A very frustrating CD!

There is some really great stuff on here, but in most cases there's _something_ screwing it up, usually
editing or dropout (as in intermittent silence!).

As you can see from the running times, many of the selections are cut to smithereens, though in the case of "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Pow R Toc H" it appears to have been done prior to the broadcasts that this disc reproduces.

It has the cleanest "Scream Thy Last Scream" I've ever heard, and I'd say the same about "Vegetable Man"
if it weren't laden with some really annoying dropout.

Tracks 17-21 are the already commercially-available BBC material and tracks 11, 12 and 15 are simply the "Masters of Rock"/"Relics" versions.

The CBC interview has been released in a longer version on "Stoned Alone" but here it just comes to a sledgehammer halt after a few minutes.

Paul McCartney may or may not have been talking about Pink Floyd--he sounds like he could have had them in mind, but he never says their name once.

I'm unconvinced that "See Emily Play" is different, though it may be.

The liner notes claim it's a "rough mix with the backing track (notably organ) mixed louder and the vocals
too low".

Well, maybe. "Jugband Blues" sounds like it may just be from the mono mix of ASOS.
I'm glad I have it for "Astronomy Domine" and "Scream Thy Last Scream", if you don't need those then it's probably not worth it.


 

The tracks as they really are (with snide comments):


1.) Introduction by Paul McCartney (I first heard this clip on the Magnesium Proverbs CD.
Whether or not the stated source is correct, I'll leave to the hard core Beatles fans out there.
However, it's presence on a Pink Floyd CD is rather baffling.
To have appeared here, on a second Pink Floyd CD, is even more baffling.)

2.) Interstellar Overdrive (I doubt very much that the stated source is correct, as this version of IO is of alarmingly good quality & sounds like every other 5 minute IO I've ever heard.)

3.) Interview with Syd Barrett & Roger Waters on Canadian radio (This bit was almost certainly taken from
the Stoned Alone CD. Quite a good cut.)

4.) Pow R Toc H (Look Of The Week 14 May 1967) 5) Introduction by "serious" musician Hans Keller
(see 4) 6) Astronomy Domine (see 4)

7.) See Emily Play (This acetate mix first appeared on the Artefacts From The Psychedelic Dungeon CD.
Any differences to the released version are miniscule.)

8.) Flaming (US 7" mix - first appeared on the Westwood One sampler disk)

9.) Reaction In G (Carlisle, 23 July 1967 - Why this track continuously appears on CDs without the companion Set The Controls (the earliest known performance) staggers my mind. Still, for the 30 seconds that it lasts, it's a decent track.)

10.) Scream Thy Last Scream (the studio version - better quality than most but worse than the version on Artefacts and Magnesium Proverbs)

11.) Apples and Oranges (taken from vinyl, this version of the song sounds pretty good, but I really couldn't promise you that it's truely in stereo)

12.) Paintbox (taken from CD or tape source - thank goodness.
This version is exactly like the one on Relics)

13.) Jugband Blues (This tune is the stupidest one on the disk. It's taken from flawed vinyl.
There are multiple dropouts.
To make matters worse, apart from the flaws, it's no different from the version that was released on
A Saucerful of Secrets.
It's inclusion here is simply stupid.)

14.) Vegetable Man (This VM is pretty good.
It's taken from a good vinyl source.)

15.) Julia Dream (exactly the same as the version on Relics)

16.) Clowns and Jugglers (two takes not included on Syd Barrett boxset, first solo-session, May 1968 -
 both of these outtakes are incomplete, mediocre quality, and not terribly enlightening.
Still, for the terminally obsessed (like me), they're nice to hear.
They have previously appeared on the Vegetable Man LP and he Magnesium Proverbs CD.)

17.) Terrapin ("Peel Sessions", 24 February 1970 - Why must every Syd CD contain these songs with faulty source info ?? Buy the official CD, dammit.)

18.) Gigolo Aunt (see 17) 19) Baby Lemonade (see 17) 20) The Effervescing Elephant (see 17) 21) Two Of A Kind (see 17)

22.) Dominoes ("Sounds Of The Seventies", 16 February 1971 - Of course, they left off "Terrapin", just
like the Magnesium Proverbs CD did.
Otherwise, it's nice to see this radio broadcast issued again.)

23.) Love Song (see 22) 24) Baby Lemonade (see 22)

25.) Octopus (This track was probably also taken from the MP disk. Syd puts up a powerful struggle, but eventually he gives up and goes home.
Most people give the date as 6/6/70.
However, I've recently found a press clipping which would seem to state that Syd was booked for 6/1/70. Believe what you like!)


This is a nice disk.
The sound quality is generally pretty good.
Unfortunately, it seems to be a rehash of previous Syd CDs without anything new or exclusive as a selling point.
All things consydered, I'd say that this disk is Magnesium Proberbs' ugly sister.
Buy S & S if you can't find MP.

Band:

Syd Barrett
Roger Waters
Nick Mason
Rick Wright

Rare Tracks 1967 - 1971