My Attempt To Be As Accurate As Possible For A Stars Fan Album Series (& Alt History Story)

For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.

Various people, including myself, that have tried to resurrect Syd Barrett’s lost band for at least an album have had to make severe liberties. While I cannot avoid those, this project attempts to be as accurate as possible. My currently unfinished other project more so embraces how absurd this “band” could become due to the nature of the recordings we have.

I was attracted to a certain story on alternatehistory.com by someone named Massacote. Seeing as Barrett had a proper output that is also distinct from Pink Floyd from 1968-1972, this project moves the band back from forming in 1972 to 1969 and ultimately dissolving in 1972. My idea was, what would the output look like if the group still formed in 1972? Thus, any material released by these members before 1972 will not be included, as it would’ve been already released mainly as solo albums. At the same time, I wanted these albums to coexist with Massacote’s project, so this could basically represent a reunion. Note: Massacote’s project does use material from the early solo albums. You can essentially pick which timeline you want this to follow from.

Most of the tracks I’m covering are essentially one person’s solo work. Still, I think there’s enough cohesion to make them interesting listens. Also, these tracks at least at the time were unloved, so you could imagine that if the band was working together at this time, they might have been pleased to have some place to gather all these little oddities. This creates the issue that it would’ve taken until 1977 to get a studio album out by them considering how little there is to work with. It is nice that a few of the cuts here do feature collaboration between Stars members, so it’s not as solo-y as it could be.

The real band’s bassist, Jack Monck, had such little presence in available recordings that Massacote replaced him with Steve Took. The purist in me feels weird about this, especially because the actual Took seemed to basically never play bass. My resolve is to retcon the story. Monck may have left before the group’s first album, but he soon rejoined as just a helper. We can also say there are various bassists on the albums. Took would stay on to service other roles. While Took was never a Star in real life, he was friends with and worked with the members, so it’s not hard to believe he would’ve been involved, especially as we’re really scraping together a presence for Syd Barrett. Maybe he’d be used in lieu of more prominent Syd? The fourth and final album in the Massacote series actually features Monck a healthy amount, so we can say before that fourth album he once again was an official member. With the three albums I did, he is still official. There are some other minor retcons.

Lastly, while the first three Massacote albums all use recordings that were on solo albums or are otherwise unusable, the fourth, Live Extracts: Six Hour Technicolor Dream, doesn’t overlap and its material was recorded and given an imagined release in 1972. Thus, we can say that it is the first album in the universe where the band started in 1972.

Here is a link to Massacote’s telling: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/rock-albums-from-alternate-timelines.369850/page-14

Without further ado:

After the Live Extracts project, everyone was excited to keep going other than Syd Barrett, who seemed tired and demoralized, especially after hearing bad reviews. Despite how uncommon they were, they caused him to be more reclusive. Long-term members Steve Took, Twink, and Jack Monck were unwilling to continue without him. Newer singer Bruce Paine was more excited to do more, especially another live album. He was voted out. Barrett was extremely awkward in the studio, but more comfortable in either informal jam sessions or live. Thus, Paine got his way. The material was not as fruitful as anyone hoped, as Barrett was unreliable. With the help of outtakes, the album was completed.

“I’m starting to understand why [Pink] Floyd fired him.” – Bruce Paine, 1972

STARS – L.A TO LONDON BOOGIE

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Sea Cruise” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
2. “Baby Lemonade” (Sounds of the Seventies)
3. “L.A To London Boogie” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
4. “Ice” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
5. “Dominoes” (Sounds of the Seventies)
6. “Nadine” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)

SIDE B

1. “The Snake” (Pink Fairies John Peel Session)
2. “Drinkin’ That Wine” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
3. “Sweet Little Angel” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
4. “Love Song” (Sounds of the Seventies)

L.A to London Boogie was released to mixed reviews. This caused Barrett to become somewhat nervous and upset that he quit the band and wouldn’t come back. Seeing as the three remaining original members were unwilling to continue without Barrett, Paine left for other groups. Twink and Took continued to work on ideas and record tracks, either for a hopeful Barrett reunion or their own duo album; they weren’t satisfied and got caught up in other bands. Every now and then, they would give another shot at things, sometimes with Monck.

In 1974, primarily after the recent hits by Pink Floyd and T. Rex, interest renewed in those bands and its members. Various artists cited Stars as an influence. Thus, Polydor sought to get the band back together to make more records. Twink and Took agreed if they could get Barrett and Monck agreed on that condition and that he could get some of his songs included, as he failed to get them out as a solo artist. After checking in on Barrett, the members agreed they should wait a little longer. When approached in late 1965, Barrett seemed reluctant, but was a little more interested after a jam session with the other members. Still, Barrett was unwilling to commit to the degree everyone hoped for. This included not writing new songs, claiming he hadn’t done so in many years.

Barrett recorded guitar for the others, often separately from them, but he did provide unfinished recordings of him with Pink Floyd, which were finished by the other Stars often without him. For this album and the next, Barrett more enthusiastically contributed his paintings to be album covers. Despite how many recordings were started years prior, Flophouse Blues was praised for how cohesive it is. Still, it was considered behind the times, despite about half the album having been written shortly before production. The then current members of Pink Floyd demanded to not be credited, as they weren’t satisfied with their original contributions. Stars agreed. It is often a point of debate which elements were by Floyd and which were redone by Stars.

STARS – FLOPHOUSE BLUES

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Flophouse Blues (In The Mountain Grill)” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)
2. “I Wanna Be Free” (The Rings)
3. “Four Letter Words” (Jack Monck – Inside The Whale)
4. “Automobile” (The Rings)
5. “Butterfly” (Pink Floyd)
6. “Leaden Day” (Jack Monck – Inside The Whale)

SIDE B

1. “Teenage Rebel” (The Rings Rehearsal Tapes)
2. “Syd’s Wine” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)
3. “Double O Bo” (Pink Floyd)
4. “I Wanna Get High” (The Rings Rehearsal Tapes)
5. “Lanky (Part One)” (Syd Barrett – Opel)
6. “Flophouse Blues (Reprise)” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)

For their next record, the band attempted to be more current, embracing more punk, while not abandoning their roots. Ironically, the lead track was “Do It ‘77”, though the album ultimately wasn’t released until 1978. While the band wanted to keep going, Barrett was so disinterested that it seemed wiser to quit while they were ahead, while still first finishing the album. Some stray guitar tracks performed by Barrett were found or recorded anew. While those demos were criticized by many, with one person calling it “Junk”, they were liked by Stars. They overdubbed it and thought it made for the perfect final chapter of the group.

