@Adam N

Whether on his kaleidoscopic solo albums or with his formative contributions to Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett always approached music with an exploratory sense of whimsy. Early Floyd single "See Emily Play" is awash in woozy slide guitar and sun-kissed harmonies, and "Interstellar Overdrive" was the iconic group at their wildest, dissolving into oscillating, disorienting organ and guitar. Barrett only got more free-spirited when he went solo. "Octopus" is jaunty folk-pop that keeps twisting in a new direction, and the tuba-propelled "Effervescing Elephant" was the songwriter at his most childlike and playful.

Pink Floyd are notable not only for what they popularized (immaculate hi-fi production, elaborate concept albums, planetarium laser shows) but for what they negated: Their sense of mystique proved they didn’t need to mug for the camera to become one of the world’s most famous rock bands. Which is ironic, given that they were initially led by the charismatic Syd Barrett, whose madcap genius spawned 1967’s psychedelic triumph <i>The Piper at the Gates of Dawn</i>. After Barrett’s 1968 exit, the band entered a new era, led by Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason, and embraced expansive progressive rock. But with 1973’s <i>The Dark Side of the Moon</i>, Floyd refined their experimental ethos into a cohesive masterpiece. Anchored by songs like “Time,” “Us and Them,” and “Money,” the album spent 14 years on the Billboard charts. Waters’ lyrical depth took center stage on 1975’s <i>Wish You Were Here</i> (which featured the mildly funky “Have a Cigar” and the Barrett tribute “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”) and 1977’s politically charged <i>Animals</i>. Their colossal 1979 rock opera <i>The Wall</i> solidified their legacy as cultural icons with tracks such as “Hey You” and “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2.”