The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me?

The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? is a compilation album by Syd Barrett released in 2001 that spans Barrett's entire solo career.

The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me?
Greatest hits album by Syd Barrett
Released	16 April 2001 (UK) 11 September 2001 (US)
Recorded	Abbey Road May 1968 – July 1970
Genre	Rock
Length	73:21
Label	Harvest (UK) Capitol (US)
Producer	Syd Barrett, Peter Jenner, Malcolm Jones, Roger Waters and David Gilmour
Syd Barrett chronology
Crazy Diamond (1993) The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? (2001) Syd Barrett: The Radio One Sessions (2004)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
BBC	favourable[2]
Billboard	very favourable[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
The Guardian	[5]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
The New York Times	very favourable[7]
NME	[8]
Pitchfork Media	(8.5/10)[9]
Popmatters	very favourable[10]

Content

Comprising highlights from Syd Barrett's two 1970 albums The Madcap Laughs (seven songs),[1] Barrett (nine songs),[1] and the 1988 out-takes collection Opel (four songs),[1] the album was issued to service casual Barrett fans who presumably would only require one disc of his music.

As a bonus to dedicated Barrett followers, The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? includes "Two of a Kind", from Barrett's John Peel radio show performance in February 1970,[1] and, courtesy of David Gilmour's personal collection,[11] Barrett's previously-unreleased "Bob Dylan Blues",[1] an original recorded a few days after "Two of a Kind",[11][12] that before this release was a very rare and sought-after song.

Track listing

All songs by Syd Barrett, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Octopus"		The Madcap Laughs	3:48
2.	"Late Night"		The Madcap Laughs	3:14
3.	"Terrapin"		The Madcap Laughs	5:03
4.	"Swan Lee (Silas Lang)"		Opel	3:14
5.	"Wolfpack"		Barrett	3:45
6.	"Golden Hair"	Barrett, James Joyce	The Madcap Laughs	1:59
7.	"Here I Go"		The Madcap Laughs	3:11
8.	"Long Gone"		The Madcap Laughs	2:49
9.	"No Good Trying"		The Madcap Laughs	3:25
10.	"Opel"		Opel	6:26
11.	"Baby Lemonade"		Barrett	4:10
12.	"Gigolo Aunt"		Barrett	5:45
13.	"Dominoes"		Barrett	4:06
14.	"Wouldn't You Miss Me (Dark Globe)"		Opel	3:00
15.	"Wined and Dined"		Barrett	2:56
16.	"Effervescing Elephant"		Barrett	1:53
17.	"Waving My Arms in the Air"		Barrett	2:07
18.	"I Never Lied to You"		Barrett	1:49
19.	"Love Song"		Barrett	3:02
20.	"Two of a Kind"	^†	The Peel Session	2:35
21.	"Bob Dylan Blues"		Previously unreleased	3:14
22.	"Golden Hair" (Instrumental)		Opel	1:50
Total length:				73:21

^† — Possibly written by Richard Wright (according to David Gilmour), though Barrett insisted it was his own composition.[13]

Production

• Syd Barrett – producer
• Tim Chacksfield – project coordinator
• David Gilmour – producer
• Peter Jenner – producer
• Malcolm Jones – producer, overdub producer
• Peter Mew – transfers, remastering
• Mark Paytress – liner notes
• Nigel Reeve – project coordinator
• Phil Smee – package design

References

1. Kellman, Andy. "Wouldn't You Miss Me?: The Best of Syd Barrett – Syd Barrett : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
2. Marsh, Peter. "BBC - Music - Review of Syd Barrett - Wouldn't You Miss Me". www.bbc.co.uk.
3. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (13 October 2001). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
4. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
5. Odell, Reviews by Michael; Petridis, Alexis; Sullivan, Caroline; Aizlewood, John; Denselow, Robin; Sweeting, Adam (13 April 2001). "Pop CD releases" – via www.theguardian.com.
6. "Syd Barrett". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
7. Strauss, Neil (7 December 2001). "Holiday Forecast: Cool to Sultry, and a Chance of CD Flurries; Compilations, Live Albums And Reissues" – via NYTimes.com.
8. Oldham, James (10 April 2001). "NME Album Reviews – Syd Barrett : Wouldn't You Miss Me? (The Best Of...)". NME. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
9. "Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me: The Best of... | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 12 November 2002.
10. "Syd Barrett: The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me?". PopMatters. 2 October 2001.
11. Jones, Malcolm (2003). The Making of The Madcap Laughs (21 ed.). Brain Damage. pp. 13–14.
12. Barrett (booklet). Syd Barrett. EMI. p. 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
13. Watkinson, Mike; Pete Anderson. Crazy Diamond: Syd Barrett & the Dawn of Pink Floyd. p. 92.