STARS – VEGETABLE MEN

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Do It ‘77” (Twink And The Fairies)
2. “Lucky Charm” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)
3. “Back On The Train” (1st Version) (Jack Monck – Inside The Whale)
4. “Enter The Diamonds” (Twink And The Fairies)
5. “Vegetable Man” (2010 Mix) (Pink Floyd)
6. “Blues For Ray” (1st Version) (Jack Monck – Inside The Whale)
7. “Psychedelic Punkeroo” (Twink And The Fairies)

SIDE B

1. “Molecular Lucky Charm” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)
2. “Junk” (Syd Barrett 1974 recordings by Richard Hall)

Though Vegetable Men received mixed reviews and less than stellar commercial success, it and the band’s other albums gained massive cult followings and were considered underappreciated classics. The group spoke highly of their time, especially being pleased with it being a wakeup call they should work to get Barrett some help.

“We loved Syd. He was the soul of the band and we didn’t want to lose that. Floyd’s song about him hit us like a ton of bricks and we just knew we had to be there for him.” – Twink, 2005

LINKS

1. Lean Out Your Window (1970) – YouTube
2. Beautiful Deceiver (1971) – YouTube
3. Uncle Harry’s Last Freak Out (1972) – YouTube

Below Is All That Is Canon To The Started In 1972 Timeline

1. Live Extracts: Six Hour Technicolor Dream (1972) – YouTube
2. L.A to London Boogie (1973) – YouTube
3. Flophouse Blues (1977) – YouTube
4. Vegetable Men (1978) – YouTube

This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!

Syd Barrett 1971-1974 Stray Tracks Review

Syd Barrett with Stars in 1972

February 16th, 1971 Show for Sounds of the Seventies

The spacious guitar and vocals are beautiful. The “pleases” sound pleading. An announcer says Syd was writing lots of new songs. That appears to be false, so it’s curious where he got that information from. “Love Song” doesn’t get a chance to really take off as this version is shortened for some reason.

“Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band (‘Cambridge’ – January 27th, 1972)”

It’s hard not to love an audience clapping for Syd as he goes on stage. Musically, all you get is a little noodling, probably not even by Syd. Still, this doesn’t hurt to have.

Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band ‎- Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge Show (Only the tracks with Syd) (January 27th. 1972)

Starting “Drinkin’ That Wine” with the singer saying it’s the sort of track you listen to while going to church and getting drunk is a pretty amusing way to start this, perfectly capturing its tone of a bluesy hippie band. “Number Nine” has a great instrumental section. The singer is very soulful, most notably on “Gotta Be A Reason”. Near the end of Reason, the guitar sounds similar to the playing on “Interstellar Overdrive”.

Steve Peregrin Took Tracks, “Molecular Lucky Charm” and “Syd’s Wine”

Syd’s presence is not confirmed. The sound quality is not great, especially for the vocals. The guitar playing and noises create a really solid atmosphere and seem like something Syd would come up with. The entrancing guitar is reminiscent of “Terrapin”. Syd used a lot of tap percussion, like bongos, which Wine has. I think it’s pretty likely Syd is on these. Regardless of the vaSydity, these are interesting psychedelic folk tracks that also feel like T. Rex for obvious reasons.

The 1974 guitar recordings

The 1974 recordings do feature Syd’s proficiency and unique style. While they are obviously incomplete, they do satisfy an itch for those willing to scratch the bottom of the Syd barrel. These prove that Syd still had guitar talent in 1974. These aren’t nearly as directionless as people say. You can detect some care in the playing. These would work as guitar lines of a full song. I wonder who the bassist is. “Boogie #2” has some cool psychedelic guitar playing in the beginning. “If You Go, Don’t Be Slow #1” has particularly warm sounds, though overall there’s sadly too little going on. Most of the tracks could benefit from more to make them last the time they do, but they’re still nice to listen to and not a bad way to spend twenty minutes.

“Boogie #2 (Fragment – Bernard White ‘94 Mix)”

This is too fragmented to get much out of. It’s certainly far less listenable than the original version of this song. The mix doesn’t even sound very different.

“Was That Okay”

This is just Syd saying he thinks something was okay. No music! Of course this is the best track of the lot!

The 1974 recordings with bass and drums added by Richard Hall

A fan version by a Richard Hall adds bass, drums, and minor effects, which brings this to another level, medleying many songs and amplifying the impact they need. Here you get the softer side of Syd’s playing, the jam side, the meaner side. If this album was finished and released at the time, with Syd then retiring, it might be considered a solid and appropriate send off, with him touching on his various eras, while still being extremely solid all the way through.

OVERVIEW

One of the more elusive Syd projects is Stars, a band with bassist Jack Monck and drummer John “Twink” Alder that was only around briefly in 1972. While some of their shows were recorded, none have surfaced. While I wouldn’t turn down any Syd content, these don’t interest me compared to most of his canon because they were playing songs Syd already recorded in studio with Pink Floyd or for his solo work. That is unless there were really some new songs or new sections for old songs. However, we kind of get some Stars material in the above recordings. While the 1971 stuff’s bassist is usually credited to David Gilmour, Monck has also sometimes been. It’s not impossible it really was Monck. The Took recordings probably have Twink on drums (It’s not for certain as Duncan Sanderson is also credited on drums on the compilation album which features them). The closest we get to Stars is the Boogie Band, which has a concert recording where Monck and Twink are on every track, and Syd is on some.

While these later recordings aren’t as approachable as earlier ones, they still are solid, especially in their guitar playing and offer a fascinating final musical chapter for this otherworldly person. For those interested in more artistic expression from Barrett can go to his painting and sculpting. Every bit of Syd is well worth at least a single listen/experience.

