The Madcap Laughs

Amazon.com
Having left Pink Floyd in 1968 after a daily LSD habit had taken its toll, Syd Barrett's first solo album finally appeared two years later with ex-Floyd sidekicks David Gilmour and Richard Wright riding shotgun with him in the studio. The Madcap Laughs is a brilliant but brittle album, with every strum of the electric guitar seeming to take its toll on Barrett's increasingly frayed nerve strings. On songs such as "Love You," his state of mind is well concealed beneath the sort of jolly jangle-pop Blur would later indulge in. On "Dark Globe," however, the strain is palpable: "Please lend a hand ... won't you miss me? Wouldn't you miss me at all?" he pleads, ominously. The best tracks are "Octopus," which possesses all the controlled mania of early Floyd, and "Golden Hair," a still moment of musical rapture whose lyric is taken from a James Joyce poem. --David Stubbs

The Madcap Laughs,Syd Barrett,Capitol,British Psychedelia,England,Pop,Popular Music,Psychedelic,Psychedelic Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

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The Madcap Laughs

Average customer rating: 10 Stars - a one of a kind album, glimpsing the unconscious Not Floyd The Madness---And Genius---Of Syd Don't analyze...just listen Not what I was expecting anyways

The Madcap Laughs Syd Barrett Manufacturer: Capitol ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Similar Items: Barrett Opel The Piper at the Gates of Dawn A Saucerful of Secrets Relics ASIN: B000007MVM Release Date: 1990-08-07

Tracks:

1. Terrapin
2. No Good Trying
3. Love You
4. No Man's Land
5. Dark Globe
6. Here I Go
7. Octopus
8. Golden Hair
9. Long Gone
10. She Took A Long Cold Look
11. Feel
12. If It's In You
13. Late Night

Amazon.com

Having left Pink Floyd in 1968 after a daily LSD habit had taken its toll, Syd Barrett's first solo album finally appeared two years later with ex-Floyd sidekicks David Gilmour and Richard Wright riding shotgun with him in the studio. The Madcap Laughs is a brilliant but brittle album, with every strum of the electric guitar seeming to take its toll on Barrett's increasingly frayed nerve strings. On songs such as "Love You," his state of mind is well concealed beneath the sort of jolly jangle-pop Blur would later indulge in. On "Dark Globe," however, the strain is palpable: "Please lend a hand ... won't you miss me? Wouldn't you miss me at all?" he pleads, ominously. The best tracks are "Octopus," which possesses all the controlled mania of early Floyd, and "Golden Hair," a still moment of musical rapture whose lyric is taken from a James Joyce poem. --David Stubbs

Customer Reviews:

10 Stars - a one of a kind album, glimpsing the unconscious.......2007-07-22

mind of the artist untrammeled by commercialism or the desire for the bubble reputation. Syd Barrett is the Vincent Van Gogh of psychedilic rock. His gentle nature comes out in this album, which is primarily accoustic. His songs are like poems, ranging from the reflective (Terrapin) to the Rock oriented (No Man's Land) to the comic (Late Night).

And the music is good, although you may have to listen to it a while to get it. It is soft and subtle compared to his work with Pink Floyd. My personal favorite is "No Man's Land". The song is is electric, with feedback and distortion in both the guitar and the vocal tract, and yet Barrett sings in a soft, controlled, innocent tone. The best line of the album is on this song, "when I live I die".

This album was a major influence on Indie Rock, and I especially detect its influences on David Bowie's "Hunky Dory".

Not Floyd.......2007-05-29

Bought this because I am an enormous pink floyd fan and read reviews that, in this case, Madcap is a must have. I was disappointed in the CD overall mostly due to its more pop-oriented tracks that lack the variety of percussion and synthisizer that make the early floyd albums great. Octopus is a catchy tune, but most of the others fail to engage. As a whole: an interesting album, but lacks the creativity of any of the Floyd productions.

