit back then as opposed to $20 a hit now helped)

You're getting ripped off.

[JonStephen]

...yea but i am saying ......blaming the drugs for ruining him ....and at the same time u have to recognize the music u are praising wouldnt even be what it is unless he was such an lsd freak...

........that shit is gonna come back and haunt u man..

the music was induced by drugs of course...thats where a lot of the creativity came out

and the one story that will go with him is how he did an entire shot of liquid acid with some other guy in a bar on a bet. Syd made it out of the incident alright eventually after a few days of delirium, the other guy died by killing himself somehow.

insane amount of acid

[9mile]

You\'re getting ripped off.

I can get it as low as 8-10 if i buy in large amounts, but i have 3 sources and they all are 20 for one, its a city thing i guess...... when my girl and i moved the stuff we used to get it for one a pop.

[misk]

filthy hippies

[9mile]

Misk - I think I\\\'ll be fine, tripping out 6 - 10 times a year aint gonna kill me. But you are right about the music.Jon is right, it was insane amounts of acid, like 6-10 hits a day, and I\\\'m sure they were getting really good shit.

[jimk29]

Misk - I think I\\\'ll be fine, tripping out 6 - 10 times a year aint gonna kill me. But you are right about the music.Jon is right, it was insane amounts of acid, like 6-10 hits a day, and I\\\'m sure they were getting really good shit.

I used to eat a lot of acid... not so much in the last 8 years or so, maybe 2-3 times in those years. Just recently on memorial day when I ate pure liquid (a friend who is a chemist actually made it) and I was in la la land... that made me miss it. But acide like that doesn't come around too often. Good times.

[misk]

....not gonna kill u .....but i dunno ........i feel like that's the shit that one day ...bam! ..u are all nutty .....i just cant help but picture hunter s thompson..

[kaydup]

I agree with you wholeheartedly

Floyd is, was, and always will be one of my favorite bands of all time. Syd laid the foundation of what the rest of the band members would eventually evolve into what we all recognize Floyd to be. What a talent and what a waste given away.

I'm with you Lola in my craze for Floyd. I've had every album ever produced since my days in college and still break out Piper or Meddle just for the hell of it (Echoes is their greatest song ever produced). Its not to say that Roger Waters taking over as the primary songwriter didnt elevate the band to what it is today, but Barrett was definitely the initial cornerstone.

Its just such an amazement of what eventually came out of the music that was so raw in the late 60's. Its such an early form that eventually came to be known as Psychodellia and became the musical theory behind modern day new age and trance. Although I never really emmulated the guy or followed him I will recognize that he left a legacy that'll be remembered

RIP

Echoes is a great song.. Still think my favorite album for some weird reason is pigs..

[jimk29]

....not gonna kill u .....but i dunno ........i feel like that's the shit that one day ...bam! ..u are all nutty .....i just cant help but picture hunter s thompson..

What about all the coke I do? Is that ok?

[misk]

......im not trying to be preachy ...just saying what comes to mind when i think of lsd......i know other drugs were done im not singleing anything out...just discussing..

[jimk29]

......im not trying to be preachy ...just saying what comes to mind when i think of lsd......i know other drugs were done im not singleing anything out...just discussing..

I'm just busting your chops.

I don't do coke... it's bad for you.

[raincry]

someone with underlying mental problems can trigger crazy shit when the start using drugs...acid no less....

agreed. not everyone could handle acid....i've seen people freak out in the worst way over that ish....

rip uncle syd

[lolahotass]

I agree with you wholeheartedly

Floyd is, was, and always will be one of my favorite bands of all time. Syd laid the foundation of what the rest of the band members would eventually evolve into what we all recognize Floyd to be. What a talent and what a waste given away.

I'm with you Lola in my craze for Floyd. I've had every album ever produced since my days in college and still break out Piper or Meddle just for the hell of it (Echoes is their greatest song ever produced). Its not to say that Roger Waters taking over as the primary songwriter didnt elevate the band to what it is today, but Barrett was definitely the initial cornerstone.

Its just such an amazement of what eventually came out of the music that was so raw in the late 60's. Its such an early form that eventually came to be known as Psychodellia and became the musical theory behind modern day new age and trance. Although I never really emmulated the guy or followed him I will recognize that he left a legacy that'll be remembered

RIP

[drdoom]

Even though he became a psychotic recluse, their first and only CD w/ him was class.