The Madcap Laughs

Like a Beatles and Elliot Smith collaboration

The Madcap Laughs is the debut solo album by Syd Barrett, the former leader and songwriter of Pink Floyd. The album was recorded in various sessions between 1968 and 1969, with five different producers, including Barrett himself and his former bandmates David Gilmour and Roger Waters. The album was released in January 1970, shortly before Barrett’s second and final solo album, Barrett. The Madcap Laughs is a reflection of Barrett’s deteriorating mental state, which was exacerbated by his excessive use of psychedelic drugs and his departure from Pink Floyd. The album is a mixture of whimsical, childlike songs and dark, disturbing ones, often with erratic structures and timings. Barrett’s lyrics are surreal, poetic, and sometimes nonsensical, revealing his inner turmoil and isolation. Some of the songs, such as Terrapin, Octopus, and Golden Hair, are based on literary works by Lewis Carroll, James Joyce, and others. The album’s music is mostly acoustic, with some electric guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards added by the various producers. The production quality is uneven, ranging from polished to raw and unfinished. Some of the songs, such as No Good Trying, Love You, and Here I Go, feature overdubs and arrangements by Gilmour and Waters, while others, such as Dark Globe, Long Gone, and Late Night, are essentially Barrett’s solo performances with minimal or no editing. The album’s sound is often described as lo-fi, folk, or psychedelic rock. The album’s influence is evident in many artists who have cited Barrett as an inspiration, such as David Bowie, Robyn Hitchcock, Marc Bolan, and R.E.M. The album is also considered a cult classic and a landmark of outsider music, as it captures the unique and tragic genius of Syd Barrett. The album has received mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans, who have praised its originality, emotion, and creativity, but also criticized its inconsistency, incoherence, and poor execution. The album reached #40 on the UK charts and sold over 100,000 copies worldwide

A hard album. The music of a great talent deteriorating. You can hear this is someone who is damaged.

A study in how mental illness can affect the critical and creative faculties. Moments of brilliance, mostly a bit...well, madcap.

Hmmm, a weird album. It's the original Pink Floyd guy, he was a very interesting man. This album is all over the place and feels like a demo of someone who clearly had some great ideas. I'm giving it 3 just because he was clearly onto something and it's pretty good.

Syd Barrett, formerly of Pink Floyd, displays his songwriting and performance efforts on The Madcap Laughs. Prior to his split from Pink Floyd, he had become increasingly difficult to work with. This could primarily be attributed to his heavy drug use, but there's no use in speculating. After being basically replaced by David Gilmore in Pink Floyd, Barrett would ask Gilmore to help record The Madcap Laughs. This proved to also be difficult, as Barrett provided little guidance for the songs. The end product is a bit of a mess, but one that only a mad genius could concoct. Songs wander around and then terminate. Follow another thread and find it tied up in something else. This disorganized, folksy mess is an album that requires parsing. The Madcap Laughs is an oddity that would stir debate in whoever wishes to look deeper into it. How much of it is intentional? How much is just contractual obligations?

Heilt ok. Ikkje nåke eg komme te å hørra igjen

This was good but hearing the same songs multiple times brought it down.

Okay.

6/10 One of those good/bad things

Mér finnst þessi gaur vera voða mikið eitthvað að þykjast vera Bítill. Fæ sama væb frá honum og Bítlunum nema bara ekkert sérlega spes og ég mun ekki hlusta aftur þótt hún hafi ekki verið leiðinleg.

Quite pleasant.

I always disliked the Pink Floyd music that Syd Barrett had a hand in making relative to the rest of the band's more Roger Waters heavy records but I actually didn't mind this one. It felt like a very anachronistic album in a lot of ways to me because it floated from 60s psychedelia that I know barrett for all the way to proto-80s rock but also included 70s sounds as well. I'm writing this a day after listening and I've already forgotten quite a few of the songs I remember liking but I still remember it being a positive experience overall.

