Syd Barrett - Music on Google Play Syd Barrett About the artist Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett was an English musician, composer, singer-songwriter, and painter. Best known as a founder member of the band Pink Floyd, Barrett was the lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter in its early years and is credited with naming the band. Barrett was excluded from Pink Floyd in April 1968 after David Gilmour took over as their new guitarist, and was briefly hospitalised amid speculation of mental illness. Barrett was musically active for less than ten years. With Pink Floyd, he recorded four singles, their debut album, and several unreleased songs. Barrett began his solo career in 1969 with the single "Octopus" from his first solo album, The Madcap Laughs. The album was recorded over the course of a year with five different producers. Nearly two months after Madcap was released, Barrett began working on his second and final album, Barrett, produced by Gilmour and featuring contributions from Richard Wright. Two years later, he left the music industry, retired from public life and strictly guarded his own privacy until his death in 2006.

In 1988, an album of unreleased tracks and outtakes, Opel, was released by EMI with Barrett's approval. 1 $9.49 Barrett is the second and final studio album of new material released by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett. Recording began at Abbey Road Studios on 26 February 1970, and lasted for 15 session... 1 1 $9.49 The Madcap Laughs is the debut solo album by the English singer-songwriter Syd Barrett. It was recorded after Barrett had left Pink Floyd in April 1968. The album had a chequered recording history,... 1 1 $9.49 Opel is a 1988 album compiled from recordings made by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett between 1968 and 1970. The album is a compilation of unreleased material and alternate takes of recordin... 1 Pink Floyd 0 Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic ex...

0 Richard Wright 0 Richard William "Rick" Wright was an English musician, composer, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member, keyboardist and vocalist of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, performing on all... 0 Roger Waters 0 George Roger Waters is an English singer, songwriter, bassist, and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd with drummer Nick Mason, keyboardist Rick Wright and guitari... 0 The Velvet Underground 0 The Velvet Underground was an American rock band from New York City, active between 1964 and 1973. Formed by singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison,... 0 Captain Beefheart 0 Don Van Vliet was an American singer, songwriter, musician and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called the... 0 Nick Mason 0 Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English musician and composer, best known as the drummer of progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Mason was the only Pink Floyd member to be featured on every one ...

0 Love 0 Love is a Japanese pop/R&B vocal duo, produced by Hiro of Exile's production agency, LDH. They debuted in 2009 with the single "First Love: Love Letter." Their song "Tada Hitotsu no Negai Sae" was ... 0 Gong 0 Gong is an international psychedelic rock band known for incorporating elements of jazz and space rock into its musical style. The group was formed in Paris in 1967 by Australian musician Daevid Al... 0 Kaleidoscope 0 Kaleidoscope was an American psychedelic folk and ethnic band who recorded 4 albums and several singles for Epic Records between 1966 and 1970. The band membership included David Lindley, who later... 0 Soft Machine 0 Soft Machine are an English rock and jazz fusion band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene. Tho... 0 Amon Düül II 0 Amon Düül II is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the founders of the Krautrock scene and a seminal influence on its development.

0 Kevin Ayers 0 Kevin Ayers was an English singer-songwriter and a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement. Ayers was a founding member of the pioneering psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mi... 0 Nico 0 Nico was a German singer-songwriter, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress who became famous as a Warhol superstar in the 1960s. She is known for her vocals on the Velvet Undergr... 0 Musician Syd Barrett Dies at Age 60 : NPR Musician Syd Barrett Dies at Age 60 Embed Embed Musician Syd Barrett Dies at Age 60 Musician Syd Barrett Dies at Age 60 Embed Embed Syd Barrett (front) co-founded the seminal psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd with Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright (left to right). Keystone Features/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Keystone Features/Getty Images Syd Barrett (front) co-founded the seminal psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd with Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright (left to right). Keystone Features/Getty Images Syd Barrett, once the primary songwriter for Pink Floyd — and the man said to have invented the band's name — has died.

According to the group's spokesperson, Barrett died several days ago of undisclosed causes. Barrett had suffered from diabetes for a number of years. At 60 years old, the musician had become a recluse in his hometown of Cambridge, England. Despite his brief career — he was with Pink Floyd for less than three years and released two solo albums — Syd Barrett was a primary catalyst for British psychedelic rock. Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett dies - TODAY.com Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett dies 2006-07-11T13:55:17.000Z comment () Syd Barrett, the troubled Pink Floyd co-founder who spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, the band said Tuesday. He was 60. A spokeswoman for the band said Barrett died several days ago, but she did not disclose the cause of death. Barrett had suffered from diabetes for years.

The surviving members of Pink Floyd — David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright — said they were “very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett’s death.” “Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire,” they said in a statement. Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with Waters, Mason and Wright, and wrote many of the band’s early songs. The group’s jazz-infused rock and drug-laced, multimedia “happenings” made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene. The 1967 album “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” — largely written by Barrett, who also played guitar — was a commercial and critical hit. But Barrett suffered from mental instability, exacerbated by his use of LSD. His behavior grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968 — five years before the release of Pink Floyd’s most popular album, “Dark Side of the Moon” — to be replaced by Gilmour. Barrett released two solo albums — “The Madcap Laughs” and “Barrett” — but soon withdrew from the music business altogether.

