I was heading into one of the prettier stretches of road in my biweekly travels - the Rio Grande Gorge southwest of Taos- when I heard the news that Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett had died. His music and that of his band have meant a lot to me since I discovered it in high school, and the news startled me. I just turned off the radio and let "Lucifer Sam" and "Interstellar Overdrive" run through my head.

Nat has a link to the details. I'll just pay tribute to Syd with pictures and songs. They tell one of rock music's most poignant stories.

The first cut comes from Pink Floyd's first recording session. They recorded two songs, the first being blues standard "King Bee". The other was called "Lucy Leave" and was the first Syd Barrett composition to be recorded. These were made into acetates, but never officially released. Here you hear a fresh, strong Syd, ready to take over the world with his new band.

Here's The Pink Floyd Sound "Lucy Leave" recorded Oct. 1965

The next song is from one of Syd's last shows with the Floyd. His bizarre behavior had become a massive stumbling block for the rest of the band, and they were at this point wondering what to do about him. This performance occurred shortly before Dave Gilmour was asked to join the band to form a short-lived 5 piece arrangement. Syd was out of the band within 3 months of this recording.

Syd definately doesn't have the energy he had in Lucy Leave, but this song, Jugband Blues, doesn't require it, and Syd pulls it off with a twist in the middle that differs from the LP version. I listen to the lyrics and wonder if Syd didn't have a better understanding of his imminent insanity than people think.

Here's The Pink Floyd "Jugband Blues" Dec. 20, 1967

The next is a Syd Barrett solo tune, done for the BBC. It's called Dominoes, and showcases a far more tentative Syd than before. David Gilmour played bass for a lot of Syd's solo outings, but I can't be sure he plays here.

Here's Syd Barrett "Dominoes" Feb. 16, 1971

After a couple albums and many lost recording sessions, Syd was no longer able to work in the music business. He retired to live with his mom and paint, while the band he named went on to superstardom.

The last selection is a Sydless Pink Floyd, singing a song about- and to- Syd at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. It's a song I'm sure is on all four of their minds this week. It's called "Wish You Were Here".

Here's Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" May 9, 1977

Fare thee well, Syd. Shine on.

Cheezy has a nice tribute to Syd as well.