Description:

Pink Floyd guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour, with help from David Bowie and Richard Wright,
pays tribute the band's founder, Syd Barrett, who passed away in July of 2006 by covering two of
Syd's songs.

The first is the early Floyd tune, 'Arnold Layne', a song the band recorded before Gilmour joined.

The second cover is a solo Barrett track 'Dark Globe', originally from Syd's The Madcap Laughs album
(which was produced by Gilmour!).

Features two versions of 'Arnold Layne' (with and without introduction) and 'Dark Globe'.

EMI 2006

Gilmour's tribute single honours a real diamond

PINK Floyd star David Gilmour is to release a tribute single to his former bandmate Syd Barrett.

The EP will feature live performances of two songs written by the reclusive Cambridge guitarist
who died in July after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

One of the tracks, Arnold Layne, features vocals from David Bowie who appeared at one of
Gilmour's Royal Albert Hall gigs over the summer.

Syd was a founder member of Pink Floyd and an influential songwriter who penned the
band's early hits.

He left three years after the band formed in 1965 after just one album.

He returned to his home in St Margaret's Square, Cambridge, in 1968 following a mental breakdown.

Last week the Newsrevealed that a collection of paintings and sketches he produced after
leaving Pink Floyd and just months before his death are to be auctioned off in Cambridge,
 along with other items such as his plastic Christmas tree and a home-made bread bin.

The trained artist studied at Camberwell Art School, in London, and his family have pledged
to donate some of the proceeds of the sale to fund art training in Cambridge as a legacy to Syd.

Musical legend Bowie is said to have long been a fan of Syd's recordings with Pink Floyd,
as well as his brief solo career which he abandoned when he returned to Cambridge.

He paid tribute to the songwriter on his death in July this year, calling him a "major inspiration".

He said: "His impact on my thinking was enormous.

A major regret is that I never got to know him - he was a diamond indeed."

Gilmour's EP will feature two versions of the psychedelic single Arnold Layne,
which reached number 20 in 1967, despite a ban from the BBC.

And in addition to Bowie's performance there will be a recording featuring vocals from
Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright.

The third track is a solo acoustic performance of Dark Globe, one of the tracks from
Barrett's first solo album, The Madcap Laughs.

The EP will be released as a download on Christmas Day and will be available in shops on Boxing Day.

Syd's art work and other possessions will be sold at Cheffins Auctioneers in Clifton Road,
Cambridge, on Wednesday, November 29 at 6pm.