An album of previously unreleased material, “Opel,” was issued in 1988. He reverted to his real name, Roger Barrett, and spent much of the rest of his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England. Moving into his mother’s suburban house, he passed the time painting and tending the garden. His former bandmates made sure Barrett continued to receive royalties from his work with Pink Floyd. He was a familiar figure to neighbors, often seen cycling or walking to the corner store, but rarely spoke to the fans and journalists who sought him out over the years. Despite his brief career, Barrett’s fragile, wistful songs influenced many musicians including David Bowie — who covered the Barrett track “See Emily Play.” Bowie said in a statement posted on his Web site that Barrett had been a “major inspiration.” “His impact on my thinking was enormous,” Bowie write. “A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed.” The other members of Pink Floyd recorded the album “Wish You Were Here” as a tribute to their troubled bandmate.

It contained the song “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” — “Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.” The band also dwelt on themes of mental illness on the albums “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall.” The band spokeswoman said a small, private funeral would be held. Syd Barrett - Rock 'N Roll Case Study They suit him fine-on the wall-hung a tall mirror Distorted view-see through baby blueï¿½ Dave Gilmour would later reference this song and ï¿½See Emily Playï¿½ and say that Syd ï¿½could have beat Ray Davies (of The Kinks) at his own game-had he stayed on he would have been second only to Dylanï¿½. The second single ï¿½See Emily Playï¿½ was released on June 16, 1967 and was also a UK smash. This song was based on a 16 year old school girl who frequented Floyd shows but was made fun of by the older crowd (ï¿½Emily tries but misunderstands.ï¿½).

Suddenly Pink Floyd was a pop sensation, even appearing on ï¿½Top Of The Popsï¿½. Syd became the focal point of the group, and he was struggling to keep everything under control. Acid was obviously not helping the situation. The ï¿½Summer Of Loveï¿½ was in full force in England and while The Beatles were recording ï¿½Sgt Pepperï¿½ down the hall at EMI, Pink Floyd was recording ï¿½The Piper At The Gates Of Dawnï¿½. (They did meet by the way, with Paul McCartney being particularly interested in the groupï¿½s sound.) Produced by Norman Smith, the album veered from long jams on a few tracks to whimsical pop tunes on the others. Sydï¿½s contribution to the albumï¿½s success was immeasurable. He wrote all the songs except one and created a sonic landscape of guitar effects using wah-wah, distortion and other strange methods (such as playing with a ruler) to create effects. The combination worked extremely well and this release is seen as a classic today.

ï¿½Matilda Motherï¿½ talks about an ancient king, ï¿½Flamingï¿½ discusses unicorns and ï¿½The Gnomeï¿½ is you guessed it-about a gnome! True psychedelic whimsy at itï¿½s finest. But probably the best song on ï¿½Piperï¿½ is ï¿½Bikeï¿½. While showing off Sydï¿½s song writing capabilities, it also shows him already fraying at the edges. ï¿½Iï¿½ve got a bike-you can ride it if you like Itï¿½s got a basket ,a bell that rings and things to Make it look good Iï¿½d give it to you if I could but I borrowed it Youï¿½re the kind of girl that fits in with my world. Iï¿½ll give you anything, everything if you want thingsï¿½ The end of the song portrays the singer slowly slipping into madness, with clocks and chimes going off haphazardly. (Pink Floyd would later rehash Sydï¿½s idea on the song ï¿½Timeï¿½).

ï¿½Piperï¿½ is one of Sydï¿½s finest moments, and I think it is his best in a band setting. Right: A brief 5-man Pink Floyd just before Syd left the band Although ï¿½Piperï¿½ was well received in both the UK and abroad, the pressure was still on Syd to produce the next big single. But when ï¿½Apples and Orangesï¿½ was released on Nov 17, 1967 it tanked. Syd said he ï¿½couldnï¿½t care lessï¿½ but this was probably not the case. An American tour for Floyd had begun, and Syd was starting to crack under the strain. The band was growing frustrated and some within their circle had started to question if Syd would still be able to function in the group at all. Some TV appearances in the US were so awful that the band agreed that something had to be done. ï¿½Dick Clarkï¿½s Bandstandï¿½ required a mime job and ï¿½Syd Wasnï¿½t into moving his lips that dayï¿½.

ï¿½The Pat Boone Showï¿½ was even worse. Syd refused to answer any of the hostï¿½s questions, just staring into space instead. Nevertheless, work began on the second album-ï¿½A Saucerful Of Secretsï¿½. Syd was simply not up to the task. Only one song written by Barrett made it onto the album-ï¿½Jugband Bluesï¿½. ï¿½Jugbandï¿½ is very spooky, only because it documents the singer basically having a nervous breakdown in front of you. Itï¿½s awfully considerate of you to think of me here. And Iï¿½m most obliged to you for making it Clear that Iï¿½m not here. And Iï¿½m wondering who could be writing this song. Two other Barrett tracks-ï¿½Vegetable Manï¿½ and ï¿½Scream Thy Last Screamï¿½ were considered ï¿½too darkï¿½ by Roger Waters and were kept off the album and remain unreleased. ï¿½Secretsï¿½ was released on June 29, 1968.

Sydï¿½s old friend Dave Gilmour was brought in as a fifth member and to back up Syd on gigs that he could not cut it for whatever reasons (mostly drugs like Mandrax). After about 5 weeks as a five-piece, Floyd just stopped picking Syd up on the way to gigs. It was very painful for all the band members, but in many ways it was necessary for the bandï¿½s career. Pink Floyd would then go onto to critical and commercial success without Syd. The shadow of Syd Barrett would continue to haunt them throughout their career, but would also lead to sorrowful inspiration. Dave Gilmour admitted that albums like ï¿½Ummagummaï¿½ and ï¿½Meddleï¿½ ï¿½lacked focusï¿½. But ï¿½Dark Side of The Moonï¿½ and ï¿½Wish You Were Hereï¿½ was more cohesive and discussed ï¿½Sydï¿½ related themes. Two songs-ï¿½Shine On You Crazy Diamondï¿½ and ï¿½Wish You Were Hereï¿½ were about Syd.

