JOE BOYD - PINK FLOYD'S FIRST PRODUCER- REMEMBERS SYD BARRET & REFLECTS ON HIS IMPORTANT LEGACY 

I agree

And here I am after I've listened to Baby Lemonade, Bike, Jugbland blues and Domino!

I enjoyed reading your very perceptive comments. Thanks!

Yes. Schizophrenia seems to give some people very abstract creativity which brings about very different and unique music. And yes Syd's music and lyrics were pretty childish and kind of fairy tale like at times, which was brilliant and inspiring

AND IT IS INCREDIBLE THE SIGNIFICANCE THAT TIME WAS ABLE TO GIVE TO BARRETT

Excellent timeline insight. Something happened that latter half of July

@@dr.buzzvonjellar8862It definitely did. We will likely never know exactly what happened, but that final week of July is the most crucial time related to Syd’s mental decline

Indeed! Speaking thoughtfully like this is a list art. I miss it.

I value your comments and thanks for your generous praise of the interview !

Thanks Nick for sharing your enjoyment of Joe's interview !

Were Storm & R. Geesin interviewed?

Imagine a world without his toes. None of what people consider reality would be real

Yeah, I think some of that is just boredom talking. I don't think you have to diminish one to raise up the other. The whole reason Pink Floyd really has almost no comparison is the unlikelihood of ALL of it. The one thing I'd add is that had Syd NOT gone mad, an awful lot of Rogers imagery and song theme wouldn't have happened. But then Animals and Amused to Death and even Radio KAOS I like better than his other stuff, so it wasn't like he was totally bereft of other ideas.

@mikearchibald744 I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "boredom talking". It may sound like I'm diminishing post-Syd Pink Floyd, but I'm not. In my opinion, the period from Meddle to Animals, is one of the greatest consecutive album runs ever. I believe Waters wrote some of the most amazing, humanly relatable lyrics. Also, being I'm a guitarist, David Gilmour was my first major influence on the instrument. I could go on and on, but my point is, I'm a huge fan. Yet, the point I was making in my previous comment is that Syd doesn't receive enough credit for his part and influence on their overall sound. He wasn't just Roger's muse and the guy who came up with the band's name. While their sound evolved, and moved away from free-form, psychedelic improvising, Syd created the formula of surrounding well-written, melodic songs with spacey, ethereal instrumentals. They stuck with his formula and just added their own ingredients. The theatrical live performances combined with film, lights, and quadraphonic sounds all stemmed and grew from Syd's Pink Floyd. Does this mean he deserves writing credits for the lyrics, music, and concepts, from those later albums? Absolutely not. But he does deserve credit for his role in creating the blueprint that they followed.

@@cdkilo77 I wasn't referring to you, I mean the people who go on and on about "how great X is and how much Y and Z" suck. My PF album is Meddle, I find Dark Side WAY too overproduced, Animals I loved so much for about six months that I think thats ALL I listened to, but really haven't listened to since, and now I find it much like other Roger Waters stuff and too dark and depressing. I think Rogers best stuff is actually on Radio KAOS and AMused to Death. But apart from that most of what you've written I've said myself so have a good weekend.

@mikearchibald744 Sorry about that. Sometimes I find things get lost in translation in social media conversations. Cheers.

@@cdkilo77 Well, I did write 'you' but it was a generic 'you'. And social media its not unnatural to expect whatever response you get is somebody attacking you:) I think Syd's music is SO different and so different to his live stuff that its easy to write it off. Sort of the same way that people write of David Bowie's "Laughing Gnome" and even "hunky dory" as his 'goofy stage'. But anybody can go read the lyrics to Dominoes and see how much of that is in Roger Waters lyrics for "time". There is no doubt about Waters genius for lyrics, but you can tell how he takes the 'offshoots' of other great lyricists like Syd, Leonard Cohen, and Peter Gabriel, and flushes them out into a full song. Nothing wrong with that of course, but any artist will admit they don't live in a vacuum.

Roger wrote and sang Grantchester Meadows, solo. On of Pink Floyd’s masterpieces.

While Roger has certainly had many intentionally bombastic moments musically, I would certainly describe "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and "Grantchester Meadows" as subtle.

It is? Now I'm feeling paranoid. 😕 😆

Glad you like them!

Probably stp. Nick mason also thinks that possible

I concur, acid and Shrooms only resets my mind and I feel much better.

@@shivaunt71 I concur

It was mandrax, same thing that Brian Jones was prescribed

This is 11 years ago

Alternate versions!?

@@shivaunt71 yes they are on you tube just type the song and add alternative ie matilda mother alternative 👍

Thanks Stephen. You’re comment is much appreciated!

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES You are quite welcome, John. I never get enough of watching these interviews.