Rating: 6/10

C'est vraiment werid, l'histoire est un peu triste. C est du génie ou plus essayé d'étirer la sauce sur quelqu'un qui avait clairement plus les aptitudes pour terminer un album. Néanmoins, le style est là et certaines toutes se.demarque du lot. 3.5

Maybe I would like Pink Floyd more if he'd been there longer. Still not my favorite

Terrapin - slow Beatles. (2/5 boring so far) No Good Trying - this is a DHMIS song. (2/5 eh) Love You - :/ i just feel like i've heard this exact thing before. (2/5) No Man's Land - the instrumental is just like the intro for Guy's Diner's Drive Ins and Dives or something. (2/5 i'm very bored) Dark Globe - god i wake everyday thankful i don't sound like this. can you imagine being this british. (1/5 this sounds just like fucking Pink Floyd.) Here I Go - so i looked into it, and Syd Barrett credited to be a founder of Psychedelic Rock. so i guess he sounds exactly the way he means to. it just feels samey to me so i'm not picking this up at all. (2/5 it's like Pink FloydxDavid Bowie) Octopus - okay this is Psychedelic i can get behind. just something kind of strange. (3/5 alright keep going) Golden Hair - like a dream sequence while high. (2/5 eh) Long Gone - okay that was just a song. (3/5 it's a song) STLCL - a lot of these unfortunately feel monotone in acoustic. (2/5) Feel - well this was strumming a guitar for a while. it's not bad i guess. (2/5) If It's in You - oh boy a skit. 1/5 Late Night - well this sure is the last song on this album :) i know this guy founded Pink Floyd. still 3/5 cause it wasn't bad and i think he achieved what he was going for.

Solid psych rock album. Weird there are so many takes on here.

2.5

Hyvä veto että tokavika biisi ei ollut vika. Keskivaiheilla oli sama biisi useasti. En tiedä, äänimaailma on kyllä kumman kiehtova, ja jotenkin tästä on saatu oikea levy.

25 years ago I was part of a team that listened to hundreds of submissions from musician vying to be part of what was, ultimately, a large-scale battle of the bands. We'd go through rounds of listening sessions, ending up in the offices of Billboard magazine in NYC for a final session where we picked six acts from hundreds to perform in a showcase. I mention it because, as I listened to this album, I tried to imagine what the response of the room would have been, and I can't imagine it would have received a whole lot of attention. This is my way of saying, I can't hear what it is in Syd Barrett that excites people. It wanders. It's difficult. I don't think the lyrics are meant to make sense. No question, there's something intimate and unfiltered about Barrett's performances and music, but I fail to understand what it is that makes it "great" or even good. Whatever his genius, it's lost on me. Strangely, I liked the album well enough. I listened more than once trying to connect. Alas, I'm just confused. So maybe I get it after all.

A polarizing album, to be sure. I'm a Syd fan, and I don't know how I feel about it. To anyone who hates it or who dismisses it: I get it. These songs don't work the way "normal" songs do. And his performances often veer out past the bounds of what is considered "good" singing or guitar playing. And sometimes I find that thrilling, as in the case of Octopus and a few others, but it's just as often frustrating or even downright embarrassing. When he's at his best (especially during his tenure with Floyd), it's like he's finding new ways to be musical and to express ideas and emotions. And I love how quirky he is, the way I love The Shags and Daniel Johnston and other outsider artists. But when he's at his worst, which happens often in his two solo LPs, it comes across as either exploitative or inept. And sometimes, the very same song can hit me differently from one day to the next, depending on how I'm feeling. I get why people love him. I get why people dismiss him. I agree with both camps, and I find that interesting. A rating seems weird, so I'll just go down the middle with a 3. I do think it's worth hearing at least once, so I'm glad it's on here—because it could very well be something you connect with that you otherwise might not listen to—but it wouldn't surprise me if they left it out in future editions.

Started off my listening session really psyched about this. Unfamiliar with any solo Syd and I thought he went straight to the institution after Pink Floyd. Seeing the date of this album sent me down the Reddit rabbit hole about what really happened. And hence I learned about Mandrax. Anyway. The music. It's got the elements that really captured me from early Pink Floyd--spacey guitar, sweet English voice, psychedelic sound. Then the album started to drift into a mix of Monty Python and Spinal Tap. Shine on you Crazy Diamond, I still dig it...just not a whole lot.

3.5/5. I thought this was pretty good. Perhaps it was a bit weird, but I liked that about it. Definitely picked up on some elements of psych rock.