In 1975, after not having any contact with the band for 6 years, Syd showed up unannounced at the studios, a toothbrush in his mouth, ready to play guitar on the album. Rick Wright at first did not even recognize him. Syd looked drastically different. He was bald, overweight, and generally disoriented. When Roger Waters played ï¿½Shine Onï¿½ for Syd, his only comment was ï¿½sounds kind of oldï¿½. Dave Gilmour manages Sydï¿½s recordings now as Rick noted in a1996 interview-ï¿½We donï¿½t see him, because apparently if heï¿½s ever reminded of Pink Floyd and when he was in it, he goes into a depression for weeks on end. His mother asked us years ago to stay away.ï¿½ The band still wonders if they could have handled anything differently but I believe they did the best they could, trying to put up with Sydï¿½s fragile mindset for as long as possible. Right: Syd in the '70s But what road did Syd travel after leaving the band?

He first retreated from the whole chaotic London scene, moving back to Cambridge. He lived in his motherï¿½s basement, surrounded by his artwork and his guitars. Floydï¿½s managers had jumped ship, thinking Floyd could not go on without Syd, and stuck with Syd instead. After about a yearï¿½s time he contacted Peter Jenner about recording again. These sessions, first produced by Malcolm Jones, then with Gilmour and Waters taking over, produced Sydï¿½s first solo album-ï¿½The Madcap Laughsï¿½. Although some might say this release is a rambling mess, hampered by false starts, fumbled notes, and off-key vocals, others consider this his finest work. This is a mostly acoustic album, as it had become too difficult for other musicians to keep up with Sydï¿½s irregular timing. Stand-out tracks include ï¿½Terrapinï¿½, ï¿½Late At Nightï¿½ and ï¿½Dark Globe (Wouldnï¿½t You Miss me)ï¿½. Waters considers ï¿½Globeï¿½ to be Sydï¿½s best song.

ï¿½My head kissed the ground I was half the way down Please lift e hand/Iï¿½m only a person With Eskimo chain I tattooed My brain all the way-wouldnï¿½t you miss me Oh, wouldnï¿½t you miss me at all?ï¿½ ï¿½Mapcapï¿½ was released on January 3, 1970 with the cover photo taken by Mick Rock, at Sydï¿½s request. Mick also conducted an interview with Syd at his house that came out in 1971. Although Syd was no longer taking acid, he was not quite back to normal. ï¿½But you know man, I am totally together- I even think I should be.ï¿½ Uh-OK. A month after this interview, the self-imposed isolation got to Syd. He put his head through the basement ceiling, requiring a trip to the hospital. Sydï¿½s second solo album, called ï¿½Barrettï¿½ was quickly recorded and released on Sept. 14, 1970. Gilmour and Rick Wright produced, some might say over-produced.

The backing tracks were much more elaborate than ï¿½Mapcapsï¿½, probably due to Wrightï¿½s influence. But tracks such as ï¿½Baby Lemonadeï¿½ and ï¿½Dominoesï¿½ were still able to cut through the clutter. Syd did play live a few times in 1970, mostly with Gilmour on bass guitar. He also briefly teamed up with a band called Stars featuring a drummer named Twink from The Pink Fairies (donï¿½t ask!). But after a bad review of an opening gig for the MC5, Syd disappeared again. Syd has spent most of his time since then out of the spotlight. He doesnï¿½t do interviews, and lives alone in a modest house in Cambridge, supporting himself off royalties. After his mother Winifred died in 1991, his condition worsened. He is partially blind now, after complications from diabetes. There is little chance that he will ever record again. It seems that all Syd wants now is to be left alone. Most fans have respected his wishes, but some have not.

Gilmour was furious when a band called TV Personalities gave directions to Sydï¿½s house during a show in the early 1990ï¿½s. Recent pictures of Syd, snapped on the fly when he did leave his house, show a tired old man-looking like he does not want to be photographed at all! Demand for Sydï¿½s music has not slowed down over the years. Dave Gilmour (who manages Sydï¿½s recorded output), has chosen to release bits and pieces. But on Oct. 17, 1988, Syd fans were rewarded with ï¿½Opelï¿½, which is basically a collection of outtakes from the 1st two solo albums. Previously unreleased songs like the title track and ï¿½Dolly Rockerï¿½ are pop gems that do not disappoint. ï¿½Dollyï¿½ has one of Sydï¿½s great lines-ï¿½Sheï¿½s as cute as a squirrelï¿½s nutï¿½!

The version of ï¿½Dark Globeï¿½ here is actually more enjoyable, featuring a less forced vocal than the ï¿½Mapcapsï¿½ take. But not every track is this engaging. The two versions of ï¿½Golden Hairï¿½ are meandering and redundant. But overall this is a worthwhile addition to the Syd canon. April 2001 saw a new collection entitled ï¿½Wouldnï¿½t You Miss Me..The Best ofï¿½ hit the shelves. Consisting mostly of previously released material, it does feature one ï¿½newï¿½ song called ï¿½Bob Dylan Bluesï¿½. Written before his Floyd days, this acoustic song paints a picture of a remarkably lucid and playful Syd. Over a precise percussive strumming, itï¿½s in stark contrast to some of the off-kilter tracks that surfaced on ï¿½Mapcapsï¿½. If this is the last tune we get from Syd, Gilmour may have saved the best for last.

