Syd Barrett - Opel

 

Of course, I've been a Syd fan ever since I first heard Piper At the Gates of Dawn, and, later on, found his two solo LPs and his comp with some previously unreleased items on it (damn, I guess I have not reviewed any of those - I will have to rectify that when time permits).  But, when I heard about this record with more unreleased numbers, I had to pick it up, as well, especially after just reading his biography. 

While a few of the numbers here are new to listeners, most are different versions of Syd's psyched-out/ childish/ wonderfully whimsical musical tales. Often just Syd and his guitar, the purest form of his acid-drenched vision, while occasionally there are other musicians doing their best to pull everything together in a cohesive form. "Lanky (Part One)" and "Clowns and Juglers" (later titled "Octopus") are highly successful group offerings, sounding considerably like they could have been included on Piper while "It Is Obvious (take 3)" is a solo take with Syd going back to his roots and "borrowing" from the blues standard "I'm a Man" and "It Is Obvious  (Take 5)" is acapella and bears no similarity at all to take 3! 

Fans of other reality-challenged musicians like Jad Fair, Jonathan Richman and others will certainly dig this although his proper solo records, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett are probably the places to start. Fans who already have those will definitely want this one, as well!