The Madness---And Genius---Of Syd.......2007-04-15

After leaving (or being dismissed from) Pink Floyd in 1968 due to his LSD use & erratic behaviour, singer/songwriter/guitarist Syd Barrett re-emerged in 1970 with his debut solo album, "The Madcap Laughs." The album did not come easy, as Syd never fully recovered from his drug use, and it clearly shows in his ragged performances on "Madcap Laughs." Producer Malcolm Jones did what he could with Syd for about half of the album, before handing the production reigns over to Barrett's former Floyd mates Roger Waters & David Gilmour to finish the job. Throughout the album, bum notes are played, beats are missed, and Barrett sings off-key. And on the rocker songs, the session players (from the group The Soft Machine) sound like they are struggling to keep up with Syd, who could hit a rough patch at any moment. For any other artist, this would all be nothing short of disastrous. And YET....in the case of Syd Barrett, any and all mistakes are immediately forgiven. Why? Because Barrett's songs on "The Madcap Laughs" are all wonderfully written, and although Syd's voice and guitar-playing are obviously not in tip-top condition, you can plainly hear on this album that he's trying. He's really, really *trying* to do his best, and his efforts really do shine through. For every bum note there's a passage that Syd plays beautifully, for every missed beat there are many beats that are hit right on schedule, and for every note that Syd sings off-key, there are many moments where his very distinctive, British voice is magical. And of course, there's Syd's lyrics. You may not know what all of them actually *mean*, really, but to my ears, they're still poetry. The rockers are still powerful ("No Good Trying," "No Man's Land," the rockabilly fun of "Here I Go," and the classic "Octopus"), and the softer numbers still have great beauty to them ("Terrapin," the passionate "Dark Globe," the effective "Golden Hair"---based on a James Joyce poem---and "Long Gone"). Even the more ragged numbers like "Feel" and "If It's In You," somehow still hang together quite well (amusingly, we even hear some brief banter from Syd in the middle of "If It's In You," as his voice goes wildly off the map, he stops playing, prepares for another take, and finally gets through the song). When all is said and done, "The Madcap Laughs," warts and all, is an excellent album. It is a flawed masterpiece, and it shows that Syd Barrett, even with his mind irreversibly fractured by this point, was still a genius musician.

Don't analyze...just listen.......2007-03-08

The Madcap Laughs defies categorization. Once you hear it, you may never want to listen to anything else...except perhaps for as much Syd as your psyche can absorb. Syd Barrett's music is life altering...a prism of genius. Do yourself a favor. Listen while the madcap laughs.

Syd...you are missed.

Not what I was expecting anyways.......2007-01-26

So this was apparently done in Syd's break down, which yes it sounds like it but not in the way I would have guessed. Reading about this album online I guess I expected really bare bones, dark, songs with just acoustic guitar and vocals.
But for me anyways most all the songs come off as throw away Beatles songs when they were just too strung out. Most of the songs have a full (or mostly) full band and have some silly lyrics that don't make sense for me coming from the guy that pushed Floyd into the spacey, psychedelics sounds of their first few albums. Save for one song that was what I was hoping for, the rest of the album inset so much hard to listen to as just not pleasing or entertaining.

Average customer rating: Fantastically Heartbreaking and Moving

The Madcap Laughs/Barrett Syd Barrett Manufacturer: Harvest ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Opel The Piper at the Gates of Dawn The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking A Saucerful of Secrets ASIN: B00008KH8T Release Date: 2003-03-10

Tracks:

1. Terrapin
2. No Good Trying
3. Love You
4. No Man's Land
5. Dark Globe
6. Here I Go
7. Octopus
8. Golden Hair
9. Long Gone
10. She Took A Long Cold Look
11. Feel
12. If It's In You
13. Late Night
14. Baby Lemonade
15. Love Song
16. Dominoes
17. It Is Obvious
18. Rats
19. Maisie
20. Gigolo Aunt
21. Waving My Arms In The Air
22. I Never Lied To You
23. Wined And Dined
24. Wolfpack
25. Effervescing Elephant

Album Description

Import only 2 CD set is comprised of the albums Madcap Laughs & Barrett. 38 tracks. EMI. 2006.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastically Heartbreaking and Moving.......2003-11-28

I love these two albums. I listened to them exclusively for almost a month after buying them. There is so much going on in each song, and each album is so rewarding. Of course, Syd is known as much for his problems as he is for his music, and that is a shame. The music he produced while he was able to is all wonderful.