Got the Bob Dylan Blues And the Bob Dylan shoes And my clothes and my hairï¿½s in a mess But you know I just couldnï¿½t care less Cause Iï¿½m a poet Donï¿½t ya know it And the wind-you can blow it Cause Iï¿½m Mr. Dylan the king And Iï¿½m as free as a bird on a wing Right: Syd today Sydï¿½s influence on other artists continues to be strong to this day. Of course there was the inevitable tribute album in the early 1990ï¿½s ï¿½Beyond The Wildwoodï¿½. It was mainly a collection of lesser known bands covering Barrett songs. But many other artists have covered Syd as well. David Bowie covered ï¿½See Emily Playï¿½ on his covers album (ï¿½Pinupsï¿½) in 1978. The Jesus and Mary Chain and Robyn Hitchcock (with The Soft Boys) both tackled the unreleased ï¿½Vegetable Manï¿½. Love & Rockets and The Lightning Seeds took a stab at ï¿½Lucifer Samï¿½.

The Smashing Pumpkins did a respectable cover of ï¿½Terrapinï¿½. Glimpses of Syd still come through to the real world now and again. Photographer Mick Rock just released a book of photos of Syd entitled ï¿½Psychedelic Renegadesï¿½. 320 of the prints were actually signed by Syd himself. But if you are ever traveling in England, please respect Sydï¿½s privacy-donï¿½t try to look him up. Last year someone snapped a picture of Syd and tried to ask him what he thought of ï¿½Wouldnï¿½t You Miss Meï¿½. His curt response was ï¿½I think you had better leave it. I donï¿½t do that anymore.ï¿½ Syd fans should be content that for a few brief shining moments, he allowed us to peek into his special world. Whatever the reasons that pushed Syd out of realityï¿½s edges (drugs, peer pressures, psychological problems), all of us are lucky to be able to re-live his creative genius by listening to the music he left us. Shine on you crazy diamond, indeed.

We do miss you Syd! (I would like to acknowledge and thank the author of , Steven Schneider for providing valuable background information). Selected Syd discography: Making tracks: Visiting England's semi-secret rock shrines | Music | The Guardian Close The Quadrophenia alley, Brighton There was a time when sociologists liked to talk about "subcultures" among the young; when tribes ruled the streets and the content of your wardrobe might get you beaten up or worse; when hairdos really could kill. In 1964, the flash point was the mods v rockers, the one group in sharp suits and parkas, riding scooters and listening to Jamaican music or bands such as the Who and the Small Faces, the other devoted to rock'n'roll, motorbikes, leather, greasy hair. The Who's Pete Townshend was still a teenager that year, when the biggest conflagration between the two kicked off in Brighton, and nearly a decade later he wrote a narrative album about it. Then in 1979, the record became a film. The Japanese title translates as "The Pain of Living".

Quadrophenia follows the lead-up to the "Battle of Brighton", then the battle itself, which involved a reported 3,000 combatants rampaging through the town and spilling on to the beach. A pivotal scene occurs as the mods flee police, with the angry young Jimmy (played by Phil Daniels) and his girlfriend Steph (a baby-faced Leslie Ash) cutting into a narrow alley off East Street, where they open a door on to a yard and, high on adrenaline, have sex, before resuming their flight. The unmarked alleyway looks just as it did then: slimy and streaked with damp, redolent of the seedy area of which it was once a part. All the same, hundreds visit every year, scrawling messages such as "Incrowd S.C. North London", "555 Liverpool Thrash" and "Sascha Schafke Blizzard Mod Hamburg". The most prominent reads: "Why do you keep painting the wall!! We will always be back" followed by the circle-and-arrow mod symbol. In itself, the place is nothing, and would be disappointing but for the intensity of attention it attracts.

The doorway now backs on to Momma Cherri's Big House, a soul-food restaurant. James Dawson, collared while taking out the rubbish, admits he's been startled by flashbulbs when doing likewise at one or two in the morning. He's only 22, but has seen the film and likes it, agreeing that "the things it's about" - specifically, the teen search for identity and belonging - are "still relevant". I wonder whether he feels nostalgia for the tribes, but he says, "No. I think we're lucky not to have those things. Maybe our concerns are a bit broader now, because the world seems smaller. To be fighting among ourselves is unnecessary." As the walls of "Quadrophenia Alley" prove, many who experienced that intense sense of affiliation do feel nostalgia for it. Scooter clubs inspired by the film still abound. Darren Taylor, who co-founded the Untouchables posse in 1979, might be describing life on another planet as he recalls how, back then, "you couldn't ride scooters about without worrying about rockers and skins, and you were always getting stopped by police".

Dusty Springfield's grave, Henley-on-Thames Some of the locals have been eyeing us warily and I suppose I don't blame them because we must make an odd sight: a dozen mostly middle-aged women and me, with accents ranging from English to Australian, Canadian and American, gathered around a table at 11 in the morning, drinking pints and talking loudly about a singer who made a string of great records in the 1960s, but not much thereafter, and died eight years ago. Dusty Springfield was the darling of the Beat Boom, the finest soul singer this country produced. I knew she was popular, but had no idea that she could inspire the devotion on show here. Yet here we are. Every year, fans from around the world gather to celebrate Dusty Day on the Sunday nearest to her birthday. They watch films of her performing, devour tributes from people who knew her and dance as musicians reproduce her songs. This year's event took place yesterday in London, rather than at the more customary location near her grave in Henley-on-Thames, but today - Monday, Springfield's birthday - a group of devotees have come to Henley to pay their respects in person.

