COME AROUND, MAKE IT SOON, SO ALONE! 

“Baby Lemonade” was the opening track for Syd’s second and last solo album “Barrett”. Backed by David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Jerry Shirley, Syd recorded the song in early 1970. The opening chord sequence was spontaneously recorded by Gilmour as Syd warmed up on the guitar. The song also made an appearance when Syd guested John Peels Top Gear in February 1970. In the words of author Rob Chapman: “With its evocation of drizzle and despair, and its palette of greyness and fog, Baby Lemonade’ establishes the dominant mood of the album. A melancholic detachment tinged with just a hint of despondency. One immediately gets a picture of someone stood very still by the window sill’ watching a crowd of midnight revellers in the street outside, or perhaps sarcastically applauding the antics of a bunch of pissheads in the beer garden of a provincial pub, as glimpsed morosely through a bar-room window. Throughout the song there is an overwhelming sense of someone killing time, amusing themselves to distraction with oddball acts like putting a clock in the washing machine or sending a cage through the post, and there is an indication for the first time that Syd’s capacity for weirdness is starting to sound self-conscious and strained. By the time we reach the pared-down telegram prose of ‘Come around Make it soon So alone’ it sounds like a heartfelt plea for someone to save his sanity. Rick Wright’s warm Hammond washes are a feature of the album and on ‘Baby Lemonade’ they underpin Syd’s distant and distancing observations with soulful substance. (From “Syd Barrett – A very Irregular Head”, Faber, 2010). Baby Lemonade is but one of many songs on Barrett which deal in non-sensical observations. Gigolo Aunt and Dominoes also share this meandering every day observations. ‪@ArtistontheBorder‬: In 2019 I made an animation simply called “Mural”. A series of panning panels taking the viewer from the Pink Floyd heyday to a later-year imagining of Roger (Syd) Barrett’s Cambridge. We (as in ‪@menontheborder‬ and me) were planning a concert experience in Stockholm during which this would have been the grand set piece. Covid came and the concert never happened. I repurposed the animation later on, now titled “Dust and Guitars”. You can still glimpse it behind the multitude of layers that was added on top. The animation for Baby Lemonade is a collage triplet. One part Syd Barrett mural. One part obscure Syd-references contest (How many can you spot?) and then there’s FART ENJOY. Andrew Rawlinson remembers. “Syd took to these experiments with relish. So when I sent him a book I’d made, he sent back FART ENJOY as a ‘reply’ (or maybe the sequel). I’m not sure about the exact date. I know where I was living, so that places it between the end of 1964 and the summer of 1965. He was in London (Tottenham Street I think, not Earlham Street) and I was in Cambridge. I don’t suppose it took him very long – he was always a fast worker. It’s seven sheets of cardboard held together by sellotape It’s also a little gem and as good a reflection of the man himself as I know: experimental, colourful, wide open and right on the button. He used the cut-up technique several times (‘Lieutenant Lunch Date’ and ‘Post Office Tower’), sometimes with nursery rhymes as an implied backdrop (‘Sprat Locket Patch’. ‘Hark!’). Origin of Floral Structures’ splices together a textbook and Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Jeremy Fisher. The collages and paintings are exactly like the words: a mixture of austere-bordering-on-abstract and what could be called blazing whimsy. (Just like his music). I doesn’t actually mean anything specifically. It’s intended to amuse, and I have a feeling RKB (Syd) would have had a slightly confused chuckle. At least I know I chuckle at it from time to time. And yes…if you must: I found the originals for both the “Post Office Tower” and “Build Big Frankie”. Listen to the song on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1pk0lk… Syd Barrett Official Webpage: https://www.sydbarrett.com/ Syd Barrett Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/syd.barrett Syd Barrett Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/syd_barrettofficial

Animation by Alexander Stubbe Teglbjaerg: ‪@ArtistontheBorder‬
Local topography consultant: “Future wife on the Border”.
Music by Syd Barrett

Following the Paper Trail of Pink Floyd’s First LP

by Ed Paule

Behind Syd Barrett’s modern-day online presence are his niece and nephews.  Collectively, they are responsible for the content of the “Official” Syd Barrett website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter and Instagram accounts.  With a half-million followers on Facebook, it is quite a responsibility.