These two records are nothing like his work with Pink Floyd. These albums are sparer, leaner, and closer to the edge. Most of the songs would fit in with the Beatles' White Album's weirder moments. There are some songs that are painful to listen to and I sometimes feel as though I shouldn't be listening ("Feel" off of "The Madcap Laughs" borders on exploitation). Still, these are great records and I return to them frequently.

Average customer rating: Wonderful Limited Edition Import

The Madcap Laughs Syd Barrett Manufacturer: EMI Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00005JIWZ Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

1. Terrapin
2. No Good Trying
3. Love You
4. No Man's Land
5. Dark Globe
6. Here I Go
7. Octopus
8. Golden Hair
9. Long Gone
10. She Took a Long Cold Look
11. Feel
12. If It's in You
13. Late Night

Album Description

Part of the Progressive Rock Original Paper Sleeve Series Vol. 1. Limited edition Japanese reissue of 1970 album originally released on Harvest.

Album Details

Japanese limited edition version featuring an LP style slipcase.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Limited Edition Import.......2007-04-26

Must have for collectors, especially if you miss the old album covers. I believe (if I'm not mistaken) it is packaged exactly like the original LP with glossy cardboard cover and artwork on front and back and opens to a double spread with inside artwork. Really awesome little miniature. In my opinion, definitely worth the extra few bucks.

Average customer rating: Identity With Barrett's Angst & Joy the real thing syd barrett is pink avid pink fan The only Pure music in existance

The Madcap Laughs Syd Barrett Manufacturer: Import [Generic] ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000007NWG Release Date: 1998-07-03

Tracks:

1. Terrapin [Take 1]
2. No Good Trying [Take 3]
3. Love You [Take 4]
4. No Man's Land [Take 5]
5. Dark Globe [Take 1]
6. Here I Go [Take 5]
7. Octopus [Take 11]
8. Golden Hair [Remake-Take 11]
9. Long Gone [Take 1]
10. She Took a Long Cold Look [Take 5]
11. Feel [Take 1]
12. If It's in You [Take 5]
13. Late Night [Take 2]
14. Octopus [Take 1 and 2][*]
15. It's No Good Trying [Take 5][*]
16. Love You [Take 1][*]
17. Love You [Take 3][*]
18. She Took a Long Cold Look at Me [Take 4][*]
19. Golden Hair [Take 5][*]

Album Details

Japanese Version Re-issued with Bonus Tracks.

Customer Reviews:

Identity With Barrett's Angst & Joy.......2002-03-16

If more musicians/lyricists would add Syd Barrett to their dietery list, the quality of thier music & lyrics would soar dramatically. Robyn Hitchcock is a good example of this.

A long time ago in my life, I identified with Barrett's angst and his crazy joy. I put together a personal collection of lyrics, drawings and photographs based on recollections of Barret lyrics, mostly from Madcap and Opel. Barrett was best at "stream of consciousness" rantings, floundering around in the cellars of his mind until something really ripe, really sweet, or really darkly true would pop up. When this occurred, then it would leave you stunned or heartbroken because you knew exactly where it was coming from. This was the power of Syd Barrett, and he played exactly like he wrote. Literalist minds stayed away.

The other members of Floyd, especially Waters, really missed him. They lost their spiritual leader and they knew it. They could not woo him out of his new life to get him back and continued to mourn his loss right through "Shine On." They knew what had passed. I give them credit for going on without him. A tough job.

There was no pretense about Barrett. He was not trying to be phychedelia...he WAS phychedelia...sort of reminds me of Artaud who WAS absurdist theatre. These guys open up creative centers in you...just remember to have a door so you don't get trapped in the self-destructive element..that is the key.

Good luck whereever you are Syd, and thanks.

the real thing.......2000-02-19

I got to know syd barrett`s work through a friend of mine, & for that I owe him big!

syd barrett was a simple man, who got lost in the greedy & demanding world & in far too many drugs. the simplicity is well shown on this album: not a big production, just him & his guitar.

but that was the real geniousty of roger "syd" barrett - to make the great from almost none. the whole album is very touching (dont be surprised if you`ll end up crying) & well delivers the feeling of a man who gave up on this world.

the bonus tracks which are supposed to be bad takes of the originally songs are a great supplement, some even better the real song (octopus).