Tere, Jane, Nicky, Pearl, Jen, Trudy et al explain that Springfield was "different" and sang "straight from the soul" when many of her peers were just "going through the motions". Some were fans at the time but, to my surprise, others weren't. Tere, a genial American, got involved with the ever- growing "Dusty community" only a few years ago, via the web. Eventually, we make our way to the grave, on a prominent plot in the ancient grounds of St Mary's church. There we meet Betty Taylor, who lives in a rent-controlled cottage fronting the churchyard and looks after the headstones. Springfield's life was often as troubled as the lyrics she interpreted, and Betty recalls her "sitting alone for hours" in St Mary's. "Half of Henley turned out for the funeral," she says. "It was amazing. Many hadn't even known she lived here until she died." I might have imagined Springfield's travail to be the source of her attraction, were it not for the simple fact that most of the women here are lesbians, like Springfield herself.

In life, the English diva created some incomparable records, but in death she provides a link for a community scattered across the world. The Smiths and Salford Lads Club The centre of Manchester hums with life, but as you head out to Salford, there's a dramatic change in the cityscape, as streets narrow, houses shrink, boards start to appear over windows. Suddenly people seem to be walking with less purpose and holding eye contact for longer. As far as I can tell, Morrissey came to Salford Lads Club only once, to conduct a photo shoot for the classic Smiths' album The Queen Is Dead. The club was built by philanthropists in 1903 to help cater for an influx of youth attending construction of the Salford Docks. At the time, the area boasted the densest housing in the country, with one street alone claimed to have contained more than 300 children. It is said that the folk singer Ewan MacColl wrote Dirty Old Town with this place in mind. The Lads Club is one of the few original buildings in the vicinity.

Coronation Street runs down one side and the opening sequence from the eponymous TV soap was reputedly filmed in the surrounding streets, while next door, a derelict church - the other original building - sports a sign reading WARNING: DANGEROUS BUILDING, which Morrissey would surely have adored. Beyond that, a community cafe offers "egg bread" at 50p a round and, to the front, St Ignatius Walk contains two rows of tidy houses with well-kept gardens, even if the four nearest to the club are derelict, their windows and doors gagged by plywood. Carol, who runs the weather-beaten general store opposite, frowns as she says, "It used to be all stone buildings around here, but they knocked them down. It's all new." Asked whether she's aware of the Smiths, she offers a shrug and a phrase I will hear from just about every local I ask: "Oh yeah, but I'm not that bothered about them myself." Leslie Holmes, who moved into the area from outside and now helps run the centre on a voluntary basis, reports that the stream of visiting Smiths fans is constant.

He claims there have been 1,500 so far this year, and that the last time "Moz" played GMex, 600 turned up in two days, and that the building has also become a point of pilgrimage for other bands appearing in the city. Recent months have seen no fewer than seven such visits. The interior is remarkable, all original, with a room devoted to pictures and Post-It notes left by Smiths fans, saying such things as, "The Smiths saved my life" - which has a nice symmetry, because their devotion to a cause most locals view with indifference may well help to extend the life of this building and the good work done in it. That sound you hear is the sound of several Englands colliding. The Marc Bolan tree, Barnes The driver asks why I'm getting out in the middle of nowhere, at the leafy entrance to Barnes Common, near Putney, and his face lights up when I tell him. He hadn't recognised the name of the road, Queen's Ride, but now orders me back in the cab and begins a running commentary on the last moments of Marc Bolan in September 1977.

"It's a dangerous piece of road," he concludes, "which is why they've put these new railings in. On his birthday, hundreds of people come ..." Bolan's Mini was being driven by his girlfriend Gloria Jones when it slammed into a sycamore tree on the far side of a steeply humped bridge across railway tracks. His career as a major rock star looked to be over at that stage, yet the tree has been treated as a shrine by T-Rex fans ever since. Not everyone saw things the same way: in the early years, renegade fan groups plotted to chop it down, and it almost died as a consequence of the collision, not to mention from more reverential devotees stripping bits of bark to keep as souvenirs. Later, erosion caused by people climbing the bank beside the tree exposed its roots, and neighbours wanted it gone. It was not to be. Bolan peaked for no more than a couple of years, but few rock stars have ever inspired a more ardent set of followers. Now the T-Rex Action Group, or Tag, lease the site from Network Rail and tend it lovingly.

There are sturdy wooden steps leading up the bank, at the top of which sits a bust of the singer, some noticeboards, trinkets left by pilgrims and plaques commemorating other members of the band who have passed away. It's a peaceful place; the council approves of it now and neighbours no longer object - though they won't look you in the eye as they stride past on their way home from work, doubtless afraid of the obsessional light they might see there as you sit under the tree. Why are people still so devoted to Marc Bolan almost 30 years after his death? According to producer Tony Visconti, Bolan was the most natural star he ever saw, a vessel waiting to be filled, into which myriad needs and longings could be safely poured.

Fee Warner, who runs Tag and first visited the tree eight days after the crash (and for whom its tending is an exercise in forgiveness), acknowledges this when she says, "Like a lot of people, I had a not-ideal teen age, and for me Marc Bolan was a kind of emotional crutch." Which is something others might scorn, except for the fact that it was an effective crutch, because she is happy now, and although her husband is a little flummoxed by her ardour, he has learned to live with it. In fact, he built the steps under the tree. Denmark Street, London "As soon as anyone mentions music or bands or guitars, it's Denmark Street straight away," says Stuart Walsh as he tapes a "Musicians Wanted" notice to a wall, precisely as aspiring stars did when the Stones were recording their first album here in 1964. Denmark Street thrums with tales from pop's golden age. Running between Charing Cross Road and St Giles High Street, it dates back to the early 18th century and the terrace shops on either side were the only ones left standing in the slum clearance of the early 19th century.

