Crazy Diamond

So sad Syd gone. Brilliant collection.

Chances are, if you're not already acquainted with Syd, you're not thinking of buying this box set. If you haven't heard any of his stuff, and you're thinking of getting hold of something based on his work with Pink Floyd, perhaps you should see if you can listen to some of his solo work first. Don't just dive in. Syd's music is challenging, and it's not for those who enjoy technically flawless renditions of their favourite songs. What these albums offer above all else is honesty, Barrett lays his soul bare for the listener, offering a brief glimpse inside his acid warped mind. There's a beauty in his melancholy psychedelia that all the expertise and studio production in the world can't touch. But it's not for everyone.If, on the other hand, you are a fan, then what you're getting here is his two solo albums and the "Opel" rarities album. The box set itself is probably nothing to write home about, it's just a big cardboard box with the CDs inside, and I was a little concerned when I first opened it to discover that the albums didn't appear to have their original cover art. As it turned out, though, you can invert the inlay card for the original cover. The artwork on the box is uninspiring to say the least. Also contained is a long, thin booklet with some blurb about Syd and some pictures, which is nice enough.Buy it for the albums if you don't own them and you want to, they're easily worth the price, but that's all this box set is, it's just the three albums together in a box, don't expect much else of any note.

I'm one of those people that listened to Pink Floyd in their teens, progressing to the obscure albums in a period of experimentation. I'm not so keen on the later Pink Floyd albums like Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here (played them to death)- though I do like Obscured by Clouds, Meddle & Comfortably Numb (the recent version Gilmour did with Robert Wyatt the best I've heard). And I don't think it's the aura of self-immolation, but I prefer Piper at the Gates of Dawn: when Syd ruled. Then there's this collection of Syd's solo work.This box set is basically a purple box, with OK liner notes and the three Syd solo albums- The Madcap Laughs, Barrett & the out-takes/rarities collection Opel- complete with extra tracks/alternate takes. Pity that the Peel Sessions is overlooked, ditto the single Vegatable Man/Scream Your Last Scream (which turn up regularly on Floyd bootlegs). Despite this it is well worth buying, because despite the myth (I saw Syd Barrett taking things out of a bin in Cambridge, he must have been 60 stone...) and the allure of the damaged (see also Roky Erikson, Brian Wilson ,Shane MacGowan), these songs are simply wonderful.The Madcap Laughs was the debut album with production input from Malcolm Jones, Dave Gilmour, Roger Waters & Pete Jenner. His muse is damaged, but far from destroyed- every song is fantastic, highlights including Dark Globe, Terrapin and Late Night (these have been covered by REM, Marc & the Mambas & This Mortal Coil respectively). My favourite songs are Golden Hair (with lyrics from James Joyce's Ulysses) and Octopus- which is damaged and emotional. The extra takes are good, if slightly disturbing- as with songs like The Gnome or Bike, the child-like lyrics compund this fear- such as on I Love You: "Ice (s)cream 'scuse me...".The follow up album, Barrett, is just as good- Dave Gilmour now the sole producer and conduit for vanishing Syd. Highlights here include Wined & Dined, Gigolo Aunt, Rats & It is Obvious. Faves here are Effervescing Elephant (think Lear, Coleridge, Carroll), Dominoes ("it's an idea") & opening track Baby Lemonade (as great as anything on the 1st Floyd album). Again the alternate takes are nice, the two versions of Dominoes particularly.Opel was released in 1988 and is a collection of out-takes/anomalies, it's a bit patchy in parts but the early version of Octopus (Clowns & Jugglers) is great, as is the title track, Dolly Rocker & Swan Lee (Silas Lang). The bonus tracks are from both albums and are amongst the finest songs Syd wrote (Late Night, Gigolo Aunt etc).As with all great art it transcends the era and circumstances in which it was made, the lyrics like poetry (with contributions from those mandrax demons) and Barrett's guitar playing extremely wonderful and original. There is no one quite like Syd Barrett, wouldn't we miss him?

This box set contains the 3 Syd Barret CDs that were remastered and re-released in the early ninetys : The madcap laughs , Barret and Opel . These contain the tracks from the original records Barret did during his short solo carier , after leaving the Pink Floyd . They also feature bonus tracks which are the rough cuts from the recording session where you can hear syd's various versions of tracks and his mistakes . These songs are a mix of old fairy tale lyrics and acoustic psycadelic rythms performed and produced in a very rough yet friendly fashion . It shows syd's way of creatindg perfectly although his cacophonic and unrehursed style will not agree with everyones idea of music .

