Syd Barrett – Opel

What’s here:

Some interesting alternative takes of some material that was released on the Madcap Laughs or Barrett, including a particularly charming earlier take of “Octopus”, listed here as it’s working title “Clowns and Jugglers”. As with on the album, Syd is joined on this song by Robert Wyatt, Hugh Hopper and Mike Ratledge of the Soft Machine and this earlier take is a little more shambolic and whimsical. I personally like it more than the finished “octopus”.

We are treated to a few single take recordings of songs they didn’t do further work on and left off the albums, such as “Let’s Split”, “Milky Way”, “Dolly Rocker”, and “Word Song”. While “Word Song” was probably best left on the shelf, the other songs suggest that with a little coaxing and some work these could’ve turned into great songs, but as is are rough sketches of what could have been.

We also get the instrumental jam “Lanky pt 1” which has some of the noisier, free form elements that defined much of Syd’s time with Pink Floyd.

Finally, the title track of this compilation “Opel” is a song worked on (at least 9 takes) for the Madcap Laughs during the Malcolm Jones sessions that Gilmour and Waters ultimately left off the album when they were tasked with completing the album in a mere few days. What is particularly mystifying about this is the fact that they had at least one good take in the can and didn’t use it while rushing to record several half baked songs in order to have enough material.

In the end, the final sequence songs that end the album are tossed off and pressed onto the album with false starts, confused mumbling, and embarrassingly off key singing…all lending to the “Syd’s insane” storyline while leaving off perhaps his best work as a solo artist. “Opel” is pure Syd brilliance. The lyrics paint a vivid picture, with some of Syd’s most clever poetic writing while the music and melody convey the desperation of fading out of reach with Syd’s repeated “I’m trying…” bridge that drives home the point of a person “trying to find you”, with allusions to isolation on a deserted island and being pushed out to sea, leaving behind the scavengers feeding on carcasses on the beach, hoping to be rescued but ultimately resigned to being lost forever and ultimately drowning.

The song is an absolute gem.

There were attempts to include “Vegetable Man”, and “Scream Thy Last Scream”, even being given fresh mixes in 1987, but the Floyd ultimately nixed it.

We were told at the time that there was nothing left in the archives, that this was it.

Well since 1988 we have learned that there was a lot left.

Subsequently “Bob Dylan Blues” was unearthed, though the other song from this confiscated tape “Living Alone” is still in David Gilmour’s possession and unheard by the public.

Furthermore, through the Crazy Diamond box set and reissues we learned there were some very interesting alternate takes of songs such as the multiple different arrangements of “It is Obvious”.

We have heard the “choral version” of Dark Globe, with several vocal tracks singing in harmony to great effect, a thrilling juxtaposition to the final version’s stark beauty.

We’ve always known “Lanky pt 2” is out there, but based on what we know of it (Congo drums and motorcycle noises for entirely too long), it’s just as a well that it hasn’t seen the light of day.

The 20 minute plus free form jam “Rhamadan” finally showed up with another repackaged Greatest Hits album.

Unfortunately there still seems to be stuff languishing in the dustbin of history, particularly regarding Syd’s work with Pink Floyd, even after a huge “Early Years Boxset” that finally gave the world “vegetable man” and “scream thy last scream” along with a vocal-less backing track for “She Was A Millionaire” and the legendary “John Latham sessions” (which elicited mixed reactions).

But there’s still “Intremental”, 10 minutes long in length, which is intriguing to fans of the improvisation heavy elements of early Floyd. “Early Morning Henry” (which may feature Floyd as a backing group for a pop singer’s Norman Smith produced shot at a single).

There’s alternate takes and mixes of Bike, possibly with alternate lyrics.

There’s strong evidence that “Reaction in G” was recorded properly.

We know Nick Mason is in possession of alternate takes of “Vegetable Man”, including a improvised “Vegetable Man Jam”.

He also has confirmed he has Super 8 footage of the 5 man Pink Floyd backstage.

There’s the druggy lyrics version of “Candy and A Currant Bun”, then titled “Let’s Roll Another One”.

There’s alternate takes/mixes of “Lucifer Sam” and “Chapter 24”.

Perhaps the supposed Pink Floyd demo of “Silas Lang” exists and could be cleaned up.

There’s whatever “experiment/sunshine” is culled from.

There’s often references to songs such as “Candy and a Currant Bun”, “Astronomy Domine”, “See Emily Play”, and “Matilda Mother” having their sprawling noise experiments literally cut out of the songs to keep them more commercially viable. And it’s extremely plausible this method was implemented to reel in gratuitously long versions of “Pow R Toc H”, “Take Up Thy Stethoscope…”, or “Interstellar Overdrive”.

I genuinely doubt it’s existence, but there’s long been rumors of a recording of “Stoned Alone” being done during or around the time of the “Arnold Layne” sessions.

Dude, I have this on a CD issued by Legacy in 2016. I also have Madcap and Barrett.

All details match my copy except: 'Both sides of the record are denoted as being 'Side 1' - mine correctly says Side 1 & 2.