Opel
by Syd Barrett

After finishing up Barrett, Syd basically dropped off of the face of the earth. His brain was so completely fried by that point that not even his definite genius could compensate. Hence, he never again recorded an album, and to the end of his days lived a reclusive life in Cambridge. But his obsessive fandom wanted more material, and Capitol was happy to oblige with this collection of unreleased and alternate takes from Syd's solo career.
In any case, if you aren't already a Syd fan, I'm not sure that it would be worth your while to pick up this album, but if you got your jollies from Madcap and Barrett, you may as well give it a shot. Fans often rave over the title track, but I think that's largely because of its 'confessional' nature. Since it doesn't really start hitting emotional buttons in me firmly until it's more than halfway done, though, and since the main chord sequence isn't particularly interesting, it's hard for me to want to rave about it much. It's decent, though.
The rest of the album, then, is split into all new material and alternate versions of what we already have. Of the other 'new' tracks, the most notable are the clever ditties "Dolly Rocker," "Birdie Hop" and "Milky Way" (yeah, I like it, sue me), cute (and kinda stupid, but in a good way) little songs in the classic Syd vein that tend to stick with me for hours. The other new tracks are notable in their own way, but that's mostly because they tend to stink in a very discomforting way. The only truly unlistenable bit is an eight-minute noise fest called "Lanky" (Interstellar Overdrive this is not), but while the other songs aren't so blatantly icky, you're not about to see me raving about "Word Song" or "Swan Lee."
As for the alternate versions, I'd say the alternate "Wined and Dined" is superior to the original, but the rest could have never seen the light of day for all I care. The "raw" versions of "Octopus," "Rats" (oh help me), and "Dark Globe" basically add nothing to what we have already, and I can't see the need for them other than to just exist. It's kinda nice to soak in the atmospherics of "Golden Hair" again, though, I'll give the album that.
In short, just as I only recommend Barrett for big fans of Madcap, Opel is recommended only for huge fans of Barrett. This is just not the kind of thing that can be taken out on a regular basis and enjoyed by people like me, and I say that as somebody who loves Syd to death as a concept. Of course, that may have its advantages from time to time, as I can easily see this driving away unwanted house guests with ease.
Oh, and one more thing. Is the album pronounced '_O_-puhl' or 'O-_pehl_'? Please tell me if you know.

When someone's worst album is as good as this, it speaks volumes for the quality of that artist.