It has been a haunt for musicians ever since. These days it is mostly home to guitar stores, but in the 1950s and 60s it was Britain's Tin Pan Alley, where songwriters and publishers set up shop - and if you're lucky enough to find an old-timer like Dave Wilkinson, he'll tell you how he and his mates could compose a tune in one of the basement studios, then cross the road and flog it for a fiver. Girls screamed outside while the Stones worked at Regent Sounds Studios (a guitar shop now, but retaining its original signage) and Elton John's first hit, Your Song, was written here. Everyone from Donovan to Hendrix made their first recording in the street; Pink Floyd rocked London's first psychedelic venue, the UFO Club, and David Bowie slept in his camper van round the corner in Charing Cross Road. At the end of the 70s, manager Malcolm McLaren installed the Sex Pistols in a basement dive, asking the future Haçienda architect Ben Kelly to smarten the place up and make it habitable.

The designer recalls a sense of foreboding as he rang the doorbell for the first time, got no reply, then had drummer Paul Cook running after him in his underpants. Most venerable of Denmark Street's present tenants is Andy's Guitars, which opened in 1978 and occupies the whole of number 27. Wilkinson still works part-time at Andy's and over a coffee next door at the 12-Bar Club, he regales me with tales from the days when customers might pop into one of the instrument emporia to find Jimi Hendrix, who was ever-present then, twiddling with an amp. Wilkinson remembers the time a customer asked him to demonstrate a Gibson 335 in front of the then little-known American. "I thought, 'I'm not going to play this thing in front of Jimi'," he explains, "so I said, 'Jimi, would you mind demonstrating this for me?' Well, he started playing and the customer's jaw dropped.

The guy bought the guitar and ran!" Outside, a Parisian couple are taking photos of their 16-year-old son, a Metallica fan for whom this is mecca; and Stuart Walsh, who moved to London with his band 18 months ago, advertises for a singer and drummer. In timeless fashion, Walsh tells me that while he works as a librarian by day, "there's lots happening for us", which may be why I later find myself giving his number to Caroline, an Italian drummer looking to play "funky rock music". In the end, nothing comes of it, but I go away buoyed by the thought that while our world changes constantly, certain fundamentals remain the same. Ziggy Stardust's phone booth, London Franco Boni's restaurant in Heddon Street, just off Regent Street, central London, looks at odds with its surroundings. Heddon Street was once full of sweatshops serving Savile Row, but now it's all swanky bars and eating places with names like IceBar, the Living Room and Strawberry Moons. Next to them La Locanda, with its plain tablecloths and homely interior, looks like the relic of a bygone age.

In January 1972, Boni was standing where I find him now when David Bowie and the photographer Brian Ward wandered into the little side street in search of a cover image for the nascent star's latest album, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Eventually, the pair found what they were looking for on the steps of number 23, beneath a gaslight and a sign reading "K. WEST" - both of which are still in place and look like the trappings of a stage door, though K. West is in fact the name of a long-departed furriers. Then, in what was then a grimy alleyway to the side, they discovered a little-used phone booth and took the sleeve photo of Bowie, dressed as the space-age rocker Ziggy, standing inside, gazing imperiously back at the camera. Ziggy Stardust, an album about a rock star by a would-be rock star, went on to be one of the best-loved albums of the 1970s, and the phone booth has become a shrine. Whole websites are devoted to pictures fans have taken of themselves inside it, hundreds every year.

Boni knew Bowie to say hello to, and adored his then wife Angie ("A crazy one, but such a lovely person"), but didn't think much of the album back then. "No, you see things afterwards that you didn't at the time. Later, Japanese and American tourists would come in droves to write on the wall, and for a long time I didn't understand why. I wasn't a fan, but when the men came to paint over the wall a few years ago, I ran over and told them what it was. They just said, 'We've been told to, so that's what we're going to do.' " For a moment, he looks wistful. "You know, in those days you could actually talk to rock stars and film stars - you never saw bodyguards - they were normal people. That night you could have gone over and spoken to Bowie or been part of the shoot. It was just an ordinary day, there was only us here." Given the transient nature of restaurant and bar work in London, hardly anyone in the vicinity understands why the pilgrims come.

The solicitor at 23 invites me up to see his framed Ziggy picture disc, and his receptionist admits she took the job because of its location, having inherited Bowie-love from her father. But that's about it. At the end of the 70s, British Telecom took the phone booth away, but in the mid-90s returned it (or one very like it - the original is said to have been bought by an American fan). Covered in graffiti, it's safe now, untouchable. The Haçienda club, Manchester "Rock'n'roll is a history of small cities," declares Tony Wilson, former boss of Factory Records and the Haçienda. "Usually, those cities have two and a half years of ascendancy, then they're gone. But this place had virtually 20 years as the centre of everything - that was the miracle of Manchester." There was despair when the Haçienda closed in June 1997, a feeling that things would never be the same again.

The club had nurtured artists such as New Order and Happy Mondays, and DJs who defined an era, and the eventual arrival of bulldozers sparked a relic-collecting frenzy, as former patrons made off with bricks, signs, bits of wood - anything to remember the place by. I haven't been back since and can't believe how profoundly it has changed. Whitworth Street was rough in those days, full of old warehouses, empty industrial buildings and music venues such as the Haçienda, Boardwalk and Ritz, but now blocks of one- and two-bed flats glower down, serviced by almost as many estate agents. A few old businesses cling on, such as the City Inn pub, which looks as though it grew directly out of the soil, but for how long is anyone's guess. And here's the rub: when they knocked the Haçienda nightclub down, developers replaced it with the "Haçienda" flats. "Everyone is furious," Luke Bainbridge, editor of the listings magazine City Life, said at the time. "The old Haçienda crew and the Manchester clubbing fraternity are up in arms.

