Exclusive: Hear Syd Barrett's Best

Click to listen to Syd Barrett's An Introduction To Syd Barrett.

The late Syd Barrett is one of the lamented casualties of rock and roll. As the lead singer and songwriter of early Pink Floyd, his work defined psychedelia and created classics like "See Emily Play," "Arnold Layne" and nearly all of the 1967 Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP. Ravaged by drug abuse, Syd left Floyd in 1968 and although a couple of occasionally brilliant solo albums followed (largely produced by Dave Gilmour, his replacement in Floyd), by the early '70s he'd retreated to his hometown of Cambridge, living essentially as a recluse until his death from diabetes complications in 2006.

Photos: The Dark Side of Pink Floyd: The Illustrated History of the Band's Last Days and Bittersweet Reunions

Now, the best of Barrett's work is collected on a single album, An Introduction to Syd Barrett, and Rolling Stone is pleased to offer the album stream. Gilmour has taken on the role of executive producer, and not only has the album been remastered, he's remixed five tracks and added bass guitar to "Here I Go"; Floyd's classic "Matilda Mother" has also gotten a new mix. Hear the work of this true rock original like you've never heard it before.

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Song Stories

“Let My Love Open the Door”

Pete Townshend | 1980

A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."

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