Pink Floyd 1971-1977 Stray Tracks Review

Pink Floyd 1973

Pink Floyd released the equivalent of one album a year in the years 1967, 1968, and 1970. They did the equivalent of three in 1969. They were managing similar amounts of material in the first three mentioned years as 1969, but just not releasing a lot of it, or at least not on their main albums. This changed in 1971. For starters, they started putting more time in developing what got on their albums and the albums became more acclaimed and culturally significant. Thus, you’d think that the strays would be at least very solid, especially considering how few there were. Note that a few times I had so little to say that I wrote on more than one track at once.

“Pink Blues” aka “Blues”

This is one of the more concentrated pieces, having very good interplaying. The power and energy causes “Blues” to continuously build momentum.

“Corrosion in the Pink Room”

Has some pleasant atmosphere, but is very unfocused. It features some of the band’s trademarks, creepy keyboard, stuttering cymbals designed to create a large backing, and Roger’s vocalizing. These tropes are a little too stale for the track’s good. The keys aren’t too bad, though.

“Mortality Sequence” & ““La Vallee” – Instrumental”

These are amusing enough experiments, but do feel like a joke. There’s a lot of nonsense sounds, like AI generated Pink Floyd. The section without the vocalizing on Mortality isn’t too bad.

“The Hard Way”

A pleasant and extremely incomplete experiment. “The Hard Way” has a nice groove and diversity in sound, but doesn’t go anywhere. Wouldn’t be bad on a noise album, but not so much on a Floyd one, except for one problem. Despite being so short, it’s pretty repetitive.

“On The Run (outtake)” & “The Travel Sequence”

These are fun, but once again directionless and feeling like no one knows what’s going on. They have an infectious sense of fun and rhythm, so they’re worth listening to, but were rightfully not put on an album.

“pink floyd unreleased track 1973” (4:14) aka “Flanger”

This sounds like a test. “Hey Nick, play a little so we can see if the recorder is working.” Still, a little drumming isn’t the worst thing in the world. This is like the Pink Floyd version of the Beach Boys track, “Denny’s Drums”.

“Mexico 70”

Can’t believe how many of these tracks have random noises in them. There’s some nice guitar noodling, but it goes on forever doing the same thing. It’s easy to imagine this could’ve been worked on more and included on an album. Maybe on Wish You Were Here to demonstrate Syd going mad? Faneditors, get on that.

“Wine Glasses”

This is pretty, but inessential on its own. Of course, it would be used to great effect on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” in a better form.

“You’ve Got To Be Crazy”

Roger’s vocal is really flat, sounding like a demo. Of course that can be forgiven due to this obviously being a work-in-progress not intended for release. The playing isn’t too bad, though falters in some ways. That’s something that could be fixed with more rehearsing. Lyrics like “Sometimes it seems as if I’m just being used” are way too heavy handed. The released version on Animals is very solid.

“Raving and Drooling”

This one starts with what sounds like the Doctor Who theme. This track is especially fun due to the punk-esque nature of its riffs and intensity.

“Message From The Sheep (Field Recording)”

Just some sheep baaing.

“Drift Away Blues”

This takes a little from “Pink Blues”. David gets to show off a little with his guitar playing, with a little bit of fun moments for Rick and Nick, but as previously stated it’s something that should’ve been incorporated in a more rehearsed and fleshed out album if at all. The aforementioned “Pink Blues” is better due to being short and sweet.

OVERVIEW

Despite being known for their innovation, Pink Floyd often got stuck in formulas. Fortunately, that stuff generally got unreleased around the start of the early 70s, with much better material properly getting on the albums. A super fan should listen to these tracks just for the sake of it, but a casual fan can live without what amounts to mostly live fiddling. Still, there are a few gems.

Syd Barrett 1970 Stray Tracks Review

Green Onions

February 24th, 1970 Show for Top Gear

It’s fascinating hearing the acoustic and tap percussion versions of these band or folk tracks. The “Baby Lemonade” vocal is very psychedelic and warm. “Effervescing Elephant” comes off lighter without other instruments. “Gigolo Aunt” is especially interesting because of the different instrumental ending. The guitar sound and percussion perfectly match the tone of “Terrapin”, better than the album version. The instrumental portion manages to feel more intimate. “Two Of A Kind” has all these benefits, plus it’s got no other known version. It makes you wish a whole album was done like this. This warm sound makes this the greatest set of Syd Barrett live recordings available.

“Baby Lemonade (Take 1 – February 26th, 1970)”

An effective version of the track, though not as good as the album version. The singing could be better.

“Baby Lemonade (Take 1 – Alt Mix – February 26th, 1970)”

This is better than last one, as the double-tracked vocals are replaced with single-tracked and a little ambiance. It does go on a little long.

“Maisie (Take 1 – February 26th, 1970)”

Essentially just a few seconds of guitar playing.

“Maisie (Take 2 – Alt Mix – February 26th, 1970)”

Just seems like a more rough around the edges version of the album version, almost like it’s a rehearsal. It’s only really worthwhile for those really interested in hearing these stages of development.

“Waving My Arms in the Air” and “I Never Lied to You (Both Take 1 – February 27th, 1970)”

Very haunting guitar and vocal, especially the “No one in the land, no one” part.

“Gigolo Aunt (Take 9 – February 27th, 1970)”

Clearly different guitar and vocals from on the Barrett album, here more washed out. It’s pretty fun.

“Bob Dylan Blues (February 1970)”

This shows off the playful and worldly folk artist inside Syd, with upbeat singing and plenty of enthusiasm. This was written in 1965, which explains the “youthfulness” compared to his more melancholic lyrics. His singing is beautiful.

“Birdie Hop (Take 1 – Jenner ’74 Mix – June 5th, 1970)”

Really unintentionally creepy vocal and guitar. The sound quality makes it hard to appreciate.

“Birdie Hop (Demo – June 5th, 1970)”

This sounds about the same, though in better quality.

“Rats (Take 1 – Chatter – June 5th, 1970)” and “Wined and Dined (Takes 1 and 2 – Chatter – June 5th, 1970)”

As always, these chatter recordings are not as interesting as they could be, due to being relatively monotonous. Syd calls rats his “fetish”.

