Product: The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story
Rating: 4.0
"Have you got it yet?"
A good (if not interstellar) overview of Roger "Syd" Barrett and the early days of Pink Floyd. The DVD tells the story of Barrett's brilliant rise with the band, and his subsequent acid-fueled fall into schizophrenia.The main drawback is a maddening lack of supporting video and pictures. (Several years ago, VH1 ran a similar documentary that included a treasure trove of video, including the legendary "American Bandstand" appearance in 1967.) In fact, much of the vintage footage appears to come from the "Syd's First Trip" video, the "Arnold Layne" promotional film, and a performance of "Astronomy Domine." Besides a glimpse of the unreleased "Vegetable Man" film (with the soundtrack clearly using audio from the bootleg version) there is little of unique historical value.The interviews are the high point of the DVD, particularly the observations by Roger Waters. His comments are by turns poignant, funny, and sad, and are obviously heartfelt. The other members of the band also share their memories (although Nick Mason seems less than fond of Syd).The extras are a bit thin, incorporating expanded interviews with Waters and David Gilmour, and three acoustic performances of Barrett songs by Robyn Hitchcock and Graham Coxon. A digital collection of posters and other memorabilia is a nice touch, but (at least on my player) cannot be paused. Sadly, the extras do not include any of the promotional films or performances.Any serious Barrett or Pink Floyd fan will want to own this DVD, if only for the interviews, and the great cover art. It's also a nice introduction for anyone curious about the subject. But I will continue to hope for a more detailed and comprehensive overview of Syd Barrett and the early Floyd.