More Syd?

Nicky, Ricky, Roger, and Davey were in the van on a way to a gig on this day in 1968.

"Shall we pick Syd up?" one of them asked.

"Let's not bother." was the answer.

It's not like he was still an active member of the band. He had long since ceased to contribute both in the studio and on stage....unless his stage presence was supposed to provide a focal point for the freak show.

After writing and singing most of their first album, he only wrote one song on the second and played on two more. Another pair of songs were recorded but for release as a single, but remained unreleased until 2016.

At first they discussed keeping Syd on as a non-performing member, writing songs like Brian Wilson did for the Beach Boys. What might that have sounded like? He only had one song on A Saucerful of Secrets , and it is debatable whether the inclusion of the unreleased single would have improved it.

What about More? It has a spacey, folksy songs interspersed with the "experimental" stuff that, I guess, enhances the movie. Stripping out some of the instrumentals and replacing them with folksy, spacey songs from The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, we get More Syd: a coherent listen that is more than the sum of its parts.

Likewise, Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother could use a dose of Syd. "Wined and Dined" will improve most any album it's placed on....even Meddle - swap it for "Seamus" - who's a good dog? Out you go, now.

Elsewhere, others have pondered the inclusion of some of Syd's music on Wish You Were Here retitled as Wish You Hadn't Shown Up, It's Awkward. It is easy to imagine Roger singing "Dark Globe". Maybe he'll cover it someday.

This weekend also marked the anniversary of Animals, my personal favorite. They could've added a couple of Syd's animal tracks to that one.

Would it work? Who's to say, might be a tough fit. It's probably their proggiest album, and solo Syd is pretty spare stuff...but "Effervescing Elephant" begins with the tuba phrase from Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals...pretty proggy. It also tells - more or less - the same tale, and even begins and ends with birdsong...fits right in after "Sheep".

Animals....Animals All Over the Place. You be the judge.

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