SYD BARRETT - Mini-Biography and Career

- Eclipsed by Madness: The Tragic Genius of Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett, a founding member of Pink Floyd, blazed a trail through the psychedelic rock scene of the 1960s. His innovative guitar work, whimsical lyrics, and charismatic stage presence captivated audiences. However, his time in the spotlight was brief, overshadowed by struggles with mental health and substance abuse. This biography delves into Barrett's creative genius, his profound influence on music, and the poignant story of his life beyond the stage.

SYD BARRETT

Syd Barrett was an English singer, songwriter and musician, who is best known as the original lead vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter of the rock band Pink Floyd. He was born Roger Keith Barrett on January 6, 1946, in Cambridge, England. He played an important role in the early development of Pink Floyd and was the main creative force behind the band's first album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967) .

Syd Barrett's last album with Pink Floyd was their debut album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" which was released in August 1967. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, and features Barrett as the main songwriter and vocalist, with Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and himself as band members. The album received generally positive reviews and helped establish Pink Floyd as an important band in the emerging psychedelic rock scene of the late 1960s. text

After the album's release, Syd Barrett's behavior and commitment to the band became increasingly erratic due to his heavy use of psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD. As a result, he was eventually replaced by David Gilmour as the band's lead vocalist and guitarist in 1968, and did not participate in the recording of any further Pink Floyd albums.

PINK FLOYD Album Covers & Discography (Main Index)

Below is the Index of albums released by the British Acid/Psych band Pink Floyd. As we have a large collection of Pink Floyd albums this index will have entries pointing for each album to the detailed listings. For example: "Animals" clicking the "Show Index" button will bring up listing of this album with information on the various countries it was released and collector's information on how to identify a particular release.

PINK FLOYD - Animals 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Animals ( Index Page )

1977 

"Animals" is the tenth studio album by Pink Floyd, and was released in January 1977. A concept album, it provides a scathing critique of the social-political conditions of 1970s Britain, and presents a marked change in musical style from their earlier work.

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PINK FLOYD - Atom Heart Mother 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Atom Heart Mother 12" LP

1970 

"Atom Heart Mother" is the fifth studio album by Pink Floyd, released in 1970 by Harvest and EMI Records in the United Kingdom and Harvest and Capitol in the United States. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England, and reached number one in the United Kingdom, and number 55] in the United States charts, and went gold in the U.S. in March 1994.

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PINK FLOYD - Collection of Great Dance Songs 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Collection of Great Dance Songs  12" LP

1981 

"A Collection of Great Dance Songs" is a compilation album by Pink Floyd released on 23 November 1981 on Harvest/EMI in the UK and Columbia Records in the United States.

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PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon  12" LP

1973  

"The Dark Side of the Moon" is the eighth studio album by Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. The concept album built on ideas explored by the band in their live shows and earlier recordings, but it lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure in 1968 of founding member, principal composer and lyricist Syd Barrett.

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PINK FLOYD - Delicate Sound of Thunder 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Delicate Sound of Thunder  12" LP

1988

"Delicate Sound of Thunder" is a Pink Floyd live double album from the David Gilmour-led era of the band which was recorded over five nights at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, New York in August 1988 and mixed at Abbey Road Studios in September 1988.

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PINK FLOYD - Echoes the Best of Pink Floyd 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Echoes the Best of Pink Floyd  12" LP

2001  

"Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd" is a compilation album by Pink Floyd. It was released by EMI Records on 5 November 2001, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States through Capitol Records.

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PINK FLOYD - Final Cut 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Final Cut  12" LP

1983  

"The Final Cut" is the twelfth studio album by Pink Floyd. A concept album, The Final Cut is the last of the band's releases to include founding member and longtime lyricist Roger Waters.

