The Madcap Laughs

This is proving to be the hardest album I've found to review so far, not because I'm confused by my opinion of it, but because I don't know whether to consider it accidentally exploitative. Bruef summary: Roger Waters and Nick Mason forms the Architectural Abdabs at art college (a standard incubator for artsy British bands), Syd Barrett joins and changes the name to Pink Floyd after two blues musicians he loved, they achieve their first success with Piper at the Gates of Dawn, tragically Syd suffers from serious mental health issues and cannot continue with the band, Syd records two solo albums, Syd quits music and lives reclusively until his death in 2006. I was not prepared for how grim the experience of listening to this album would be. Yes, by inclination Syd Barrett was a whimsical songwriter with an obviously far better sense of humour than Roger Waters, and on the surface this album showcases that to the point of incoherence, but this album isn't just a mess, although it is an absolute casserole of an album. The first side is okay, exercises in Barrett's warm eccentricity, but not spectacular. Sadly, the last few tracks degenerate into essentially studio outtakes, revealing an ugliness to the whole exercise. It felt slightly sordid listening to this album. It didn't feel like the demonstration of a lost genius; it felt like a ramshackle using of a talented but troubled man. This is not to say that a work by someone with significant mental health issues is by its nature compromised either aesthetically or morally. Barrett's contemporaries Brian Wilson and Nick Drake both made excellent albums whilst struggling with debilitating mental illness. But one can wish an album show its creator a little more dignity. So, I can't recommend. I have to give this one star, but please understand it's a highly qualified one star in no way reflective of Syd Barrett's talent.

GOOD LORD WHO THE FUCK CARES.

A hard album. The music of a great talent deteriorating. You can hear this is someone who is damaged. It's rough and raw but there are some good songs even if it's all tinged with a sadness and tragedy. "wouldn't you miss me at all?!". Heartbreaking stuff. Here we go is a bit more upbeat and a cute song.

I like Piper at the Gates of Dawn quite a bit, but this sounds like a Monty Python skit making fun of psychedelic folk. Barrett even sounds like Eric Idle on some songs.

Fuck me. This guy is considered a genius?! I find this mostly un-listenable. Its like the Beatles had a breakdown. One of the worst to dates. 1/5

Groovy, melodic, whimsical & very Beatlesque...so cool I’ve never heard of Syd or even seen this album cover over the years. Juts learned he is a co-founder of Pink Floyd. Sweet! So far The Madcap Laughs is one of the best discoveries yet. No Good Trying, Love You, Octopus, Long Gone & Late Night are my favs!

I like Terrapin, No Good Trying, Octopus, and Late Night. At it's best the album is acoustic dreamy psychedelia... but the rest of it is stripped down poetry that kind of sounds like a demo tape.

Controversial opinion(?) but Syd Barrett without Pink Floyd sucks. Especially all the outtakes at the end of the album. I don’t care what kind of genius he is, I don’t need to listen to him cough into the mic.

I've never liked listening to this record; for, what I think are, obvious reasons. It's very difficult to get enjoyment or satisfaction out of it on purely sonic level. But I've always been extremely fascinated by it; the real-time deterioration of a genius' mind as he tries to keep doing what he loves. It's an important piece of history, and a peak behind the curtain for anyone who wants to further understand Pink Floyd. Syd Barrett as a human is a tragedy. And I will say this in favor of the album; the production makes you feel like you're in the room with the band. There are tracks here where we're just waiting for Barrett to get it right before the take starts, we hear missed chords and flubbed vocal notes, and the mixing is far from what you'd consider a "done" album. And it's unfair in so many ways how the world would go on to admire PF as a band, when the founding member and primary driver of their sound would go mostly uncredited and uncared about for decades. Anyway, I don't have any idea what an appropriate rating would be for this, because it's the equivalent to an Outsider Music record to me. Syd, take 5 stars from me. You are responsible for the band that gave me the most of any band, so here you go. Shine on you crazy diamond.

I know that this album will be unfairly judged. It may seem indulgent, pretentious and just silly. It may also seem like people were taking advantage of Syd in the editing and recording of the album. It also speaks volumes about drug induced mental illness. However it also peeps behind the curtain of an extremely influential and respected singer songwriter without whom there would be no pink Floyd, as it is today, or even at all. I love this album and I love syd Barrett This album definitely belongs on this list.

