Crazy And Shining Like Syd Barrett Living Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd in the Syd Barrett era (Instagram / @ pinkfloyd)

JAKARTA - Pink Floyd released "Wish You Were Here" on September 12, 1975. In a short time, September 25, the album managed to top the charts in the United States (US). "Wish You Were Here" is a masterpiece as well as the most tragic depiction of Pink Floyd's journey. Roger Waters and his friends planted the soul of Syd Barrett in the album. The true soul of Pink Floyd. A luminous talent beset with madness.

Seeing Pink Floyd without Syd Barrett was like seeing nothing. Nick Mason, the band's drummer, expresses eternal admiration for the genius Syd. Mason revealed the statement last year, after holding one of the concerts of his tour series, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets .

"Without Syd Barret, none of us (the band and the audience) will be here today," said Mason at Paramount Theater, Seattle, United States, quoted from Something Else! , Friday, September 25.

Of course. Syd is the person who founded Pink Floyd with Waters. Syd also contributed the most songs in the early days of the band. In fact, Pink Floyd's debut album which was released in 1967, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" was filled with the dominance of Syd's musicality. Syd created many songs on the album. He also leads the band as lead vocalist. And what is most special is how Syd explores all forms of guitar sound in the album.

Syd's most enjoyable exploration of the album can be heard on the song Interstellar Overdrive. In the instrumental session, Syd inserted layers of noise and ambience that were very distinctive. Besides that, we can also hear how Syd brings out a strange and mysterious sound from his guitar. I don't know what Syd was doing in the recording session. Because what you can imagine is Syd's distinctive style of playing Zippo matches on the sidelines of his Fender Esquire fret.

The Syd

Syd Barret is an original lyricist and innovative guitarist. He was one of the pioneers who preserved the sonical guitar sound playing. His influence on the musicians of the 60s generation was quite large. In fact, Paul McCartney and Pete Townsend are two big names who are admirers of Syd.

For Pink Floyd, Syd is a real soul. He didn't spend a lot of time with Pink Floyd. In fact, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" is the only Pink Floyd studio album with Syd. However, Syd never left the minds of Roger Waters, Nick Mason, or Richard Wright.

Also for David Gilmour, the toughest personnel who replaced Syd as guitarist and main vocalist. Gilmour and Syd didn't work together at Pink Floyd. But both of them have known each other. Gilmour and Syd met at a university in Cambridge in 1962. The two also played music together around 1965.

Regarding Syd's strong influence on Pink Floyd, Roger, on one occasion said, Syd's genius was a big inspiration in Pink Floyd's three most successful albums: "Dark Side of the Moon" (1973), "Wish You Were Here" (1975) and "The Wall "(1979).

Not only Syd's genius. Pink Floyd also makes Syd's mental state inspiring. In "Dark Side of the Moon", Roger and his friends raised the neurotic side and mental state of Syd. In fact, on the album "Wish You Were Here", Rogers and his friends made Syd the main inspiration. The album tells a lot about Syd. Pink Floyd's dedication and longing to Syd.

Syd left Pink Floyd in such a difficult state. He had to be "dumped" amidst the rising popularity of the band he built with his own hands. Mental disorders triggered by Syd's dependence on LSD (Lysergyc Acid Diethylamide) are the cause.

[/ read_more]

Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd (Instagram / @ pinkfloyd)

There has been much speculation that describes Syd's mental state. However, the most widespread is how the psychedelic drug affected Syd's uncontrolled behavior. The mental breakdown made all Pink Floyd personnel worried. Even with all the management that sustains the band's fame. They feared Syd's interference would be bad for Pink Floyd's career.

The peak of all these worries occurred in March 1968. At that time Roger and his friends were forced to eliminate all Syd's roles in the band, either for studio sessions or concerts. That day became the legitimacy for Syd's exit from Pink Floyd.

Syd actually had two solo albums. However, that work was not enough to restore his career. In fact, after leaving, Peter Jenner, Pink Floyd's manager, had time to embrace Syd again. He convinced Syd to spend time at Abbey Road in August 1974 to return to music. But the session ended after three days without success.

Wish You Were Here

Afterward, Pink Floyd returned to the studio for the album "Wish You Were Here". Shine On You Crazy Diamond is all about Syd. The track that opens and closes the album is a representation of Roger and his friends about Syd and his lost spirit for good. Extraordinary talent ridden with madness. Likewise with the track Wish You Were Here. If Shine On You Crazy Diamond is Syd. Then Wish You Were Here is Pink Floyd without Syd.

Wish You Were Here opens with the radio tuning sound of the previous track, Have A Cigar . Roger had Gilmour play a smooth 12-string acoustic guitar intro. The goal is to "sound like the first song on the radio, with one person sitting in the room, playing guitar while listening to the radio," said Gilmour, quoted by Radio X , Friday, September 25.

Roger as the lyricist said the song was very personal to him. Because of his personality, he created the song so loosely, easily, and honestly. “I played a few chords and wrote songs really, really fast, I can remember. Maybe in an hour. It's one of those happy times when the stream of consciousness is at work, and the words come out, "Waters said in 2017.

Right, indeed. Wish You Were Here is based on personal incidents that link Waters with Syd. In their long history, the two were the main founders of Pink Floyd. Roger and Syd are also close friends since childhood. In a shorter story, Roger's personal grief breaks out in a Pink Floyd recording session at Abbey Road.

[/ read_more]

That day was June 5, 1975, when all the personnel recorded a song for Syd, Shine On You Crazy Diamond on Abbey Road. In the middle of the session, a fat, bald man carrying a plastic bag entered the studio.

The personnel noticed the man's presence, although they did not recognize that the figure was actually Syd. The recording session continued, until Syd left the studio. The personnel only found out that the man was Syd when an employee of EMI Records informed them at the end of the recording session. Syd's unnoticed miraculous arrival made Roger so devastated. Her tears even dripped. It was after this incident that Roger wrote Wish You Were Here.

On the other hand, the recording session Wish You Were Here "made Pink Floyd" that they had run out. The recording session was carried out with all personnel together in the studio. However, each of the personnel felt a broken connection between one another. Wish You Were Here is not only the pinnacle of sadness from the relationship between Pink Floyd and Syd, but also the moment of the collapse of the world's psychedelic rock legend's work ethic.

The Pink Floyd lineup with David Gilmour (Instagram / @ pinkfloyd)

Roger left Pink Floyd ten years later, after a long-term power struggle with Gilmour reached its boiling point. A bad court case followed, with Roger trying to dissolve the group permanently and Gilmour wanting to retain the rights to the Pink Floyd name.

Gilmour won. But Pink Floyd never really felt like Pink Floyd again. At least not until July 2005, when Roger rejoined his old bandmates for a reunion performance at London's Live 8 festival. The reunion was also very incomplete because Richard Wright was not attending.

"It's emotional actually, standing here with these people after all these years," Roger said in the middle of the band's four-song series. "We're doing this for everyone who isn't here. And in particular, of course, for Syd."

[/ read_more]