Was Syd Barrett overrated?

[Earthshine]

Was Syd Barrett overrated?

 

Some thought he was overrated and just mad?

 

Some thought he was a genius that went mad.

 

Some thought he was a genius that was not mad.

 

Some thought he was a genius that did not go mad.

 

Some thought he was overrated and not mad.

 

Some thought he was a genius and was not mad.

 

Some just thought that they had you explain why you were mad even if you were not mad.

 

Some just thought that they had you explain why you were mad even if you were not mad.

 

 

What do you think?

 

[naturalsciences101]

No, he was not over-rated. He is singularly responsible for launching one of the very most important bands in the history of Rock. Without the artistic and commercial success of his four main accomplishments, ALL of the subsequent Pink Floyd material would never have happened.

 

Syd Barrett's contribution to the world and history of Rock music can be reduced down to four essential pieces of music. 'Astronomy Domine', 'Interstellar Overdrive', 'See Emily Play' and 'Arnold Layne'. The four tracks combined reflect the two facets of this man's innovative musical vision....the popular/commercial and the introspective/experimental.

 

Without the success and influence of this material, there would have never been a Pink Floyd to carry on after his quick and steady demise. Roger Waters and David Gilmour were not yet skillful enough to compose anything even close to par with what Syd had done in 1967. The duo, with the assistance of Wright and Mason, spent the entire next album emulating the Syd Barrett style. The band enjoyed continued success, only by mimicking the style of Syd Barrett.

 

When they ceased emulating Syd's signature style, both Waters and Gilmour found themselves entiely lost as artists. It would take three years before they were able to come up with something original enough to distance themselves from the Syd Barrett legacy...In short order, Syd Barrett was most definitely not under-rated, because he was indispensable in launching one of the biggest and most important bands in Rock history...And, he's really cool looking and mysterious as a Pop culture icon.

 

 

 

[rushgoober]

clearly he was a genius that went mad. i love the material he made as he was going mad, even though he needed significant help in the studio to lay down his material. i only wish we got a few more years of music out of him before he couldn't do it anymore. oh well, sometimes those who burn the hottest burn the fastest...

[Earthshine]

QUOTE (naturalsciences101 @ Jun 3 2009, 06:18 PM)

No, he was not over-rated. He is singularly responsible for launching one of the very most important bands in the history of Rock. Without the artistic and commercial success of his four main accomplishments, ALL of the subsequent Pink Floyd material would never have happened. Syd Barrett's contribution to the world and history of Rock music can be reduced down to four essential pieces of music. 'Astronomy Domine', 'Interstellar Overdrive', 'See Emily Play' and 'Arnold Layne'. The four tracks combined reflect the two facets of this man's innovative musical vision....the popular/commercial and the introspective/experimental. Without the success and influence of this material, there would have never been a Pink Floyd to carry on after his quick and steady demise. Roger Waters and David Gilmour were not yet skillful enough to compose anything even close to par with what Syd had done in 1967. The duo, with the assistance of Wright and Mason, spent the entire next album emulating the Syd Barrett style. The band enjoyed continued success, only by mimicking the style of Syd Barrett. When they ceased emulating Syd's signature style, both Waters and Gilmour found themselves entiely lost as artists. It would take three years before they were able to come up with something original enough to distance themselves from the Syd Barrett legacy...In short order, Syd Barrett was most definitely not under-rated, because he was indispensable in launching one of the biggest and most important bands in Rock history...And, he's really cool looking and mysterious as a Pop culture icon.

[metaldad]

i like FLOYD after him. take what ya want from that.................

[naturalsciences101]

QUOTE (metaldad @ Jun 3 2009, 06:51 PM)

i like FLOYD after him. take what ya want from that.................

Wow, md. That's very well thought out. Can you provide research sources?

[metaldad]

QUOTE (naturalsciences101 @ Jun 3 2009, 08:10 PM)

QUOTE (metaldad @ Jun 3 2009, 06:51 PM) i like FLOYD after him. take what ya want from that................. Wow, md. That's very well thought out. Can you provide research sources? im not a doctor but i play one on t.v.

