What if and theories on where a band could go had this event occurred or that member left is a rabbit hole worth falling into. Be it a discussion on whether The Beatles would’ve reunited on stage or what could’ve been had Roy Orbison not died a year before audiences returned to his music, these what-ifs, when left in the hands of dedicated fans, can be answered convincingly. Vantage Point is one such example, a Pink Floyd bootleg which pushes for an answer to what the band would’ve been like had Syd Barrett been in the studio for Ummagumma. Barrett would be out of the band by the time Pink Floyd had released their second studio album, A Saucerful of Secrets. Had he stuck on, this bootleg argues, the band would be in a very different spot. Roger Waters would take lead on the group, but what if he and Barrett had continued on? It’s a question worth thinking on, but with little in the way of evidence to what sound it’d provide, it’s hard to answer.
But Vantage Point presents some convincing suggestions, never comments, on what could’ve been. Sharp quality can be heard on the pieced together Vantage Point, which walks the fine line of compilation and bootleg. Pink Floyd would come into their own when Barrett left the band, not just because of his departure, but because the swell of musicians influenced by The Beatles were no longer operating in the shadow of the Fab Four’s existence. Pink Floyd had the melodic structure and instrumental know-how of The Beatles, but the edginess they brought to it was something the Paul McCartney and John Lennon-featuring group had only started working on in their final years. Those roaring, roaming guitar riffs on Vantage Point opener, Ibiza Bar, are an exciting example of that overlap. Songs like No Man’s Land are indicative of where the band was when it came to progressive rock, the mumbling over a wailing, Jimi Hendrix-like guitar riff is quite the treat.
All of it feels like the group are skirting around what they truly want to be doing, though. It creates quite the dissonance when you hear an album like Meddle or Atom Heart Mother, where the Barrett-like interpretation of Ummagumma on Vantage Point is thriving. Long Gone is a staggering track, one well worth hunting down outside of this compilation. Some experimental, bass-driven grooves can be heard later in the album, too, another shift toward that instrumental stylishness the band would soon hone. Would they have honed it as fast as they did had Barrett stuck around? Who knows, that’s the honest and only real answer. But credit to those who, like with Vantage Point, try and answer the impossible.
Interesting to muse on, and the music collected here is as good an argument as there can be for that alternate history. Vantage Point has some clear advantages. Pink Floyd would bloom into one of the all-time great bands partly because of Barrett’s departure, but not because of his absence. Waters stepped up rather than actively, maliciously, wanted to take control, or at least that is the believable narrative. Vantage Point does, at times, suggest the band would drift further into noodling soundscapes rather than venomous, politically charged commentaries. Such is the clear difference of leadership under Barrett and Waters, and the latter would prevail as a more interesting experience. But for those wanting the psychedelic hang-ups, where world music would affect the band, Vantage Point is a crucial, interesting listen. It’s as close an answer to the question as fans may ever get.