“Rats (Demo – June 5th, 1970)”, “Wined and Dined (Demo – June 5th, 1970)”, and “Effervescing Elephant” (Take 2 – July 14th, 1970)”

The folk versions of band tracks are consistently enjoyable.

June 6th, 1970 Show at the Olympia Exhibition Hall, London, England

The guitar on “Terrapin” has a lot of passion, it’s a shame the vocals are hard to hear. As an instrumental, the track goes on a little too long. The guitar is also often more intense, like when it rocks out on “Gigolo Aunt”. It’s easy to imagine Floyd versions of solo Syd, with more powerful playing and improvisation. “Effervescing Elephant” is a strange choice for this show, especially as something other than the first or last song. It’s a step away from being a quick acoustic guitar number, here married to some rocking band tunes. It’s fun hearing this version of “Octopus” that can rock out, though sound quality is as always a limitation. Fortunately, it does have more audible vocals. This show is interesting for it being Floyd-ish, but it’s too difficult to hear to get much out of it.

“Milky Way (Take 5 – June 7th, 1970)”

Not one of the best unreleased tracks, though it does still have the elements that make Syd great, just not as in full effect or utilized as well as they sometimes are.

“Milky Way (Take 5 – Jenner ’74 Mix – June 7th, 1970)”

This sounds very similar production-wise, though it’s a little lower quality.

“Love Song (Take 1 – July 14th, 1970)”

There’s more quietness and shyness, making this track haunting. This is a more depressing number, especially with how the guitar bangs out notes.

“Dominoes (Take 1 – July 14th, 1970)”

Doesn’t go anywhere, essentially a flubbed take.

“Dominoes (Take 2 – July 14th, 1970)”

There is still the added “insecure vocal”, which is not best on the album, but it’s great to have it here in the bonus tracks. The “time goes by” line is a favorite part, emphasizing how sad Syd sounds. He also does the Annette Hanshaw “That’s all.”

“Dolly Rocker (Take 1 – July 14th, 1970)”

It’d be interesting to hear a band version of this, as it seems made for the insecure folk style. The lyrics are fun. Syd wakes up a little with the “ocean” line, showing the innocence in his voice.

“Let’s Split (Take 1 – July 14th, 1970)”

This is one of the weakest available Syd songs, feeling very incomplete. It has plenty of potential to be great, as it does have good elements; it’s just noticeably less polished than album tracks or tracks like “Dolly Rocker”. Fortunately there are fan versions that remove the flubs.

“It Is Obvious (Takes 2, 3, and 5 – July 17th, 1970)”

Take 3 seems designed for a band version, with a deepened voice that seems designed to shout over a drummer! Take 2 is more of a typical folk rendition. Take 5 is the most interesting, with Syd trying to have a warm vocal, as if to evoke how you’d sing to a small child. Based on his state, it’s slightly unsettling, but in a good way.

“Word Song (Take 1 – July 17th, 1970)”

Syd also seems to be going for that “for a child” voice, but not as much. Possibly unintentionally, he is mostly emotionless. The guitar fills in for parts where you’d expect singing, which makes for a cool effect.

“Word Song (Take 1 – Jenner ’74 Mix – July 21st, 1970)”

Very similar to the other version, though the guitar sounds a little different, as if made louder, possibly to try to make it a “guitar song”, instead of a “singing song”.

“In The Beechwoods – Milky Way (Mash-up)” by Doctor Robert

These two tracks fit together surprisingly well. “Milky Way” was probably the intended lyrics for Beechwoods. The more I listen, the less they seem awkward together. That being said, Syd’s 1970 folk vocal doesn’t match up perfectly, though well enough for repeat listens and for this to be my favorite version of “Milky Way”.

“Let’s Split” Edit to Remove Errors

While some of the awkward elements are still present, like the “work in progress” guitar playing, and thus this still feels like a very rough version of the song, the edits for cohesion make it a little easier to appreciate it, especially with the whistling finishing off the tune nicely.

Syd Barrett 1968-1969 Stray Tracks Review

Syd in 1969

“Silas Lang (Take 1 – May 6th, 1968)”

As is practically always the case, the guitar work is fantastic, with some particularly favorite guitar work at the beginning. The guitar playing sounds like it’s being sent from space. Later, it’s surprising for some drums and sax to break out of nowhere. The track meanders in some ways, like when Syd is basically playing the same note, but it’s overall pretty funny.

“Lanky (Part One) (Take 1 – May 14th, 1968)”

The psychedelic percussion is entrancing. This is a playful cut that doesn’t feel its length, a glorious runaround.

“Lanky (Part Two) (Take 1 – May 14th, 1968)”

Apparently this is just an excerpt of the percussion on “Rhamadam” and it feels like it. It’s a hundred seconds of nice percussion jamming, but it’s so bare bones that it seems designed to fit in a longer piece, which it probably was.

“Golden Hair (Take 1) (Three Different Ones) (“Instrumental version” from Opel comp – May 14th, 1968, Dry Mix – May 14th, 1968, and Gareth Cousins ’88 Mix – May 28th, 1968)

Not bad if you’re interested in hearing the individual elements of a song, but they fail at being their own thing, sounding like a work in progress. Listening to these different versions got progressively more and more irritating, due to the repetitiveness.

“Late Night (Instrumental) (Take 2 – May 28th, 1968)”

While this is similarly dry and incomplete, you can at least now more easily appreciate the quality guitar playing and drumming. The “Inside me I feel” part is especially good, due to how much the instruments pop.

“Golden Hair (Take 5 – June 8th, 1968)”

The more childlike and exposed vocal performance is so interesting.

“Swan Lee (Take 5 – Malcolm Jones Alt Mix – June 8th, 1968)”

The guitar playing is a lot poorer here than on the proper track.

“Swan Lee (Take 5 – Backing Track – June 20th, 1968)”

This track being more fully realized makes it quite entrancing in its own right.

“Clowns and Jugglers (Octopus) (Take 1 w/chatter – July 20th, 1968)”

Sounds very rough around the edges, with the guitars stabbing out. For that, it’s inferior to other versions.