Not bad as such just not my thing. I am not into pink Floyd and I assume I'm not missing much

Fine little album for the era.

Once again, not really my thing.

3/5

Yep

3/5

not great

not sure i've ever heard any of this album before. actually it's great and one of the reasons i started this project. 4 star for side one, but side 2 is more of a 2 star. average overall. Listened 3x

A couple of the early songs are worthy of an audience but I don't think this album should have been released - it's painful to listen to someone who's mental state is clearly deteriorating. I don't

SYD ALBUM

It seems every album is more Bri*ish than the last. This was fine but I can see why I didn’t know about his solo work post-Floyd. Sidneote a post rock band called Post Floyd would be dope (2.5/5)

Hmm I've never been a fan of Syd Barret. The best thing that ever happened to Pink Floyd was his leaving. Whilst this album is slightly better than the early PF work, it's still weird and not to my taste at all. I would place it in the genre of "drug addled". Probably sounds better if you're as off your head as Syd must have been at the time.

A nice and quaint album with some fun moments and instrumentation but generally quite aimless and under-developed melodies

I know the story of Syd Barrett, not sure I was aware he actually released solo stuff though, not heard it anyway. The more coherent parts of this weren't bad, bit like the more drug fueled Beatles era. Towards the end of this album, it just doesn't sound finished. Some strange lyrics in here.... Too many psychedelics, or mental health issues? Why not both. Glad I've heard it, but don't think I'll be back I think dark globe was my favorite. Octopus was very beatlesy but good This reminded me that I still needed to rate Nick Drake.... Similarities here, but Syd is much less positive somehow, and not as good frankly

An interesting attempt to blend different styles, but it doesn't really work for me. Not structured enough for a mainstream rock album, a bit too complex for a singer-songwriter one, and as vibrant as a psychedelic record. Alternatively, it is possible that all 70s music was always a bit cringe, and I only like the songs I like because I listened to them many times.

Why is this here?

you can hear that syd was a part of pink floyd. if its in you doesnt need to exist if you ask me, at least those voicecracks

Folk psicodélico. Ni fu ni fa.

Thought this was going to be an absolute drag given the first track, but once the tempo picked up there was some enjoyable guitar work going on here. Not really an album that will stick with me, but a nice afternoon listen nonetheless

Good

7th July 2023 Listened in the morning before heading off to Barnett’s wedding. Didn’t give it full attention so hard to judge but liked elements.

Folk psicodélico. Ni fu ni fa.

I’m really empathetic to the troubled genius that Syd was, but this album isn’t that great. It feels like a collection of unreleased demos that stayed as demos for a reason. It’s honestly getting a sympathy star to get it up to a 3

We get it. You like LSD.

Children’s songs for people on Acid. First half was great, second half was pretty bad to terrible

All of the imaginative songwriting of his work with Pink Floyd but sadly lacking the interesting instrumentation that brought his songs to life.

Ok

Not very melodic or thematic in feeling. Felt more experimental. There wasn't much comfort or resolution, and it's not an easy listen. I'm sure it's musically complex and a masterpiece of it's time or whatever. But it's not too much fun I don't think. Not an album to pop out on Friday night.

Interesting without being spectacular

Yes it's whimsical psychical folk and has an endearingly unfinished air, but you know what? I'd rather listen to this than Nick Drake.

Little moments but degrades into self-indulgent, thoughtless guff which is too easy to dismiss. I expected more from this icon but, like many teenage cult figures, his death overshadows his life.

I know Syd was trying to do his own, post-Pink thing and I respect that. But, more than anything, "The Madcap Laughs" comes across like some sort of alt-universe Beatles album. Like if they'd swapped Lennon for Barrett, this is what it would have sounded like. Which makes sense given the time and place. That was just... the sound, I guess. And I didn't hate it. I like Floyd and I like the Beatles so, overall, I found this alright. What I have issues with (and why it scores as low as it does) is that there's a lot of great talent being poured into these tracks... and the result is not great. It's just... meh. The sum is less than its parts and that's really disappointing. It's not surprising given the state of Syd's mental health at the time and I suppose allowances should be made for that but I'm here to judge the album, not the artist. And the album is just middling.

