To Whom it may concern:

To Whom it may concern:

I am writing on behalf of LaughingMadcaps, the largest Pink Floyd-related discussion group in the world (over 2000 members) dedicated to preserving the legacy and genius of Roger Keith Barrett a/k/a Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd.  Our common link is the ongoing appreciation of the amazing body of work Syd Barrett put out in his all-too-short recording career.

We do accept the fact that Roger Keith Barrett has no p 10110x2312k lans to ever record music again, and are grateful for the 1988 release of Opel and the added tracks in the Crazy Diamond box set.  However, we are disappointed that there are still hours of unissued Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd music left in EMI's vaults. Even the liner notes of the Crazy Diamond box set confirm this.

More recently, and with EMI's and Pink Floyd's cooperation, David Parker's book Random Precision documented every recording session Syd Barrett ever took part in, and every reel of unreleased music still found in the EMI vaults.

This remaining material is of considerable artistic and historic significance.  Every album Syd Barrett ever released has remained in print.  A niche project to tie up all remaining loose ends would be commercially viable as well.  Everyone concerned will be better served once this music is put into the hands of the true fans rather than collecting dust on a shelf--or potentially deteriorating to the point it could never be heard by anyone.

We would welcome any future release in any format and any condition of Syd Barrett or early Pink Floyd material.  We would encourage you to consider releasing everything that remains in the vaults.  This may or may not be feasible (although key albums by The Stooges, Captain Beefheart and Miles Davis among others have successfully been repackaged in all-inclusive box sets) but there is easily enough Barrett and early Floyd material available to fill several more archival Compact Discs.

Compared to the amount of product available by nearly every '60s band of similar stature (lesser, in many cases), there is an unreasonable scarcity of Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd material. 

Consider:

• There has never been any officially released live material featuring Syd Barrett. 

• There has never been an officially released album of rare and unreleased or alternate material for Pink Floyd.

• The officially released 1967 Pink Floyd tracks Candy and a Currant Bun, Apples and Oranges and the unique French EP version of Interstellar Overdrive are currently unavailable on Compact Disc.

• While released on Compact Disc in 1997 the unique mono mix of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is currently out of print.

• Collectors have been clamoring for the unreleased Pink Floyd songs Vegetable Man; Scream thy Last Scream and In the Beechwoods for decades. While 'bootleg' versions of the aforementioned songs circulate it is a shame that higher quality official versions are not available for purchase.

We are currently aware of the following items that are documented as being in EMI's vaults at Abbey Road.

E68413 Vegetable Man - unreleased Pink Floyd song written by Syd Barrett

E65464 Scream thy Last Scream - unreleased Pink Floyd song written by Syd Barrett

E68419 In the Beechwoods- unreleased Pink Floyd song written by Syd Barrett

E63409 Matilda Mother - alternate version

E63424 Chapter 24 - alternate version

E63672 Interstellar Overdrive - unique French EP version

E66771 Apples and Oranges - stereo mix never before released on Compact Disc

E68416 John Latham - unreleased instrumental

Pink Floyd have recorded their final album. This is precisely the point for them to give fresh consideration to previously unissued material and where better to begin than at the beginning?