Spotlight on Syd Barrett: Part 1

This week, we're going to honor the memory of Syd Barrett by highlighting some of his work.

"Candy And A Currant Bun"
This is a little known B-side of "Arnold Layne," Pink Floyd's first hit. The main innovation of this 1967 song is its radio-unfriendly lyrics: "Oooh, don't talk to me/ Please, just fuck with me/ Please you know I'm feeling frail." And you thought the Rolling Stones were explicit in their treatment of sex.

The harmony vocals are Roger Waters or Richard Wright wailing on a slide melody, years before Thom Yorke would use that technique.

Despite the fact that Pink Floyd was known as a psychedelic jam band even during the Barrett era, most of their recordings actually clocked in under 3 minutes. "Candy" is 2:47 long.