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Entry: Diamond Dust Tuesday, July 11, 2006

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.

13 comments


	Mark July 11, 2006 10:03 PM PDT Sad end to a sad story. I heard about this on the way home today. RIP


	Paula July 12, 2006 12:29 PM PDT I love Wish You Were Here. That's one of my all-time faves. So sad that so many great artists have to be this tortured.


	O' Tim July 12, 2006 02:44 PM PDT Career-wise, Syd was the epitome of the bottle rocket incarnate. He may have burned out, but his music will not fade away. Great trib, JtT.


	The Fez Monkey July 12, 2006 04:37 PM PDT I was never a big PF fan when I was younger, owing to my falling more on the side of The Clash & local LA punk. PF always seemed the realm of the exploratory intellectual crowd, which automatically excluded me. That's not to say I didn't enjoy them Anyone who cute their musical teeth on classic Genesis has appreciation for them. Particularly now, when you realize how strongly their music still kicks ass against the crap that spills from radios. Aging definitely sucks


	jollykay July 13, 2006 06:46 AM PDT there is nothing better than taking the top off the jeep, reclining the seat back, and watching for meteors, while listening to pink floyd. thank you for sharing your music, i hadn't heard those first three tunes before.


	Joe the Troll July 13, 2006 07:13 AM PDT Paula- We agree on a song! What's next, wearing the same shooze? I wonder if they are tortured because they are great, or great because they're tortured? O'Tim- Bottle rocket is the perfect metaphor. Fez- You might like my Ramones post from a couple weeks ago. Old Genesis will be here someday, as I am a huge fan of the Gabriel days. Jollykay- You're welcome, thanks for listening! You should have some more on your desk by the end of this week.


	mellowyellow July 13, 2006 10:19 AM PDT Its very sad, grapevine says there is a push to reissue wish you were here as a tribute


	Hillbilly tim July 13, 2006 12:00 PM PDT oh boy where has the time gone sitting in the basement listening to "arnold layne" or "see emily play" if we would have had a pict around we would have been grooving with him(or her). syd and the boys sure gave us a lot of entertainment i do hope this spurs a reemergence of the old floyd


	Joe the Troll July 13, 2006 04:03 PM PDT HT- Yeah, those were the days. We were pretty baked in that basement, weren't we? I still have those British presses of the first two albums, as well as that Aussie presing of "Relics". I don't know why WYWH would need to be reissued, though, as it's never gone out of print. It's more likely that the Syd solo albums would need reissuing.


	nat July 15, 2006 09:58 PM PDT Thanks for that post. God, I love that photo with Syd as the ONLY ONE wearing anything colorful. Speaks volumes, doesn't it?


	Joe the Troll July 15, 2006 11:37 PM PDT Nat-- EXACTLY!!! I thought of the rest of the band as "the pips", sort of. Then contrast that pic with the 4th one.... the one with Syd in the background. It speaks volumes.


	Joe the Troll July 16, 2006 12:48 AM PDT Ooops... meant the fifth one. And I didn't mean to repeat "speaks volumes". Been dancin' to the Violent Femmes, and drinkin'.


	Cheezy July 17, 2006 02:12 AM PDT Great tribute, Joe.

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