Published on Jul 30, 1998
Syd Barrett…Syd, with a y.
Syd Barrett…original member of Pink Floyd.
Syd Barrett…musical genius behind the success of the early
Pink Floyd.
Syd Barrett…proved that drugs can and will screw up your
life.
Released in 1988, Syd Barrett’s
Opel is an album consisting of outtakes from his first two
solo albums which were released in 1970. A box set was released in
1994, featuring both of his albums,
The Madcap Laughs and
Barrett, plus the outtakes and whatever else that was found,
from a man who was the original guitarist/vocalist of Pink
Floyd.
As the success of Pink Floyd was forming in 1967, Syd Barrett
would do what almost every rock artist did in the sixties:
experiment with drugs. Unfortunately, such rock artists would die
from drug overdoses, but Syd Barrett would not only live through
his drug addiction, it cost him his “job” as a musician in Pink
Floyd. As his drug habit worsened, he was kicked out of the band
before their second album was released, replaced by David Gilmour.
We could only imagine how such future albums by the Pink Floyd
would have sounded, if Syd Barrett had not taken his drug addiction
to its full potentials. The band’s 1975 album,
Wish You Were Here, was dedicated to the man who named the
band, Pink Floyd.
Opel is 99.9% acoustical; like a Syd Barrett “Unplugged”
session. As any outtake album release may prove, outtakes are
experimental; they are pieces that would lead to the final outcomes
of songs to be released on a major released album. But by 1970, not
only was Syd Barrett out of Pink Floyd, he was trying to accomplish
a solo career. But, in listening to this album, (as well as his two
solo albums), you can easily hear that his drug addiction had
already taken its toll. Soon afterwards, he would spend time in a
mental ward, and he remains in seclusion in Cambridge, England.
With his very thick British accent, it is sometimes hard to
understand his singing abilities. His vocals are sometimes way
off-key, and at times his guitar playing doesn’t match his vocals.
And throughout some of the songs, he stops and tries to correct a
verse or two, rambling his words on-and-on. Being strung out as he
was, it was obvious just to let the tapes roll and try to salvage
each song later for the final cut.
There are 14 songs featured on
Opel. Various songs are produced by his fellow Floyd
bandmates, David Gilmour and Roger Waters. Two songs that can be
considered the “best ones” are “Lanky (Part 1)” and the
instrumental “Golden Hair”. The key word for both of these songs is
that they are instrumentals. How anyone can tolerate Syd Barrett’s
vocal style in his post-drug syndrome is beyond anyone’s
imagination. Syd Barrett was truly unique with Pink Floyd. But like
the TV commercial that says, “This is your brain on drugs…,” this
easily describes Syd Barrett’s career as a solo singer.
Syd Barrett is still alive today, however Roger Barrett (his
real name, as he his called now) has put his rock ‘n’ roll days
behind him. He hasn’t played a musical instrument in years. When
approached by reporters asking about his involvement with Pink
Floyd, he refuses to even talk about it.
Syd Barrett…because of drugs, it ruined his life.
Syd Barrett…because of drugs, his solo albums were
terrible.
Syd Barrett…because of drugs, he gave up rock ‘n’ roll.
DRUGS………IT CAN RUIN YOUR LIFE.