I can only imagine what could have been if syd barrett didnt get "lost in the woods". we lost a real genious.

syd barrett is pink.......2000-02-09

although his mental collapse forced the other members of pink floyd to leave him in a hotel room. this albulm isnt for the timid, i reccomend this for the die hard floydian, i took me a couple times of listening to it to really realize his mental collapse. this is an excellent albulm to add to your collection, the extra tracks are a masterpice to say the least, but dark globe has to be the most touching song on the albulm. 5 stars wouldnt touch this. more along the lines of 20 stars

avid pink fan.......1999-06-24

to me aguably one of syds best Cd's although not realy worth the extra money for the few new tracks

The only Pure music in existance.......1999-05-18

This album will send shivers through your body if you know and understand Syd's state at that time. It was something he had to do and unfortunately the only downside was his inability to explain to the producers what he wanted . Lyrically, a masterpiece, melodically, a masterpiece, muscially tainted through Gilmore and that other guy. This album will give you a taste of true freedom without the boundries of todays greedy filthy world. "I think I'm the man on the border syd". Absolute genius

Average customer rating: wouldn't you miss me at all? A true curiosity Disintigration On Vinyl Long gone. WHAT A LOON..WHAT AN ALBUM!

The Madcap Laughs Syd Barrett Manufacturer: Indent Series ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Similar Items: Barrett Opel The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Barrett Pink Floyd - London 1966-1967 ASIN: B000005JIC Release Date: 1996-07-23

Tracks:

1. Terrapin
2. No Good Trying
3. Love You
4. No Man's Land
5. Dark Globe
6. Here I Go
7. Octopus
8. Golden Hair
9. Long Gone
10. She Took a Long Cold Look
11. Feel
12. If It's in You
13. Late Night

Amazon.com

A delightfully ragged and low-key solo debut from the man who in his previous incarnation was the leader and founder of the space-rock outfit Pink Floyd. Despite his role in that band, he was kicked out for erratic behavior, and, after a brief hiding-out, he returned to the studio to knock out this collection of pop-folk-psychedelic gems. Though his solo work barely achieved cult status on release, it inspired a later generation of songsters that include Julian Cope and Robin Hitchcock and predate an even later generation of low-fi tunesmiths like Elliott Smith and Will Oldham. The songs here stagger along, sometimes backed with sloppy psychedelic flourishes, at others backed by a spare, out-of-tune guitar. His voice wavers and breaks as he weaves his strange wordplay on "Octopus," "Golden Hair," and a dozen other wonderful songs. --Tod Nelson

Album Description

UK reissue of Pink Floyd founder's first album. Featuring Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour. 13 tracks all written by Barrett. Includes 7 bonus tracks 'Octopus' (Takes 1 & 2), 'It's No Use Trying' (Take 5), 'Love You' (Take 1 & 3), 'She Took a Long Cold Look at Me' (Take 4) and 'Golden Hair' (Take 5). 1994 release. Standard jewel case.

Customer Reviews:

wouldn't you miss me at all?.......2006-07-12

It's just been announced that Syd has died from diabetes at age 60, so I thought I would write something about him and this seemed a good place to do it.

There's a handful of people you could rightfully say were catalysts or instigators of epochal periods in human artistic development; one such period is what we like to call "The Sixties" and one such individual is Syd Barrett, the man who gave birth to Pink Floyd and helped to invent and define psychedelic music.

This record and the follow-up ("Barrett," with Syd's crazy drawings of bugs on the cover) are essential documents, not just for the inspired and demented songs but also for the somewhat overlooked idea that they helped to set the standard for the "confessional" songwriting of the 1970s. The nakedness of Syd's schizophrenia and declining mental state and their role in the performances here provide an unflinching, rare glimpse into real madness, warts and all. In a weird but highly effective way Syd's records paved the way for songwriters from Roky Erickson to Daniel Johnston to make their fragile psychological conditions reflect in their material, opening up some truly, well, crazy possibilities.

