The "Crazy Diamond" box set presented here gives the listener a very large dose of material by one of rock's true hermits, the late Syd Barrett. Disillusioned with the whole successful popular rock musician's lifestyle, he left Pink Floyd in 1968 (a decision made by the rest of the band, though he probably agreed it was a good idea on some level), made a couple records of his own, then went away, though he has stayed in the public's eye nonetheless.
Some time ago I wrote a review about Disc One of this set, "The Madcap Laughs," giving it a four star rating, and I am inclined to sometimes waver between four and five stars, because I really do like Syd Barrett. It's just some of the tracks are painful to listen to; "If It's In You" in particular, with its yowling false starts, structural mistakes, and gradual departure from the song's proper key. It's awful. The take of "Dark Globe" sounds strained and difficult, "Feel" being the case too.
But the material is consistently good, very imaginative writing, spontaneous feel and so on. It's a trip you take along with him, listening to it, albeit with some less-than-enjoyable results.
Disc Two, "Barrett," is his second effort after leaving the Floyd; a more even-sounding record, aesthetically smoother, with one musical line-up throughout, as opposed to the ever-shifting approach used on "Madcap." He has some very good material on these records, even though it sometimes stumbles. Often gone is the spark that was present when Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Rick Wright were his bandmates, but some concentrated listening will reveal that even though his spark was going out, it never did go fully out. He was a really, really great songwriter.
Disc Three, "Opel," is a reissue of the 1988 release, when there was a groundswell of renewed interest in the Syd Barrett legacy. On the surface, it is the least of the efforts, as there isn't that much in the way of new material, "new" meaning previously unheard by the general public. In some cases, such as "Rats," from "Barrett," it is merely the original backing track you hear on the "official" record without any of the overdubs. It's just him strumming the acoustic guitar and singing. It's more candid, but in this type of song, the gradual build-up of chaos with the piling on of more and more instruments throughout gives it a mood of forboding and menace, an outsider's view of the world Barrett had created with his music and image, ironically, things he desperately tried to escape in the end.
All three discs contain many (!) out-takes and alternate versions of the selections which otherwise made it to general release, and hearing the out-takes, one sees why the ones used were the ones which were used. Some of this is atrocious. But you get to hear the ideas being developed for the records; quite obviously a labor of love. Producers Malcolm Jones, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Rick Wright, as anyone can tell, really liked Barrett personally and respected him professionally, but found him in his state at the time unworkable.
Included is a book about him and his brief career, as well as a lot of good photography that shows the different sides of him during his rise, flight, and fall. The casual listener may not appreciate this too much, but any Pink Floyd enthusiast will see the "Crazy Diamond" box set as a treasure.
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Crazy Diamond
Limited Edition
Box Set, Import
$77.99$77.99
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Track Listings
Disc: 1
| 1 | Terrapin [Take 1] |
| 2 | No Good Trying [Take 3] |
| 3 | Love You [Take 4] |
| 4 | No Man's Land [Take 5] |
| 5 | Dark Globe [Take 1] |
| 6 | Here I Go [Take 5] |
| 7 | Octopus [Take 11] |
| 8 | Golden Hair [Remake][Take] |
| 9 | Long Gone [Take 11] |
| 10 | She Took a Long Cold Look |
| 11 | Feel [Take 1] |
| 12 | If It's in You [Take 5] |
| 13 | Late Night [Take 2] |
| 14 | Octopus [Take 1 & 2][*] |
| 15 | It's No Good Trying [Take Five][*] |
| 16 | Love You [Take One][*] |
| 17 | Love You [Take Three][*] |
| 18 | She Took a Long Cold Look at Me [Take Four][*] |