In order to minimize the number of errors and to help answer questions received from fans, Ian Barrett will periodically reach out to “Syd experts” for assistance.  Early on 4 August 2023, the 56th anniversary of the release of Piper at the Gates of Dawn (hereinafter sometimes referred to as Piper), Ian sent the following message to me (and others):

“Can someone please clarify the release date of Piper?  It seems to vary from 4th to 5th August all over the place.  Wikipedia even states it is both 4th AND 5th August.”

I responded that 4 August was the correct “official” release date.  Ian then enquired as to why there were all these references to the 5th out there.  To this I said, “Someone makes a mistake and then others copy it.  Vernon Fitch has the 5th on his Pink Floyd Archives website.  He needs to fix that.  But it could be the source that others copy from.”  That’s not to say Vernon was the original source, he had found that date from some other source that he felt was reliable.

So later that same day, the official Syd Barrett Facebook page made the following post:


Then the following day, 5 August 2023, the following appeared on Pink Floyd’s “Official” Instagram account:


Ian was then contacted by Pink Floyd’s management regarding the discrepancy. Ian then asked me check whether the 4th was in fact correct.  The following pages are the result of my journey to do just that.

We need to look at the hard evidence — the primary documentation from 1967 — to find the answer.  For Piper, it’s not a simple task.  Simple would have been if EMI had sent promotional copies of the album to their mailing list of radio stations and newspapers.  But no such promo records exist for Piper.

For example, take a look at the promo records that were sent out for “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play:”

 

The official UK release date is printed right there on the centre punch out.  “Brit. (10.3.67)” for “Arnold Layne” and “Brit. (16.6.67)” for “See Emily Play” are an abbreviation for “Britain 10 March 1967” and “Britain 16 June 1967” respectively.

Usually, demonstration records like these were distributed a week or two prior to the release date.  This allowed the BBC, land-based radio stations and the ship-based pirate radio stations, to play them for their listeners ahead of the release and thereby build excitement and demand for it.  It also gave newspaper editors an opportunity to listen to it and publish their reviews prior to its release — another marketing ploy to boost sales.  The date printed on the record allowed the DJs and authors to inform their listeners and readers of when the record would be released.  However, this didn’t happen for the release of Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

After delay from an originally anticipated mid-June release, the suits at EMI decided that the extra hype that a normal release schedule provided wasn’t needed.  Piper would be “rush released” and skip the promo-record routine.

The evidence of this delay and transition from normal release to rush release is documented.  Chronologically, the press reported on Pink Floyd’s first LP as follows:


Record Mirror — 8 April 1967

Published on 6 April, an article in the 8 April edition of Record Mirror article tells us that EMI hasn’t yet scheduled a date for Piper’s release.


Melody Maker — 20 May 1967

Published on 18 May, the 20 May edition of Melody Maker says that Piper will be released in “mid-June.”  This is the first time any time frame is given for the album’s release. EMI seems to have been very optimistic about the band’s progress on the record.


Melody Maker — 1 July 1967

Published on 29 June, the 1 July edition of Melody Maker informs us that the band has completed their work on Piper. In reality, EMI recording sheets show that the band was still making a few tweaks and wouldn’t be finished recording until 5 July. With their mid-June schedule blown out of the water, EMI announces that they will rush-release the record as soon as possible.


Disc and Music Echo — 8 July 1967

Published on 6 July, the 8 July edition of Disc and Music Echo article gives us an update on the misquoted “Viper [sic] at the Gates of Dawn.”  A quote from Syd Barrett indicates that it will be released in two weeks (approximately 21 July).


