BEAUTIFUL MINT UK HARVEST ~ 1st LP SYD BARRETT - 1970 PINK FLOYD Psych Prog Folk

               
      
          SYD BARRETT

                     BARRETT

         UK - (silver/black) HARVEST - SHSP - 4007 

TOP COPY !!!

Rare & sought MINT CLEAN ALL OVER with the rough textured cover on the British Harvest label from 1970 ... the legendary Syd Barrett album ... the cat who flew the Pink Floyd upside down...

NOT sure date of this pressing, at least from 30 years ago 2nd-press on the silver/black Harvest label, has the same rough material fragile cover ... very nice, all mint...

SYD BARRETT is very famous in the world of prog for helping found space/psychadelia prog giants, PINK FLOYD, and adding his unique vocals and lyrics to their classic debut album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn". SYD BARRETT started to develop an unstable mental state and was unable to perform properly on stage or contribute much to the band any more. SYD BARRETT had to leave PINK FLOYD after contributing only one song to PINK FLOYD's second album, "A Saucerful of Secrets". This track, "Jugband Blues" was placed as the last track and served as a nice farewell and good luck song. The albums in this profile show what Syd did after his departure from PINK FLOYD.

It was reportedly some kind of mighty struggle to get Syd to make this album at all. Pink Floyd members Rick Wright & Dave Gilmour helped out and one way to record Syd was for the band to lay down a backing track, complete. Syd would add his parts over the top. This made for a more professional sounding record. The lack of new material coming from the pen of Syd Barrett was certainly a problem when it came round to this, his second solo effort - so much so, 'Effervescing Elephant' pre-dates Pink Floyd, and was one of the very first songs Syd ever wrote. That is ties up the album nicely was a nice stroke of fate. Some of the songs here sound pretty heavy and dark, although not in the way 'If Its In Me' did from 'Madcap'. 'Dominoes' displays this well. It's a glorious song and well performed, but the vocal seems to have come from some deep well of misery and pain. Organ swirls around, it also swirls around the far more cheerful feel of 'Gigolo Aunt'. 'Gigolo Aunt' is clearly the sound of the studio musicians laying down a 'professional' backing track based on a Syd idea, with Syd playing and singing over the top, after the event. 'Gigolo Aunt' has a good catchy melody. 'Barrett' does have it's share of special songs that work completely however, no matter how long it took for them to be recorded. The opening 'Baby Lemonade' arrived pretty quickly though, the version that made the finished record being the first take. The sound of Syd alone with his guitar forms a brilliantly distinctive introduction, a series of great lyrics arrive - the song is as catchy as any kind of disease you can imagine. 'Baby Lemonade' has absolutely no bad connotations, it's just a great, wonderful song, slightly wayward vocals included.

'Love Song' has a gem of a melody, Syd sounds affectionate and happy, even. It's a lovely to hear. He sounds more than a little stoned, but whatever! The glory of 'Dominoes' is followed by 'It Is Obvious' and in this case, we can hear Syd laying down his tracks first of all, with the band added later on. It sounds messy, all over the place - but still the melody shines through as Syd rambles his way through the song. He had a natural way with melody, he was fading fast but there is still something special here. 'Rats' absolutely pounds, which is even the more remarkable because Syd's contributions were taken directly from his demo version with overdubs added later. 'Maisie' sounds like it was recorded pretty much live, Syd sounds slow and stoned again, and 'Maisie' sounds like a dirge, and not an enjoyable one either. The way the track threatens constantly to collapse, followed by the very closing sung 'Maisie' is quite funny though. 'Waving My Arms In The Air' is enhanced by Piano sections and a clear and decent Barrett vocal. 'I Never Lied To You' is almost too not there to be called a song at all, for all the ideas it contains but it's brief length results in the song simply being overlooked, rather than problematic as such. A gem arrives with 'Wined And Dined', a gorgeous beautiful little melody sung with real feeling. Take 10, this one. Strange noises in the background and organ parts which sound redundant still can't take away from the beauty of the song. 'Wolfpack' seems to be a half-hearted attempt at psychedelia, and never really holds together despite some more than interesting vocal and guitar sounds. The childs-song of 'Effervescing Elephant' closes proceedings - so daft in nature and childlike - it was written originally when Syd still WAS a child. 'Barrett' sums up the life and times of the wonderous Syd Barrett, for he never really recorded again.

                               Baby Lemonade (4:07)
                                Love Song (3:02)
                                 Dominoes (4:02)
                              It Is Obvious (2:55)
                                  Rats (2:57)
                                 Maisie (2:46)
                              Gigolo Aunt (5:42)
                    Waving My Arms In The Air (2:09)
                        I Never Lied To You (1:46)
                          Wined And Dined (2:54)
                             Wolfpack (3:41)
                      Effervescing Elephant (1:52)

CONDITION: The cover has a grainy texture and all clean M- no problems anywhere = nothing to keep it from being grabbed up into any collection. The fragile UK cover has been well kept over the years retaining vibrant colors and crisp structure...no bends, no writing and no split seams

The vinyl is very clean and glossy over both sides, M- looks and plays really clean, a guaranteed TOP copy and has clean Harvest labels

 


      A GREAT ADDITION  TO ANYONE'S COLLECTIBLES!