Terrapin/No Good Trying/Love You/No Man's Land/Dark Globe/Here I Go/Octopus/Golden Hair/Long Gone/She Took A Long Cold Look/Feel/If Its In You/Late Night
The Madcap Laughs was the debut album from disturbed genius Syd Barrett after being ejected from Pink Floyd for behavioural problems. His former colleagues provided assistance for this solo effort. (US:163 UK:40)
“The Madcap Laughs is a spare, stripped down album, with heavy emphasis on lyrics. Many of the tracks contain nothing but Barrett's voice and acoustic guitar. The lyrics are very mystical and whimsical, taking cues from traditional British folk in addition to his psychedelic peers. As you might expect from Barrett, it's an inconsistent album but with some really beautiful moments.”
“He has an unmatchable gift for simple, catchy yet unique and off-kilter melodies and he's incredibly underrated as a lyricist. Dylan imitating surrealist lyricists often sound like they're throwing arbitrary images together but Syd sticks with consistent (typically dark) moods and always lets his emotions shine through.”
“The Madcap Laughs sounds like a complete drag, comprised of incohesive songs with poor production, questionable musicianship and annoyingly monotonic vocals.”
“I've seen this touted as a full blown masterpiece and also as absolute dreck. Well, it's neither. Nothing great, nothing bad, everything is just about in the middle. Syd has a reputation for being insane but this really isn't that crazy an album. It's not disturbing, challenging or scary. It's merely Syd playing songs, some of them melodic, others not so much. The tracks alternate between Syd playing by himself and being accompanied by a full band.”
“The songs are mostly pretty short but the five minute opener Terrapin is a great starter. No Good Trying might be my ultimate favourite here and Octopus is also a really nice track. Mostly these songs work very well but there are also some more mediocre parts.”
“Syd Barrett was a poet and genius of the highest order. Fragmented and tattered, the songs on this album lay it all out on the table. This is the reflection of a man who was dying on the inside and whose reality was slipping away literally as he sang.”
“No Good Trying and Octopus are songs that typify the great ex-Pink Floyd front man. Weird lyrics, strange musical loops and surprising twists.”
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