There was a lot of expectations for this issue and much hype surrounding it. On arrival it got some good reveiws and we were told Barrett himself approved. I liked every single track he made with Pink Floyd and most on the two solo albums. It wasn't just a temporary crush, I still find solo numbers like "Octopus", "Gigolo Aunt" and "Baby Lemonade" rewarding. I had big hopes opening the cover for the first time, finding out there was eight previously unreleased compositions and the rest alternate takes. I usually don't care about late issues of alternate takes. In 99% of the cases the reason they weren't used was the recordings had lower standard and that is certainly the case here. Non of these alternates reaches up to the ones on the solo albums and you certainly got to appreciate the work done by producers and musicians involved getting such a fine result on the issued versions. The previously unissued stuff consists of a few demos and mainly unfinished takes recorded between 1968-70. Some of them makes me sad when he's struggling with the guitar or stumbling over words, but two tracks stands out. "Lanky (part 1)" and "Swan Lee", both recorded in May -68, still have some of the old magic. Initially the two unissued Pink Floyd tracks "Vegetable Man" and "Scream Thy Last Scream" was supposed to be on here, but the inclusion was stopped by the group. So it could have been a lot better and it's not even close to the classic issues, but still essential to die-hard Barrett or Floyd fans. On the plus side - the cover has a nice lay-out with lots of information about the tracks and the audio is very good. US vinyl release on Capitol (CI 91206). UK first with label as shown here and glossy f/o cover. Also issued on CD and cassette in both US and UK. (PÅX*)(HÄVL*)
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