It's like the end of the 60s, when they started selling hippy wigs in Woolworths." Bizarrely, the only people I find echoing this view now are one or two estate agents who grew up in the "Madchester" years. For the most part, opposition has died down. Inside and out, the new building makes copious use of its predecessor's status and iconography, although a few short years into its life, most of the Haçienda apartments have passed into the hands of investors, who let them out to young people unable to afford purchase prices of £170,000-plus for one bedroom, £250,000-plus for two. The Haçienda's original architect, Ben Kelly, finds something "odd and surreal" in all this, but Tony Wilson, for his part, has no regrets. "In many ways, the music revolution started this regeneration," he says. "Before, no one lived in the cities and now everyone does. So the fact that the Haçienda is apartments now seems absolutely natural to me." And of course he may be right.

But I find myself asking this: when someone wants to start the next Haçienda, will there be any affordable space on which to put it? Syd Barrett and St Margaret's Square, Cambridge For years this place was a jealously guarded secret, protected by what biographer Tim Willis calls "a marvellous conspiracy of silence". But it's easy to find if you know where you're going: leave Cambridge station, turn left, then left again along Cherry Hinton Road. Keep walking for 10 minutes and you're there; St Margaret's Square and the last home of English rock's most enigmatic figure, Syd Barrett . Barrett wrote and sang most of Pink Floyd's first album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, which stands as the definitive statement of English psychedelia and profoundly influenced just about everyone who followed, from Bowie and Bolan to the Sex Pistols and Nirvana. When Tom Stoppard wanted a character to represent the crazed innocence of the 60s in his play Rock'N'Roll, he chose Barrett; musicians who weren't even born then still name bands after his songs.

The most bizarre thing about Barrett was not his brilliance nor his youthful beauty, but the fact that his career lasted only a few years - and no one knows why. Theories include an excessive intake of LSD; a pre-existing mental condition; revulsion with fame; a maverick's inability to connect with the world. His first hit singles, Arnold Layne and See Emily Play, made him a star when they were released in 1967, but by April 1968 he appeared to have lost his mind and was removed from his own band. After a couple of solo albums, he appeared on stage for the last time in 1972 and nine years later moved back here, to his mother's house in St Margaret's Square, where he wrote, painted, built furniture and spoke to almost no one for 25 years. After he died in his own bed in July last year, a frenzy attended the sale of the house, which eventually went to sealed bids. Martin Walshe, the estate agent in charge, reckons there were well over 100 viewings, many by fans hoping to catch a glimmer of the old magic.

St Margaret's Square isn't a square at all; it's a long-necked close, and the view from the top is of quintessential suburbia - forever the engine room of English rock - utterly deserted. Halfway down, the sound of traffic suddenly gives way to birdsong, and then ... there it is, hunched in a corner: small, pebbledashed, remarkably unremarkable. "Oh, we all knew Syd was there," a neighbour tells me, "but he never spoke to anyone. He kept himself to himself." He never spoke? "No, he was a recluse." The residents protected Barrett, telling zealots he lived two streets away, but still some seekers camped outside and others climbed over the back wall to steal paintbrushes. When he died, someone sprayed "Shine On" on a wall, but the council cleaned it off. In the end, I can't resist doing what countless others have done: I knock on the door. A woman answers, but she is French and knows nothing about Syd. She and her husband bought the house because they liked it.

Pink Floyd to Release New Album “The Endless River” | OPUS MAGAZINE Calendar Pink Floyd to Release New Album “The Endless River” After twenty years, Pink Floyd is set to release a new LP this October entitled “The Endless River”. Based on sessions recorded during 1994’s “The Division Bell”, “The Endless River” will comprise of new, unreleased tracks. The album was supposed to be an entirely ambient and instrumental recording before David Gilmour decided to add lyrics. Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson broke the news on twitter calling Pink Floyd’s album “Rick Wright’s swansong.” Wright, who passed away in 2008, co-founded the band with Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, and Roger Waters. Pink Floyd confirmed on July 7th that the album is indeed being primed for release. The Division Bell; Photo Credit: Pink Floyd David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright will contribute to the project which is being produced by Gilmour with Phil Manzanera, along with Youth and recording engineer Andy Jackson. Unfortunately, Roger Waters is not contributing to the album, nor does the band have plans to tour for the release.

Regardless, Pink Floyd fans will surely be clamoring for anything new from the group. Pink Floyd just recently released a 20th Anniversary edition of “The Division Bell” on June 30th, 2014. No specific release date has been given for “The Endless River”. Syd Barrett, Thom Yorke, Anouar Brahem : All Songs Considered : NPR All Songs Considered Embed Embed Syd Barrett, Thom Yorke, Anouar Brahem Syd Barrett, Thom Yorke, Anouar Brahem Embed Embed Email July 13, 200612:00 PM ET Remembering Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett; Quirky, D.I.Y. indie pop from Boat; The stark duality of Canada's Arctic; New music from Radiohead's Thom Yorke; Singer-songwriter Mason Jennings; Gentle new folk from Nick Castro; New Arabic music from Anouar Brahem. Download this show in the All Songs Considered podcast . Sign up for the All Songs Considered newsletter and we'll tell you when new music features are available on the site.