“Clowns and Jugglers (Octopus) (Take 1 – July 20th, 1968)”

The guitar and vocals don’t blend well. Syd’s voice awkwardly transitions to and fro the “Isn’t it good to be lost in the woods?” part. 

“Clowns and Jugglers (Octopus) (Take 2 – July 20th, 1968)”

It’s great hearing this by a proficient band like Soft Machine, especially with keyboards now present. That keyboard does add a little more to the unsettling nature, banging along. The vocal seems too unrehearsed, while it is basically perfect on the proper album version. The keys added to the album version would perhaps make for the ultimate “Octopus”.

“Swan Lee (Take 5 Excerpt – April 10th, 1969)”

There’s something brilliantly creepy about this, but the guitar playing could be better.

“Opel (Take 9 Chatter – April 11th, 1969)”

A bit of nothing from a recording session.

“Opel (Take 9 – Jenner ’74 Mix and Opel version – April 11th, 1969)”

This is one of Syd’s many masterpieces. The vocals perfectly portray passion and Syd’s divorced nature from other people. The lyrics blend his poetic wordiness with the more direct representations of his emotional state beautifully. The guitar is light and ethereal, while hauntingly marching on in the back of the piece. The Jenner mix just seems like a lower sound quality version of the Opel release.

“Opel (Orchestral Backing)”

This is a fan mix that I found amusing enough to cover. This makes me wish this was in high quality, preferably with Rick Wright on piano. What we get is some beautifully sonic piano and orchestra, with the violins especially good.

“It’s No Good Trying (Take 5 – April 11th, 1969)”

An effective folk version of this magnetic cut.

“Love You (Take 1 – Jones Mix – April 11th, 1969)”

More than most other folk tracks, this feels like Syd is in the same room as you, running through a track passionately. This is by far the most electrifying and well-constructed alternate version of this classic.

“Love You (Take 1 – Opel version – April 11th, 1969)”

This doesn’t sound anything like the bootleg “Jones mix”. This one feels much more rushed. Thus, I suspect one or both aren’t actually take 1.

“Love You (Take 2 – Jones Mix – April 11th, 1969)”

This one is still enjoyable, but seems less rehearsed.

“Love You (Take 3 – April 11th, 1969)”

Syd sounds tired and depressed. The track really doesn’t seem to work when he sounds as out of it as he does here.

“Rhamadam” (2010 Mix – Possibly Recorded April 23rd, 1969)”

The jazzy bass and drums are very solid. The instruments groove extremely well together. The piece is so warm and approachable that it doesn’t feel its twenty minute length. Especially with the hi-hat, this feels jazz inspired, which recalls some of Pink Floyd’s early recordings. A motor sound showcases the experimental Syd. With the keys, it feels a little like the Residents.

“Swan Lee (Silas Lang) (Take 9 – April 11th, 1969 (Further Overdubs Added April 25th, 1969))”

A great unnerving track with more striking guitar playing and vocals.

“Clowns and Jugglers (Octopus) (Take 2 – May 3rd, 1969)”

This amusingly adds a little funk to this song.

“Octopus (Takes 1 and 2 – June 12th, 1969)”

While take one is flubbed, take two is a moody and striking folk version of the track. There’s a slightly comical vocal on the “Isn’t it good?” part, but it adds an aura of weirdness to it that is likable. We even get some new lyrics.

“Octopus (Take 11 Excerpt – Rough Mix – June 12th, 1969)”

This just sounds like the official version of the track.

“Just Before You Disappear”

Chipmunk Syd. I have a soft spot for this sped up version of Octopus. Not sure why it exists, but it’s novel.

“Golden Hair (Take 6 – June 12th, 1969)”

An initially striking version of the track that loses appeal due to the points that feel like Syd trying to learn the song.

“Long Gone (Take 2 – July 26th, 1969)”

Very good guitar playing, but rough singing.

“Dark Globe (Take 1 Choral – Jenner ’74 Echo Mix & Jones ’87 Dry Mix – July 26th, 1969)

The very fun backing vocals give a new flavor to the track. The vocals on the Jones mix are not layered together as well.

“She Took a Long Cold Look at Me (Take 4 – July 26th, 1969)”

This more youthful vocal makes for an interesting experiment, but it’s not nearly as impactful as the studio album version.

“She Took A Long Cold Look (Take 5 – Jones ’87 Dry Mix – July 26th, 1969)

Obviously a beautiful track, but it basically just is the studio album version.

“Wouldn’t You Miss Me (Dark Globe) (Take 1 – July 26th, 1969)”

This track with Syd’s cold vocal gives such a different and strong vibe that this is one of the crown jewels of alternate versions of Syd songs. The album version feels like a breakdown, while this is trying to avoid that breakdown. Still, it’s not as good as the album version.

“Religious Experience (Take 10 – OOPS Mix – December 18th, 1969)”

While Syd Barrett recorded with the Soft Machine, it was the post-Kevin Ayers line-up. Now, he’s recording with Ayers himself! Note that this is more of an Ayers track with Syd being a guest. This “take 10” version is best left to bootlegs, as it’s very difficult to hear the singing.

“Singing a Song in the Morning aka Religious Experience (Take 103 – December 18th, 1969)”

Despite how repetitive it is, this cut doesn’t get old. There’s such a warm feeling to the “loving jam session at a campfire” vibe, with more and more people joining in.

Syd Barrett – The Madcap Laughs (1970) Review

The Madcap Laughs is the first Syd Barrett solo album, though as far as I’m concerned it’s the second. Madcap is a far more sensible follow-up to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn than A Saucerful of Secrets was. Despite this, Madcap is in many ways a subversion from what you might’ve expected. Instead of getting the type of production on tracks like “Jugband Blues”, you get a much more simplistic style at times, including many pure folk tracks. At the same time, you get some band tracks. Those band tracks, while often keeping at least a toe in folk, have psychedelic elements that make them feel like Pink Floyd, with a big omission being the keyboard. “No Man’s Land”, “Here I Go”, “Late Night”, and especially “Octopus” all seem like a keyboard away from being on a hypothetical Floyd album that follows Piper. Even “Golden Hair”’s light touches make it seem like a reasonable fit. “No Good Trying” and “Love You” of course do have keys, but the different style of keyboardist Mike Ratledge is apparent.