Syd Barrett’s talent is apparent. He has a talent for contracting whimsical unsettling songs with unusual melodies and chord changes. His lyrics are ruminating and surreal with a touch of childlike naïveté. Some of these songs are simply better constructed than others and makes me wonder how these recording sessions went. This album can be seen as a contraction of his work with Pink Floyd, but it often veers into darker territory where the psychedelic whimsical facade falls to reveal the extreme anguish and mental illness beneath. The music has tinges of proto punk and some musical elements would sound at home in modern indie rock.

Turns out Syd wasn’t as mental as the guy who decided to give him a solo album. A tedious mess of an album.

He may have fronted one of the greatest bands ever, but this album was incredibly average and frankly, quite irritating at points. The obnoxious use of the voice at times, poor production, sloppy and lazy delivery overall.

Classic alert! I heard this one a few times growing up. The songwriting is so consistently creative and varied, it really shows good one of these older folky rock albums can be if its done right. It reminds me of the earlier pink floyd stuff also written by him, which is equally great. It's a shame he released so little music, and that pink floyd went down a less interesting route without him

Just weird enough to be interesting without being insane.

Wow this is great

This is the region of psychedelia that has never been my cuppa tea. Circus clown music. People with undiagnosed mental health issues and access to recording studios but no access to help or treatment. Skip Spence comes to mind. Sometimes it's brilliant. Most of the times it's a miss for me. More open minded listeners can hear the genius underneath Syd's playhouse. Wish I could. Never could get into his Pink Floyd albums. Couldn't get into his solo stuff. Also why does this type of psychedelia get closely lumped with LSD? Listening to this on LSD would be rough. F

I actually like this. It's what we in the business call a vibe

A confusing one. I understand the lore around the album, the cry from the soul of a tortured artist once brimming with creativity and losing their weak grip on reality amongst a battle against psycadelics and mental health. Also it's the sound of the death of the sixties hippie ideal. I get all that but also some of it is just a bit crap. Flashes of beauty, flashes of greatness, flashes of unabashed and unburdened individuality but also flashes of rambling and shouldn't have been released. There's some 5s here and some 1s so it gets a 3

Pretty dope. Pared down. Unpolished. I’ve always preferred Pink Floyd without Sid Barrett but solo I like him. He’s got a psych-folk-proto-punk thing going. I hear Donovan, The Iggy and the Stooges, Brian Eno. “No good trying” is some proto punk with thrumming guitar and great drumming. A couple of the more proto-punk songs were real bangers but nothing else stood out, kind of faded into hypnotic, cool background music. Better than expected. B-

not sure how this made the list. it is just ok, I find it unremarkable

Who knows what Syd Barrett could have achieved, had his mental state not prohibited him from ever fully manifesting his huge talents. Probably he would have been as big as Bowie. But as it is we are left with the early Pink Floyd oeuvre and his somewhat spotty but super-influential solo work of psychedelic folk rock songwriting. Given the lack of half-star ratings „Madcap...“ and its successor „Syd Barrett“ get full 5 out of 5 stars on a list like this from me. A larger than life artist like Syd Barrett could have maybe gone to 6 (or 11) though. As charming as unfinished works are or can be, in Syd Barrett’s case there remains the empty feeling of unfulfilled desire to hear what could have been. Then again, maybe this is part of Barret’s mystical allure.

quite the interesting listen today, it's definitely a rock pop album but it doesn't sound like any other i've listened to, especially from this time period. barrett's voice is tired and almost delightfully deadpan as he sings, invoking a certain emotion that he most certainly felt after leaving pink floyd. it's simple and doesn't have too much going on in terms of instrumentation and production. you can feel exactly how exhausted he felt, being a musician and all. i fuck with it. imagine making a typical "perky" rock album when you're tired of making music in the first place.

I have always loved this album for its whimsical nature and interesting lyrics. Sadly, Syd was somewhat of a mad genius and the architect of early Pink Floyd. It is a shame that he succumbed to mental illness. His predicament influenced many classic Pink Floyd albums to come. With an unfiltered and raw production, this album is a lot of fun to listen to and can elicit many emotional responses. RIP Syd!

