Syd Barrett is a 1974 double-album pairing of Syd Barrett's two solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, both originally released in the UK in 1970.
Syd Barrett | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | 14 November 1974 | |||
Recorded | Abbey Road, May 1968 – July 1970 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 76:30 | |||
Label | Harvest/EMI | |||
Producer | Syd Barrett, Peter Jenner, Malcolm Jones, Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Richard Wright. | |||
Syd Barrett chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
Tom Hull | C[3] |
During the summer of 1965, Barrett had his first acid trip in the garden of his friend Dave Gale,[4][5] with Ian Moore and Storm Thorgerson.[4] While on the influence of the substance, Barrett had placed an orange, plum and a matchbox into a corner, while staring at the fruit, which he claimed symbolized "Venus and Jupiter".[4][5] Thorgerson used this imagery when he added these items to the cover of Syd Barrett.[4]
After the unexpectedly massive success of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, EMI re-issued the Barrett-era albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets as A Nice Pair in the hope that fans would be interested in the band's earlier work with Barrett. Once that was a success, primarily in the US, Syd Barrett was compiled to meet demand.[1]
As a result, The Madcap Laughs/Barrett (as it was titled in the US) made number 163,[1] giving Barrett his only US chart album. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote of the album: "Admittedly, a lot of what results is worthy of the wimp-turned-acid-casualty Barrett is. But a lot of it is funny, charming, catchy--whimsy at its best... I know damn well it gives me more pleasure than The Dark Side of the Moon."[2]
All songs by Syd Barrett, except where noted.
Album - Billboard
Year | Chart | Position |
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1974 | Pop Albums | 163[1] |