Syd Barrett - Under Review
The fact thatSyd Barrett – Under Reviewwas released a few short months before its subject's death (in July, 2006) is the kind of poignant coincidence that may help sell a few more copies--especially in England, where the songwriter-guitarist and Pink Floyd founder's legend burns on. Others, however, may wonder how a guy who effectively disappeared from the music scene after completing just three albums (one with the band and two solo) some 35 years before his demise could inspire the kind of praise and serious analysis radiating from this unauthorized documentary. As is theUnder Reviewcustom (cf. the far more entertaining Captain Beefheart volume), the film offers a parade of journalists and other authorities holding forth on Barrett's brief career, which began with the early (1967) Pink Floyd singles "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" and disappared in a haze of mental illness, at least some of it drug-induced, after his second solo album in 1970. Fans will revel in the ancient film footage from the "videos" made for the singles and assorted other sources, and while that's certainly the main attraction, both film and audio bits are too often interrupted by some pundit elucidating the meaning of it all. Of course, if debating the merits of the studio chatter included on Side Two of theBarrettalbum makes your tea kettle whistle, then you're in the right place. But the feeling here is that a little more music and a lot less talk could have made this much more fun. Extras include a trivia quiz and profiles of the contributors; the latter list does not include the other members of Pink Floyd, but they can be found on an earlier documentary,The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story.--Sam Graham