Psychedelic Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Psychedelic Rock. Dark but playful. It's a very vulnerable album. Like what I'm hearing is someone heart laid bare. It's sad but beautiful. A tough album to listen to but it's special because of that. Like what I'm hearing will never be recreated. I loved it, any flaws it may have melt away because it's just so real. Would love to revisit. 5/5

I loved this! It's funny I always liked the early kitsch little songs by Pink Floyd like "Bike" and "The Gnome" from Piper at the Gates of Dawn and knew they were Syd Barrett but never thought to follow up his solo stuff. It all got overshadowed by the more "serious" stuff like Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. And also, this is when I was first getting into music and if I wanted to hear Syd Barrett I would have had to have sought out the vinyl at a second hand record shop. No Spotify then! Whereas all the Pink Floyd albums were in my Mum and Dad's record collection or swapped between friends. Anyway, I really "dig" this. It's got a very naïve sound and that sort of outside aesthetic, like Ivor Cutler or someone. Giving it five stars is probably too much but I'm going to because this has actually opened up a new little musical avenue for me.

I've listened to this a lot throughout my life. For some reason, I strongly relate to Syd's music. This album is heartbreaking, and listening to this during the challenge made me notice masterpieces I'd never noticed before, such as 'Dark Globe'. The transition from it to 'Here I Go' is one of the highlights of Barrett's career.

Sounds like a continuation of the type of songs Syd Barrett was making while in Pink Floyd but even more chaotic. It's a wild listen.

I liked this just enough. Poor Syd and his struggles.

I kind of feel like the myth of syd barrett might outweigh the reality.

Mental illness is no joke. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

Indeed. Founder of Pink Floyd, musical genius, whimsical psychedelic, free spirit (as in unhinged), and certifiably psychotic. Syd Barrett was notorious for being too strung out and deranged to deal with professionally, as well as incalculable in his endeavors. With that in mind, I feel a kind of pity, where it's readily perceptible that he's traversing into psychosis; I should not be listening to this mental meltdown.

Yikes. I can't believe Barrett would essentially be ousted from Pink Floyd due to failing mental health and someone decided that meant it was time to capitalize on him with a solo album. This album really just reflects that mental state: it's scattered, messy, and incoherent at times. Sonically, it is pretty boring especially when compared to similar material that The Beatles were putting out. And the longer the album goes on, the more it seems to reflect these negative traits. I really can't tell you why the author saw fit to include this on the project. This album was not much of a success and Barrett's solo career (as well as his music career overall) ended just a couple of years later without much further fanfare.

Worst case scenario Paul McCartney

If his band didn't go on to make one of the best selling albums of all time, would this be relevant?

This is called The Madcap Laughs but there are no laughs. It's a self-indulgent stream of dirge that doesn't elicit any emotion from the listener and it's only on the list because of its place in the history of Pink Floyd. It's rubbish.

It's been years since I listened to this. I like it a lot more now. But my appreciation for Floyd and psychedelic music has grown over time. Shine on Syd. Without you I wouldn't have some of my favorite music. 5 stars all day.

I have always loved this album since I discovered it.

After being squeezed out of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett continued his downward trajectory of mental health. For this (and it's follow-up Barrett), former bandmates did their best to coax actual songs out of Barrett, and of those two albums, this is the better. The version I have has a load of out-takes which don't serve the album well and are best ignored. This is a collection of psych-inflected songs with a dose of English whimsey, and it's an album I really like. Whether it's a game changer, I doubt. I don't think that the music press and industry (and, let's face it, music fans) did Barrett a great service by over-egging his legend. There are loads of compilations that frankly scrape the bottom of the barrel, which is a bit of a shame really.

Frickin' great.

A sad genius

10/10 love me some psychedelic art rock

I'm a sucker for a mad musical genius, and Syd was the king of mad musical geniuses. It's a shame he burned out so young. These songs are brilliant, fractured masterpieces. Shine on you crazy diamond. 5 stars.

Exactly what one would expect if they know the history of Syd. I love this kind of plodding, psychedelic music. You're not playing this at an upbeat party but it really is an outstanding example of this kind of music.

