Published 2002 by Genesis Publications
Syd Barrett picture archive, signed by Mick Rock and Syd Barrett
Once
in a while, something extremely special appears that completely
overwhelms you. Psychedelic Renegades is a good example of this.
Presenting for the first time the
entire Syd Barrett archive of photographer (and friend of Syd) Mick
Rock, huge care and attention has been taken over this very special,
limited edition. In total, there are 950 numbered copies, all signed by
Mick Rock; copies numbered 1-320 are also signed "Barrett" by a certain
RK Barrett! Published by Genesis Publications this is not cheap - but if you can afford it, very much worth it!
Upon receipt (each order is
undertaken on an individual basis) you receive a large outer cardboard
box construction completely shrowding and protecting the contents. The
book itself is also carefully wrapped with brown paper. Once out of
this, you find the large format book in a heavy card slip sleeve
(pictured left) featuring a colourised black and white picture of Syd
with a number of scratches on one side, and the other has a shot in the
back garden with a tennis racquet, and also Syd looking through one of
Rock's camera lenses.
Once
through the slip case, the smell of Italian leather hits you - in the
standard edition (not signed by Barrett) the spine is covered with red
leather. The deluxe edition is fully bound in leather. Turning the book
around shows the gold leaf that edges the 159 pages, of heavy duty,
quality art paper. The book is bound by hand at the Westminster Abbey
Book Bindery - they have a long tradition in this kind of precise,
careful work.
The introduction by Rock talks of
his reasoning for releasing this edition, and why potentially Barrett
signed the deluxe edition. He then moves on to discussing how he met
Syd in 1966, as part of the Cambridge "in-crowd", in an illuminating
and atmospheric piece discussing the local scene in detail.
This is followed by more
recollections, focusing on the London scene, interspersed by the
memories of Syd's flatmate, the artist Duggie Fields, which gradually
moves to background information on the Madcap photo sessions, which
makes up the majority of the pictures included between the covers -
shots from inside and outside Syd & Duggie's flat in Earl's Court
Square in London.
The final third of the book
consists of Rock's pictures of Syd in 1971, at Syd's mother's house in
Cambridge, together with the complete, unedited Rolling Stone article
he wrote in the same year, which was heavily edited for publication.
It is a joy to behold, this book.
Each page is heavy art stock/grade paper. A few pages are of a
different texture, akin to a stiff parchment. These pages are used for
experimental, digitally(?) altered versions of shots present elsewhere,
or for foldouts of pictures in a larger format.
So beautifully presented and
printed throughout, with many unseen pictures (apparently the total
archive of Mick Rock!), Psychedelic Renegades is well worth the
(substantial) asking price as a piece of art in itself. Words cannot do
this book justice... get your copy while you can. The deluxe editions
are close to being sold out, but the normal edition is almost as good -
the only difference being the cover being fully bound in leather, and
that oh-so-desirable seven letter autograph... "Barrett".
|