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  • Floyd Founder Dead From Diabetes At 60

    Most rock fans don’t know who Syd Barrett was. Like Peter Green with Fleetwood Mac or Dave Shogren being replaced on bass just before The Doobie Brothers hit, Cambridge-born Barrett formed Pink Floyd when he was only 20. This week he died at age 60, leaving a void in a chapter of progressive rock.

    Barrett only significantly contributed to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the first Floyd album. He wrote or co-wrote every track, leaving Roger Waters firmly in the shadows and David Gilmour somewhere on a Cambridge streetcorner. Barrett led his Pink Floyd troupe through Abbey Road on a drug-induced series of recording while The Beatles worked on a little concept album called Sgt Something or Other.

    Although drug issues forced Barrett to leave the band, his influence remained an impact on Pink Floyd for years. The band members said in a statement, “Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire.”

    Barrett suffered from diabetes for years. The American Diabetes Association offers a free, anonymous online screening tool for those who think they might either have diabetes or be at risk.

    Spinning In The CD Player Today
    Nothing. Go take the diabetes screening test above.

  • Sleep Well, Brother Milan

    Billboard and other media sources are reporting that original Commodores member Milan Williams is dead at the age of 58. The cause of death has been reported as cancer.

    Born March 28, 1948 in Mississippi, keyboardist Williams penned Machine Gun for the group, their first Top 10 hit. Williams also had a co-writing credit with the rest of the band on 1977’s anthemic Brick House.

    Spinning In The CD Player Today
    The Commodores’ major label debut titled Machine Gun from a song by founding member Milan Williams. Give it a listen yourself.

  • Can We Burn Paris Now?

    The CDs, I mean?

    Having heard Stars Are Blind on heavy rotation on many hit stations, there is no doubt that Hilton’s song will assault our ears all summer. When I last heard her, the blathering wanna-be was sandwiched between The All American Rejects and Nick Lachey. I like AAR, the Lachey song isn’t awful, and frankly, Stars are Blind isn’t terrible. Paris is terrible. The song, written by Fernando Garibay, who has also written for Enrique Inglesias, Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony among others, penned a pretty good dance song. Paris, even with the wonders of modern recording equipment, is just awful. I can’t imagine how there could ever be a concert tour.

    Spinning in the CD player today:
    Ben Folds’ tracks from Over the Hedge. With tickets this week to see Folds for the second time with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, I felt compelled to learn anything new the piano guy might slip into the set. Atttending a Folds concert is like attending a rock concert version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. If you don’t know your cues, you’re out in the cold.