New Musical Express — 8 July 1967

Published on 7 July, the 8 July edition of New Musical Express adds another week to Syd’s estimate by saying it should be released at the end of the month.  Yet they seem to have mistaken the title of the opening track on the album as being the title of the album.


Disc and Music Echo — 15 July 1967


Melody Maker — 15 July 1967

Published on 13 July, the 15 July editions of both Disc and Music Echo and Melody Maker provide a new date, 11 August, for the rush release of Piper.

Meanwhile, between 13 July and 20 July, EMI documents show they performed the banding and cutting of the LP.  Full-scale production could now begin.


Disc and Music Echo — 22 July 1967


Disc and Music Echo — 22 July 1967

Published on 20 July, the front page of the 22 July edition of Disc and Music Echo indicates that Piper is to be released on 28 July.  Elsewhere in this issue is an ad for Piper that says it’s “available shortly.”  After pessimistically sliding the schedule to 11 August, EMI, again optimistic with the banding and cutting nearly complete, moved the schedule up two weeks earlier.


New Musical Express — 22 July 1967

Published on 21 July, the 22 July edition of New Musical Express appears to tell us that the date is now 1 August for the release.  However, this appears to be a typographical error.  They intended to say 11 August.  In other words, NME was simply a week behind in reporting what DaME and MM had already reported in their 15 July issues.


EMI Leaflet

Printed sometime around 20 July is a leaflet that EMI distributed to record retailers.  The leaflet encourages the retailers to hurry up and order their stock of Piper LPs in time for the newly projected 28 July release date.


New Musical Express — 29 July 1967

Published on 28 July, the 29 July edition of New Musical Express makes the final adjustment.  Piper will be released next week.


Melody Maker — 5 August 1967

Published on 3 August, the 5 August edition of Melody Maker carries an ad stating that Piper is “available now.”  This is another quirk, for if the album was truly available on 3 August, then both the 4th and the 5th of August are incorrect.  However, this same ad would be published the next day, 4 August, in the 5 August edition of New Musical Express.  I suspect that the ad creators were being frugal and decided not to split hairs and sent the same ad to both publishers.


Disc and Music Echo — 12 August 1967    


New Musical Express — 12 August 1967

Published on 10 August and 11 August respectively, the 12 August editions of Disc and Music Echo and New Musical Express show Piper entering the charts after tabulating their first week of sales figures.


Leicester Mercury — 11 August 1967

The 11 August edition of Leicester Mercury was the first to publish a review of the album.  As no promo records had been sent out early, the major music papers wouldn’t publish their reviews until the end of the month.

Thus far, I’ve shown how the scheduled release of Piper at the Gates of Dawn bounced around from mid-June to the second week of August, then back to the last week of July and finally settled on the first week of August.  The actual specific date remains elusive. Yet, we do have one last clue that comes from the dates on the demo records, the articles and the leaflet.

What do 10 March (Arnold Layne’s release date), 16 June (See Emily Play’s release date), 11 August (the first time a specific date was given for Piper’s release) and 28 July (the first revision to Piper’s release date) have in common? They are all Fridays. That was the industry standard at the time. All the record companies did their releases on Fridays. It was simple microeconomics.  Anyone that didn’t follow the pack was at a competitive disadvantage.

As another example, the 22 July edition of New Musical Express shown above talks about the 4 August release on Polydor of early Beatles’ recordings.  Here are a couple more examples:


Record Mirror — 1 July 1967

The 1 July edition of Record Mirror lists various artists from various labels being released on 7 July — a Friday.


Disc and Music Echo — 5 August 1967

Published on Thursday 3 August, the 5 August edition of Disc and Music Echo includes Penny Valentine’s review of the new singles.  A similar feature exists for the new albums.  Had there been promo records sent to them ahead of time, Penny would likely have reviewed Piper in this issue.  Take a quick look at the last line on each of her comments.  Every “out tomorrow” refers to a Friday 4 August released date.  The “out next Friday” refers to a Friday 11 August release date.