Syd's influence on music after 1967 is inestimable and unquantifiable... in his own way he was an avatar and you should get familiar with Pink Floyd's "Piper At the Gates of Dawn" and his own solo albums if you aren't already.

Today is a day to mourn the loss of a unique genius and to thank him for his contributions to the continuum. He is definitely one of those people (like Jimi Hendrix, Gram Parsons, Sam Cooke, and others) without whom things would have been substantially different and probably not as much fun.

A true curiosity.......2005-07-20

The Madcap Laughs is a sad record really,since it was made by one of the greatest musicians in rock history but it was made in a time when the musician was already in Section 8.Syd Barrett's solo record has some great moments though.Terrapin, No Good Trying and Octopus are all songs that typify the great ex-Pink Floyd front man.Weird lyrics, strange musical loops and surprising twists.The greatest on the album is a slow song though.Golden Hair is a true masterpiece and it is almost a shame that it only lasts 2 minutes.Anyway,the rest can't compete and that makes it a must have for every Floyd/Barrett fan(which I am)but for everybody else I would suggest The Floyd's debut Piper At the Gates of Dawn which has Syd's autograph written all over it.

Disintigration On Vinyl.......2003-12-05

Ok, so it's more like disintigration on CD these days. Syd Barrett's first solo album is the work of a man completely falling apart. As the founder of Pink Floyd, Barrett ingested enough LSD to drive a medium sized country mad, and by 1968 and 1969 (when this album was recorded) his mental state was very schizophrenic. Even with these problematic mental disorders (or maybe becasue of), Barrett managed to create a classic.

Following Barrett's dismissal from Pink Floyd in early 1968, the band's managers followed Barrett, assuming that the band could not survive without their creative light (oops). While time has obviously proved them wrong, they soon set Barrett to work with producer Malcomb Jones and the trippy combo The Soft Machine to create a pop album. Barrett's performances soon proved to be erratic and strange, and it was soon apparent that the music was not going to set the teen scene on fire. The sessions were shelved (although temporarily as many tracks are included on the album) and "Octopus" was unleashed as a single. It unsurprisingly did not go far.

Cut forward a few months and former bandmate Roger Waters and Syd's own replacement David Gilmore wheel Barrett back into the studio for some more fun and games. These sessions were acoustically based, and allowed Barrett to do pretty much whatever he wanted to do, even if it was endlessly strange.

The final album is a somewhat daunting listen, but quite phenomenal if you can get your mind into Syd's world, where things like rhythm are rather amorphous. "No Good Trying," "No Man's Land," "Octopus," and "Late Night" are strange but amazing masterpieces of psychedelic rock. On the first two especially, the backing musicians sound like they're furiously trying to keep up with Syd (no good trying?) and the music is always on the verge of flying apart at the seams in a wonderful and interesting sort of way. "Terrapin," "Dark Globe," and "Golden Hair" are the more acoustic classics.

Now I'm guilty of a bit of blasphemous resequencing in regards to my own copy of "The Madcap Laughs." I've taken out "Feel" and "If It's In You," which I think qualify as acoustic shambles, and replace them with "Opel" and "Silas Lang." These are outtakes from the Malcomb Jones sessions that I think are amazing (especially "Opel") and bewilderingly left off the album. They can be found on the otherwise hit or miss odds-and-sods complation "Opel."

Although more expensive, I heartily recommend the EMI reissue of this disc. The remastering is far superior to Capitol's disc, and the alternate takes are illuminating. Barrett never played a song the same way twice; that was likely part of his madness. Better yet, get all of Barrett's remastered studio legacy in the "Shine On Crazy Diamond" box set (which may be a bit difficult as I think it's out of print).

Long gone........2003-10-13

Well, I've been enjoying this album, along with the other two Syd Barrett albums for a few years now. If you like one, you'll like them all. Syd Barrett was NOT a genius, but a very talented songwriter who "lost himself a bit", shall we say?

