SYD BARRETT / Opel [1988]

Opel is a 1988 compilation of Syd Barrett outtakes and unreleased material recorded between 1968 and 1970.
In keeping with the raw sound of The Madcap Laughs & Barrett, the mostly acoustic collection is uneven and rough around the edges yet mystifying and awe-inspiring as well.  If you know what you're getting into then you'll probably enjoy hearing the scratched surfaces of these familiar songs and what might have been with the unreleased songs.  The roughness of the album is something that will probably drive away the average listener but as a fan it's a tasty audio scrapbook for the die-hard fan.

3 freakouts out of 5

Songs Of Note: Opel; Lanky

SYD BARRETT / Barrett [1970]

Released less than a year after his first solo effort, The Madcap Laughs, former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett's final album of original material, 1970's Barrett is a vast improvement than the former.
With Floyd's David Gilmour & Rick Wright on hand to smooth out things and fit all the broken pieces together, it's more finely tuned and textured this time around, mainly due to the guitars being pushed back into the mix a bit to hide the wonkier bits.  The addition of keyboards brings a more lively sound to the progressively darker sounding material.  Gilmour & Wright, after learning from the previous album's mistakes, did their damndest to keep Barrett's focus and it really shows.

4 Cautionary Tales For Children out of 5

Songs Of Note: Love Song; Maisie

SYD BARRETT / The Madcap Laughs [1970]

2 years after being given the boot of out of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett took it upon himself to record as a solo artist.  1970's The Madcap Laughs is the first effort.

Like an audio diary of his mental disintegration, Madcap is a deeply flawed album.  There's moments that are quite clearly salvaged by overdubs but Barrett's sloppy guitar playing and off-key vocals can't be hidden.  Bad musicianship aside, Barrett's magnificent lyrics are still firmly intact and shine most when you can hear the genius of Barrett occasionally fight off his mental suffering.  It's really more of an interesting character study than it is a pleasant listen.  Producer Malcolm Jones compared it to "hanging out your dirty laundry for everyone to see".  In a way, he's right. 

3 James Joyce poems out of 5

Songs Of Note: Love You; Octopus

SYD BARRETT / An Introduction To Syd Barrett [2010]

Chronicling the tragically brief career of the late Syd Barrett, An Introduction To... is a fantastic little package arranged by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour.
By arranging the material beginning with his short stint in Floyd then leading into his disjointed solo career it makes Barrett's mental disintegration very apparent. With a few rare alternate takes and everything remastered to crystal clear quality, it's worthy of being an essential collector's item.
Granted there will always be a few favorites missing from these types of collections, it's still an excellent overview of Barrett's music. You can't please everybody, right?

4½ Mice named Gerald out of 5

Songs Of Note: Dark Globe; Bob Dylan Blues