Syd Barrett RIP

[ericaz]

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

[mamaley]

[nicole lisa]

I saw that earlier today...

[bjorker]

The radio station here has been doing a nice dedication to him all day.

Sigh...

I wonder why they aren't releasing the cause of his death?
It's probably nothing... but I just find that a little curious.

[kittywitty]

[ericaz]

From Pitchfork:

Appreciation: Syd Barrett
Story by Joe Tangari The recent death of Syd Barrett will lead to talk about his drug abuse, his retreat from music, and his legend. Strange that a key role in one of the most successful bands of all time should cast him as a cult figure, but such was his life. In the eyes of many, he became something of an abstraction, a figurehead or a symbol more than an artist, and as such his death feels confusing, as though it’s now happened for a second time.

The details of Barrett’s life and too-brief time at the pinnacle of British psychedelia have become so clouded in myth and rumor in the past 30 years that it can be difficult to extricate nuggets of fact from the fiction. Born Roger Keith Barrett in Cambridge, he acquired the nickname Syd-- a poignant reminder of the two very different lives he lived-- around age 15.

Barrett was a founding member of Pink Floyd, who in their early r&b days went under an assortment of names such as Sigma 6, the Tea Set, and the Screaming Abdabs, until he rechristened them after blues musician Floyd Council and medicine show singer Pink Anderson in 1965. As Pink Floyd made the transition to psychedelic and improvisatory rock pioneers, Barrett emerged as the natural leader and songwriter

Read more at:
Pitchfork Feature

[bunnyoven]

Yeah I read the news yesterday. It really sucks because Syd was a great musician. I may not have heard of him for that long, but it's great that he was the founder of Pink Floyd. I've only heard of one song that he did from his solo work. It's called "Opel." I've heard the song a few times on Napsterlinks, and it's pretty cool. I probably should check out more songs from his solo albums because I haven't had a chance to do that yet since his passing. But this song will be a way for me to remember him and how he contributed his time with Pink Floyd.

Syd Barrett - Opel
http://www.napster.com/player/tracks/10289679

[JessicaS]

I do recommend Saucerful of Secrets.






I am very sad.

[Doodlebugsmom]

I read somewhere that he died due to complications caused by diabetes. I've been a Syd fan for a long time. Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Pink Floyd) and both of Syd's solo albums are great for children's music.