Syd Barrett, Thom Yorke, Anouar Brahem See Emily Play Embed Embed <iframe src="" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> See Emily Play from Echoes by Pink Floyd Syd Barrett co-founded the now legendary psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd in 1965 and gave the band its enigmatic name. Though he left Pink Floyd before reaching major stardom, he wrote most of the group's earliest and most experimental music, inspiring legions of other artists who followed. Barrett died July 7 at the age of 60. The track featured on this best-of collection was originally released as a single in 1967. close overlay Embed Embed Roger Waters - Music on Google Play Roger Waters About the artist George Roger Waters is an English singer, songwriter, bassist, and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd with drummer Nick Mason, keyboardist Rick Wright and guitarist, singer, and songwriter Syd Barrett.

Waters initially served as the group's bassist, but following the departure of Barrett in 1968, he also became their lyricist, conceptual leader and co-lead vocalist. Pink Floyd subsequently achieved international success with the concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. By the early 1980s, they had become one of the most critically acclaimed and best-selling acts in the history of popular music; as of 2013, they have sold more than 250 million albums worldwide. Amid creative differences within the group, Waters left in 1985 and began a legal dispute with the remaining members over their intended use of the band's name and material. They settled out of court in 1987, and nearly eighteen years passed before he performed with them again. Waters' solo career has included three studio albums: The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, Radio K.A.O.S. and Amused to Death. 1 $6.99 Radio K.A.O.S. is the second studio album by British rock musician and former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters.

Released on 15 June 1987 in the United Kingdom, it was Waters' first album after his sp... 1 1 $9.49 The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking is the first solo album by Roger Waters released in 1984, the year before Waters announced his departure from Pink Floyd. The album was certified gold in the Unite... 1 David Gilmour 0 David Jon Gilmour, CBE is an English singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He joined the progressive rock band Pink Floyd as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 19... 0 Pink Floyd 0 Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic ex... 0 Richard Wright 0 Richard William "Rick" Wright was an English musician, composer, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member, keyboardist and vocalist of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, performing on all... 0 Nick Mason 0 Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English musician and composer, best known as the drummer of progressive rock group Pink Floyd.

Mason was the only Pink Floyd member to be featured on every one ... 0 0 William Wyman "Billy" Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer. He is mostly known for his time as a member of progressive rock band Yes, from 1997 to 2000, including for their albums ... 0 The Australian Pink Floyd Show 0 The Australian Pink Floyd Show, more frequently referred to as the Australian Pink Floyd, are a Pink Floyd tribute band formed in 1988 in Adelaide, South Australia. Their live shows attempt to recr... 0 Genesis 0 The story of Genesis is really the story of two bands, both wildly successful, if for totally different reasons. In the early '70s, under the leadership of a young Peter Gabriel in all his theatric... 0 Peter Gabriel 0 Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer-songwriter, musician and humanitarian activist who rose to fame as the original lead singer and flautist of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving... 0 Syd Barrett 0 Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett was an English musician, composer, singer-songwriter, and painter.

Best known as a founder member of the band Pink Floyd, Barrett was the lead singer, guitarist and princi... 0 Marillion 0 Marillion are one of the UK music scene’s best kept secrets; purveyors of soulful, powerful, and often deeply-moving music, with a long-standing reputation for blistering live shows which have earn... 0 Robert Plant 0 Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. A powerful and wide vocal range has given him a su... 0 Ozzy Osbourne, Beach Boys, Syd Barrett figure into 2011 Record Store Day promotions February 22, 2011 | 1:26 pm The musical treats for pop fans continue to roll out in conjunction with national Record Store Day on April 16, the annual event hosted by a consortium of independent record retailers to recognize merchants who still sell music from brick-and-mortar stores.

Capitol/EMI will put out a 78 rpm vinyl double disc set pairing two Beach Boys ’ high watermark recordings, “Good Vibrations” and “Heroes and Villains,” both recorded after the “Pet Sounds” album during sessions for the highly anticipated “SMiLe” album that was eventually shelved. The Record Store Day set will include commercially released versions of both songs on the first disc, and early alternate takes of both on the second. Capitol/EMI also will release a 180-gram, double-LP audiophile pressing of “An Introduction to Syd Barrett” culling tracks Barrett recorded while he was with Pink Floyd as well as solo recordings he made after departing the group he co-founded. The Barrett LP set, which contains the same selections that were released on CD and digitally last fall, will be sold at participating Record Store Day outlets. Meanwhile, event organizers announced Tuesday that they have tapped Ozzy Osbourne to be 2011’s Record Store Day Ambassador. He follows in the bootsteps of previous ambassadors Jesse Hughes from Eagles of Death Metal in 2009 and Queens of the Stone Age/Them Crooked Vultures member Josh Homme last year.

The Record Store Day website home page has details on all the special releases, and also features an atypically coherent and to-the-point video greeting from the Madman himself. Osbourne’s selection for the honorary post carries with it limited-edition vinyl releases of his “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman” solo albums. In addition to the “Good Vibrations/Heroes and Villains” vinyl news, Beach Boys founding member Al Jardine recently told an interviewer that the band’s longtime label would release some version of the “SMiLe” album this year in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the group’s formation. Others close to the group have confirmed that there have been discussions with label officials about releasing more of the “SMiLe” material than has been previously available. Many of the songs recorded for the album were subsequently released on other Beach Boys collections, but out of whatever context “SMiLe” mastermind Brian Wilson had intended. A sequence of about 30 minutes' worth of the "SMiLe" sessions was included on the 1993 "Good Vibrations" box set.

Wilson put out his own latter-day version of “SMiLe” in 2004 , which he completed, recorded and released, to considerable critical acclaim, 37 years after it was to have come out originally. He walked away from the project in 1967 after suffering a nervous breakdown amid heavy resistance from record company executives and other members of the group to the adventurous direction he was taking. --Randy Lewis

Question: Which pop group was co-founded by Syd Barrett in 1965/66?
Answer: Pink Floyd