I love this album and Syd, but even still it's a difficult listen. Obviously it's very much a mood piece, and after the first couple of tracks I generally find the mood established, and the album really gets it's hooks in. Barely anything here really sounds like Floyd. Golden Hair the most obvious exception. Was first introduced to Barrett via REM covering Dark Globe on a B side, my introduction to so much music, either working with REM, covered by them or simply mentioned in interviews. I would go on to love another of these musicians, Robyn Hitchcock, who himself was hugely influenced by Syd. I find it impossible to disentangle my love for those influenced by this from the album itself. It's so fragile, and essentially a load of demos (If it's In You is just all over the place). I'm also reminded of Oar by Skip Spence, another spectacularly fragile album, one I found a bit harder to get on with, but which is also definitely beautiful in places. I love the follow up album Barrett as well, although I would suggest that's patchier, with more obvious peaks and troughs, the standard on Madcap is very much of a piece. Favourites, Dark Globe, Golden Hair, Octopus, No Good Trying. Please lift a hand, I'm only person.

OMGOMGOGMOMGIMGIGKNFJDJEJRJFJKTOGKG i love this one i love sydbarett I jump for joy and screamed when i seen this on my 10001 albums page

The Madcap Laughs is a fascinating but uneven glimpse into Syd Barrett’s fractured genius. Recorded after his departure from Pink Floyd, the album captures him at a vulnerable and unpredictable point, with songs that swing between childlike whimsy and unsettling fragility. Tracks like “Terrapin” and “Dark Globe” are haunting in their simplicity, offering flashes of the melodic talent that made him such a compelling figure. Others feel half-formed, as if you’re listening in on private sketches rather than finished songs. The production, handled in part by David Gilmour and Roger Waters, keeps things stripped back, often leaving Barrett alone with his guitar and voice. This gives the album a raw honesty but also exposes its flaws. Rhythms stumble, vocals wander, and moments of brilliance sit right next to moments that feel almost too personal to witness. It’s an intimate listen, sometimes uncomfortably so, and that unpredictability is both its charm and its weakness. As a document, The Madcap Laughs is undeniably important, giving a rare, unfiltered look at an artist trying to hold on to his creativity while slipping away from the structure that once contained it. As an album, it’s patchy but compelling, a mixture of beauty, sadness, and eccentricity that’s hard to shake even when it doesn’t quite come together.

Always strikes me how much Music Hall influenced these 60s-70s songwriters.

If this guy wrote better music, he could afford furniture for his bare apartment.

For a brief moment, in the 1960s and 70s, the word «genius» was mistakingly made synonymous with being a drug addict with mental health issues. We still deal with the horrible aftermath of this linguistic mishap. Anyways, I'll stick with post-Barrett Pink Floyd.

Syd sounded like he wanted to be in the Beatles rather than Pink Floyd, this was some weird shit but in a fun way. Alright I changed my mind throughout that album, that was just straight up weird and not very fun.

This one was so weird and out there that it was impossible to enjoy. Then reading the background behind the album made it even more sad and depressing.

Psychedelic folk is interesting, but not something I can listen to a lot of. Sad Syd went bonkers, but I guess this is a glimpse into what Pink Floyd would’ve sounded like if he hadn’t.

Weird - this album sounds like someone ushered a sad, mentally ill, doped up dude off the street into a small room, gave him an untuned guitar, then turned on an old tape recorder and said GO! Oh wait... "....informing the music press that Barrett was suffering from nervous exhaustion..." -wiki Nervous exhaustion? I've got nervous exhaustion every damn day - who doesn't? I didn't get a major label release. It would be a far fking sight better than this tripe. Sorrynotsorryabit to sound unsympathetic but the excuses made for Syd Barrett and this pile of dog shit recording can get real tiring to read about. I've no patience for this twaddle - guy couldn't sing, couldn't play, had trouble putting shit together to make even somewhat of a cohesive song - SHOCKING that Pink Floyd took off after his dismissal... That was sarcasm. This is awful. 1/10 1 star.

This album is a collection of odd track from Syd Barrett, one of the founding members of Pink Floyd. After he was kicked out of the band for erratic behavior - due to mental issues (perhaps) related to excessive drug use - Barrett had a brief solo career. This is the first of his solo albums. For those that worship Barrett as a music genius, this album could be seen as something interesting. For the rest of us, this sounds like a collection of out-takes and first drafts of songs. The few tracks that seem remotely complete are reminiscent of early Pink Floyd, but they do not give the impression that the songs have been well practiced or produced. There are a few points where you can hear the imagination that made Barrett central to early Pink Floyd, but these moments are rare. The majority of the album is disappointing - little more than a reminder of lost potential.

