![\"Syd](\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/pix-2006\/syd-barrett.jpg\")
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This week, we lost Syd Barrett<\/strong>, founder of the band Pink Floyd<\/strong>. Early news reports mentioned that his death was due to cancer, while others mention diabetes as a leading cause. All I know for certain is that Syd checked out a long time ago, retreating from the public eye to deal with his own personal problems. <\/p>\n I was a big fan of Syd Barrett’s work, as both a member of Pink Floyd and as a solo member. There was a period in my life where I practically wore out my “Nice Pair” compilation that repackaged the first two Pink Floyd albums “The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn” and “A Saucerful Of Secrets.” I absolutely loved that stuff!<\/p>\n Last year, Pink Floyd got a lot of attention for their reunion at the Live 8 event. I always hoped there would also be a Syd Barrett reunion. As Brian Wilson<\/strong>, Roky Erickson<\/strong>, and Daniel Johnston<\/strong> demonstrated that mental health issues need not cripple one’s musical talents, I wished that Syd would somehow gather his strength to make music once again. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.<\/p>\n In the liner notes by Brian Hogg<\/strong> for the Syd Barrett 3-CD box set “Crazy Diamond,” there was one particular mention about Pink Floyd shows at the Roundhouse that caught my eye:<\/p>\n A subsequent review in “IT,” termed the quartet a “psychedelic pop group” and described their “scary feedback sounds and slide projections (which) produced outer space\/prehistoric textures on the skin.” Other accounts noted that the power blew out during “Interstellar Overdrive,” which suggested that by this stage the Floyd were bending original songs to a set once-renowned for freaked-out readings of “LOUIE LOUIE” and “Road Runner.”<\/strong> <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I don’t know if any such recordings actually exist, or they were merely stoned recollections of events that were not properly recorded for posterity. Nonetheless, I continue to search for the elusive recordings of early Pink Floyd performing LOUIE LOUIE.<\/p>\n