Computer Age

Richard William Wright, better known as Rick Wright, keyboard player and singer of the group Pink Floyd, died yesterday, Sept. 15, 2008, "after a short fight against cancer," according to a brief note to his spokesman to inform the media . Although he was always in the background was a key member of the group Pink Floyd from its origins. Along with Roger Waters and Nick Mason, who met as students at the University of architecture, were the three that stayed together after the various transformations, from the first band that formed in 1964 by rhythm and blues and its so-called Sigma 6 various name changes, members and instruments, until the introduction in 1965 of Syd Barrett and Bob Klose in the new draft Tea Set, the name changed to match that in a concert with another gang called the same, suggesting the Barret of The Pink Floyd Sound, The Pink Floyd later and finally Pink Floyd.
Among the most important contributions of Wright are the atmospheres and sounds of Hammond organ and synthesizers so characteristic of the group, besides the participation in voice and composition of songs in all disks key signature songs well together, either in solo (most often remembered the album "Dark Side Of The Moon" by his trascencencia, "The Great Gig in the Sky"-Wright, "Us and Them" -Waters/Wright- and "Breathe"-Gilmour / Waters/Wright-, as well as the "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" -Gilmour/Waters/Wright-'s album "Wish You Were Here"), until the edition of the album "Animals" in 1977 where the role of Roger Waters and David Gilmour lesser extent dominated all compositions. Are irreconcilable with Roger Waters ended with the departure of Rick Wright of the band (although it continued as a musician of meeting), until Waters left and returned to progressively integrated with the other members. While in recent years, to coincide with Waters after the concert "Live 8" in 2005, again reconciled.
Recorded three solo albums, the first when he was still with the group (the problems and bullies in the environment) in 1978, entitled "Wet Dream", which never felt proud because they consider amateur and a poor production, but finally we cogería sweetheart (personally I think a good record, pop-symphonic rapprochement with the occasional jazz, simple and intimate and very pleasant melodies). In 1984 published an e-work away from all this, "Identity", along with Dave Harris with whom he formed the group for the occasion under the name of Zee (in the words of Wright: "pilot error"). And in 1996, considered by his fans as the most successful album of the components of Pink Floyd solo, "Broken China", recovering mode conceptual album, this time taking as the depression theme and the struggle to overcome it, dedicated to which would be shortly after his third wife, Millie (with the collaboration of Sinead O'Connor on two outstanding songs, "Reaching for the Rail" and "Breakthrough").
Serve this brief remembrance as a tribute to an artist even though he lived most successful among the shadows was one of the fundamental pillars on which the sound of Pink Floyd was erected.

Syd Barrett was one of the most mythical and enigmatic figures in the history of pop, born in Cambridge, Britain, in 1946, at an early age began to show interest in music and soon he campaigned local bands like Geoff Mutt and The Motta. In the largest school in Cambridge he met Roger Waters and David Gilmour with whom he shared his devotion to music. With Gilmour conducted a series of performances versioning issues of the Rolling Stones that they did win some popularity.
In 1963, Barrett was moved to London to attend classes at the Camberwell School Of Art, while some musicians to form the capital of the group Hollering The Blues, a combo of versions of blues and Rock'n'roll.

At the same time, Roger Waters, who also was studying in London already had his own band, The Screaming Abdabs and soon contacted Barrett to join the project, which changed its name to The Pink Floyd Sound at the suggestion of Barrett , Taking the name of two American bluesman.
In Abdabs and militated Nick Manson (drums) and Rick Wright (keyboards) but with the inclusion of Syd Barrett the group would take a very different direction to that of primitive blues-rock practicing, Barrett was very much influenced by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and all the psychedelic music that came from U.S., with Love at the helm.
The newly arrived soon took control almost all of the band, becoming the main composer, singer and guitarist of training, introducing unprecedented elements of experimentation and psychedelia that soon began to draw attention to their performances in London, complementing its concerts images and projections exits from the fertile imagination of Barrett.
In 1967 the group signed a contract with EMI that they published their first single "Arnold Layne" an exceptional item consisting of Barrett already defined the sound of the group, terribly odd, experimental and with a magnetic hard to describe. The second single from the band "See Emily Play" was a huge success, leading to the immediate entry of the band in the studios Abbey Road to record what would become the group's first album "The Piper At The Gates Of Down" .