So, it is with an extremely high level of confidence that I claim 4 August 1967 as the “official” release date for the album in the UK.

Meanwhile, I talked with Vernon Fitch about the 5 August date he had on his website.  He recalled that the date came from a press report on a release party held on the 5th.  I haven’t come across any such press clipping; but even so, that party need not have been held on the exact day of the release, but a convenient day shortly afterwards.  Vernon has since corrected the release date on his Pink Floyd Archives website to show the 4th instead.

It turns out that Pink Floyd themselves were already aware that 4 August was the correct date.  From Ian, I learned that the band had informed their management who then informed their third-party firm running their Instagram account about the mistake with instructions to correct it.

The above essay is taken from the upcoming book Pink Floyd – 1967 by Ed Paule.  The book delves deep into the events of this pivotal year in Pink Floyd history.  It is scheduled to be released around October 2024.

Ed Paule currently resides in New Jersey, USA with his wife and children (except for one that has moved to South Carolina). Ed is a life-long Pink Floyd fan, collector and researcher. He collects paperware (newspapers, magazines, programmes, etc) from the 1965 to 1972 time period that has Pink Floyd content. He has a special affinity for the year 1967 which has led to the creation of a book on Pink Floyd that delves deep into that fascinating year of the band’s history.

“So merrily trip and go my side”

The surreal and intoxicating lyrics of Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett had a profound and long-lasting influence on the band. 

The Lyrics of Syd Barrett gathers together the complete works – 52 songs written for Pink Floyd and during his solo career, along with a foreword from former Pink Floyd manager Peter Jenner, an intro

duction by biographer Rob Chapman, and rare photos and artwork.

For more information and to enter a giveaway competition,visit: https://found.ee/SydBarrettLyrics

MERCURY STUDIOS UNVEIL THE RELEASE OF “HAVE YOU GOT IT YET?” THE STORY OF SYD BARRETT AND PINK FLOYD

Produced by Mercury Studios, Believe Media and A Cat Called Rover

~OUT JULY 19, 2024~

“The Definitive Documentary On Early Pink Floyd” – Variety

“As comprehensive and coherent an account of Barrett’s countercultural tragedy as one could hope for” – The New York Times

“Captivating and poignant” – The Hollywood Reporter

Pre-order here

View the trailer here

New York, NY – Mercury Studios, Universal Music Group’s innovative and multi-faceted content studio, is proud to announce the DVD+Blu-ray release of the critically acclaimed documentary film Have You Got It Yet?, a compelling dive into the life and genius of Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd fame. The film will also be made available on digital formats, as well as On Demand.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Roddy Bogawa and the late, acclaimed album cover designer Storm Thorgerson (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney and Black Sabbath), and produced by Orian Williams (England Is Mine, Creation Stories, Control), the feature length documentary drew praise for its candid glimpse into the prismatic character and artistry of Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett. Visionaries behind prog rock and British psychedelic music, Pink Floyd chartered a monolithic legacy in both music and cultural history. Syd, who gave the group their moniker by combining the names of two obscure blues players – Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, played a crucial role in igniting that history, then left the group before they met stardom.

Released in cinemas worldwide in Summer 2023, Have You Got It Yet? achieved a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a successful theatrical run with many sold-out screenings. Intimate interviews with band members David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Roger Waters uncover Barrett’s ongoing impact on the group. Going a step further, the film also includes an interview with Syd’s sister, Rosemary Breen. Narrated by actor Jason Isaacs, the film also features original band managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King, as well as The Who’s Pete Townshend and Blur’s Graham Coxon.

In addition to the full-length film, the DVD+Blu-ray set includes a plethora of bonus features. Two poignant live performances of “Arnold Layne” are highlighted – this first features David Gilmour & David Bowie (originally released in David Gilmour’s Remember That Night Live At The Royal Albert Hall, 2007). The second is a performance from 2007’s The Madcap’s Last Laugh – a tribute concert for Syd Barrett featuring David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright in their final performance as Pink Floyd.