I try to imagine walking into a pub late one night, and suddenly faced with this guy just playing his spacey music to a pair of drunks, a few empty bottles and a bartender smoking a cigarette. Pure magic. The unique music from a guy who seems to have fallen down the rabbit hole and may still down there for all we know. I remember hearing once he was alive and sort-of well, writing a history of art never meant for public consumption. It would be a strange come-back for sure. However, these albums somehow leave blanks for the listener's imagination to fill in.

I've heard REM do a cover of "Dark Globe" - and if nothing else, it amplifies the uniqueness of Syd Barrett. It was less REM taking a song and making it their own, and more of REM trying to capture the mood of the source material by walking into Syd's territory. I've heard Skip Spence's album OAR several times; in comparison to MADCAP LAUGHS, it's musically richer and grounded in something closer to his peers. But somehow Syd Barrett's music has a charm that the other loonies of rockdem lack: It's kind of childish, it is kind of love-lorn, sort of romantic tipping back into the tragic. The albums capture that delicate balance perfectly - amidst all the imperfection.

"Dark Globe" is the definitive Barrett composition - not necessarily the best. If you need clarity and meaning in music, if you need demographic, if you need a genre and something that is identifiable as this or that - Syd is not for you. This is one of those curious albums that you come across very rarely. Like finding an old record in your grandmother's attic and listening to it constantly - a sonic snapshot of a few random moments that will never be again.

WHAT A LOON..WHAT AN ALBUM!.......2002-07-05

THIS ALBUM IS INSANE..and I mean that in a good way! I played
a friend of mine the song IF IT'S IN YOU and she yelled at me, saying TAKE THAT... OUT OF MY TAPE PLAYER! I think she missed the point. The sloppiness and the clumsiness is one of this album's many charms. SYD sounds like he can barely handle the chord changes and his strumming is very sloppy indeed, but the songs are so darn good that it hardly matters! IF anything, songs like LOVE YOU(my favorite track here) BENEFIT from the sloppy playing.I love everything about this song, from the piano playing, the barely audible tuba solo and the clumsy rhythm track, to SYD'S lyrics and singing. IT sounds like he's about ready to fall down as he's singing, but the rights himself back up just in time!OCTOPUS is also a great song and the most PINK FLOYD-like song here, especially SYD'S vocal on this song. I don't think that SYD BARRETT was a genius, but I do love this album! HERE I GO is another outstanding song!!!
BUY IT, BUB!

Average customer rating: wouldn't you miss me at all? A true curiosity Disintigration On Vinyl Long gone. WHAT A LOON..WHAT AN ALBUM!

The Madcap Laughs Syd Barrett Manufacturer: EMI Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Barrett Opel The Piper at the Gates of Dawn Barrett Pink Floyd - London 1966-1967 ASIN: B000024KBA Release Date: 2002-04-16

Tracks:

1. Terrapin
2. No Good Trying
3. Love You
4. No Man's Land
5. Dark Globe
6. Here I Go
7. Octopus
8. Golden Hair
9. Long Gone
10. She Took A Long Cold Look
11. Feel
12. If It's In You
13. Late Night
14. Octopus (Takes 1 & 2)
15. It's No Good Trying (Take 5)
16. Love You (Take 1)
17. Love You (Take 3)
18. She Took A Long Cold Look At Me (Take 4)
19. Golden Hair (Take 5)

Amazon.com

Having left Pink Floyd in 1968 after a daily LSD habit had taken its toll, Syd Barrett's first solo album finally appeared two years later with ex-Floyd sidekicks David Gilmour and Richard Wright riding shotgun with him in the studio. The Madcap Laughs is a brilliant but brittle album, with every strum of the electric guitar seeming to take its toll on Barrett's increasingly frayed nerve strings. On songs such as "Love You," his state of mind is well concealed beneath the sort of jolly jangle-pop Blur would later indulge in. On "Dark Globe," however, the strain is palpable: "Please lend a hand ... won't you miss me? Wouldn't you miss me at all?" he pleads, ominously. The best tracks are "Octopus," which possesses all the controlled mania of early Floyd, and "Golden Hair," a still moment of musical rapture whose lyric is taken from a James Joyce poem. --David Stubbs

Album Description

UK reissue of Pink Floyd founder's first album. Featuring Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour. 13 tracks all written by Barrett. Includes 7 bonus tracks 'Octopus' (Takes 1 & 2), 'It's No Use Trying' (Take 5), 'Love You' (Take 1 & 3), 'She Took a Long Cold Look at Me' (Take 4) and 'Golden Hair' (Take 5). 1994 release. Standard jewel case.