| 19 | Golden Hair [Take 5][*] |
Disc: 2
| 1 | Baby Lemonade [Take 1] |
| 2 | Love Song [Take 1] |
| 3 | Dominoes [Take 3] |
| 4 | It Is Obvious [Take 1] |
| 5 | Rats [Demo Version] |
| 6 | Maisie [Take 2] |
| 7 | Gigolo Aunt [Take 15] |
| 8 | Waving My Arms in the Air [Take 1] |
| 9 | I Never Lied to You [Take 1] |
| 10 | Wined and Dined [Take 10] |
| 11 | Wolfpack [Take 2] |
| 12 | Effervescing Elephant [Take 9] |
| 13 | Baby Lemonade [Take One][*] |
| 14 | Waving My Arms in the Air [Take One][*] |
| 15 | I Never Lied to You [Take One][*] |
| 16 | Love Song [Take One][*] |
| 17 | Dominoes [Take 1][*] |
| 18 | Dominoes [Take 2][*] |
| 19 | It Is Obvious [Take 2][*] |
Disc: 3
| 1 | Opel [Take 9] |
| 2 | Clowns and Jugglers |
| 3 | Rats [Two-Track Demo] |
| 4 | Golden Hair [Remake][Instrumental][Take] |
| 5 | Dolly Rocker [Take 1] |
| 6 | Word Song [Take 1] |
| 7 | Wined and Dined [Two-Track Demo] |
| 8 | Swan Lee (Silas Lang) [Take 5] |
| 9 | Birdie Hop [Two-Track Demo] |
| 10 | Let's Split [Take 1] |
| 11 | Lanky, Pt. 1 [Take 1] |
| 12 | Wouldn't You Miss Me (Dark Globe) [Take 1] |
| 13 | Milky Way [Take 5] |
| 14 | Golden Hair [Take 1][Instrumental] |
| 15 | Gigolo Aunt [Take 9][*] |
| 16 | It Is Obvious [Take Three][*] |
| 17 | It Is Obvious [Take Five][*] |
| 18 | Clowns and Jugglers [Take One] |
| 19 | Late Night [Original Backing Track Without Vocals][*][Take] |
| 20 | Effervescing Elephant [Take Two][*] |
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Language : English
- Package Dimensions : 12.2 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches; 1.08 Pounds
- Manufacturer : Emd Int'l
- SPARS Code : DDD
- Date First Available : January 26, 2007
- Label : Emd Int'l
- ASIN : B000008D8N
- Number of discs : 3
- Best Sellers Rank: #275,379 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #2,994 in Classic Psychedelic Rock
- #3,894 in Contemporary Folk (CDs & Vinyl)
- #5,404 in Folk Rock (CDs & Vinyl)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
34 global ratings
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2011
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2013
R.I.P., Syd. We miss you and hope that you are in a better place. This set is a must for any Pink Floyd or Syd Barrett fan. The set consists of 3 cd's which many fans already one. The covers are cool because one side has new artwork while the other has the original artwork. It's nicely boxed. Even though you may already own the original cd's, this is still worth purchasing. It comes with a booklet giving background information on Syd and the songs. That alone makes the purchase worthwhile. You won't know the "true" story of Syd from the booklet, however. I don't think anyone will ever know the complete and true story of this complicated man.
This set is for Syd fans and those wanting to learn more about the founder of Pink Floyd. You won't find typical Floyd sounding songs on these cd's. This is Syd's solo work although David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Rick Wright contributed to the different albums in various ways. They made a genuine attempt to help him have a successful solo career. You may hear their influence or not, it depends on the listener. One thing is clear, the songs are true Syd.
So grab a glass of wine or whatever your vice may be, relax and enjoy listening to this diamond. I refrain from using the word "crazy" as no one really knows what happened to Syd. One can't help but wonder what he could have accomplished and what further contributions he could have made to society. We'll have to settle for these cd's and keep on wondering. Shine on!
This set is for Syd fans and those wanting to learn more about the founder of Pink Floyd. You won't find typical Floyd sounding songs on these cd's. This is Syd's solo work although David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Rick Wright contributed to the different albums in various ways. They made a genuine attempt to help him have a successful solo career. You may hear their influence or not, it depends on the listener. One thing is clear, the songs are true Syd.
