![]() Either way, it takes some listens to get into, especially the acoustic songs. If you're anyone else, expect nothing more than some catchy songs, if even that. If you're a big Syd fan, check this out, you probably won't be disappointed. But even I can see nothing special or groundbreaking with his debut solo album. To actually like the album, you'd probably have to be adapted to Barrett's unpredictable style, which many aren't and rejected his music. It doesn't relate to any of Floyd's music (perhaps their pastoral period), so forget about expecting another Piper. While it could be viewed as another dull acoustic song, it has some pleasant slide guitars adding a psychedelic touch.Īll and all, The Madcap Laughs probably isn't another brick in the wall of your fine Pink Floyd collection. The album ends on a so-so note, with Late Night. The Madcap Laughs starts to go downhill in the second half, generally with boring, tuneless, acoustic songs. Octopus is one the best songs here, capturing the poppy, frenzied sound of early Floyd. Catchy little numbers like the static coated No Good Trying, the honky-tonk Love You and the peppy but bland Here I Go prove Barrett can still construct great melodies. The Madcap Laughs starts promising with the song Terrapin (the only one over 3 minutes), another more varied acoustic song about two fish in love. Genius songwriter or stoner who questions everything? It's probably hard to decide, given his puzzling mental history. He tells fairy tales or simple stories of common events in life in his lyrics, but in it all he, perhaps unnoticeably, reveals himself and his feelings in the process. Well as it is debatable whether Barrett is schizophrenic or not, it's also debatable whether Barrett was a lyrical genius or not. Barrett fans will all agree that his lyrics are the essence of his records. ![]() But while the psychedelic touch is gone, Barrett's enigmatic, child-like lyrics remain. The psychedelic feel of Piper at the Gates of Dawn is lost here Barrett makes his own style of mysterious rock, very different from what others were doing at the time. The vibrant organ and cheery backing vocals coming in it help Long Gone a lot too, in terms of variety. Long Gone is an improvement on the quiet acoustic songs, having a strong melody and Syd singing with more character. Dark Globe is a pretty short song most of them here are around 2 minutes, only one being more than 3 minutes. His voice has drastically worsened from Piper at the Gates of Dawn, seeming less vibrant. One of these, surprisingly, is the more well-known song Dark Globe song, like on If it's in You, Syd goes way out of range with his weak voice. The song, like a few on this album, is just Syd singing with an acoustic guitar with a weak melody and sloppy playing. He tells to the producer that he'll start again, basically they could've easily just not have included the first bit. The best example is If it's in you, where at the beginning Syd screws up the vocals at the beginning. Some of the songs are unfinished or just stuff that should've been left as studio outtakes. The Madcap Laughs is a scattered piece of work. He was left, abandoned, and The Madcap Laughs proved that he could no longer do what he did three years before or couldn't do it alone. He wouldn't perform, go through erratic bouts of anger and confusion, the rest of Pink Floyd were fed up and didn't pick him up one night on the way to a show. ![]() And with all the drugs and Barrett's inner psychological problems, he came crashing down. Barrett would have acid trips up to 4 times a day, sometimes involuntarily. Who was behind the glorious psychedelic album? Syd was, but after their sudden success the pressure began to build. He penned down two hit singles before that, and their album reached #6 on the UK charts. He was the front man for Pink Floyd in 1967, and with them created what is known as one of the greatest psychedelic albums of all time, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. But Syd Barrett lives on to this day, shadowed by his band's gargantuan success after him. Cobain 'burned out' as the Manic Street Preachers songwriting enigma James disappeared. ![]() But Syd Barrett didn't die, yet paid a higher price he made it into the 70s, but with what? Those three are to Kurt Cobain, as Barrett was to Richey James. Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, these are the names you usually hear when people speak of great musicians who didn't make it into the 70s (well Jimi and Jim did, but not by a lot).
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