The album title kind of sums up, so you don't expect to hear Steps or Kylie & Jason. But the guy does have an undeniable knack of writing catchy pop melodies, even if his vocal is a bit iffy at times. The biggest problem to my mind is the album sounds cobbled together, as if Barrett was only half-hearted when recording it. It's quite telling he only made one further album before vanishing into obscurity.

It's different from pink floyd, for sure. Still pretty decent. I'd listen to it again.

Stylistically out of sorts and frequently incoherent, with the elephant in the room of Syd Barrett's mental state looming large. Some really creative songs here with moments of bright whimsy and a stripped down sound that has aged surprisingly well. But the hodgepodge musical style and frequently surreal lyrics reveal glimpses into Barrett's fractured perspective, which can be unsettling. I didn't particularly connect with this, but I can see why some people are drawn to him. Fave Songs: Feel, Octopus, Long Gone, Here I Go, Dark Globe, Terrapin

Hearing “Dark Globe” reminds me how much Syd Barrett influenced Roger Waters’s style First impression is kinda mixed, I love The Piper but the slapdash whimsy here is not quite as enjoyable. HL: "Dark Globe", "Octopus", "Long Gone"

Rock, folk, psyk, Singer/songwriter, stille og roligt, pink floyd-viben

The psychedelic folk style was something that immediately sounded good to me. I've heard the name Syd Barrett but didn't know any of the songs. The first few songs on the album stand out more to me than some of the others. 3.5

Did Syd lose all interest in the album in the midst of his mental health crisis? Seems like it, and that's understandable. As it stands, the appropriately titled "Madcap Laughs" features some really stellar songs interspersed with seemingly-unfinished shit.

Je suis là pour ce genre d'album. Je connaissais de nom, je voyais un peu le personnage et le contexte. Mais de la à lalecouter, non. Et donc on se retrouve avec une collection bancale d'un poète maudit assez perturbé. En soit seules quelques chansons sont sympas, une ou deux sont risibles tellement elles sont imporbables, telle "if its you" qui je peut venir que d'un cerveau malade et d'un producteur véreux. Donc une écoute intéressante pour tout son contexte, pour le personnage, pour certains chansons, même si cela vire parfois à la caricature

Plusieurs bonnes chansons, un peu trop long.

Nothing standing out to me. Haven't listened to it all the way yet.

I really enjoyed this album a lot moreso than expected. I hear the seeds of Neutral Milk Hotel in the melodies and the singing. A hodgepdge of sounds and styles mostly acoustic guitar based mid tempo ballads generally enjoyable. 3.5 stars

3 So THIS is what Syd was up to after Floyd… getting really into the University of Maryland’s college sports program. Still not entirely sure how I feel about this one, but it definitely grew on me. I wasn’t too impressed with anything I had heard during my first listen, but upon listening again I thought the imperfect, raw nature of the album had a certain charm to it that seemed to offer a small taste of the mind of Syd Barrett (Lord only knows what was actually going on in there). Terrapins, No Good Trying, and Here I Go are all songs I can look back on now and say I enjoyed, though others like Love You and Octopus felt a bit Beatles-esque for my taste. The listening of this album sent me into a bit of a Syd Barrett deep dive, and the more I read about him, the more tragic I found his life - It really seems like the guy had some deep-rooted, crippling mental issues and that the LSD only exacerbated them. He was loved dearly by his bandmates, who never had any intention of ejecting him from the band, but at a certain point it became apparent the man was no longer capable of performing live (He played a single show after the release of this album and walked off after four songs). David Gilmour and Roger Waters even stepped in to help him finish/produce this album purely out of love for an old friend. That being said, I can’t help but wonder how listenable this would be without their influence… Anyway, I digress, I can walk away saying I appreciated and enjoyed, but I definitely didn’t find it amazing by any means - not sure if I’d give a full re-listen.

Ei kyllä nyt noussut muun listan aikakauden brittirockin ohi. 3/5

first listen fascinating to see Barrett's mind captured at this time, not the strongest collection of work however

I feel like it's always a mixed bag with Syd, but its always got a little something for me to chew on at least. This is a time where I feel like the grand tragedy of his story overshadows the music a bit too much.

What’s up with the bad vocals there syd

This is honest, inventive, creative. I like it. I will have to listen a few more times to see how much I really like it but it has been an enjoyable listen so far.