My pleasure!

Could have evolved into the greatest songwriter of the era outside of Lennon.

What's amazing is all the story's or recollections are very diffrent at times.

The closest american corollary was Captain Beefheart. Don Van Vliet wasn't a musician really, but banged out music and 'claims' he played teh instruments. Either way, like Syd he was a painter and talked about music in paint terms. VERY different of course, but like Syd he was a true artist, meaning he was always changing. The idea that Syd would have been preaching world peace is a guess. But Vliet basically laboured in near obscurity all through the seventies, then in early eighties retired quietly to paint. Thats likely more like what an 'orginal' Syd would do. Artists are rarely 'mainstream'. Peter Green got normal a bit, then came back and just played guitar in clubs and made a modest living.

Hi Bob. Great to hear from you ! Great to know about the PF handbook. Cheers !

And now again but in coherent English?

Why in the world is this book retailing for nearly $300 in the USA? At least that's what Amazon is asking for it. I own the Mortal Remains coffee table book on Floyd and even that wasn't nearly $300 or anything near it. Anybody know why this is so expensive? Routledge Press books are usually not that expensive.

Hi @@thiscorrosion900 ... unfortunately it's an academic book, the company make their money by selling it to universities and libraries. Even in Floyd-fan-world I've noticed fans buying half a dozen copies (when it was £192.00. I never got paid to do it, and still don't have a copy of it (the person who issues the Gratis copies left, and the publisher said "we are not issuing any until her role is filled..."), I wrote and added a visual element totalling 17 pages out of the 500. It's my... "Atom Heart Mother", an interesting experiment... but a cul-de-sac! ;)

@@bobfollen8262 I see, I should know better since I've written a ton of stuff for people like Greenwood Press and McFarland! All mainly academic titles and reference titles aimed at universities and academia, etc. I didn't realize at first glance that this was that type of book, since Routledge, which I know well enough, also does more mainstream titles as well. That's rather frustrating because I'm not reviewing for anybody regularly as I once was, or I'd request a review copy and bang out a serious review of it, or even on RU-vid. It sounds like a book worth checking out though, in any case. Maybe a paperback edition will follow. I'd written a bunch of entries in our Supernatural Lit. of the World encyclopedia in 2005 or so, and that book retails for at least $350 I think, due to being a total reference/academic work and only in hardcover from Greenwood Press.

Joe Boyd was not involved with Piper.

🤣

Pink Floyd #4 is "Gyppy Floyd" (post-Waters): "I bought this album cuz it said 'Pink Floyd' but it sure ain't a Pink Floyd album, man I got gypped". Though let's be honest, 'The Final Cut' belongs to both the "Lippy Floyd" and "Gyppy Floyd" categories.

Kind of agree

That's an understandable take that I've heard before. And yet, virtually everyone who really knew him (his band mates, his sister, etc.) do not buy that. No doubt he hated some aspects of the music business, but he also very clearly had a mental breakdown or illness of some kind, one that lingered for the rest of his life in some fashion. Inherent/incipient schizophrenia triggered by his (by many accounts quite excessive) LSD use seems the most likely culprit.

As Hemingway wrote at the conclusion of The Sun Also Rises, “Isn’t it pretty to think so.”

But Syd had one brilliant song on 2nd Floyd album, and I think he played on two others. AND please buy/listen to Syd’s 3 solo albums. Soooooo brilliant!

@@sfender2182 Syd`s solo LPs were even better than floyd w him or w/o

he left before floyd even were famous ppl like you are dodo's

the unedited version is obviously the source. I’m not sure there’s an audience for the whole thing on RU-vid. This cut lasts 35 mins

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES why wouldn’t there be an audience for it? As it is, the edits frustrate any coherence in the flow of the conversation. If it’s worth putting up at all it’s worth putting the whole thing up, yes? Your video interviews with the members of the band are fascinating, partly because they aren’t edited. Boyd may not be famous, but his insights into the story of Floyd and Barrett are much more interesting than either Mason’s or Wriggt’s. I would argue.

Hmmm… thanks. I may put it up but not just yet as this is getting a lot of interest. Boyd has great insights but i think Mason and Wright have a unique perspective as they lived the experience of being in the band with Syd

Yes. I’ll get to it soon I hope

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES thank you sir!

God Bless His Tender Soul,Now & Forever:)

Yeah, weird explanation of someone.