Additionally, the DVD+Blu-ray includes an interview with Bogawa and director & producer commentary of the film with Bogawa, Rupert Truman, and Julius Beltrame. Further exploring his creative works, the set features discussions surrounding Barrett’s paintings, and spoken word performances of Barrett’s lyrics by comedian Noel Fielding (“Dark Globe”), poet Rob Fitterman (“Rats”) and actor Gerard Bell (“Lucifer Sam”). The package, designed by StormStudios, is completed with an exclusive Have You Got It Yet? poster, which was also designed by the studio.

Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd crystallized a cultural moment where anything seemed possible but where that freedom could come with a cost. Was Syd just another drug casualty? Did he suffer from an undiagnosed mental condition? Or did he dislike the attention and fame as the fun turned to work? While there are no clear answers which might be the case, there is the feeling by all those around Syd that something went terribly wrong. Have You Got it Yet? is a chronicle and a mosaic of Barrett’s creative and destructive impulses, his captivating presence and absence – a portrait of the complex puzzle that was his life”.

#       #        #

ABOUT MERCURY STUDIOS
Mercury Studios is a full-service production studio, focused on telling compelling stories through the lens of music.

Current and recent projects include Oscar and BAFTA award nominated American Symphony, directed by Matthew Heineman for the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions/Netflix, If These Walls Could Sing, directed by Mary McCartney for Disney+, My Life as a Rolling Stone for the BBC and MGM+,  Shania Twain: Not Just A Girl for Netflix and This Town, a six-part series for the BBC from writer, creator, and executive producer Steven Knight.  

Mercury Studios also produced Sam Smith: Live at the Royal Albert Hall for BBC, Billie Eilish’s Overheated at the O2 London and Lang Lang Plays Disney for Disney+.

Editorially independent, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and represents the world’s leading catalog of music-related content, consisting of thousands of hours of premium music-driven film and television programming.

ABOUT BELIEVE
Believe Media is a production company devoted to visual innovation, artistic originality and nurturing young talent with a vision and voice. With offices in Los Angeles, New York, and London, Believe maintains strong alliances with a global network of clients. We offer vast experience and adaptive strategies to diverse projects for the world’s most esteemed brands, agencies, record labels and iconic musical artists. Our directors’ influence in visual storytelling, fashion, automotive and music has been celebrated at such awards as the Cannes Lions, the Clios, the ADDYs, SXSW and the MTV awards.

ABOUT CAT CALLED ROVER
A CAT CALLED ROVER was founded in 2014 by StormStudios photographer Rupert Truman, Producer Julius Beltrame and Director Roddy Bogawa to complete HAVE YOU GOT IT YET? after the untimely passing of co-Director Storm Thorgerson. Taking its name from one of Syd Barrett’s cats, the production company’s first feature length work is HAVE YOU GOT IT YET? THE STORY OF SYD BARRETT AND PINK FLOYD.

Pink Floyd’s 50th Anniversary Animation contest was won by a brilliant piece of work by Rati Dabrundashvili and Nastassja Nikitina, from Caucasus, Georgia, who won the first prize of £100,000 for their animation entitled “Brain Damage”. The video’s animation style replicating a moving painting put it in a league of its own and was filled with Pink Floyd Easter eggs and references, personifying going mad and the lunatics in all our heads. “We put our souls in this work, and we hope to give a little back of what we have received for all these years,” the winning team said.

Judges for the competition included Scarfe, Floyd drummer Nick MasonMonty Python alum/director Terry Gilliam, former BBC creative director Alan Yentob, director of Netflix‘s Squaring The Circle documentary on the Hipgnosis creative firm Anton Corbijn, and more. 

 

Roddy Bogawa Syd Barrett

The documentary film, “Have you got it yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd”, which brings former Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, to life from stories from friends and fellow musicians was shortlisted for the Music Film of the Year in MOJO magazine in 2023.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Roddy Bogawa (Taken By Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis) and the late, acclaimed designer Storm Thorgerson (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Black Sabbath). 

