Who was the first singer for Pink Floyd?

[hellcreig]

Hi,
I was wondering about Pink Floyd songs and this question came in my mind,who was the first singer for Pink Floyd?Does anyone know about this.

[Ronda_the_great]

well Pink Floyd was formed in 1965, and originally consisted of university students Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, Syd Barrett and, briefly, Bob Klose. So I guess Syd on main Vocals..but all the Guys sang.

of course I could be wrong...Anyone else have an answer?

[meddle86]

Syd for sure

[The Madcap Laughs]

Roger "Syd" Barrett was the front man with a plan, Daddy-O. In the beginning, he's the one who contributed the most lyrically, musically and otherwise until fame finally caused him to --more or less-- regress to a more simplistic existence of an art student; he never wanted to be world-wide famous, contrary to what Waters may suggest in later interviews. And contrary to popular belief, he wasn't an LSD causality as his sister and Gilmour continuously try to instill in listeners today.

Arnold Layne, See Emily Play, Lucy Leave and impromptu appearances at the UFO were what got their proverbial foot in the door, earning them the recognition. I will say this for the record, that all five made Pink Floyd what it is today, without either one of their influence it certainly would not be the same. Barrett was the foundation, and the muse of construct for each album after he was replaced by Gilmour.

The Madcap Laughs, Barrett, Opel, and Peel Sessions are some of the greatest albums imaginable performed by Roger Barrett (produced by Gilmour and, in some cases, Waters); I highly recommend giving them a listen.

[Ronda_the_great]

(03-07-2010 11:02 PM)The Madcap Laughs Wrote:  Roger "Syd" Barrett was the front man with a plan, Daddy-O. In the beginning, he's the one who contributed the most lyrically, musically and otherwise until fame finally caused him to --more or less-- regress to a more simplistic existence of an art student; he never wanted to be world-wide famous, contrary to what Waters may suggest in later interviews. And contrary to popular belief, he wasn't an LSD causality as his sister and Gilmour continuously try to instill in listeners today.

Arnold Layne, See Emily Play, Lucy Leave and impromptu appearances at the UFO were what got their proverbial foot in the door, earning them the recognition. I will say this for the record, that all five made Pink Floyd what it is today, without either one of their influence it certainly would not be the same. Barrett was the foundation, and the muse of construct for each album after he was replaced by Gilmour.

The Madcap Laughs, Barrett, Opel, and Peel Sessions are some of the greatest albums imaginable performed by Roger Barrett (produced by Gilmour and, in some cases, Waters); I highly recommend giving them a listen.

I like your post...
Personally I feel that Syd is a causality of LSD..I mean..from the mouths of Gilmour..Waters..And his Sister.....then..Yes...it's probably True..I mean it doesn't make him a bad person...or Any less of an artist.....but You have to face facts...every interview I've seen of close friends/partners they always get sad..and talk about how Syd..experimented soo much..that well he just never came back...it's sad..but true.....
But Syd is Amazing...and He will Always shine on for he is a crazy diamond.

[The Madcap Laughs]

Actually that should have read (my clarity can sometimes be a bit questionable, even for me admittedly -- heh heh) that his sister and Glimour both try to instill in people that he wasn't an LSD causality, per se. Now that isn't to say it didn't do its fair share of damage to his mental stability in some form or another.... It has been often stated in various commentaries I've been privy to (both professional and otherwise... the latter being the more interesting!) that Barrett was often known to play the 'mental health' angle to get his way, or to amuse himself in one form or another. Whether this is true or not is left for the masses to debate (though to little avail, since... no one knows exacts).

I think a lot of what happened to him occurred with the burden of popularity coming at him almost overnight, on top of being more clinically inclined acutely bi-polar, or manic depressive (opposed to schizophrenic regressions to infancy) from statistics and behavioural science studies of similar cases, as well as casual observation on a more opinionated front. It is of my opinion (because, as large a fan as I am, I never had the privilege of studying him personally, heh) he was often misdiagnosed, which wasn't uncommon in that particular era.

Warning... here comes a bunch of mindless prattle....

Something I've always picked up on but no one ever really has come out and said directly was that he didn't like being called Syd since that was, to him, a stage name - one he shed when he left the band on whatever terms that remain truly undisclosed. By reverting to Roger, he returned to his original roots as a painter/artist thinking that people would love him for him (or who he was) rather than what he was when he was with the Pink Floyd. Often people troved for the affections of "Syd" were seen as groupies, feeding into his paranoia of being loved for what he was or in latter cases was no longer willing to be. He lost trust with people because they were seen as 'fans,' or 'groupies' of a past -- and from what his sister has often suggested when he was through/complete with something (a painting, for example), it was promptly destroyed because it was "completed, through with, and meant to be in the past." I can relate, as I'm sure you can too.

That's not madness, or a sign of severe brain damage but rather eccentric in action. Hm... but I degress!

... </end prattle?>

It is comparable , in similar ways to what we witnessed with Kurt Cobain’s decline in the 1990s, when depression and drugs were mixed, only without such drastic a circumstance.

The truth of the matter is we'll never truly know since none of us knew him on a personal/private/intimate level; we'll always be on the outside looking in, gathering small glimpses of a life that was private, not reclusive. And that gives me a sad. =-(

Hm. Ah well, jolly good, and all that rot!

Either way, his music lives on albeit mostly in the underground (opposed to mainstream -- though his work has been granted its own nitch on popular interweb radio streams); however, with devoted fans dedicating sites, books, threads, and even spots on stage among other things to The True Madcap, he shall live on in our hearts as the enigmatic imp who influenced if not defined a goodly sum of 1960 psychedelic/prog-rock scene... and well beyond. =-D

An interesting book to read, that I personally cite (which sort of fluctuates between yes he was and no he wasn't without really giving a definitive answer) would be: Madcap: The Half-Life of Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd's Lost Genius

Also there's a revision that's been on the 'pre-sale' list for ages now that I also suggest, if it ever launches by the name of Syd Barrett: Lost in the Woods, by Julian Palacios.

Mere glimpses, but worth the read, definitely for all great and small. =)

[kimsmarkin]

After leaving Pink Floyd, Syd has made two solo albums Mad Cap laugh and Barrett. Boths these happened between the psychedelic rock scene and proved that it was still able to work as a musician. He left Pink Floyd, too soon, given its founding the group in some thought.

[Ronda_the_great]

(08-18-2010 06:57 AM)kimsmarkin Wrote:  After leaving Pink Floyd, Syd has made two solo albums Mad Cap laugh and Barrett. Boths these happened between the psychedelic rock scene and proved that it was still able to work as a musician. He left Pink Floyd, too soon, given its founding the group in some thought.

I really Like The Art Of Syd. Mucho respect for that man. Pushing the envelope on so many levels. But..I'm glad he left/voted out (I know ....i know... I will probably get burned at the stake for that remark)...But I just think they was trying to change/grow musically and I'm not sure it could have happened with him there.