It’s not bad considering how crazy it is

An influential album I wouldn't choose to re-listen to.

Des gratouilleries sans grand intérêt si vous voulez mon avis. Inutile de dire que je m'attendais à mieux pour le 666ème album du générateur.

Knowing Syd Barrett’s tragic life story inevitably colors any listen to The Madcap Laughs with sadness and regret over what might have been. Though there are undoubtedly moments of brilliance, the sound overall is unfinished and nervous.

Объективно жаль, что между Pink Floyd и ЛСД Сид Барретт выбрал последнее - ранние альбомы Pink Floyd с Барреттом мы любим/помним/ценим. Скажу честно, как поэт он гениален, подмечу в тон Феде что в Golden Hair еще и перекладывает на музыку Джеймса Джойса (того самого автора "Улисса" и "Поминок по Финнегану"). Короче, строчки в альбоме шикарные, однозначно лучше музыки, но в остальном Сид Барретт просто есть и все, даже если учесть что "пинкфлойдовцы" помогали ему с записью. Добрая троечка.

Ладно, погнали ловить грусть и тоску дальше тогда уж. Короче, заметно, что Сид Баррет был ебанным гением в лирике, но никак не в звучании. Он решил не сильно запариваться и просто сделал почти акустический альбом с прикольной лирикой. К сожалению, видно что наркотики (которые все еще плохо, пнтнко?) сильно убили его. Хотелось бы чего более эмоционально вовлекающего, а получил грустных битлов (шутка) Первые 6 песен можно послушать, а вот дальше хз

Думаю, чего ж имя знакомое такое... оказывается, это один из основателей Pink Floyd. Поэтому и настроил я себя изначально на что-то такое. Очень сильно напомнило Velvet Underground/Лу Рида; он причём так же в сольное плавание потом ушёл и сделал много крутых альбомов. Хорошая лирика, здесь она является вероятно центральным объектом в композициях. Оценка 3/5, поскольку альбом ни рыба, ни мясо. Вот какой-то такой альбом, который не вызвал особенных эмоций. Он и не сильно впечатлил какими-то новаторскими музыкальными идеями, это ранний Pink Floyd в акустике, что тут ещё скажешь. Тексты - ну, они хорошие, но не такие, от которых хотелось бы прям тащиться и искать метафоры в каждом предложении. Хороший середняк. Альбом Отмечу Octopus, Here I Go, Long Gone и Golden Hair. С последней песней есть какая-то мистика, потому что мне до жути знакома мелодия, вот это гитарное вступление. Но поиски ассоциаций оказались тщетны. А в Long Gone есть классное двухголосие, которое из вроде скромной акустической композиции делает что-то более монументальное.

Listened Before? N What an interesting album. I've never seen one listed as "psychedelic folk" before, but that seems to be exactly what it is. Syd was supposed to have gone over the rainbow by this point in his life, but it seems his music still held some lucidity. I actually really enjoyed it. I wouldn't listen very often, but it's not bad. Added to library? N Songs added to playlist: No Man's Land

listened on the list before. was better this time around fr fr

Crosses the line from novel to morose once you realize that Syd Barrett had actual mental health struggles. Best track: Octopus

solo work from a pink floyd member. Wiki is pretty wild - guy went overboard with drugs. Can appreciate that the lyrics are pretty deep, but still just doesn't get me going.

3.9/5

Ça sonne beaucoup comme du early Pink Floyd. Pas mauvais, une petite touche folk supplémentaire qui se prend bien

Cannot fully remember

Cantautor con toques pop de muy principios de los 70. Cierto toque Beatle. Para tener de fondo

This album is ok. Some songs I enjoy, some songs I really didn't enjoy, and the rest were meh. His voice I think is the main thing, in some songs his voice really works, but some songs his voice is really irritating. Overall, everything cancels out and we get an ok album. 2.5/5 Favorite song: Octopus Worst song: If It's in You

There's something very appealing about the ramshackle innocence conveyed here. But there are also moments when you just want him to get it together.

Quiet and calm

If it's you is wel tof

Interesting psychedelic adventure in Syd Barrett's skull. It was not prepared with meticulous care, It has mistakes, even wrong notes on guitar.

Nice sound.

