Pink Floyd would have been nothing without Syd Barrett, even though he was only really involved for just a couple of albums from the early years of the band. He was an incredible songwriter and musician, and I wish he could have gotten help for his mental health problems earlier. Perhaps he would have continued to produce incredible music for the band.
If you’re not familiar with his work, here are three songs that showcase just how incredible Syd Barrett was with Pink Floyd.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Interstellar Overdrive”
This legendary 1967 tune comes from Pink Floyd’s debut album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. The album would be the only Pink Floyd release to be led by Syd Barrett, and the whole of the psychedelic rock record was written by Barrett.
There are a ton of gorgeous tunes on this record, but “Interstellar Overdive” stands out. Barrett arranged the song after hearing the band’s former manager, Peter Jenner, hum a basic tune. If that’s not a testament to how incredibly talented Barrett was, I don’t know what is.
“Astronomy Domine”
Another standout song from The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, I’d be bold enough to say that “Astronomy Domine” is on the underrated side. This psychedelic rock tune marked the moment Pink Floyd began to venture into space rock, a genre that they would pioneer for years.
The song’s opening is really something, with that above-mentioned manager reading out the names of stars and planets. When given creative freedom, Barrett was able to do such incredible things with his musical talents.
“Vegetable Man”
A Saucerful Of Secrets followed The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn in 1968. It’s a bittersweet release, too. During the production of the album, Syd Barrett’s mental health began to decline. The only silver lining is that David Gilmour was brought in to help. Barrett would leave Pink Floyd out of necessity before the album was finished. Still, the album boasts some great work from Barrett, and it should have included “Vegetable Man”.
Written by Barrett, this song didn’t make the cut for the original release of the album. It finally got released years later, following decades of bootlegs floating around. According to Jenner, Barrett wrote the song about himself.
Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.