The opening song on Syd Barrett's second album, Barrett, "Baby Lemonade" is a generally upbeat pop rocker - though brief, the chorus is especially catchy, while the lyric carries some of Barrett's most intriguing couplets.- "In the sad town, cold iron hands clap the party of clowns outside" is certainly an arresting opening line.
Opening on a haunting lone guitar line before lush organ and percussion move in to provide a base for Barrett's vocal, the released version of the song was a first take recorded on the opening day of the sessions, February 26 1970 - two days after Barrett recorded the song for broadcast in his first and only solo John Peel radio session. A second version of the same take, labeled on the Crazy Diamond box set as "guitar and double track vocals only" is widely believed to be an artificial concoction. Another, unofficially available, version was recorded for the BBC's Sound of the Seventies radio program in March 1971.