Okay

A mental disintegration caught by recording speakers. For a long time I've been obsessed with Syd Barrett. He of Pink Floyd fame. He, the subject of Wish You Were Here. There's an interesting alternative history where Barrett never lost his mind and stayed in charge of PF. They would have probably continued to have middling success and then eventually broken up by the early 70s. We'd never have gotten Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, or any of their other triumphs. But then again Barrett's story would have had a much happier ending, which is probably worth the trade-off. Ultimately, I like the idea of him more than his actual music. But this album captures his style really well. You can hear the early Floyd here, as well as some new directions he was trying to go in.

Syd Barrett’s Guitar Pick 🤝 John Bonham’s Kick Pedal Being annoyingly audible in their music In all seriousness though, I loved the first half but was really weirded out by the second. It wasn’t till I read up on Syd and the album that I found out why. :/

3.

Very unusual and unhinged, I suppose that's what some people find charming about it. It's like an album someone would do if they were brave enough to release the bad takes. It's unclear whether he's doing it on purpose or whether he's not well.

Oh boy, that was a trip. It almost seems like the label are exploiting the mental state of Syd Barrett by releasing this. It's only passable through the production of the album, but those b-side rough takes are very rough. A crazy diamond indeed.

Surprisingly good

Decent, but borderline gibberish. Interesting fun songs and it was cool that he put the failed recordings on the album

Not my favorite

Syd is just so damn beautiful! I’m intrigued by the title of this album. The madcap laughs. “Madcap” is often used an adjective, so is he describing the silly laughs of someone? Or is he using “madcap” in the noun place, as in “a clown”? The clown laughs? The clown is laughing? This album’s got an overall fragmented feel (which isn’t a criticism), but that’s to be expected what with the three different recording sessions as well as five different producers. Barrett was known for his unpredictable, erratic antics with the Floyd, so perhaps that’s the origin of the use of “madcap”. And what to do with a madcap person? Why, nothing but take him by the hand and lead him into the studio. Because he’s not going to go himself. He’d probably rather be gardening.

In my high school stoner cohort the Pink Floyd discography started with Dark Side of the Moon and ended with The Wall. I got into Meddle in college (the first CD I purchased, as it happened, a really terrible digital transfer). But it was pretty far down the line that I listened to Piper at the Gates of Dawn and wonders where on earth that came from, and learns about Syd Barrett. Is it genius? The potential is surely there and shines ferociously through at some points, but much of it is too slack and sloppy to fully carry.

Can hear the psychedelic genius in there although makes for uncomfortable listening to know how about his tragic story. Not my cup of tea per se either.

I'm not really a huge fan of Pink Floyd but I know about Syd and his history. I was interested to hear this and I'm sure I could love it more on further listens but I'm not sure I'll revisit often.

As a fairly big Pink Floyd fan I've always struggled with the god like status of Syd Barret by the band members and others. Yes Piper at the Gates of Dawn is his masterpiece and the album is amazing, but I don't think he achieved that some creative output as a solo artist. I've listen to this album numerous times hoping to find what others seems to find in it and I just don't. I put it on and think I should have just listen to Piper instead.

This is going to be a strange review. Prefacing everything with that. This was the first time I heard this album. Knew Syd from Pink Floyd, of course, but never heard his solo stuff. I was in a strange situation where I started the album and could t easily turn it off. So I listened to it three times on repeat. The first time through I was like, this is just weird. Didn’t really like it. Second time, I was like, oh, this is okay. Third time I started thinking it might be genius. I’m giving it a 3 only because I don’t know what it should get. Maybe if I listen a few more times it would go up. I could even see it being a favorite album in the future. But not yet.

Причуды Сида Баррета достали участников Punk Floyd и ему пришлось их выразить в форме сольного альбома, который ему помогали дописывать...участники Pink Floyd. Альбом вообще интересен историей своего создания. Это настоящая хроника безумия затворника и гения. В плане же музыки - интересные вещи есть, но они не столь примечательны как сам автор и запись альбома

un peu chaotique le syd

Yep, he surely laughed. Psychedelic beyond all other psychedelic

Well this is a fun one. Not very polished, full of mistakes, but quite emotional, like a show of Barrett's mind. From the lazy "Terrapin" to the playful "Love You" to the heavily distorted "No Man's Land," this is a record constantly on the move. I really enjoy Barrett's crisp sing-a-long voice and imaginative storytelling. Obviously not for everyone and not to be over-hyped in recommendations, it's a bit of a mess, and feels like a mental breakdown, but for fans of this kind of British psychedelia (Floyd's Piper Dreams, Small Faces, Kinks, Soft Boys), this weird entry is a pleasant surprise.