I think his talking about roger tbh

@@saulinvictus9274 Of course, he made a comparison between Syd and Roger. Who else do you imagine on stage when you say big hands, long fingers, big nose, big ears, everything big, but also a great musician.

vic iinvesta..well said..theres definately a lot left out of the syd barrett story that's still to be addressed

@vicinvesta Syd's tripping in the gutter was on a scale of behaviour that wasn't unique to Syd, in sixties London. Lauded talents crashed in Chelsea sitting rooms, not Cambridge Circus pavements, and it was only the tourist setting that sparked Boyd's concern. People were making the 1960s up as they went along, ambition, fame, eccentricity, clinical depression, greed, showmanship emerging from the post-war soup in a way that wasn't clear to those on the inside. He could be barking mad or winging it, and even the band members weren't sure which Syd was.

Absolutely ! I'll dig it out and do a bit of clipping.. should have it up before Christmas!

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES Thanks!

It’s this Bbc interview with Hans Keller talking to Syd and Roger ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dNeg9UpU-fE.html

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES I thought it might be, I was just making sure there wasn't another show I had missed somewhere. Thanks.

How do you know ? They might have been even bigger with Syd. Syd's songs on his solo albums were better than anything Floyd was doing at that same time.

@@robertmartin8565 Seriously? What Pink Floyd albums are you referring to? I love Saucerful of Secrets, More, Atom Heart Mother , Ummagumma , and Meddle. I can't imagine how anyone could possibly have done music any better than those albums. Of course Relics, and Piper At the Gates of Dawn are incredibly good, but Syd was on those albums, yes I know that he did a song on Saucerful of Secrets also. I got to find Syd's solo albums if they are that good

@@godetonter4764 The Madcap Laughs and Barrett both came out in 1970 but were recorded in 1968-69 with Gilmour's help. The songs are fantastic, better than anything on More - Ummugumma or Atom Heart Mother.

@@robertmartin8565 It's not hard to be better than most of the material on More , and Atom Heart Mother ( or at least have a bit more energy) . Even though Ummagumma was pretty experimental, the Live version of Careful With That Axe Eugene was pretty good. I have never been able to find any of the Syd Barrett albums, I definitely regret not being able to obtain them. I am sure that I would really like them. Piper At the Gates of Dawn and Saucerful of Secrets are my favorite Pink Floyd albums. Matilda Mother, Remember a Day , Arnold Lane , See Emily Play, Julia Dream , and Nile Song are my favorite songs . I was a little surprised that to find out that Richard Wright did the Vocals on both Matilda Mother and Remember a Day . I always assumed that it was Syd Barrett

I may upload the whole much longer interview in time

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES please do John! wish you are enjoying yourself... salute

I don’t think so.

Nope, lost in mental illness hastened by high dosing of LSD.

The winner of the rat race is still a rat.

Or maybe he wasn't....

@@rayhelps5591 It's always smart to speak ill of the dead. Lol

It’s me. If you watch my interviews with Gilmour I guess you’ll be very confused !

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES Thanks John ! I did watch the one with David . Then i had to rule it out ! lol I met Ian Ritchie many years ago , who was in Roger's band . Someone got him interested in my songs and i was due to spend some quality time with him . But it all went pear shaped . It's a long story that i won't go into here . But it was a very significant opportunity for me musically. It could of potentially taken my music to another level .....if the arranged meeting had taken place . It's not easy when your not a proper businessman ...like he is i guess . It was one of those learning curve moments in time . I wrote a song on the keyboard about it all titled ' The Magic of The Brilliant Failure ' . I must get that track to him one day in the near future . I thouroughly enjoyed all your interviews with the Floyd . Much appreciation . Paul

One of his closest friend confirmed, he had dark blue eyes

Try RU-vid premium or an adblocker.. also I'll knock some back

Try AdBlock Plus. I've used it for years; number of ads I've been forced to endure, on this or any other video: zero.

Interesting perspective. Thanks !

He's hardly the first guy to say that about the music industry, particularly EMI. Just look at how Nick Kent talks about 'welcome to the machine'. I've listened to a fair number of musicians interviews and by the seventies, bad as it was, it was actually getting BETTER. Particularly black artists in the US, but for women the 'casting couch' was nothing compared to the 'producers couch'. I've read a few academic books researching the inside of the entertainment industry, and its pretty much always been organized crime, not much of a step higher than the porn industry (and maybe now less). I don't know what a breadhead is, but meeting corporate executives and calling them evil is hardly an out of the park comment. Compared to today thats positively benign, hell Blackrock is funding both the weapons of the Ukraine conflict AND has contracts for the rebuild.

I believe that he had plenty of people that cared about him...they just had no idea how to help him. The band and several friends tried to get Syd to go to psychiatrist R.D. Laing, but he refused...

But Laing was a crack pot, whose ideas helped stoke the idea that losing your sanity through heavy use of psychedelics was a good idea. It was a combination of very young people not knowing how to help to him, and people who should have been responsible being caught up in both the ethos of the time and the pressures to be the next Beatles.