The lyrics are often magically nonsensical, though still make their point just as strong or stronger than more straightforward ones. “Yes you’re spinning around and around in a car with electric lights flashing very fast…” This quality is especially noticeable on the love songs. “Terrapin” is sung slowly with a psychedelic entrancing guitar. “Well, oh baby, my hairs on end about you.” captures the track’s vibe well. That all being said, the song would’ve been a better side-a closer. It’s quite long. “No Good Trying” shows Syd’s still great at doing jam tracks, feeling like it could’ve been a new direction for him that combines the free and lucid Pink Floyd with a more jazz-esque group like Soft Machine. “Love You” captures the spirit of slightly manic and very hard to explain falling-into-love. It’s a lovely lighthearted romper. This ‘love for life’ style is so joyful that it’s sad Syd didn’t do it more. “No Man’s Land” is the half-way point between the last two songs, it’s got great rocking out and feels like an extension of Floyd.

“Dark Globe” overtly discusses Syd’s depression and disillusionment. Arguably we were led into this by the garble at the end of the previous track. That could be seen as the entrance into the darker Syd. Globe seems to be about Syd falling to his death and asking if he’d be missed, with a heart wrenching and angsty vocal. While the next track, “Here I Go”, is on the surface another fluffier cut, Syd’s voice is cold, like he’s trying to relive a teenage experience after feeling emotionally broken. In fact, the song was written in 1965, when he first started writing music. It ends with a great mini-jam. That’s not the most exciting way to end side-a. Side-b’s opener would’ve been a better choice.

“Octopus” is rightfully the most well known track here. Its lyrics describe a mythical fairytale land. The line, “close our eyes to the octopus ride” suggests a darker subject, that you should ignore something approaching in favor of something unbelievable. Syd’s voice then gets colder as he sings about being “lost in the woods”. The lyrics continue to take baby steps into darkness, as does the vocal, which becomes more and more strained, like it needs air. This striking metaphor for Syd creeps under the surface, with the double-tracked vocals and other effects amplifying the otherworldliness. This track is the one you should hear from this album if you only do one and is my favorite.

“Golden Hair” is another highlight, imitating the style of “spacious instrumentals” with Syd’s slow strumming and singing. The lyrics are fantastic, like a bedtime story being read to you. That being said, Syd didn’t write them. This is yet more of a look into his interest in fairy tales and poetry. There’s a sudden transition to the more simplistic “Long Gone”. As if to be an antithesis to the earlier love songs, this one is about a romance crumbling. That cold style of “just singing and guitar” goes on for four tracks. They are understandably very personal and intimidating. The nonsense lyrics now feel like they’re being sung by a man who’s really lost it. To apply a “concept” to the album, it could be about a man who has a relationship he loves, it ends, can’t accept it and lets it consume his mind, with him thinking about the good and bad times and in the case of Hair, a poem from his youth. This is represented in lines like, “You feel me away far too empty, oh so alone. I want to go home. Oh, find me inside of a nocturne – the blonde.” As he loses it more, the lyrics become more strange.

While these four songs are great, they don’t mesh so well with the others due to stylistic differences. It would’ve been nice to get a full album of mostly or all band tracks and another of mostly or all folk tracks. The studio chatter also does remove from the experience, pulling you out of the spell you’re put under. The final track, “Late Night”, is unsettling, with passionate lyrics and a sound atmosphere. The lyrics are very innocent, being about missing a girl and her kisses. The stress in his voice, lines like, “when the rooftops shone dark”, and considering what we’ve just heard make this seem like it’s about a suicide. Still, maybe you can get away with sending this to someone you’re into without the context of what’s come before, as the lyrics are very romantic.

OVERVIEW

The quiet sounds tying off the record might be considered lacking in comparison to the “bigger” “Bike” track of Piper, though it does thematically fit with what The Madcap Laughs is going for. It doesn’t want to blow you out. The biggest strength and weakness is how Syd it is. As a Syd fan, it can be a lot, though it’s still so flavorful and captivating. A non-Syd fan might not be able to appreciate it beyond a few out of context cuts, as it’s like listening to someone’s disturbed thoughts.

Pink Floyd December 1969-1970 Stray Tracks Review

“Who’s For Soccer?”

1970 yielded some fantastic songs for Pink Floyd (and especially for Syd Barrett, but that’s for another day). They have quite a lot of leftovers, possibly due to working on the Zabriskie Point movie and expecting a vinyl release that never came. Hopefully these weren’t too close to how they were supposed to sound, as much of what’s here is forgettable and ill-thought out. That would be more acceptable if these were barely getting off the ground. There’s a track like “Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up”, which actually got released and seems like just a less cohesive or well-worked version of “Careful with That Axe, Eugene”. There was already a released studio and live version. They couldn’t have put in another? 51 seems like a highlight reel of bits of Eugene. “On the Highway” is a particular favorite outtake, which wasn’t released at the time.

There are many inconsequential jams, which seem to have missed being fully realized. If recorders were more common in the early 60s-1967 version of the band, maybe we’d get stuff like this, pleasant noodling? “Alan’s Blues” is one, showcasing a more traditional rock guitar solo. As much can be said for “Just Another Twelve Bar”. “Love Scene (Version 5)” is when the noodling got more tiresome (don’t listen to these all in one sitting), with it going on with “Love Scene (Version 6)”. “Libest Spacement Monitor” and “More Blues” have some good interplay, like between the guitar and keyboard, but are inconsequential.

“Oenone” just seems like someone, probably Richard Wright, playing around with sounds for possible use of backing a song. “Love Scene (Version 4)” is a pleasant keyboard number. It might not be so bad to have on in the background. “The Violent Sequence”, aka “Us and Them (Richard Wright Demo)” is another track of that sort. While this is definitely on the right track, it feels incomplete and poorly performed, like Rick was just testing out ideas. Of course, this would later become a very nice and finished song.