I started off really liking this album. I liked the chromatic melodies and psychedelic, poppy feel. The drums were incredible but didn’t show up as much as I’d like. Towards the end, though, I was frequently thinking to myself, “okay dude… I get it”. It seemed to become more and more a parody of itself haha. Good stuff, but falls off a bit. A high 3/5.

Mix aus genialem Psychedelic und eher Lofi Kram e.g. Daniel Johnston. Teilweise schwierig zu konsumieren, aber bestimmt nicht schlecht.

Wehklagend, selbstmitleidig, extrem intim und dadurch unverstellt narzisstisch ohne unsympathische Züge zu verheimlichen. Dabei schräg schön und erstaunlich aktuell - diese Musik hätte in fast jedem Jahr nach tatsächlichem Erscheinen entstanden sein können. 2.8

"The Madcap Laughs" is an inconsistent, often problematic, sometimes frustrating and occasionally dazzling insight into Syd Barrett's career after Pink Floyd. One year after his departure from the band- an event that fifty years of retrospective documentaries, press and interviews seem to have shrouded in mythos and poeticism- he was presumably in a fragile place and continuing to display concerning behaviour. This album is one of two solo records before he retired from music: in truth, we know much more of him as the "Crazy Diamond" or the man "behind the wall" than the singer-songwriter airing his fragmented solo material here. Intentional or not, it follows that many of the album's songs are distracted, free-roaming takes often with just Barrett's guitar and vocal. The melodies stumble around in search of something to ground them, often passing by unnoticed and sometimes making it through the fog to latch into memory. When Barrett's approach blossoms into something structured, like "Octopus" or "Here I Go", it's a heartening display of fully-formed music. The full band approach helps flesh them out: while they may not be as accomplished as his material with Pink Floyd, they sound relaxed, almost at ease with themselves. "Octopus" is full on psychedelic and "Here I Go" is grounded in a parallel reality, but both are compelling and well executed. Two more of the album's best cuts are its bookends, which strike a good balance between order and chaos: "Terrapin", a languid love song and "Late Night", which was mostly recorded before Pink Floyd's release of "Saucerful of Secrets" and would have fit in it quite nicely with its chorus of slide guitars. On the other end of the scale, "Dark Globe" is harrowing account of a man alone and afraid, punctuated by a wandering tempo and a pointed, anguished refrain of "wouldn't you miss me at all". Just as compelling, but much more raw and painful. It brings us to the chief dilemma at the heart of this album, around Barrett's former bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour handling most of the production duties. It becomes apparent they have control of the narrative, perpetuating the idea of Syd as a washed up, crazy diamond. The false intro to "If It's In You"- and the garbled timing errors going into a couple of different lines- are difficult to sit through knowing another take could have easily been chosen, that Barrett wasn't necessarily in favour of this rendition appearing on the album. Ultimately, "The Madcap Laughs" relies on the listener's morbid fascination with the myth of Syd Barrett, their investment in his story and his tragic downfall. And in truth, part of the album's appeal is this sense of unravelling, its unflinching intimacy. It's not always easy to listen to, and morally it's a can of worms to explore whether Waters and Gilmour were right to focus on producing this over ensuring Barrett had the help and support he needed. But while the album is distracted, fragmented, sometimes broken, there are glimmers of genius from a mind nobody can truly claim to understand fifty-five years on.

Die ruhigeren Nummern gefallen mir besser, in Summe sehr gute 3 Sterne.

More of a look into the freestyle mind of Syd after leaving Pink Floyd. You can hear where he has it together and where he doesn't. I suspect this is a must-hear due to it being Syd Barrett and gives a peak into what Pink Floyd would be doing had he stayed. 3/5

IMO it's good, you can see how he was the crazy guy in pink floyd to an extent.

I like his voice and style and the straight forward simplicity of the songs. Some parts were a bit trippy but I dug it!

