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From the Vault...
12/21/1997
#556 |
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info
Syd Barrett
"Opel"
© Capitol/Harvest Records
Year of Release: 1988
Rating:
ZERO STARS
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track listing
Opel
Clowns And Jugglers
(Octopus)
Rats
Golden Hair
(Vocal Version)
Dolly Rocker
Word Song
Wined And Dined
Swan Lee (Silas Lang)
Birdie Hop
Let's Split
Lanky (Part 1)
Wouldn't You Miss Me
(Dark Globe)
Milky Way
Golden Hair (Instrumental)
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Syd Barrett
"Opel"
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.
The Opel album is 99.9% accoustical; like a Syd
Barrett UNPLUGGED session.
As any outtake album release may prove, is that 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 brains 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.
UPDATE, 2006:
After suffering from diabetes for several years, Barrett died at his home in
Cambridge on 7 July 2006. He was 60 years old. The cause of death was pancreatic
cancer.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Capitol/Harvest Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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