Syd Barrett-The Madcap Laughs [1970]

Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs Release Date: Jan 3, 1970 Recording Date: May 28, 1968-Aug 5, 1969 Label: Capitol Records Run Time: 37:48 Wisely, The Madcap Laughs doesn't even try to sound like a consistent record. Half the album was recorded by Barrett's former bandmates Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour, and the other half by Harvest Records head Malcolm Jones. Surprisingly, Jones' tracks are song for song much stronger than the more-lauded Floyd entries. The opening "Terrapin" seems to go on three times as long as its five-minute length, creating a hypnotic effect through Barrett's simple, repetitive guitar figure and stream of consciousness lyrics. The much bouncier "Love You" sounds like a sunny little Carnaby Street pop song along the lines of an early Move single, complete with music hall piano, until the listener tries to parse the lyrics and realizes that they make no sense at all. The downright Kinky "Here I Go" is in the same style, although it's both more lyrically direct and musically freaky, speeding up and slowing down seemingly at random. Like many of the "band" tracks, "Here I Go" is a Barrett solo performance with overdubs by Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, and Robert Wyatt of the Soft Machine; the combination doesn't always particularly work, as the Softs' jazzy, improvisational style is hemmed in by having to follow Barrett's predetermined lead, so on several tracks, like "No Good Trying," they content themselves with simply making weird noises in the background. The solo tracks are what made the album's reputation, though, particularly the horrifying "Dark Globe," a first-person portrait of schizophrenia that's seemingly the most self-aware song this normally whimsical songwriter ever created. Honestly, however, the other solo tracks are the album's weakest tracks, with the exception of the plain gorgeous "Golden Hair," a musical setting of a James Joyce poem that's simply spellbinding. The album falls apart with the appalling "Feel." Frankly, the inclusion of false starts and studio chatter, not to mention some simply horrible off-key singing by Barrett, makes this already marginal track feel disgustingly exploitative. But for that misstep, however, The Madcap Laughs is a surprisingly effective record that holds up better than its "ooh, lookit the scary crazy person" reputation suggests. - Review by Stewart Mason @allmusic.com All in all, a fair review, I think. Nonetheless, an LP that's very much worth having. 'Dark Globe' alone is worth the price of admission. 1. "Terrapin" – 5:04 Take 1, recorded 11 April 1969, overdubs added 4 May Produced by Malcolm Jones 2. "No Good Trying" – 3:26 Take 3, recorded 11 April 1969, overdubs added 3/4 May Produced by Malcolm Jones 3. "Love You" – 2:30 Take 4, recorded 11 April 1969, overdubs added 3 May Produced by Malcolm Jones 4. "No Man's Land" – 3:03 Take 5, recorded 17 April 1969, overdubs added 4 May Produced by Malcolm Jones 5. "Dark Globe" – 2:02 Take 1, recorded 5 August 1969 Produced by David Gilmour and Roger Waters 6. "Here I Go" – 3:11 Take 5, recorded 17 April 1969 Produced by Malcolm Jones 7. "Octopus" – 3:47 Take 11, recorded 12 June 1969, overdubs added 13 June Produced by Syd Barrett and David Gilmour 8. "Golden Hair" – 1:59 (Barrett, Joyce) Take 11, recorded 12 June 1969 Produced by Syd Barrett and David Gilmour 9. "Long Gone" – 2:50 Take 1, recorded 26 July 1969 Produced by David Gilmour and Roger Waters 10. "She Took a Long Cold Look" – 1:55 Take 5, recorded 26 July 1969 Produced by David Gilmour and Roger Waters 11. "Feel" – 2:17 Take 1, recorded 26 July 1969 Produced by David Gilmour and Roger Waters 12. "If It's in You" – 2:26 Take 5, recorded 26 April 1969 Produced by David Gilmour and Roger Waters 13. "Late Night" – 3:10 Take 2, recorded 28 May 1968, overdubs added 11 April 1969 Produced by Pete Jenner, Malcolm Jones (overdubs) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Madcap_Laughs

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E.Baba (2010-04-29)

Thanks.
quick with pics.

pink1905 (2011-11-28)

Thanks a lot. My favorite solo artist so far. A sad story, very sad one.

samuraijon1 (2011-12-27)

whos the man thats right artpepper

cormaczoso (2012-07-28)

most overrated songwriter ever .. i know you guys rave about him but he's just a patzer ... and it's not a sad story... he wanted to eat acid all day and all night and so his brain fried ... it's what he wanted so i don't see what's sad about it at all ...
nothing against the great artpepper tho ... just needed to toss my two cents in ...

snickerskicker (2012-11-27)

cormaczoso must be a Roger Waters fan haha. Sorry, but you are simply wrong. In fact, nowadays all I can listen to is Barrett-era Floyd before they became "dad rock". When the rest of Floyd isolated Barrett and kicked him out, they lost their real creative edge. Barrett said it best when he was in the studio watching them record "Wish You Were Here". He said, "sounds old", and he was right. Barrett's decline can't be just attributed to acid, as a slew of musicians took acid and escaped with their sanity. Hell, you could probably argue Lennon took more acid than Barrett. Barrett lost it mostly because his band mates were using his mental decline as a marketing gimmick to sell more records and concert tickets. That and they were excluding him from much of the creative processes. How would you like your band mates using you in addition to kicking you out of YOUR own band that you created? That would drive anybody nuts. His song "Jugband Blues" was a final "fuck you" to the rest of Floyd before he departed. Oh and how many albums did it take Floyd to make to become relevant again after Barrett left? By my count 6, if you include the sessions of "A Saucerful of Secrets" that were recorded after he left.

raylux (2012-12-27)

I also defend Syd Barrett... I have done extensive research on him and the man was a real artist. He preferred painting over all else. Anyways... almost everything Snickerskicker said is wrong. Syd was depressed because the music industry was so heavily commercialized it felt like a regular old job to him and he wanted MORE. He had a serious case of depression as far as I am concerned. It cannot be blamed on acid. Acid is what he did to try to escape the world he had already decided was bad. His music is cool with a touch of humor which makes it brilliant in my book.
Also Syd didnt say Wish You Were Here sounded "old" First of all he was only there for the recording of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond." Which was ABOUT Syd Barrett. He only showed up there on a whim and his former band mates barely recognized him. After being asked what he thought of the song by Roger Waters and the band... he said "it sounds a bit slow."
The man lost it for sure. But he was a great musician and deserves more in death than being labeled "acid head that couldnt hack it."
Anyways GREAT torrent. Thank you.

Braleven (2013-09-30)

Good shit. Thanks, mate.

FlyingDutchman90 (2014-10-14)

i agree with raylux, snickerskicker, they didnt kick him from the band. I could tell you more about him but i will confuse you.. you should see the BBC Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett story it will replace your own opinion about Roger and the rest of the band. Peace !!
Great Torrent!!