The first disc of Pink Floyd is considered the most clear example of British psychedelia, strongly influenced by the west coast of the U.S. but with its own identity, here Syd Barrett and arranged all the elements necessary to translate his quirky and original ideas, while introducing fully in the mass consumption of drugs, particularly LSD, a common practice in the London circuit of the time, while the rest of the band took a much more moderate.
The tenacity in the compositions of lysergic Barrett can be seen clearly in strange and arcane subjects as "Interstellar Overdrive", "Astronomy Domine" or "Lucifer Sam," and original songs hallucinogenic really bright, with long and complicated developments instrumental in highlighting the peculiar form of play by Barrett and the distinctive low of Roger Waters.
The lyrics of Syd Barrett is here with complex hieroglyphic references oníricas certainly suggestive and strange. Barrett composed all the issues and was the lead singer in all of them.
"The Piper At The Gates Of Down" is a single disc, a disc that plays with the experimental limits to strangers, introducing elements and sounds that later would be imitated ad nauseam, handing the limits of rock to venture into jazz, in rhythm Ethnic and more noise in the wild.
With the successful promotion of the EMI record was almost instant success and the group began to be sued for playing intensively throughout the country and the U.S.
At this point is where the story becomes confusing, Barrett was taking LSD and continued his psychological state began to resentment in those months touring with the band, ruining some actions of the group with psychotic episodes of some gravity, is often cited as climax to the collapse he suffered in an interview for an American chain that gave the world tour.
Against this backdrop, the band with Roger Waters at the helm, enjoying a success that required full concentration opted to replace Barrett by other musicians at some performances, obviously forcing them to restructure and adapt the entire repertory, until finally it was decided, once the group re-entered the studio to let out definitively undisputed leader of the band.
Syd Barrett was replaced by David Gilmour and the group continued its path away from the coordinates of the psychedelic first album in a race to the masses well known to all.

Syd Barrett suffered from schizophrenia exacerbated by psychotic episodes, a situation completely disabling that forced him to undergo intensive care and back at home with their parents. In 1970, however, Barrett and David Gilmour contacted him raised the idea of recording in some study subjects who had completed, with the tremendous success of Pink Floyd did not prove problematic contact with the studies of the EMI Abbey Road to conduct these meetings to Although the "special" circumstances and the almost zero possibility that trading was known in advance would have these songs.
From these early sessions would virtually all the material in the first solo album by Syd Barrett, called "The MadCap Laugh", produced by David Gilmour and collaborations with The Soft Machine, Roger Waters and various studio musicians, a strange disc and hallucinations dominated almost exclusively by the guitar and the voice of Barrett that explores spaces of spectral folk, blues and rock lysergic space with ease and conviction that only he could get.
Highlights within this set of songs as diverse sockets "Terrapin", "Octopus", "Late Night", "No Good Trying" and "Love you" with irresistible melodies and gorgeous arrangements, the rest of the material is rather more experimental and dark, some items are simply not completed sketches, songs strange difficult to classify.
The sessions of "The MadCap Laugh" were certainly complicated, Syd Barrett showed scattered and lacking in many times and it was necessary to "tap" the shots again and again, adding arrangements only when the guitar and voice was already recorded, but the fact is that despite everything Barrett continued to show even an imagination beyond any discussion and an enthusiasm for his songs that he was able to convey to the whole team.
The album came out published that same year with little commercial support of EMI and few knew of its existence, David Gilmour came with Floyd and Syd Barrett withdrew another season.

Perhaps against expectations, just a few months later, in November 1970, Syd Barrett returned to get in touch with EMI to record new items, the company agreed again but this time was attempted by all means give a touch more commercial the compositions with a view to greater media impact, even to attract new fans of Pink Floyd, for it was decided to give most of the subjects treated more forthright, more direct, more bandwidth.
David Gilmour was re-unite the project would receive just that this time the name of "Barrett", new sessions were equally chaotic but equally interesting, with an environment marked by the elusive and fertile imagination of Barrett, engaged in bringing forward topics absolutely brilliant as "Baby Lemonade," "Gigolo Aunt" or "Rats" with issues far more strangers near the espitiritu of "The MadCap Laughs" and "Wined and Dined" or "Wolfpack". This second disc of Syd Barrett might not reach the level of genius from the first, proving somewhat scattered, but still the issues cited are undoubtedly among the best I ever did.

In February 1970, after completing "The MadCap Laugh," Syd Barrett recorded a holding action in the program for the BBC John Peel accompanied by David Gilmour and Jerry Shirley interpreting themes from his first album as "Terrapin" but focusing on topics then appear on "Barrett" and "Gigolo Aunt", "Baby Lemonade" or "Elephant Effervescing. This concert is interesting because the issues are different nuances and because Barrett was quite volatile during the action, causing unforeseen changes difficult to follow for the musicians.

Following the publication of her second album Syd Barrett and finally withdrew his figure was gradually overshadowed by the huge media success of Pink Floyd reached its peak in the mid-'70s with albums like "Dark Side Of The Moon" or "Wish You Were Here ". Syd was installed permanently at the home of his mother and what has been his life since then remains in the deeper anonymity because it has never granted interviews and has been barely seen in public. The nature of his illness and the influence it had on his career and in his subsequent disappearance remain so in the most absolute of the mysteries, there is no fixed pattern to describe or predict the behavior and thoughts of a schizophrenic, if that Barrett suffered from schizophrenia and indeed no details on his final years also helps to solve that mystery.

In 1989, coinciding with a revival of the figure of Syd Barrett was released the album "Opel", a collection of unreleased tracks and alternative takes of those mythical sessions of 1970, bringing almost all the songs have already seen the light, some songs that still maintain a magnetism and a magic hardly assimilable, some themes and a musician, Syd Barrett, forever wrapped in a unique genius of legend and mystery.