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PINK FLOYD - Masters of Rock (Vol 1) 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Masters of Rock (Vol 1)  12" LP

1974 

This compilation album of Pink Floyd contains the hard to find tracks

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PINK FLOYD - Meddle 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Meddle  12" LP

1971  

Meddle is the sixth studio album by Pink Floyd. It was released in October 1971. This album was recorded at Morgan Sound Stusdios, London

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PINK FLOYD - Momentary Lapse of Reason 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Momentary Lapse of Reason  12" LP

1987 

"A Momentary Lapse of Reason" is the thirteenth studio album by Pink Floyd. It was released in the UK and US in September 1987. In 1985 guitarist David Gilmour began to assemble a group of musicians to work on his third solo album.

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PINK FLOYD - More, the original motion picture soundtrack 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - More, the original motion picture soundtrack 12" LP

1969  

Pink Floyd's More movie soundtrack is a classic album that remains highly influential to this day. The album's unique blend of progressive rock, psychedelic, and experimental elements helped to establish Pink Floyd as one of the most important bands of the 20th century.

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PINK FLOYD - Nice Pair 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Nice Pair  12" LP

1973  

The "Nice Pair" was released in December 1973 by Harvest and Capitol in the United States and the following month in the United Kingdom by Harvest and EMI.

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PINK FLOYD - Obscured by Clouds 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Obscured by Clouds  12" LP

1972  

"Obscured by Clouds" is the seventh studio album by Pink Floyd, based on their soundtrack for the French film "La Vallée", by Barbet Schroeder.

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PINK FLOYD - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn  12" LP

1967  

"The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" is the firs album by the Pink Floyd, and the only one made under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership. The album contains whimsical lyrics about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles and fairy tales, along with psychedelic instrumental songs.

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PINK FLOYD - Relics 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Relics  12" LP

1978 

Relics is a compilation album by Pink Floyd released in 1971. The album was released on 14 May in the UK and 15 July in the United States.

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PINK FLOYD - Saucerful of Secrets 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Saucerful of Secrets  12" LP

1968 

"A Saucerful of Secrets" is the second studio album by Pink Floyd. It was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios on various dates from August 1967 to April 1968. It is both the last Pink Floyd album on which Syd Barrett would appear and the only studio album in which all 5 band members contributed.

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PINK FLOYD - Tonite lets all make love in London 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Tonite lets all make love in London  12" LP

1990  

Early Live recordings, complemented with interviews

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PINK FLOYD - Ummagumma 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Ummagumma  12" LP

1969  

Ummagumma is a double album by Pink Floyd, released in 1969 by Harvest and EMI in the United Kingdom and Harvest and Capitol in the United States. Disc A is a live album of their normal set list of the time, while disc B contains compositions by each member of the band recorded as a studio album.

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PINK FLOYD - Wall, The 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Wall, The  12" LP

1979

The Wall is the eleventh studio album by Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd The Wall.

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PINK FLOYD - Wish You Were Here 12" LP
PINK FLOYD - Wish You Were Here  12" LP

1975

"Wish You Were Here" is the ninth studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd, released in September 1975. Inspired by material they composed while performing across Europe, it was recorded over numerous sessions at London's Abbey Road Studios.

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PINK FLOYD - 97 Vinyl Collection Audiophile 8LP Box-Set
PINK FLOYD - 97 Vinyl Collection Audiophile 8LP Box-set

EMI , 1997 , United Kingdom

This is a box-set of 7 albums with in total 8LP. Each album is issued in a ( FOC ) Fold Open Coveraka Gatefold cover.

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PINK FLOYD - Collection 12LP Box-Set
PINK FLOYD - Collection 12LP Box-Set

 

This Pink Floyd box-set includes 10 Pink Floyd albums with in total 13LP's as well as a large poster.

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PINK FLOYD - 7" SIngle Records
PINK FLOYD - 7" SIngle Records

 

A Selection of 7" Records by Pink Floyd

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David Gilmour Solo Projects
David Gilmour Solo Projects 12" LP

 

Here you will find several European releases of David Gilmour's debut solo album.

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Roger Waters Solo Projects
Roger Waters Solo Projects 12" LP

 

Here you will find several European releases of Roger Waters solo albums.

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