The album David Gilmour called “hell” to create
Every member of Pink Floyd has been a child of the studio. Although their live shows were the stuff of legend whenever they performed in stadiums, the greatest technical innovations the band ever made came from when they were behind the glass, constantly stretching themselves to create something that no one had thought possible. That came at the expense of Syd Barrett, and one of their original frontman’s first solo outings was torturous for David Gilmour to witness.
Then again, playing on an album by the person you replaced in a band would never be an easy experience. Although Gilmour had been close with Barrett and transfixed by the sounds coming from the band’s early years, the frontman would ultimately become too hazy to be relied on, often struggling to keep a coherent song together because of how far gone he was on LSD.
As a result of the damage he had put on his mind, Barrett would be let go after the band “forgot” to pick him up one day for a show, with Gilmour performing all the parts in his place. Considering how much Barrett was the beating heart of many of the band’s tunes, Gilmour taking over was always going to make for a strange fit.
Although Barrett hung around for a handful of tracks on the album A Saucerful of Secrets, it wasn’t until the next album that the band parted ways with him for good. Then again, being kicked out of his own band wasn’t going to change Barrett’s mindset of creating insanely off-the-wall music.
On his solo outings like The Madcap Laughs and his self-titled album, fans got a look into what Barrett had been up to after Floyd, creating songs that felt more in line with the psychedelic flourishes of songs like ‘Astronomy Domine’. The band even supported their friend making new music, as Gilmour offered his services on lead guitar for a handful of tracks.
For all of the great music that Barrett was capable of, Gilmour thought that the final product was excruciating trying to get right, saying, “It was hell. But you know, we always felt that there was a talent there; it was just a matter of trying to get it out onto record so that people would hear it, and of course, Syd didn’t make that any easier for us”.
While Barrett would eventually close himself off from the rest of the world and quit music altogether, the band never forgot about their old friend. For all of the great music that they were about to create on albums like Dark Side of the Moon, Barrett’s spirit lingered on like a ghost from the past, always appearing in the background of certain songs before being given his own tribute on the album Wish You Were Here.
As much as the band abided by Barrett’s family’s wishes by keeping their distance from their old friend, they still found time to pay their respects to the music he created, even performing tracks like ‘Astronomy Domine’ in their sets so that any money made from the song would go to Barrett. David Gilmour may have helped Pink Floyd evolve into a different band than when they started, but no one could stop Barrett’s gradual descent into his own mind.