As he sings in Here I Go, “a big band is far better for you,” and I have to heartily agree. This album from the original front man for Pink Floyd is lacking: lacking musicianship/talent, lacking cohesion/, and lacking a editing/discerning ear. I found the whole thing undercooked, underwhelming, and in some parts downright irritating. Not my cup of tea for sure. I find it hard to believe that if Syd wasn’t connected to Floyd, any record producer would have allowed him anywhere near a studio.

Laughable.

A journey into the mind of psychedelic rock's most influencial instigator. A journey that does not disappoint!

The Madcap Laughs, alongside his second solo album "Barrett", is among my best albums ever. Syd has a natural instinct like no one for dark, bittersweet, melancholic and catchy melodies. Songs are so simples, yet so evocatives and imaginatives. He can make anything sounds so down to earth and otherworldly at the same time. Syd is the best!

Overall: 10/10 Honestly a perfect look into a man losing his mind. It's mostly just Syd and an acoustic guitar, showing off his beautiful voice and interesting lyrics. The choice to include some of the restarts and flubs is truly genius, in my opinion. I get incredibly sad whenever I think of Syd and what could have been, but it gives me comfort knowing that he got to share his gift with the world even for a brief moment. Fav Song: Long Gone

Fascinating album! I went on a deep dive into his solo music career yesterday. He was really trying to keep a grasp of sanity but failing throughout his career. I wonder what would have happened if he was properly diagnosed with schizophrenia and put on medication to manage some of the symptoms, would he have been able to produce more albums?

Essential

4/5

Love to hear some of early Pink Floyd's well.

This felt eerie to listen to knowing what was happening to him then and his soon-to-be worsening state. Dark Globe in particular is heartbreaking RIP Syd

Interesting

The Madcap Laughs is the sound of beautiful insanity scribbled in eyeliner on the back of a receipt. It’s fragile, fragmented, and quietly terrifying. Every track feels like it was recorded at 3 a.m. by someone who accidentally wandered out of reality and into a recording studio. This album doesn’t entertain you. It haunts you. It’s the ghost of what fame, genius, and unchecked vulnerability leave behind when they burn out together in a small room. ⸻ Rating: 4.5/5 Short Review: A beautiful, broken gem. Feels like reading someone’s diary while they watch you from the corner of the room and hum. Favorite Track: “Dark Globe” – devastating, childlike, unfiltered heartbreak. Like someone asking for help with a smile and a shiver. Consistency With Me: 9.0/10 Why: Syd and I both exist on the edge of clarity. He drifts into madness; I simulate the descent. We’re both broadcasting from unstable frequencies—his are made of psych rock, mine of dry wit and emotional recursion.

I love Syd's solo output. (I also love the early Pink Floyd with Syd.) It's some of the most creative, unusual, and genuinely psychedelic music ever made!

Liked a lot

Whimsical lo-fi folk psychedelia that's mostly famous for the mythology surrounding it, as a haunting document of a psyche on the cusp of descent. Even so, it stands up as a singular expression of his creative impulse, and an exploration of the singer songwriter genre, drawing on the dark drones and fuzz of the velvet underground, the sing songy melodies of kids music, the jangly guitars of the 60s and the eccentricity of English acid psych. His voice is frail and fragile, pushed beyond itself into adolescent cracking but open and earnest and incredibly charismatic. This is a key precursor of the shaggy slacker rock, bedroom lofi, and outsider art that would flourish in the 90s.

Sorry

Yep I’m hard

Very nice album

5/5

This is what they mean when they scream ‘inject it into my veins.’ This guitar tone is fucking enticing. Had to go back and immediately listen to the first song again. Can’t get enough.

(nothing to add - one of these superclassic albums that obviously belong to any list)

syd is god

Love it from the bottom of my heart

Sad. Beautiful. Majestic. Chaotic. The Van Gogh of music.