@@scottmooneyham5521 at the end of the day syd need time. If you really cared about your brother you'd give them a couple months to a year to recouparate. But clearly the fact is that Roger wanted the show to go on. Jimi Hendrix says we need you ON TOUR NOW. MONEY MONEY MONEY. fuck off w Roger waters shit. At the end of the day. He did syd dirty

@@stephenstone8480 exactly. Syd was just feeling normal feelings. Also sorry my last reply was for the guy up top

I think you see the world in Rogers dialectical world view.

The one thing about that I wonder is they wanted Syd to 'just write songs'. THen he DID write two albums of songs while they kind of didn't know what they were doing. So what I don't get is that he was writing songs AND being produced by them, so what was the deal, did they just not like the songs he was writing?

Sure, but they were hardly in the charts. Of course the Floyd have their imitators, but I think Joe's referring to successful mainstream artists. I love Eloy, by the way.

Try an ad blocker or RU-vid premium

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES Try giving some credit to the Ancient Astronauts for without whom, none of this would even be possible

I respond to inquiring minds (: Bryan Morrison agency.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Morrison

You’re comments aren’t making much sense to me

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES You either? Lots of gibberish...

Well, you have people like David Gilmour, Bob Klose, and Joe Boyd and Nick Kemp all talking about what a genius he was, and I suspect they know a little bit about music and have met a few musicians. You have Bob Klose who was a trained classical guitarist talking about what a great RHYTHM player Syd was, and as anybody will tell you, the number of great rhythm players at that age are rare. Then you have dave talking about what an innovative and unrepreproducible LEAD player Syd was, and once again, lead playing playing is an art in itself. Then you have guys like Jerry Shirley talking about how good Syd was with melody, so much so that "getting Syd to play something SIMILAR twice let alone the same was like pulling teeth". In other words, about NINETY percent of the melodies Syd came up with ended up on the cutting floor. Then you have tons of writers and performers NOW copying the songs, songs that range from sneaky exposure in adult perversions like Arnold Lang, at a time when the Jimmy Saville's and Johnathan Kings were running amuck. Then of course there is See Emily Play about the death of a young girl, or chapter 21 based on the I Ching. While he used much romantic imagery, he wasn't writing things like Grantchester Meadows, that was Roger. He was writing pop songs like Bike where Roger talks about their 'english originality'. Just the idea that Roger claims he got the idea "to not throw away those things that might embarass you because they are so cliche", from a teenager two years YOUNGER than him. Nick Kemp talks about how 'summer is evoked' when he listens to that Pink Floyd album. So in short, you have a guy who at a young age is not only great at writing pop tunes, but is "always playing something interesting live". He was known not only as a great rhythm player as well as a great lead player. He could come up with melody so fast that it was impossible to even LEARN one of his songs. And lyrics that went ALL over the place from eastern mysticism to hilare belloc to rhyming ditties about the perverts dotting the english country side. Now, that sound pretty bloody brilliant to me. Combined with the fact everybody from the Beatles to Pete Townshend would cancel their OWN gigs to hear Syd. So thats not really even in dispute. About the only other guy that critics like John Peele put in that 'genius' category is somebody like Don Van Vliet or Captain Beefheart. Everybody else, well, there's an interview here about David Bowie and Frank Zappa fighting over the same guitarist. Most bands have ONE guy who does ONE thing, Syd did it all. Since we know the CIA and FBI were watching John Lennon once he started his politial activism, we know the 'what could have happened' is an open question. I'm not into conspiracy theories but the establishment was fully aware that these young poeple were active politically and wanting to change the world. They say "imagine" motivated an entire generation, so who is really to say what he would have accomplished, it seems a lot of the political artists ended up dead one way or another. Sorry thats so long, no time to edit

It's because after Syd left the band and following the album Dark Side of the Moon, Roger became the principal/sole songwriter. That's where a lot of the royalties (50%) go. They get equal shares of the music sales(albums, singles, videos etc) for being members of the band and for profits from their stage shows. Obviously since the break up both Roger and Pink Floyd went their separate ways and I imagine David has made the most money from music sales since but I don't really know.

Mainly tours

@@alexvernon7456 ~~ that is true - even for the few artists like PF who sold (and still sell) - a LOT of records - tours are where artists make their money and Roger has been hitting the tour circuit hard for many years - much more than Gilmour ..

Only?

Roger wrote most of the songs so he gets a greater share of the royalties.

Uh, really? He is the co-founder of the UFO club, the place where Jenner and the EMI people found them. Difficult to know whether Pink Floyd becomes anything without UFO. This is also where Syd becomes the high priest of the acid freaks, so perhaps a different result for him too. Point is, Boyd was definitely integral to the Pink Floyd story

Which ?