Waters Vs. Barrett

maybe just a touch of sarcasm

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"This conversation can serve no further purpose" HAL from 2001 A Space Odyssey

I think that Roger is the better lyricist but Syd was definitely the better musician. Much of the Wall is musically very poor! I await the flaming with baited breath....

You'll not find much argument from this lot.

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what do you teach your children about me?
what do you teach your little children about me?
pimp, thug, bling drug lord of the undergrounded kings
how can you be so sure i won't call down the rain?
what do you teach your little children about me?
you point your gun, wait, hide and run. i see it plain

Roger Keith Barrett is as overrated as it gets, comparing him to Waters is ridiculous.

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You know it makes sense, don't even think about it.
Life and death are things you just do when you're bored.

What's wrong with people around here? It's a lot of Syd Barrett fans, a lot of Roger Waters fans and a lot of David Gilmour fans on this site, but it's almost impossible to find any Pink Floyd fans. Why?

I think we are all Floyd fans...It's just a divisive question.


But it really gets something going doesn't it?

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"This conversation can serve no further purpose" HAL from 2001 A Space Odyssey

It's only natural to have a preference for one particular phase of the Floyd catalog over another.

Personally, I have little use for the Barrett era, but acknowledge Syd's contributions
as a valuable part of their history.

So I say Roger is better.

I think if you first hear Syd's stuff as a youngster, it is more appealing than if you first hear it as a 40-year-old adult.

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Taking away from you for the greater good.

"Thus, every communist should become an active participant in this electoral upsurge, if he or she hasn’t already done so. The avenues are many and the possibilities are nearly limitless." -- Sam Webb, chairman, Communist Party USA (speaking of Obama / Clinton)

Syd made 1 album then went insane. roger made bout 10 n thye were all classic n better than piper, not that it is a bad album but it jsut doesnt compare to there later stuff.

in my opinion, roger waters went deeper with feelings in his lyrics, but Syd barrett's identify me better... but both are great, i like the wall more than the piper but theres no other album that can be compared with the piper at the gates of dawn, its unique, one of a kind...

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zig-zag-ing my way through the boredom and pain...

IMHO Syd beats almost anyone as far as originality goes. His style was HIS. It's so very personal...

But, having said that, I think that this comparison is not fair. I prefer "The Wall" to "Piper" and Roger Waters can beat as well almost anyone as far as concepts linking whole albums go. I think that rock operas such as "Tommy", "Quadrophenia" or "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" are very weak narratively compared with "The Wall" or "Amused to Death" (I'm talking about narrative coherence, not about the music) and it is quite difficult to articulate a whole album around a story and make it work effectively (ask Dream Theater: "Metropolis Part II" is an awful mess lyrically and it's full of clichés).

But perhaps he isn't as good with the music as he is with the words. Though he's got wonderful songs of his own, a lot of the best songs have come up in collaborations with the other band members (Echoes, Us and Them, Wish You Were Here, Dogs, Comfortably Numb...).

You see, they are two very different artists to be compared on the same level. And, what is more, Roger had 12 years to evolve from "Take Up Thy Stethoscope" or "Small Furry, blah, blah, blah..." to "The Wall", whereas poor old Syd Barrett went crazy and couldn´t get any further. Who knows what things he could have done if he hadn´t lost his head on the way?

But, of course, this is just wishful thinking. How would have the Stones evolved with Brian Jones alive and kicking? And Hendrix's guitar style if he hadn't died? John Lennon's works and opinions in the 80's and 90's?... All wishful thinking.

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Solo work

Syd's lyrics are completely off the wall, well, not off the wall, but bizarre, it makes me wonder how he could come up them, apart from being completely insane. While Rogers are a lot more refined, clever and to the point and sometimes scathing. In my opinion it is not really fare to compare the two as they are poles apart (sorry, not trying to drop Floyd song names in deliberatley) but equally important.

It's not really fair to compare the two to each other. Both have contributed to the band and with out either of them, Pink Floyd wouldn't be where it is today.

It isn't fair that Syd lost it. but his lyrics to Roger's were playful, humorous and so forth. Roger has produced some extremely well written thought provoking lyrics. And while he's never been able to capture Syd's playfulness, the lyrics Roger wrote, defined a period of their music.

But again, I think it took both of them, to get Pink Floyd were it is today. And although, I like Syd over Roger, I'm not giong to chose. Both had their defined own style, and that's enough. I like Pink Floyd for it's complete circle of members, lyrics and music. Pink Floyd is Pink Floyd and it took all of them to make it so.

I enjoy both. Syd's songs had such a beautiful, childlike sense of fantasy to them, with a haunting mood attached. Rogers speak to me more personally though, the quests for justice in a unjust world, insanity of modern life, manic depression, etc.

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They are both unique. Whats worth mention is that Roger is pretty confident on his own writing abillities. He has even claimed that he is the best songwriter of the twentieth century , but he always gets very humble when he talks about Syds writing skills. Syd has always been Rogers source of inspiration.