Throughout the 1970s, Dark Side Of The Moon was the standard all other prog albums were judged by, but I don’t really recall listening to Pink Floyd’s early stuff with Syd Barrett. I was aware of Barrett’s solo albums as odd stuff to be consumed with caution, but my only exposure that I remember to this album are the tracks which featured on the budget priced Relics album. So, when this came as a donation into the charity shop I work in, I paid a fair price (one perk is that you get to these before they hit the shelves, having given it to the manager to price). And it turns out, that by osmosis or some other mystic process, I do know most of this album. Astronomy Domine is a great start and a Floyd classic, while the next few tracks sound trademark 1960s hippie - well done but unremarkable. The instrumental Interstellar Overdrive kick starts things back into life, followed by The Gnome, a little piece of Barrett whimsy, as is The Scarecrow. The album finishes with Bike, a charming love song for two minutes, followed by a minute of completely pointless squeaks.
3* - it’s 1967, it’s a debut, and it doesn’t all work. But what does work is great.
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