Customer Reviews:

wouldn't you miss me at all?.......2006-07-12

It's just been announced that Syd has died from diabetes at age 60, so I thought I would write something about him and this seemed a good place to do it.

There's a handful of people you could rightfully say were catalysts or instigators of epochal periods in human artistic development; one such period is what we like to call "The Sixties" and one such individual is Syd Barrett, the man who gave birth to Pink Floyd and helped to invent and define psychedelic music.

This record and the follow-up ("Barrett," with Syd's crazy drawings of bugs on the cover) are essential documents, not just for the inspired and demented songs but also for the somewhat overlooked idea that they helped to set the standard for the "confessional" songwriting of the 1970s. The nakedness of Syd's schizophrenia and declining mental state and their role in the performances here provide an unflinching, rare glimpse into real madness, warts and all. In a weird but highly effective way Syd's records paved the way for songwriters from Roky Erickson to Daniel Johnston to make their fragile psychological conditions reflect in their material, opening up some truly, well, crazy possibilities.

Syd's influence on music after 1967 is inestimable and unquantifiable... in his own way he was an avatar and you should get familiar with Pink Floyd's "Piper At the Gates of Dawn" and his own solo albums if you aren't already.

Today is a day to mourn the loss of a unique genius and to thank him for his contributions to the continuum. He is definitely one of those people (like Jimi Hendrix, Gram Parsons, Sam Cooke, and others) without whom things would have been substantially different and probably not as much fun.

A true curiosity.......2005-07-20

The Madcap Laughs is a sad record really,since it was made by one of the greatest musicians in rock history but it was made in a time when the musician was already in Section 8.Syd Barrett's solo record has some great moments though.Terrapin, No Good Trying and Octopus are all songs that typify the great ex-Pink Floyd front man.Weird lyrics, strange musical loops and surprising twists.The greatest on the album is a slow song though.Golden Hair is a true masterpiece and it is almost a shame that it only lasts 2 minutes.Anyway,the rest can't compete and that makes it a must have for every Floyd/Barrett fan(which I am)but for everybody else I would suggest The Floyd's debut Piper At the Gates of Dawn which has Syd's autograph written all over it.

Disintigration On Vinyl.......2003-12-05

Ok, so it's more like disintigration on CD these days. Syd Barrett's first solo album is the work of a man completely falling apart. As the founder of Pink Floyd, Barrett ingested enough LSD to drive a medium sized country mad, and by 1968 and 1969 (when this album was recorded) his mental state was very schizophrenic. Even with these problematic mental disorders (or maybe becasue of), Barrett managed to create a classic.

Following Barrett's dismissal from Pink Floyd in early 1968, the band's managers followed Barrett, assuming that the band could not survive without their creative light (oops). While time has obviously proved them wrong, they soon set Barrett to work with producer Malcomb Jones and the trippy combo The Soft Machine to create a pop album. Barrett's performances soon proved to be erratic and strange, and it was soon apparent that the music was not going to set the teen scene on fire. The sessions were shelved (although temporarily as many tracks are included on the album) and "Octopus" was unleashed as a single. It unsurprisingly did not go far.

Cut forward a few months and former bandmate Roger Waters and Syd's own replacement David Gilmore wheel Barrett back into the studio for some more fun and games. These sessions were acoustically based, and allowed Barrett to do pretty much whatever he wanted to do, even if it was endlessly strange.

The final album is a somewhat daunting listen, but quite phenomenal if you can get your mind into Syd's world, where things like rhythm are rather amorphous. "No Good Trying," "No Man's Land," "Octopus," and "Late Night" are strange but amazing masterpieces of psychedelic rock. On the first two especially, the backing musicians sound like they're furiously trying to keep up with Syd (no good trying?) and the music is always on the verge of flying apart at the seams in a wonderful and interesting sort of way. "Terrapin," "Dark Globe," and "Golden Hair" are the more acoustic classics.

