The death in 2006 of Roger Barrett – the “Syd” persona would appear, sadly, to have been a fleeting dream and/or nightmare – has if anything accelerated the momentum of his myth. An Introduction tactfully steers us back to the source and accords respect where respect is due for Pink Floyd’s spectral absentee figurehead.
Drawing tracks from Barrett’s two solo albums in addition to several unimpeachable Mk I Floyd touchstones – Arnold and Emily, naturally, as well as Apples & Oranges and three tracks from The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn – this compilation’s chief purchasing incentive is the subtly airy remixing of five tracks courtesy of Andy Jackson and Damon Iddins, overseen by David Gilmour. Octopus accordingly gains a false start, Here I Go now sports a tastefully minimal bassline from Gilmour, and Matilda Mother – the formative, Hilaire Belloc-derived version – ambles to a loosely busked full stop, as opposed to The Piper’s ethereal fade-out.
So far, so wonderful. The question is: will those striking, illuminating early Floyd obscurities Scream Thy Last Scream and Vegetable Man ever be officially released? The protective cordon which the Floyd have thrown around Barrett’s legacy is touching and commendable; but there are far more disturbing songs in Syd’s slender canon, surely…