“Country Song” is more finished-sounding, but like one of the throwaways from an album like More. The vocal is very weak, as if everyone’s sick of it. “Richard Are You Ready Yet?” is too low quality to make out much. It’s not even really a song, strange it’s considered one by fans. “Instrumental Improvisations 1, 2, 3” is incoherent playing and vocalizing. It might’ve been fun to be playing there, but not so much to listen to.

Some of the better tracks include “Rain in the Country”. It has a great light guitar sound, though it goes on forever, not being very interesting beyond the beginning. As much can be said for “Heart Beat, Pig Meat”. The repetitive percussion is at first very captivating, being quite unique. The rhythm and beat are reasonably sharp, though the novelty soon wears off. “Embryo (From Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air)” feels low effort, like a computer generated Pink Floyd song. It has that whisper voice, the drum tapping in the background, and things of that sort. In terms of how good it is, it’s dead average.

“Long Blues” has a good groove and doesn’t quite feel its length, but it lacks a certain spark, like a drive to keep you invested. “Fingal’s Cave” is one of the finest tracks here. It has a good otherworldly quality to it. That being said, what’s with the moaning and sex noises? They’re really uncomfortable. There’s a four minute version that’s just some atmospheric sounds and a much punchier two minute version, which is by far the best, getting to the point of this little jam. The reason this article starts in December 1969 is because I forgot to include “The Merry Xmas Song” last time. It’s very funny, like the sort of novelty track that sometimes is on 60s rock records. Nick has some joy in his voice and in general everyone seems to be having a good time. It’s hard not to love. We got a Pink Floyd Christmas song!

OVERVIEW

What is or isn’t worthwhile here is up to the individual. Personally, the Syd band did no wrong, even with their live instrumentals. He had a certain spark. If you feel that way about this lineup, you might love everything here. If not, a lot of this is tedious, but ‘tis the nature of these rare recordings.

Pink Floyd – Obscured by Clouds (1972) Review

Once again, a great album cover

Pink Floyd seem unable to escape soundtracks for too long. Such efforts are interesting as their music often puts strong emphasis on being cohesive in their own right. Even the Roger solo soundtrack Music from The Body was partially rerecorded so it’d be more cohesive as an album. Yet, More, the mostly unreleased Zabriskie Point recordings, and Obscured by Clouds are like filler installments. The other records are intended to be heavy-hitters while these suffer from not being able to experience half of what it’s going for as it’s supplemental to visuals. There are many great soundtrack albums, so it’s not like a record can’t serve both purposes.

Even if you take these songs as a collection of stray tracks, which would set better expectations than expecting a concept album off the back of three others, they’re inconsistent. Even if you set the deck in this album’s favor, it is sometimes difficult to get past the very manufactured sound. Take the opener, “Obscured by Clouds”, which feels extremely synthesized. A big guitar part then awkwardly shoots out. The vocals are pretty ridiculous and low effort on some tracks, like “Burning Bridges”. Rick seems particularly sleepy. Let him rest! The harmonized vocals will put you to sleep!

“The Gold It’s in the…” is reasonably stupid due to it being offbeat. Still, it has some energy and is fun. About as much can be said for “Wot’s… Uh the Deal?”, except David Gilmour seems more invested in his vocal. The guitar solo does kind of sound like the average of every guitar solo ever, but it’s charming, possibly as Gilly seems proud of this one. “Childhood’s End” is even more formulaic and we get more tired David. “Free Four” is not very Pink Floyd, seeming possibly inspired by the Beatles or other bands that have more hippie whimsey. It seems like a more concrete idea than the tracks here that just seem like incidental music. This style of “slightly-off pop rock” could’ve made for a cool concept album, one that would possibly parody tropes of such music. That idea could also probably do great backing a movie, so it’s a shame those really good moments are quite fleeting.

“Mudmen”’s guitar solo shrieks, possibly as if it’s extremely epic or impactful. It’s just laughable, especially when coming unexpectedly, like it’s there to satisfy a formula. The first three instrumentals seem almost interchangeable with jam sessions by your average rock band. “Stay” is extremely hokey, feeling like a disposable love song with extremely generic backing and lyrics. The guitar solo is ungodly tacky. This is the weakest cut here, feeling like either a mandate or like a dare to make a track like this. It being about a guy that can’t remember a girl’s name is funny. That suggests it’s supposed to be a parody of these sorts of songs. If it is, it’s simply too convincing as the genuine article. “Absolutely Curtains” has a nice ethereal opening. It’s a really novel piece that doesn’t feel too long. The vocals are pretty poor, though, with one or two specifically feeling unsuited. That summarizes the lack of care for this whole record.

OVERVIEW

None of these songs are great, though some are quite enjoyable. There is a half-braindead rock excess at times, like on “The Gold It’s in the…”, “Wot’s… Uh the Deal?”, and “Free Four”. All escape being so bad they’re good due to the fluidity of the group and some passion, especially on the jammy Four. “Absolutely Curtains” has a really good idea that is mostly done well. Its downfalls don’t dampen it too much. Obscured by Clouds certainly could’ve done more than it manages to, but it’s worth at least a single listen for those interested. Of all the bad or inconsistent Floyd albums beforehand, which almost all have been, this one doesn’t get too low, though it strives for less.

For the record, “Mudmen” and Wot’s were the only two tracks I really liked last time I heard this, but now my views have changed a bit.

Ron Geesin and Roger Waters – Music from The Body (1970) Review

Who knew Roger Waters ASMR folk music would be so captivating?

Music from The Body, almost certainly accidentally, demonstrates Roger yet again doing something Syd Barrett did first, folk music. This is essentially his first solo album. Apparently he was involved with every track, but I can’t say for sure. What is known is he has relatively few writing credits or vocals. What he does get he uses well. Despite how rough his voice often is, he can be so soft and gentle here that it’s near angelic. The guitar playing is also so pretty and pleasant. This folk styling suits him well. His lyrics about childhood and later environmental issues make for powerful contrast. The latter material is especially strong in light of modern problems. “Breathe” is perhaps my favorite track here.

