Syd Barrett's "Bob Dylan Blues"
Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett was born on January 6, 1946. He died on July 7, 2006.
Barrett was a founding member of The Pink Floyd. He was the band's lead singer, chief songwriter, and guitarist. Their debut LP, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, is considered a psychedelic masterpiece. The 1967 album was recorded at EMI Studios at Abbey Road, London, down the hall from where the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
There is so much mythology surrounding Barrett's life that it is difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. However, it is probably safe to say that Barrett had some issues with chemical intake and erratic behavior. By early 1968, Barrett was out of Pink Floyd. He had a short solo career, before retiring from music.
According to Julian Palacios' 1998 book, Lost In The Woods, a young Syd Barrett saw Bob Dylan in London, with his girlfriend, Libby Gausden. It states that Barrett saw Dylan's first major London show in March of 1963, but there is no evidence of such a performance. It must have been either Royal Festival Hall in 1964, or one of a handful of smaller gigs between mid-December 1962 and early January 1963. Gausden is quoted as saying, " My first reaction was seeing all these people like Syd, it was almost as if each town had sent one Syd Barrett there. It was the first time I'd seen people who were like him."
After seeing Dylan, Barrett was inspired to write "Bob Dylan Blues," an affectionate lampoon of Dylan's early style.
(Capitol/Harvest)
David Gilmour was a childhood friend of Barrett's, and eventually replaced him in Pink Floyd. Gilmour had a hand in producing both of Barrett's solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Gilmour allegedly asked Barrett to record "Bob Dylan Blues" during the Barrett sessions, on February 27, 1970. It remained in Gilmour's personal possession until 2001, when it was added to the Syd Barrett solo compilation, Wouldn't You Miss Me. You can hear the song in the You Tube video above.
Here is one of the last appearances of Barrett with The Pink Floyd:
The Pink Floyd, "Jugband Blues."
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