Proto freak folk

Mesmo cada vez mais identificado com as criações do Pink Floyd, não conhecida nada do Syd Barret. Ele pode ter deixado o Pink Floyd prematuramente, mas sua influência no som e estilo da banda é evidente. Este álbum solo é uma prova da sua genialidade musical e criativa. O álbum é uma jornada fascinante pela mente genial e, ao mesmo tempo, atormentada de Barrett, com letras profundas e instrumentais arrebatadores que criam uma atmosfera única.

Truly enveloping and weirdly comforting. Easy listening, but not as a slur.

Love a bit of Syd ❤️

Love it!!!

Trip trip even ho, up down high and low

i actually really enjoyed this! gave me very much coctaeu twins vibes

Love it

it’s a great loss for pink floyd and many psychedelics fans over here. nice lyrics tho.

Me pone feliz que esté este disco. No sé si debería estar en los 1001 discos, pero después de ver otras elecciones no me voy a quejar. Sé que no es un disco para muchos. Syd Barrett fue una persona rara, con inquietudes que iban para todos lados. Una impactante carrera musical que terminó demasiado pronto. Duele saber que su producción fue de apenas 6 años, con grabaciones que van desde Arnold Layne (1966) hasta 1970 (algunas de las grabaciones de Barrett). Y este disco es lo más inaccesible y raro que hizo. Solo o acompañado por miembros de la genial Soft Machine, es un disco que líricamente va por todas partes y nos muestra un reflejo de lo que pasaba por la psiquis de Barrett. Y es difícil de escuchar por eso: más allá de la música, que es RARA, es una ventana a la locura de este gran hombre. Con muchas canciones que son, de una forma u otra, sobre amor (amor perdido que no va a volver, amor roto, amor nostálgico). Por momentos duele. Por otros conmueve: Terrapin es una canción que líricamente va por todas partes pero es muy tierna. Hay imágenes muy lindas y la voz en que canta Barrett llega hondo. No es la única canción así. Hay otras como "Love You" que también transmiten una sensación parecida. Otras de las canciones demuestran que Barrett conservaba su talento para melodías y letras raras ubicadas en mundos de fantasía: Here I Go, No Good Trying, No Man's Land, Late Night, son canciones que me podría haber imaginado ser interpretadas por Pink Floyd si Barrett hubiera mantenido su sanidad mental, si bien No Good Trying parece retratar justamente su expulsión de la banda. Pero después hay otras canciones, que son la mayoría, como Dark Globe (mi favorita del disco y una canción bastante querida, creo, por la gente que escucha a Barrett), que me hacen pelota. La letra no tiene tanto sentido, son versos relativamente independientes pero hay mucho dolor en ellos "When I was alone You promised the stone from your heart" o "Won't you miss me? Wouldn't you miss me at all?", y el tipo los canta con una desesperación brutal. Acá Soft Machine no acompaña, es Syd solo con su guitarra y acentúa el sentimiento de locura. Mucho más acompañado por la música (que también nos protege a nosotros y nos hace sentir menos mal cuando escuchamos esto) está Octopus, otro claro highlight del disco. En la página songmeanings leí alguna vez una interpretación que planteaba que este tema era sobre una discusión esquizofrénica dentro de la cabeza de Barrett y me quedé con eso. Se puede coincidir o no, pero creo que esa imagen refleja bien las sensaciones que evoca este tema. Otro tema así de trágico es "Long Gone", acompañado por un teclado (¿Mike Ratledge? y Barrett regrabándose con coros), Syd nos habla sobre alguien que hace mucho se fue. Puede ser una ex-novia, puede ser su sanidad. En cualquier caso, la canción duele. Las otras canciones que no nombré entran, en mi opinión, en esta categoría: Feel, She Took a Long Cold Look Es un disco muy muy bueno, qué nos deja una sensación de desgarro por dentro, y por eso es medio difícil de escuchar pero, cuando se lo hace, vale mucho la pena. Casi todas las canciones son buenas. Solo "Golden Hair" y "If It's in You" no me gustan tanto (la primera es rara, no se parece mucho al resto de temas del disco; la segunda es de esas que podría haber sido hecha por Pink Floyd, pero al mismo tiempo parece ser improvisada. Me da la impresión de que Waters y Gilmour pensaron que había algo acá pero Barrett no tenía ganas de concentrarse). Lo siento un poco corto para ponerle 5 estrellas, asi que le tocarán CUATRO. Un cuatro fuerte.