The instrumentals by Ron Geesin, which dominate the album, are mixed-to-poor. The first track is disgusting, containing farts and burps and sounds of that sort. The first song on each side of the album are the weakest, sounding like a random assortment of noises. The b-side opener is annoying in such a way that suggests the two were trying to irritate. Many of the instrumentals feel directionless on their own, though they would probably make a lot more sense as soundtrack music, which they were made for. As is, they sometimes seem to never end.

While the tracks are often very hectic, being a cacophony of noise, some tracks are very melodic, like “Old Folks Ascension” and “Piddle in Perspex”. Tracks like those are sometimes boring and insignificant, while something like “More Than Seven Dwarfs in Penis-Land” is either filler or intentionally crude. A good balance between experimental and structured is sometimes captured, like on “The Womb Bit”, “Embryo Thought”, “Dance of the Red Corpuscles”, “Bed-Time-Dream-Clime”, and “Sea Shell and Soft Stone”. The first and last feature a Waters co-write. Those tracks feel fluid and mark what could’ve been a solid direction for Pink Floyd to go in (and did in a way). The first three would’ve worked as one big piece. “Bed-Time-Dream-Clime” is a favorite, due to some lovely guitar playing.

Side-b seems to have some of the lesser instrumentals. The second last of which is a particular lowlight. “Mrs. Throat Goes Walking”’s vocal sounds also seem designed to irritate. “Sea Shell and Soft Stone” features good orchestration. An alternate version of the music that puts it right after “Sea Shell and Stone”, from around the start of side-a uses it better. They tie together very strongly, Soft escalating the former song. Soft ends like it’d be the last track, then it isn’t. The beginning of the actual last is a nice surprise. “Give Birth to a Smile” feels like a traditional rock song. It features Pink Floyd backing, so that makes sense. It doesn’t match the avant-garde or folk material before, as it’s the only rock track. It is about as good as the folk material, though the lack of Roger’s intense vocal puts it slightly below.

The film versions of the Roger songs are generally better, but Smile‘s studio version is more cohesive and benefits from crisper quality. The female backing singers are really good. The film versions have more sound effects, which adds to the world Roger is creating. They’re wisely kept simple, with things like birds chirping. The soundtrack versions are still very solid, but less special and less impactful due to the lack of that added element. “Roger’s Proposition”, which was only in the film, is more hippie junk. It’s like you got him stoned and asked him to talk about whatever that could be passably related to the rest of the album.

OVERVIEW

As has been a theme, Pink Floyd material that wasn’t on their albums was better than their albums. That being said, the Roger tracks would almost definitely not work with a band. If they were put on a Floyd album as they are, that might seem too strange as it wouldn’t really be Floyd. It would’ve benefited the group to get in whatever mindset they needed to make songs of this quality. The Geesin cuts are definitely a niche. If this was to be constructed for the sake of a Floyd fan, it would’ve been nice to get a Roger-led EP with these tracks on it. This marks an oddity for him, due to his reasonably different voice that makes him hard to identify at points. Those are just about the ones that are strong enough for repeat listening.

Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother (1970) Review

Atom Heart Mother marks another change in direction for Pink Floyd. A Saucerful of Secrets uses the episodic nature of Syd Barrett’s albums, More seems based in Barrett’s proclivity for the powerfully simple (which Barrett mainly explored in his solo career), Ummagumma is the big experimental epics, and in 1970 is this record that details some slightly folkier stuff and more composed epics (which ties to the many times when Syd picked up an acoustic guitar). Does it work?

The opening of “Atom Heart Mother Suite” sounds like a theme to a superhero movie. The main riff of the track is not bad, making for a nice catchy few seconds. Throughout, the band gets little moments to shine, like David Gilmour’s slow solos. You can imagine those parts were written for something else. There is the gaping issue that this thing just goes on forever. It also wants to be more than it’s not, featuring an out-of-place choir that is jarring when put next to Floyd-esque sounds. There’s even some sound effects, some of which sound like a building being demolished. What does this have to do with anything? That segment also is far too long. There’s some good bits at the end, like the cello and drums combo. This piece might’ve worked at five minutes at the most, but that’d be pushing it. Every false ending just makes you want it to end more.

The track transitions well into “If”, a somber guitar ballad sung by Roger Waters. While his vocals are usually lacking, he makes use of that rough exterior for a track about someone who seems insensitive and coarse. There are great little classical guitar riffs and a deceptively simple nature. Unlike a track like “Jugband Blues”, it doesn’t escalate that much, which is perhaps a little unsettling as you’d expect it to more. The lyrics pack a mean punch, “If I go insane, please don’t put your wires in my brain.” That particular lyric really caught me off guard the first time I heard this song. While there’s little decent competition, “If” is the best Pink Floyd song in between A Piper at the Gates of Dawn and The Dark Side of the Moon, except for Jugband. It’s such a wicked little novelty.

“Summer ‘68” is a little messy, but it’s got a free spirit and some highlights. The reference to the Atom Heart Mother Suite is a bit much. The vocals and keys seem like they’re trying to imitate the beautiful quietness of “If”. They’re alright. The poppier bits work better, as that seems to be what the song overall wants. The “bah”s are very Zombies-like. I used to like this track more and still overall do, it’s just not so consistent. David Gilmour’s vocal is heavenly on “Fat Old Sun”, as is his guitar playing and the other instruments. The three middle tracks feel like they were to be part of a typical album that needed to be released as soon as possible, so the length was filled out with two film soundtrack pieces. Speaking of which, the final track… “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast” is such a bad idea it’s surprising it actually got made. It’s got a little nice guitar noodling, but overall goes nowhere. It’s too busy scoring someone’s breakfast! Even the good parts are inconsequential, to put it mildly. This track feels like some scraps from when they were recording the suite for side-a.

OVERVIEW

While Atom Heart Mother only really has two great songs and fails to match the solid twenty minutes on Saucerful and Gumma, having more like fifteen, the middle track is still quite solid and the other two have good elements. That’s more than can be said for those two albums. With a little more thought, this could’ve been much better. An example would be to remove Breakfast and “Echoes” from Meddle, alter Suite and Summer to be shorter, and make the remainder one folk-adjacent album. Meddle will later continue some of the sounds here, essentially being a better version of this oddity.