Topic: Syd is dead!

[Bangsmith]

It has been announced that Roger(Syd) Barrett, founder of British Psychedelic/Space Rock band Pink Floyd died several days ago. The official cause of death has not been revealed yet, but diabetes is the likely cause. Syd Barrett was widely praised for his ability to compact psychedelic pieces into (almost) pop format without losing the original vision. He and Frank Zappa were the first real mainstream Progressive rock musicians to surface. While his talent for songwriting was undisputed, he began to flip his lid just as Floyd's first album was released. He was the reason for Floyd's existence, but he also left a void in the group after he was bounced from the band, a void that was not reversed until five/six years later. Hence this poll/topic.

[Pilsner Panther]

I never could stand Pink Floyd, but with a few exceptions (Zappa is one of them), I don't like 60's rock very much anyway. No surprise there, since it should be obvious to anyone who's been around this site for a while that my musical taste is firmly stuck in 1935 or thereabouts. I seem to have been born at the wrong end of the 20th century— but in any case, I find Floyd to be a major bore.

 

The appeal of most of that "psychedelic" music is beyond me; I suppose a lot of it had to do with the drugs that were in vogue during the Hippie era, but I was too young at the time to be part of that scene. Woodstock, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, etc., didn't hold much interest for six-year-olds. Regardless of age, though, I've always been your basic jazz/classical guy. For one thing, most rock is heavily vocal, but I like instrumental music better.

[JazzBill]

I enjoy all kinds of music. I like the Jazz ,Big Band,Swing stuff, ( much like Pils. ) But I also like,Pop,Rock and just about everything except Hip-Hop. I think driving a truck for 35 years might have something to do with my liking so many types of music. I don't think I would have been able to listen to one type of music, 8 hours a day for 35 years without getting  burned out on it. As the old saying goes, " Variety is the spice of life."

[Pilsner Panther]

I've never had wide-ranging tastes in music or anything else, I'm a picky type by nature. When it comes to Pink Floyd, I'll echo what Mark Twain once said about Richard Wagner: "Wagner's music is really much better than it sounds."

 

[Bangsmith]

Yeah, Pink Floyd is a bit of an acquired taste. I've listened to them all my life, but if I were just discovering them now, I probably wouldn't like them, either. My tastes(Prog Rock excepted) are quite simple musically. I like Blues, Punk Rock/Hardcore, and a handful of Prog bands such as King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator. I like variety in simplicity!! As for Floyd, I like David Gilmour's singing and guitar playing best.(until he started bashing Jagger/Richards, that is!!) I contend that if Syd hadn't tripped himself into a lunatic, he would not have had the legacy that he did, although Floyd were at their best overall when he was in the group. Gilmour was his replacement, but it took him a long time to fill Barrett's shoes. Oh, well. At least Syd did not die in the Ted Williams Tunnel!!!!!

[goofontheroof]

the style of music they played when syd was in the band was approaching its used-by date. considering the path that syd was heading down, and the changing direction of music in general, i'm glad they brought david gilmour in.