This is the second and last main solo album from Syd Barrett. Just like The Madcap Laughs, this was also released in 1970. Still, it is a musical and historical necessity to observe, so let’s jump in and have a listen to the material here.

We begin with Baby Lemonade which has some beautiful and awesome guitar playing by Syd Barrett that is somewhat bluesy, isolated in the right channel. Eventually, the song begins with some acoustic guitar strumming and other instrumentation to boot, and Syd begins singing. This is much more well constructed and studio-based than the previous album by Syd Barrett. It does sound like good music, so much credit must go to Syd Barrett for giving us this music to enjoy. A very good listen, and the rolling drumbeats really bring this alive in the outro. Very good start to the album.

Following is Love Song which has similar instrumentation and feel to the first song. It is a laidback and brilliant sounding acoustic based piece. This feels nicely constructed and is a beautiful Pop/Rock Folk pastiche. This is short, yet beautiful listening to hear. The piano in the outro is really quite nice to hear. Good song.

Dominoes is next, and it sounds like a piece of melancholy work by Syd Barrett. It has some backwards guitar parts here, which sound interesting, along with an organ and a basic drum beat. This is not the random jams of The Madcap Laughs, this is much more a constructed studio album to hear. Very interesting listening and somewhat Psychedelic in intention, definitely different and out there listening. The jam in the second half is pretty cool and makes this a different listening experience.

It Is Obvious comes next with more organ and acoustic guitar, and has Syd singing more urgently here. It is rather catchy and different here, showcasing a wonderful side to Syd Barrett that he could still make tunes post Pink Floyd. A nice song, although Syd sounds like he is having a hard time, without saying so. Good song, however.

Next is Rats which begins with some interesting acoustic and electric guitar playing and Syd’s rather tuneless singing here. Eventually, this piece gets kicking along, and we have a good pounding tune to hear. These songs are surprisingly short, but given that, are interesting to hear. This song has some stream of consciousness style lyrics towards the end, a catchy piece of music indeed.

Following is Maisie with its clean electric guitars and repeated vocal here. It has Syd Barrett singing rather oddly, in amongst some basic Rock instrumentation. It is more sonic based than singing here, and this seems half-finished really. A weird and wonderful tune to listen to, this is odd.

Gigolo Aunt comes next, with its electric guitar intro, quickly bursting into an organ-led piece that is actually quite catchy. A pretty weird, yet humourous piece to hear, the guitar playing here is good. Not a bad sort of Pop/Rock piece that sounds interesting and marvellous. A very good and catchy piece of music, it is more of a well-constructed jam than an actual song. Still, this out-there piece is a great listen and is very catchy. The playing on it is superb. Some odd bongo beats finish this off.

Waving My Arms In The Air comes along next, with its love based lyricism and basic Pop/Rock instrumentation. The lyrics here are really random, but that is to be expected from post-LSD Syd Barrett. A nice and catchy listen anyway, this is a good song. Good to hear. It segues straight into the next track.

The next track I Never Lied To You continues on this album in a love-based lyrical sense. Very short, as many of these songs are, this song is under two minutes long. It is classic Syd Barrett and just sounds awesome. This piece is directed very much to a lover and sounds different.

Following is Wined And Dined which begins with more organ and a nice acoustic groove to match. This is another love based piece that sounds really excellent. A great piece of music that sounds different and really quite good, it seemingly has some quiet slide guitar in the background, amongst other tasty instrumentation. A great piece to listen to, much like the rest of this album.

Wolfpack comes next and has Syd’s multitracked vocals kick off this piece, with more acoustic guitar and some feedback-laden electric guitar throughout. This is really excellent and sounds impressive. The track is quite random, mind you, but given Syd’s mental state of the time, is to be expected. An interesting and different listening experience, this is another good piece towards the end of this album. The guitar solo along with piano and the rest of the instrumentation, towards the end, are neat.

Effervescing Elephant is the last song here. It has a weird intro with some animal sound effects, and some horns then enter. This is a superb listen and is an odd song to hear. Still, it ends this album nicely and this is definitely different and weird. Good finish to the album, however.

This is a nicely delivered and a well thought out Pop/Rock album that Syd Barrett fortunately gave us to enjoy. The only real flaw here is that all the songs do sound rather a lot like the exact same thing as a whole. Still, this is easily overlooked and is a fine album to hear, especially if you get sick of The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and need a dose of Syd.

Wonderful.

8/10