Now I'm guilty of a bit of blasphemous resequencing in regards to my own copy of "The Madcap Laughs." I've taken out "Feel" and "If It's In You," which I think qualify as acoustic shambles, and replace them with "Opel" and "Silas Lang." These are outtakes from the Malcomb Jones sessions that I think are amazing (especially "Opel") and bewilderingly left off the album. They can be found on the otherwise hit or miss odds-and-sods complation "Opel."

Although more expensive, I heartily recommend the EMI reissue of this disc. The remastering is far superior to Capitol's disc, and the alternate takes are illuminating. Barrett never played a song the same way twice; that was likely part of his madness. Better yet, get all of Barrett's remastered studio legacy in the "Shine On Crazy Diamond" box set (which may be a bit difficult as I think it's out of print).

Long gone........2003-10-13

Well, I've been enjoying this album, along with the other two Syd Barrett albums for a few years now. If you like one, you'll like them all. Syd Barrett was NOT a genius, but a very talented songwriter who "lost himself a bit", shall we say?

I try to imagine walking into a pub late one night, and suddenly faced with this guy just playing his spacey music to a pair of drunks, a few empty bottles and a bartender smoking a cigarette. Pure magic. The unique music from a guy who seems to have fallen down the rabbit hole and may still down there for all we know. I remember hearing once he was alive and sort-of well, writing a history of art never meant for public consumption. It would be a strange come-back for sure. However, these albums somehow leave blanks for the listener's imagination to fill in.

I've heard REM do a cover of "Dark Globe" - and if nothing else, it amplifies the uniqueness of Syd Barrett. It was less REM taking a song and making it their own, and more of REM trying to capture the mood of the source material by walking into Syd's territory. I've heard Skip Spence's album OAR several times; in comparison to MADCAP LAUGHS, it's musically richer and grounded in something closer to his peers. But somehow Syd Barrett's music has a charm that the other loonies of rockdem lack: It's kind of childish, it is kind of love-lorn, sort of romantic tipping back into the tragic. The albums capture that delicate balance perfectly - amidst all the imperfection.

"Dark Globe" is the definitive Barrett composition - not necessarily the best. If you need clarity and meaning in music, if you need demographic, if you need a genre and something that is identifiable as this or that - Syd is not for you. This is one of those curious albums that you come across very rarely. Like finding an old record in your grandmother's attic and listening to it constantly - a sonic snapshot of a few random moments that will never be again.

WHAT A LOON..WHAT AN ALBUM!.......2002-07-05

THIS ALBUM IS INSANE..and I mean that in a good way! I played
a friend of mine the song IF IT'S IN YOU and she yelled at me, saying TAKE THAT... OUT OF MY TAPE PLAYER! I think she missed the point. The sloppiness and the clumsiness is one of this album's many charms. SYD sounds like he can barely handle the chord changes and his strumming is very sloppy indeed, but the songs are so darn good that it hardly matters! IF anything, songs like LOVE YOU(my favorite track here) BENEFIT from the sloppy playing.I love everything about this song, from the piano playing, the barely audible tuba solo and the clumsy rhythm track, to SYD'S lyrics and singing. IT sounds like he's about ready to fall down as he's singing, but the rights himself back up just in time!OCTOPUS is also a great song and the most PINK FLOYD-like song here, especially SYD'S vocal on this song. I don't think that SYD BARRETT was a genius, but I do love this album! HERE I GO is another outstanding song!!!
BUY IT, BUB!

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Madcap Laughs ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn ASIN: B000HOJBH2 Release Date: 2006-10-03

Album Description

Japanese pressing of the debut solo album from the former member of Pink Floyd, originally released in 1970, featuring six bonus tracks: alternate takes of 'Octopus', 'It's No Good Trying', 'Love You' (two versions), 'She Took A Long Cold Look At Me' and 'Golden Hair'. Virgin.

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