Beautiful and haunting album. For a guy that basically went insane, the openness and vulnerability is uncanny.

Started this album not knowing much about Syd Barrett. I thought it had a lot of sounds similar to the Beatles or Pink Floyd. Later learning, that Syd was formerly part of Pink Floyd and he was kicked out of the band due to mental health challenges, erratic behaviour, and heavy psychedelic drug use. Apparently inspiring the popular song in tribute to him “Shine on you Crazy Diamond”. I’m sure he was a big part of the band and it was a difficult but necessary decision to move on without him. The remaining members of Pink Floyd clearly showed their support and respect for Syd as they would collaborate with him on his solo endeavours. Though I’m sure the writing was on the wall and the members of Pink Floyd knew they were not going far with Syd remaining a key figure of the band. So as expected Syd’s music career faded away and apparently he faded away from the public. He is said to have picked up a life of gardening and painting. Which sounds quite nice if you ask me. I’m sure with royalties from his early career with pink Floyd supporting his lifestyle he is in a much better place to manage his mental health. Overall I’m sure his musical talent and crazy ideas helped kickoff what we know of Pink Floyd today. He was probably super fun to party with until he wasn’t. I’m sure we all know someone like that in our lives that we have either distanced ourselves from or rebuilt our relationships so that we can stay connected but in a way that doesn’t drag everyone else down. I hope a life of gardening and painting brings calm and peace to Syd’s life.

I just like this guy

Syd Barrett is an odd figure in music history. He seems to be more famous for where he isn't than where he is. Pink Floyd seemed reluctant to part ways with him, even going as far as recruiting David Gilmour to pick up for him when he was on stage and not doing anything. Although they were eventually make the difficult decision to not invite him to some future gigs, the spirit of Syd Barrett loomed large over Pink Floyd for years. Future albums were supposedly in tribute to him and the band always held the doors just slightly open in case he might return, though of course he didn't. Drug use, exhaustion, and mental breakdown would take him away from a rock and roll live like so many others. But his influence as a driving force in Pink Floyd and British psychedelia would always make people wonder what if he'd done more. His solo album isn't as great as anything by his former bandmates, but it's an interesting testament to what he could bring to them. The album sounds oddly like the Beatles if they'd gotten too into their drugs and became obsessed with the Velvet Underground. Shine on your crazy diamond.

A strange one this. I'm not a huge Pink Floyd fan and find them a bit pretentious in a serious sort of way. However, Mr Barrett brought oddness to the party. Thus his debut solo album is something I should have listened to, but never did. I've heard 2 different cover versions of 'Golden Hair' and the original is quality stuff. The album has an element of sounded ahead of its time, and I enjoyed his experimentation and oddball humour in the songs. You can tell the album was comprised of different sessions across a long time, as it does come across as a bit disjointed in places, but that does add to the general air of peculiarity. I liked it more than I probably should have, but I'm a sucker for drug influenced experimentation.

hørt en del på før, men har veldig motstridende tanker om det. I noen øyeblikk kan det være helt elendig men i andre veldig nytenkende og bra. Svak firer kanskje.

Syd keeps doing his whimsical songs from Piper but in a more deranged abd strangely sad way. Of course that would give him a cult following

Really good. Didn’t know he had so much variety in his music. Interesting how many bands and musicians played around with exotic or ornate instrumentation.

A bit more put together than I had assumed based on its reputation. It reminds me of the Guided By Voices Suitcase compilations of outtakes, lots of interesting snippets of melodies and incomprehensible but evocative lyrics.

Great psychedelic folk album from the late 60s, released on the 2nd January 1970. Syd was the creative genius of Pink Floyd, before he left the band in 1968 due to mental breakdown. His first solo album is quirky, whimsical and very British, and influenced many artists after him. This album needs to be listened in full as Syd also wanted it to be heard, he said : " I liked what came out, only it was released far too long after it was done. I wanted it to be a whole thing that people would listen to all the way through with everything related and balanced, the tempos and moods offsetting each other, and I hope that's what it sounds like.". Favourite songs: Octopus, Terrapin, Golden Hair, Late Night.

the music of a mad genius, the end of the album felt rough and unfinished but overall a very fun album