Barrett is considered one the founding fathers of 'space rock'. He started using effects in conjunction with 'normal' song structures and this is why he is so revered in certain circles. To my mind he never really achieved what he set out to do. The LSD fried his brain long before he hit his stride and from then on his days were numbered. Sad but true. Acid erodes the insulation around your nerve endings and essentially what happens is all the electrical impulses in the body start short-circuiting. Floyd did make sure he got constant royalties by including some of his better works in compilations, box sets and live performances. He made a tidy sum out of the fact that Astronomy Domine was included as an opener to 'Pulse'. (The CD not the DVD). Think I have mentioned this before but '(S)hine on (Y)ou crazy (D)iamond' is a play on the letters of his first name - SYD. He actually arrived at Abbey Road while they were recording WYWH. Completely unrecognizable. No-one knew who he was. The band was in tears when they realised who it was. And I have to say that Shine On is musically one of the best tributes to someone I have ever heard. It is haunting to say the least. That opening section (done with fingers on the rim of wine glasses) is spine-tingling stuff. I have everything released by this band since day dot except Syd's solo albums and the Shine On box set. Would love to have heard what Rick Wright was working on prior to his death. Always felt his role in the band was overlooked.
'The purpose of life is a life of purpose' - Athena Orchard.
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