[Jack Aubrey]

Overrated and bugnuts crazy.

 

[The Owl]

Syd is a genius...

 

True Floyd would not have been the epic band they became if Syd had stayed.

 

But in the same breath Floyd would not have done the same without him.

[Earthshine]

QUOTE (The Owl @ Jun 3 2009, 10:18 PM)

Syd is a genius... True Floyd would not have been the epic band they became if Syd had stayed. But in the same breath Floyd would not have done the same without him.

Agreed. The rest of them would never have had what became the Pink Floyd most of us know and love without Syd being the foundation of the band. I am sure they would all agree 100%.

[Prince Sphinc-Tor]

QUOTE (metaldad @ Jun 3 2009, 09:33 PM)

QUOTE (naturalsciences101 @ Jun 3 2009, 08:10 PM) QUOTE (metaldad @ Jun 3 2009, 06:51 PM) i like FLOYD after him. take what ya want from that................. Wow, md. That's very well thought out. Can you provide research sources? im not a doctor but i play one on t.v.   I agree with MD.   I don't know if he was a genius or not, but he ceretainly was an enigmatic character.

[ReRushed]

Genius is a word that is thrown around to easily in rock music. Syd Barrett is a perfect example. The man basically wrote one type of song, albeit a good one. He went bonkers. It inspired the remaining members of Pink Floyd to write some of the greatest albums ever recorded. Inspirational, yes. Genius, no.

[naturalsciences101]

QUOTE (Prince Sphinc-Tor @ Jun 5 2009, 05:37 AM)

QUOTE (metaldad @ Jun 3 2009, 09:33 PM) QUOTE (naturalsciences101 @ Jun 3 2009, 08:10 PM) QUOTE (metaldad @ Jun 3 2009, 06:51 PM) i like FLOYD after him. take what ya want from that................. Wow, md. That's very well thought out. Can you provide research sources? im not a doctor but i play one on t.v.   I agree with MD.   I don't know if he was a genius or not, but he ceretainly was an enigmatic character. Where did MD say all that? Musta been during one of his appearances on Quincy or Trapper John.

[rushgoober]

I looked on rateyourmusic.com which is a consensus of reviews by the general public, and the two solo Syd Barrett albums rated higher than all the solo studio albums by every other member of Pink Floyd.

 

In terms of the Pink Floyd catalog, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn rated higher than every other PF title except for Dark Side, Wish You Were Here & Animals. It even rated higher than The Wall!

 

 

 

Just a little more proof of his genius, at least in the minds of the general public.

[naturalsciences101]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 7 2009, 08:22 AM)

I looked on rateyourmusic.com which is a consensus of reviews by the general public, and the two solo Syd Barrett albums rated higher than all the solo studio albums by every other member of Pink Floyd. In terms of the Pink Floyd catalog, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn rated higher than every other PF title except for Dark Side, Wish You Were Here & Animals. It even rated higher than The Wall! Just a little more proof of his genius, at least in the minds of the general public.

You really have that much love for those Syd Barrett solo joints, back from shortly after leaving the Floyd? I've heard Barrett, Opel and Madcap Laughs...and, while some it is very 'interesting' in the context of Rock history...I certainly don't feel that any of it has a high replay value. As he drifted further and further from his grounding here on earth, the music became more and more disjointed. Much of it is meandering, circular, muddled and incoherent. Those are not desirable traits in a songwriter.

