Syd Barrett R.I.P.

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Syd Barrett R.I.P.

Post by Roman Sokal » Wed Jul 12, 2006 3:09 pm

a true hero, legend, artist...shine on!

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Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett 1946 - 2006

He passed on Friday July 7th of complications related to diabetes. A few articles follow...

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Syd Barrett, founder of Pink Floyd, dies


By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer


LONDON - Syd Barrett, the troubled Pink Floyd co-founder who spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, the band said Tuesday. He was 60.

A spokeswoman for the band said Barrett died several days ago, but she did not disclose the cause of death. Barrett had suffered from diabetes for years.

The surviving members of Pink Floyd ? David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright ? said they were "very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death."

"Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire," they said in a statement.

Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with Waters, Mason and Wright, and wrote many of the band's early songs. The group's jazz-infused rock and drug-laced, multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene. The 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" ? largely written by Barrett, who also played guitar ? was a commercial and critical hit.

But Barrett suffered from mental instability, exacerbated by his use of LSD. His behavior grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968 ? five years before the release of Pink Floyd's most popular album, "Dark Side of the Moon" ? to be replaced by Gilmour.

Barrett released two solo albums ? "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett" ? but soon withdrew from the music business altogether. An album of previously unreleased material, "Opel," was issued in 1988.

He reverted to his real name, Roger Barrett, and spent much of the rest of his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England. Moving into his mother's suburban house, he passed the time painting and tending the garden. His former bandmates made sure Barrett continued to receive royalties from his work with Pink Floyd.

He was a familiar figure to neighbors, often seen cycling or walking to the corner store, but rarely spoke to the fans and journalists who sought him out over the years.

Despite his brief career, Barrett's fragile, wistful songs influenced many musicians, from David Bowie ? who covered the Barrett track "See Emily Play" ? to the other members of Pink Floyd, who recorded the album "Wish You Were Here" as a tribute to their troubled bandmate.

It contained the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" ? "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun." The band also dwelt on themes of mental illness on the albums "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall."

The band spokeswoman said a small, private funeral would be held.

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From David Bowie's website:

"I can't tell you how sad I feel. Syd was a major inspiration for me. The few times I saw him perform in London at UFO and the Marquee clubs during the sixties will forever be etched in my mind. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter.

Also, along with Anthony Newley, he was the first guy I'd heard to sing pop or rock with a British accent. His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed." - David Bowie, July 11th 2006

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Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett Dies at 60

LONDON (AFP) - Tributes poured in for Syd Barrett, founding member of the British progressive rock group Pink Floyd, after his death at the age of 60 was belatedly announced.

"He died very peacefully a couple of days ago. There will be a private family funeral," a spokeswoman for Pink Floyd said. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Barrett, who had been living reclusively in his late mother's house in Cambridge, in the east of England, led Pink Floyd from its founding in 1965 until 1968 when he struck out on a solo career.

"I can't tell you how sad I feel," rock legend David Bowie said.

"Syd was a major inspiration for me. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter.... His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."

In a statement, Pink Floyd said: "The band are naturally very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death. Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire."

In recent years Barrett reverted to his birth name, Roger Keith Barrett, and to his passion for painting.

He created Pink Floyd with old friend Roger Waters, and became a huge star at the age of 21, but in his final days with the band he could hardly perform due to an addiction to the psychedelic drug LSD.

The band finally drafted in Dave Gilmour as guitarist, and decided not to pick Barrett up for gigs.

"He took drugs by the shovelful," Gilmour once said.

Barrett nevertheless went on to record three solo albums -- "The Madcap Laughs," "Barrett" and "Opel."

Waters' composition "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" alluded to Barrett with its lyrics: "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun; Shine on you crazy diamond; Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky."

At the Live 8 concert in London a year ago, when Pink Floyd reunited without Barrett, Waters sang "Wish You Were Here" -- a tribute to the singer and lyricist.

Barrett is thought to have named Pink Floyd after two little-known bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, whose recordings were part of his record collection.

Graham Coxon, former guitarist with Blur, one of the seminal bands of the Cool Britannia period in the 1990s, cited Barrett as one of the greatest influences on his career.

"Lost him again... for bang on 20 years Syd led me to better places," Coxon said in a statement. "From my agape 17-year-old first listen to 'Bike' to, just the other day, 'Jugband Blues'."

"Languished in his noise... dreamt in his night... stared at his eyes for answers... bent my ears to see his fingers... would have followed him into the dark... certainly followed him into the bleached out morning."

"Syd, dear man, what now? The music is there... a door he left unlocked... spend time there... it's good."

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Post by TapeOpLarry » Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:33 pm

It's sad. One hopes he passed without pain.
Larry Crane, Editor/Founder Tape Op Magazine
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