Los Pink Floyd de Syd Barret

Se acaba el verano y me proponía animar el Blog con nuevos contenidos educativos, pensando en el inminente inicio del nuevo curso, pero aparte de algunas lecturas en este sabático verano que me he tomado no he tenido fuerzas para hacer algo más que oir un poco de música... y así sigo.

Y me he decidido por eso, por la música. Desde siempre mi grupo preferido y el que ha acaparado mis únicas lecturas e investigaciones sobre el tema ha sido The Beatles, pero me apetecía esta vez profundizar algo, aunque fuera mínimamente, en el conocimiento de otra de mis preferencias en cuanto al Pop/Rock de los 60/70 ... Pink Floyd, pero no en su etapa más conocida y popular, sino en sus inicios, cuando su líder era Syd Barret, antes de que David Gilmour ocupara su lugar como guitarrista del grupo.

Tirando sólo de Wikipedia y YouTube este es el resultado:

Pink Floyd es un grupo británico inicialmente de rock psicodélico (que intenta evocar la experiencia psicodélica, usualmente asociada con el uso de sustancias psicodélicas, aunque no necesariamente implica el uso de drogas) que, con el paso del tiempo, fue evolucionando hacia el rock progresivo (cuyas composiciones se caracterizan por el uso de movimientos, como en las obras de música clásica, y por la adición paulatina de nuevos instrumentos que van desarrollando los temas musicales planteados en la pieza y la improvisación, cercana a menudo a los cánones del jazz, junto con un componente experimental heredado de la música electrónica; son características del género las canciones largas, los álbumes conceptuales, las letras ambiciosas, el virtuosismo de los instrumentistas, etc.) y el rock sinfónico (en el que se suele plantear la concepción de la obra musical como un todo coherente, el álbum o disco conceptual, en vez de como un conjunto de temas sueltos).

Inicialmente el grupo estaba formado por el batería Nick Mason (en la foto arriba a la izquierda), el teclista y vocalista Richard Wright (arriba a la derecha), el bajista y vocalista Roger Waters (segundo por la derecha) y el guitarrista rítmico y vocalista principal Syd Barrett (segundo por la izquierda), quien se convirtió en el primer líder y principal compositor de la banda. Sin embargo, el extraño comportamiento de este último, causado por el excesivo consumo de drogas, especialmente LSD, hizo que fuera sustituido en 1968 por David Gilmour (en el centro abajo).

De esta etapa, sus primeros sencillos a principios de 1967, el primer LP del grupo (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 1967) y la escasa participación de Syd Barret en el segundo (A Saucerful of Secrets, 1968), destaco los siguientes temas:

Arnold Layne

Arnold Layne had a stranger hobby
Collecting clothes
Moonshine washing line
They suit him fine
On the wall hung a tall mirror
Distorted view, see trought baby blue
Oh, Arnold Layne
It's not the same, takes two to know
Two to know, two to know
Why can't you see?
Arnold Layne, Arnold Layne, Arnold
Layne, Arnold Layne
Now he's couhgt - a nasty sort of person.
They gave him time
Doors bang - chain gang - he hates it
Oh, Arnold Layne
It's not the same, takes two to know
Two to know, two yo know
Why can't you see?
Arnold Layne, Arnold Layne, Arnold
Layne, Arnold Layne
Don't do it again.

See Emily Play

Emily tries but misunderstands
she's often inclined to borrow
somebody's dreams till tomorrow

There is no other day
let's try it another way
you'll loose your mind and play
free games today
see Emily play

Soon after dark Emily cries
gazing trough trees in sorrow
hardly a sound till tomorrow

There is no other day
let's try it another way
you'll loose your mind and play
free games today
see Emily play

Put on a gown that touches the ground
float on a river
for ever and ever
Emily, Emily

There is no other day
let's try it another way
you'll loose your mind and play
free games today
see Emily play

Astronomy Domine

Lime and limpid green,
a second scene
A fight between the blue
you once knew.
Floating down, the sound resounds
Around the icy waters underground.
Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda
And Titania.
Neptune, Titan, Stars can frighten.

Blinding signs flap,
Flicker, flicker, flicker
Blam, pow, pow.
Stairway scare Dan dare
who's there?

Lime and limpid green,
The sounds surronds
The icy waters under
Lime and limpid green,
The sounds surronds
The icy waters underground.

Lucifer Sam

Lucifer Sam, siam cat.
Always sitting by your side
Always by your side.
That cat's something
I can't explain.

Ginger, ginger you're a witch.
You're the left side
He's the right side.
Oh, no!
That cat's something I can't explain.

Lucifer go to sea.
Be a hip cat,
Be a ship's cat.
Somewhere, anywhere.
That cat's something I can't explain.

At night prowling sifting sand.
Hiding around on the ground.
He'll be found when you're around.
That cat's something I can't explain.

The Scarecrow

The black and green scarecrow
As everyone knows
Stood with a bird on his hat and straw everywhere.
He didn't care.
He stood in a field where barley grows.
His head did no thinking
His arms didn't move
Except when the
wind cut up
Rough and mice ran around on the ground
He stood in a field where barley grows.
The black and green scarecrow
is sadder than me
But now he's resigned to his fate
'Cause life's not unkind
He doesn't mind.
He stood in a field where barley grows.

Jugband Blues

It's awfully considerate
of you to think of me here
And I'm much obliged to you
for making it clear
That I'm not here.
And I never knew we
could be so thick
And I never knew the moon could be so blue
And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
And brought me here instead
dressed in red
And I'm wondering who could
be writing this song.
I don't care if the sun don't shine
And I don't care if nothing is mine
And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
I'll do my loving in the winter.

And the sea isn't green
And I love the queen
And what exactly is a dream?
And what exactly is a joke?

Aunque de etapas posteriores en la discografía de Pink Floyd, una serie de canciones de otros álbunes de la banda giran temáticamente en torno a la figura de Syd Barret y son un homenaje al fundador del grupo. Por ejemplo:

Brain Damage / Eclipse

Brain Damage

The lunatic is on the grass.
The lunatic is on the grass.
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs.
Got to keep the loonies on the path.

The lunatic is in the hall.
The lunatics are in my hall.
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paper boy brings more.

And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

The lunatic is in my head.
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'til I'm sane.
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.

And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear.
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

"I can't think of anything to say except...
I think it's marvelous! HaHaHa!"

Eclipse

All that you touch
And all that you see
All that you taste
All you feel
And all that you love
And all that you hate
All you distrust
All you save
And all that you give
And all that you deal
And all that you buy
Beg, borrow or steal
And all you create
And all you destroy
And all that you do
And all that you say
And all that you eat
And everyone you meet
And all that you slight
And everyone you fight
And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon

"There is no dark side of the moon really.
Matter of fact it's all dark."

Wish You Were Here

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell
Blue skies from pain
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?.
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get tou to trade
Your heros for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk for a part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, How I wish yolu were here
We´re just two lost souls
swimmingin a fish bow!
Year after year.
Running over the
same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Part IV

Remember when you were young,
You shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes,
Like black holes in the sky
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught in the cross fire,
Of childhood and stardom
Blown on the steel breeze
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr,
and shine!

You reached for the secret too soon
And you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night,
And exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome
With random precision
Rode on the steel breeze,
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner,
and shine!

Part VII

Nobody knows where you are,
How near or how far.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Pile on many more layers,
And I´ll be joining you there.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
And we´ll bask in the shadow
Of yesterday´s triumph
And sail on the steel breeze.
Come on you boy child, you winner and loser,
Come on you miner for truth and delusion
and shine!