Since Dark Side of the Moon, the members of Pink Floyd dealt in various ways with the fate of their original singer Syd Barrett. As Roger Waters said about the band in 1975, “It couldn’t have happened without him, but on the other hand, it couldn’t have gone on with him.” On Dark Side of the Moon, Barrett is not directly addressed, but the themes of madness swirl through the various big statement songs and in the various quotes from friends and roadies peppered throughout the mix. Later on, The Wall would bring listeners a main character who goes mad and shuts himself up in isolation externally and internally. Echoes of Syd are everywhere.