Featuring interviews with David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Roger Waters, original band managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King, as well as The Who’s Pete Townshend and Blur’s Graham Coxon among others.

“What the Floyd did, what Syd did, somehow at those few gigs they did in London is that they defined the whole of that moment in the ‘60s.”
– Pete Townshend (The Who)

“Syd Barrett’s music, both with Pink Floyd and as a solo artist, changed everything in pop culture.” – Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)

“Riveting, poignant, tender, moving and tragic but ultimately inspiring.”
– John Squire (The Stone Roses)

 

 

Have You Seen It Yet?

The new Syd Barrett film Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett is showing in Light Cinemas around the UK on 30th October. 

Addlestone

Banbury

Bolton

Bradford

Cambridge

New Brighton

Redhill

Sheffield

Sittingbourne

Stockport

Thetford

Walsall

Wisbech

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Roddy Bogawa (Taken By Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis) and the late, acclaimed designer Storm Thorgerson (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Black Sabbath).

Featuring interviews with David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Roger Waters, original band managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King, as well as The Who’s Pete Townshend and Blur’s Graham Coxon among others.

“What the Floyd did, what Syd did, somehow at those few gigs they did in London is that they defined the whole of that moment in the ‘60s.”
– Pete Townshend (The Who)

“Syd Barrett’s music, both with Pink Floyd and as a solo artist, changed everything in pop culture.” – Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)

“Riveting, poignant, tender, moving and tragic but ultimately inspiring.”
– John Squire (The Stone Roses)

 

The tour of the film Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett continues. 

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Roddy Bogawa (Taken By Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis) and the late, acclaimed designer Storm Thorgerson (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Black Sabbath).

Featuring interviews with David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Roger Waters, original band managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King, as well as The Who’s Pete Townshend and Blur’s Graham Coxon among others.

“What the Floyd did, what Syd did, somehow at those few gigs they did in London is that they defined the whole of that moment in the ‘60s.”
– Pete Townshend (The Who)

“Syd Barrett’s music, both with Pink Floyd and as a solo artist, changed everything in pop culture.” – Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)

“Riveting, poignant, tender, moving and tragic but ultimately inspiring.”
– John Squire (The Stone Roses)

 

We are also delighted to announce the opportunity to meet filmmaker, Roddy Bogawa, and producer, Orian Williams, at the following film showings.

18 September:  Olympic Studios, London, UK

20 September:  Battersea (The Cinema In The Power Station), London, UK

21 September:  Picturehouse – Cambridge, UK

We are delighted to reveal the next new Official Lyrics Video of Syd’s song “She Took A Long Cool Look” is available now on YouTube. Please enjoy. We look forward to reading your comments.

Syd Barrett 1963

The Barrett family are thrilled to launch the next animated lyric video for Syd Barrett Official YouTube, “Love Song”.

Created by Swedish animator The Artist On The Border it is inspired by the love letters Syd wrote to his girlfriends Libby Gausden Chisman and Jenny Spires in the heady, magical late Sixties when Pink Floyd was setting out on the road to fame.

The Artist On The Border spoke about his film

“Love Song” takes us head first into to young Syd Barrett’s letters, prominently featured in Rocket 88s book “Barrett – the definitive visual companion”.

Though “Love Song” most likely was written in the early 1970s, the lyrics work as a handwritten poem, a letter to someone special. Syd would often illustrate his letters with small cartoons or seemingly random images. In this animated creation, I want you to dive into the whimsical, magical experience of just having received a handwritten Love letter from him. Signed “Love, Syd!”

We have shown the film to both Libby and Jenny, and they are both thrilled with it.

Libby Gausden Chisman said  ”I think it’s absolutely lovely xx

Jenny Spires said “Seeing these adorable little stick men and the band drawings Syd sent me come to life in this way is extraordinary.  Syd would have been completely fascinated by it …. just lovely to see… thank you.”