So grab a glass of wine or whatever your vice may be, relax and enjoy listening to this diamond. I refrain from using the word "crazy" as no one really knows what happened to Syd. One can't help but wonder what he could have accomplished and what further contributions he could have made to society. We'll have to settle for these cd's and keep on wondering. Shine on!
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2009
This is the ultimate Syd Barret collection it has every solo recording and out take available I've ever heard of, and I have been a fan for several decades I'm very impressed buy the quality of the recordings and the product and timely service by Amazon. The madcap probably still laughs from up there on his cloud that his timeless recordings still elevate the quality of music. Shine On Crazy Diamond!
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2018
Great box set
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2014
The item arrived exactly as described, and before I expected it. Buy with confidence.
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2011
This is great, and intensely personal stuff in many cases. Make no mistake, Syd Barrett was the soul of Pink Floyd, even on Roger Waters' songs. Even after leaving Floyd, he had a huge influence on the group until they became Alan Parson.
Nonetheless, this is raw, crawl in your bones, stuff. If you liked Floyd's early stuff, this is for you.
Nonetheless, this is raw, crawl in your bones, stuff. If you liked Floyd's early stuff, this is for you.
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2000
Although some of the songs on this box set seem a bit unfinished, having only guitar and vocals, after listening to them a few times I really grew to appreciate them. Many times the lyrics don't make a lick of sense but they still sound great. Unlike the morbid songs produced by Pink Floyd while Roger Waters was at the helm, many of Syd's songs are really uptempo and have a catchy beat. Sadly one can practically feel Barrett's sanity slipping away in some of the out takes included here. As an 18 year old boy fed up with the music industry's endless desire to produce bubble gum crap, I strongly recomend this this trip to the past in a time when original musicians like Syd could produce orginal music and not be laughed at by record companies. The music industry should take Barrett's music as a hint of what constitutes talent. Like many other greats of his time (Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix), Barrett burned brightly and then burned out fast, which makes me kind of sad when I listen to this music. Barrett's disain for conventional form and style paid off though, and you can tell during songs like "opel" and "Clowns and Jugglers." Some of the acoustic tracks show the complexity of Barrett's songs better than the ones with backing bands because you can hear how he changes meter, etc. In short I reccommend this box set only to those looking for a departure from maintream rock, otherwise the ablums would appear raw and unfinished. It must be viewed with some prior appreciation of Barrett and his lyrical genius.
52 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
Jeremy Dunn
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's all in the outtakes !
Reviewed in Germany on April 24, 2021
You know the two solo albums inside out, possibly "Opel " too, but you should really get this for the bonus/outtake tracks which are really moving.This box set is still quite available, and not expensive to buy these days, so no excuse there ! If you've ever been touched by the music of Syd Barrett, which you surely have, you can buy this with confidence, as there are indeed findable treasured moments contained there within.
Mario Stones
5.0 out of 5 stars
Musik eines verkannten Genies!
Reviewed in Germany on November 30, 2014
Ohne Sydney Barrett hätte es Pink Floyd nicht gegeben. Diese Box umfasst die musikalische Genialität dieses LSD umflorten Wirrkopfes. Vertrackte akustische Leckerbissen jenseits jeglichem ödem Kommerz; Tripsound eben!!!
AB
5.0 out of 5 stars
x
Reviewed in Germany on December 17, 2018
Alles perfekt.
Giuseppe Fiore
3.0 out of 5 stars
Crazy Diamond 3 CD Box Set (Syd Barrett)
Reviewed in Italy on July 24, 2014
Prodotto arrivato nel tempo previsto. Non ho potuto vedere l'interno poichè si tratta di un regalo, ma la confezione di cellophane risulta un po' logora e c'è uno strappo un po' grosso in un angolo del cofanetto
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