Shine on you crazy diamond

One of the rock world’s most enigmatic and influential pioneers has passed away at the age of sixty. Syd Barrett one of the founders of Pink Floyd had a very brief tenure with Floyd, having left the band after but one album departing while he battled mental illness.

David Gilmour joined the band in 1968 just as Barrett was making his departure; Barrett would release two solo albums upon his leaving but would not be involved with Pink Floyd again, as they rose to the top of music world in the boom years of the seventies.

In fact, Barrett effectively became a recluse in rural England, perhaps oblivious to the stature that his former band mates would reach. That band he helped to form of course went on to become one of the major forces of the music world, hitting its peak with a string of amazing albums in the seventies and eighties, the finely crafted sounds of Dark side of the Moon still a staple on FM radio to this day.

Barrett’s influence on the band was such that when they produced their retrospective album Echoes in 2001, one fifth of that albums songs were penned by Barrett, this despite the fact that he had left the band more than thirty years earlier.

His impact on music went beyond his then art band of the sixties though; David Bowie counted Barrett as one of the main influences in his career. Bowie reacted to the news of Barrett’s passing with sadness as did members of Pink Floyd, who offered up their own tribute to his legacy.

1975’s Floyd album Wish you were here, was seen by many as a tribute to Barrett’s early founding of the band and the groundwork laid for their eventual success. One track in particular is Floyd’s tribute to their former comrade, Shine on you crazy diamond; describes his genius and subsequent extinguishment of that bright flame that launched one of rock music’s iconic pillars.