The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

 

Today, Syd Barrett would have turned 80. Being a musician in the late 1960's and early 1970's was a dangerous business. Drug use not only led to unexpected musical highs, but also to real health crashes. In some cases, however, death was not necessarily the worse fate, as the case of Syd Barrett shows. Too much LSD drove him mad and transported him to another world, from which he never returned until his death. Today he would have turned 80, providing an opportunity to look back on his musical legacy. 

Barrett was the leading figure of Pink Floyd in their very early years and responsible for their psychedelic sound. I am not a great fan of the band and never really got into his solo albums but their debut is still remarkable because Barrett found a way to play a psychedelic guitar like no one before. 

Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine

Pink Floyd - Interstellar Overdrive

Long Song On Tuesday

This series wouldn't be complete without some real psychedelic sound by Pink Floyd. I was never a huge fan of them but their first records were ace. When I listened the first time to them I was unable to understand their playings. Years later and with more informations about psychedelic sound i came back to those records. Interstellar Overdrive from their first record Piper at the Gates of Dawn is an essential piece of this genre. Never before and seldom after there was this kind of music. A perfect ride into space with a guitars, organs and drums. It is still impossible for me to understand what kind of drugs Syd Barret used to create this sound. I don't know where this footage was made but for the best version I could find in the web,