You know the two solo albums inside out, possibly "Opel " too, but you should really get this for the bonus/outtake tracks which are really moving.This box set is still quite available, and not expensive to buy these days, so no excuse there ! If you've ever been touched by the music of Syd Barrett, which you surely have, you can buy this with confidence, as there are indeed findable treasured moments contained there within.

Prodotto arrivato nel tempo previsto. Non ho potuto vedere l'interno poichè si tratta di un regalo, ma la confezione di cellophane risulta un po' logora e c'è uno strappo un po' grosso in un angolo del cofanetto

The "Crazy Diamond" box set presented here gives the listener a very large dose of material by one of rock's true hermits, the late Syd Barrett. Disillusioned with the whole successful popular rock musician's lifestyle, he left Pink Floyd in 1968 (a decision made by the rest of the band, though he probably agreed it was a good idea on some level), made a couple records of his own, then went away, though he has stayed in the public's eye nonetheless.Some time ago I wrote a review about Disc One of this set, "The Madcap Laughs," giving it a four star rating, and I am inclined to sometimes waver between four and five stars, because I really do like Syd Barrett. It's just some of the tracks are painful to listen to; "If It's In You" in particular, with its yowling false starts, structural mistakes, and gradual departure from the song's proper key. It's awful. The take of "Dark Globe" sounds strained and difficult, "Feel" being the case too.But the material is consistently good, very imaginative writing, spontaneous feel and so on. It's a trip you take along with him, listening to it, albeit with some less-than-enjoyable results.Disc Two, "Barrett," is his second effort after leaving the Floyd; a more even-sounding record, aesthetically smoother, with one musical line-up throughout, as opposed to the ever-shifting approach used on "Madcap." He has some very good material on these records, even though it sometimes stumbles. Often gone is the spark that was present when Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Rick Wright were his bandmates, but some concentrated listening will reveal that even though his spark was going out, it never did go fully out. He was a really, really great songwriter.Disc Three, "Opel," is a reissue of the 1988 release, when there was a groundswell of renewed interest in the Syd Barrett legacy. On the surface, it is the least of the efforts, as there isn't that much in the way of new material, "new" meaning previously unheard by the general public. In some cases, such as "Rats," from "Barrett," it is merely the original backing track you hear on the "official" record without any of the overdubs. It's just him strumming the acoustic guitar and singing. It's more candid, but in this type of song, the gradual build-up of chaos with the piling on of more and more instruments throughout gives it a mood of forboding and menace, an outsider's view of the world Barrett had created with his music and image, ironically, things he desperately tried to escape in the end.All three discs contain many (!) out-takes and alternate versions of the selections which otherwise made it to general release, and hearing the out-takes, one sees why the ones used were the ones which were used. Some of this is atrocious. But you get to hear the ideas being developed for the records; quite obviously a labor of love. Producers Malcolm Jones, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Rick Wright, as anyone can tell, really liked Barrett personally and respected him professionally, but found him in his state at the time unworkable.Included is a book about him and his brief career, as well as a lot of good photography that shows the different sides of him during his rise, flight, and fall. The casual listener may not appreciate this too much, but any Pink Floyd enthusiast will see the "Crazy Diamond" box set as a treasure.

R.I.P., Syd. We miss you and hope that you are in a better place. This set is a must for any Pink Floyd or Syd Barrett fan. The set consists of 3 cd's which many fans already one. The covers are cool because one side has new artwork while the other has the original artwork. It's nicely boxed. Even though you may already own the original cd's, this is still worth purchasing. It comes with a booklet giving background information on Syd and the songs. That alone makes the purchase worthwhile. You won't know the "true" story of Syd from the booklet, however. I don't think anyone will ever know the complete and true story of this complicated man.This set is for Syd fans and those wanting to learn more about the founder of Pink Floyd. You won't find typical Floyd sounding songs on these cd's. This is Syd's solo work although David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Rick Wright contributed to the different albums in various ways. They made a genuine attempt to help him have a successful solo career. You may hear their influence or not, it depends on the listener. One thing is clear, the songs are true Syd.So grab a glass of wine or whatever your vice may be, relax and enjoy listening to this diamond. I refrain from using the word "crazy" as no one really knows what happened to Syd. One can't help but wonder what he could have accomplished and what further contributions he could have made to society. We'll have to settle for these cd's and keep on wondering. Shine on!

Ohne Sydney Barrett hätte es Pink Floyd nicht gegeben. Diese Box umfasst die musikalische Genialität dieses LSD umflorten Wirrkopfes. Vertrackte akustische Leckerbissen jenseits jeglichem ödem Kommerz; Tripsound eben!!!