Would Syd Barrett have liked ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’?
Few names in rock music command the same level of respect as Pink Floyd. From their early roots in counterculture psychedelia to the profound nature of concept albums like Animals or The Wall, Floyd quickly established themselves among the most prolific and inventive groups in rock history. However, the band certainly witnessed their fair share of difficulties during their time together, most notably the departure of their beloved frontman and primary songwriter, Syd Barrett.
The artistic visionary that was Syd Barrett was the driving force behind the early years of Pink Floyd. After joining an early incarnation of Pink Floyd in 1964, when the band was primarily concerned with American R&B covers, Barrett was essential in taking the band down the vibrant path of psychedelic rock. It is no secret that the songwriter harboured a deep appreciation for mind-altering drugs like LSD, which, along with his love of fantasy fiction, would have a significant impact on the early material of Pink Floyd.
Unfortunately, though, his love of LSD would soon cause Barrett’s downfall. Following the release of the seminal record Piper At the Gates of Dawn in 1967, Barrett’s mental health took a steep decline, and his drug use only exacerbated those issues. Growing more and more reclusive, depressed, and unable to complete basic tasks, it was only a matter of time before his bandmates started to question his position within Pink Floyd. Ultimately, Barrett was pushed out of the group in 1968.
For many people, the Syd Barrett era of Pink Floyd is the only period worth listening to. In fairness, the utter genius of Piper At the Gates of Dawn certainly takes some beating; it is perhaps the greatest psychedelic album of all time. For a while, Pink Floyd struggled to break out from Barrett’s shadow. Even on subsequent albums, like A Saucerful of Secrets, the standout tracks were all initially penned by Barrett, with the remainder of the band unable to achieve the same songwriting excellence.
It was only when the group unveiled The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973 that they were able to firmly establish themselves as a rock institution in their own right, completely separate from the legacy of Syd Barrett. A pioneering concept album exploring complex themes of corporate greed, mortality, and mental illness, using a variety of trailblazing production techniques, The Dark Side of the Moon was one of the defining records of the 1970s. By the time The Dark Side of the Moon was released, Pink Floyd’s former leader Syd Barrett had largely slipped into obscurity. As a result, his opinions on the groundbreaking album were never recorded. However, the album paid homage to the psychedelic songwriter in numerous ways.
Many of the themes explored on the album dealt with the struggle of seeing Barrett falling deeper into his mental health struggles and drug addiction. Although the album clearly held a lot of love and appreciation for Barrett, it potentially came as a kick in the teeth to the songwriter, who had been pushed out of the band only five years prior. On a purely musical level, The Dark Side of the Moon seemed to fit into the kind of experimentalism that Barrett coveted. However, the psych pioneer probably had some mixed feelings about the fact the record was recorded by – what had initially been – his band.
On the other hand, Barrett maintained his relationship with the members of Pink Floyd after The Dark Side of the Moon was released. In fact, Barrett visited the band during the recording process of Wish You Were Here, though he was reportedly not very complimentary about the band’s musical output during this time. Pink Floyd would have been a very different band had Barrett remained with them after Piper at the Gates of Dawn but, if that had happened, The Dark Side of the Moon would probably have never existed.
