Friday marked the birthday of one of rock music's greatest but most overlooked pioneers, the deceased Syd Barrett, original member and founder of psychedelic innovators, Pink Floyd.
Syd founded the band along with Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright in 1965. Originally, Barrett fronted the band and wrote most of their material until 1967 when due to mental illness and heavy use of LSD, he acted very erratically and unpredictable. He would at times play one chord through an entire show, or slowly detune his guitar while playing, and at other times wander around the stage aimlessly. The band brought in David Gilmour at that time to compensate for Barrett's lack of dependability, and to fill in on guitar and vocals as needed. Eventually, according to Gilmour, the band just stopped picking Syd up for gigs.
After his departure from Pink Floyd, Syd never returned to the limelight but instead focused on painting and gardening until his death in 2006. The band paid tribute to Barrett often, most notably with 1975's smashing album "Wish You Were Here".
Enjoy David Gilmour below playing "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", an incredible tribute to friend and Pink Floyd's founder, Syd Barrett.
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