 

 

 

 

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (naturalsciences101 @ Jun 7 2009, 12:47 PM)

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 7 2009, 08:22 AM) I looked on rateyourmusic.com which is a consensus of reviews by the general public, and the two solo Syd Barrett albums rated higher than all the solo studio albums by every other member of Pink Floyd. In terms of the Pink Floyd catalog, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn rated higher than every other PF title except for Dark Side, Wish You Were Here & Animals.  It even rated higher than The Wall! Just a little more proof of his genius, at least in the minds of the general public. You really have that much love for those Syd Barrett solo joints, back from shortly after leaving the Floyd? I've heard Barrett, Opel and Madcap Laughs...and, while some it is very 'interesting' in the context of Rock history...I certainly don't feel that any of it has a high replay value. As he drifted further and further from his grounding here on earth, the music became more and more disjointed. Much of it is meandering, circular, muddled and incoherent. Those are not desirable traits in a songwriter. To each his own.

[Earthshine]

I think Syd's solo albums were after he really went mad. He was a genius up until the end of his time with Pink Floyd. He really lost it at the end sadly. He could have done so much more.

 

Another example of why one should never take too much LSD.

[Silas Lang]

A genius who was NOT crazy. Eccentric, sure (as is his music) and that's part of his charm. How can he be overrated when hardly anyone besides major Pink Floyd fanatics have even heard of him?

[ReRushed]

He, along with Jim Morrison, define overrated in rock music. Like I posted earlier, he wrote some good songs and he inspired the other members of Pink Floyd to write some pretty good albums.

[Silas Lang]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Aug 27 2010, 12:35 AM)

He, along with Jim Morrison, define overrated in rock music. Like I posted earlier, he wrote some good songs and he inspired the other members of Pink Floyd to write some pretty good albums.

I think Barrett and Morrison define originality in rock music, particularly when you compare it to what else was around at that time ('66-'67).

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (Silas Lang @ Aug 27 2010, 01:41 AM)

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Aug 27 2010, 12:35 AM) He, along with Jim Morrison, define overrated in rock music.  Like I posted earlier, he wrote some good songs and he inspired the other members of Pink Floyd to write some pretty good albums. I think Barrett and Morrison define originality in rock music, particularly when you compare it to what else was around at that time ('66-'67). I think a lot of their stuff was pseudo-intellectual and pretentious. I like early Pink Floyd and I like a lot of Doors songs, but I think a ton of other bands were more original and innovative. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Love, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, and on and on and on...

[Silas Lang]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Aug 27 2010, 12:47 AM)

The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa, Love, The Beach Boys, The Byrds

I can't agree with these. Pseudo-intellectual and pretentious? Sounds like something out of Rolling Stone Magazine. Any specific examples? They've always come across to me as instinctive and emotional, certainly not fake in any way.

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (Silas Lang @ Aug 27 2010, 02:16 AM)

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Aug 27 2010, 12:47 AM) The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa, Love, The Beach Boys, The Byrds I can't agree with these. Pseudo-intellectual and pretentious? Sounds like something out of Rolling Stone Magazine. Any specific examples? They've always come across to me as instinctive and emotional, certainly not fake in any way. "The End" for one. Tell me that's not pretentious. Mr. Morrison was an artistic and intellectual fraud. He was simply lucky to be surrounded by talented musicians.   And almost all of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Syd Barrett wrote some good to very good singles, but to listen to an entire album of that stuff can get quite grating. Listen to the Red Crayola, the were just as good at that kind of crap!   Oh yeah, and some writers for Rolling Stone can also be pseudo-intellectual and pretentious. They like early Pink Floyd and The Doors!

[Silas Lang]

You haven't explained why either is "pretentious".

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (Silas Lang @ Aug 27 2010, 02:40 AM)

You haven't explained why either is "pretentious".

Okay. They had no idea how to work within a structured and traditional sense of songwriting, so they made up what they did and used "art" and "originality" to cover up the fact. Like I said, there were plenty of contemporaries that stretched and expanded rock music much more convincingly. They didn't have to pretend to be artistic. They knew what they were doing. Also, neither Syd Barrett or Jim Morrison had the talent to move beyond what little they did. You can call what they did do "original" or "genius", if you want, but there were others that were better and more varied. And they had the ability to move on to bigger and better things. I don't know, both took plenty of drugs, so I guess they were "tortured artists". Blah.