This album gave me Beatles vibes in some spots, definite Pink Floyd vibes, and some Doors vibes. I found the album overall to be boring but I liked Octopus a lot, and have to appreciate Syd’s impact on Rock n Roll

3 stars due to some great raw material and its massive influence, but not an enjoyable listen!

Less polished, and much easier to connect with than any Pink Floyd music I've heard to date. 3/5.

Ultimately just too uneventful and boring sounding to be anything more than a 3

Nothing particularly wrong with it, just thought it lacked energy and was a bit generic at times. Two songs that stood out to me personally were octopus and it's no good trying

Was ok.

Its usually not my style of music, but the album was surprisingly good.

Enjoyable! Not super memorable for me. I liked it more than than Syd Barrett era of Pink Floyd so I guess that is something.

Slow burn.

It was okay

Overall I think I liked it. Listened a couple of times. Some nice acoustic work. Got kinda weird toward the end. I can see why it's on here but I'm not sure it's something I'll revisit that often.

Really loved parts of it and really hated others. I'm not crazy about Syd's vocal style and the rehearsal bits were annoying but there are still a handful of great songs to salvage

3 I guess. I'd consider a 2.5, but I can't bump it down to a 2. "If It's in You" almost broke me, what a long 2 minutes.

An interesting an enjoyable listen, reminded me of Brian Enos pre-ambiant work.

some really good songs on here. i'd never really got Syd's style but after listening this time it became more clear to me why he's considered to be such a raving genius.

Whilst Syd's history is undeniable as one of the founders of Pink Floyd, there is no denying that he went over the edge and past the ledge, waving at Keith Richards as he flew past it plummeting into his shiny place in the universe as the crazy diamond he will always be. AND let's not forget he's got a bike and you can ride it if you like... ;-)

Not my tempo

Stream of consciousness abounds here. It's a wild ride, for sure.

"Isn't it good to be lost in the wood Isn't it bad so quiet there, in the wood Meant even less to me than I thought" (Octopus) Mejor de lo que esperaba pero aún así un poco de cortarse las venas.

5

Reminded me a lot of Donovan.

Weird and fun - just like Syd! Not exactly my favorite but I respect the artistry, and how his unique way of thinking and writing sounded outside of Pink Floyd. Almost a 4, but I can't quite justify it, so we're sitting at 3.

Similar to the Beatles Sgt. pepper days, maybe more folk? Very raw

a nice album. i enjoyed it a lot and it also inspired me to make a playlist so this is good.

Better than I thought, sounded like early Pink Floyd.

Some half decent songs

Listen again

This was pleasant, but other than "Golden Hair" not much stood out. 3.5

Dull, ponderous, plodding. This album should not have been made - vanity project

Pffff... Ik was al niet echt fan van dit album. Maar If it's in you, dat haalt me echt over; Dit is gewoon pure shit. Typisch weer zo'n album dat nooit in de buurt was gekomen van een 1001 beste albums lijst als er een andere naam onder had gestaan dan Syd Barrett. Maar deze meneer heeft in Pink Floyd gezeten, dus dit is geweldig. Is niet hoe het werkt cheffies, in tegendeel. Dit was een ontzettend matig album, hij heeft geen hele sterke zangstem, instrumentaal is het vrij minimaal en ik kan hier nou niet echt iets uithalen wat daadwerkelijk mijn aandacht pakt. Wil je weten waar de haat tegen dit album vandaan komt? Luister naar If it's in you, waarin Syd gewoon vals zingt. Of niet gewoon vals zingt, bijzonder, belachelijk vals zingt. Gelukkig begint hij wel nog een keer opnieuw, zodat hij dat nummer nog een keer goed kan verkrachten.

Appreciate the role this played & its influence, but not something I'll listen to again soon.

There must be a better example of an album to represent the exploitative nature of the music industry than this. Musically this ranges from OK to horrid – the obviously unfinished demos towards the end are a shameful inclusion from whoever was pulling the strings at that point. Musically it just doesn't belong on the list. And surely there's better examples of artists being exploited – as in, better music so that we can illustrate that point?

He’s no Pink Floyd.

#177/1001 🇬🇧🍄 Recorded after Syd left Pink Floyd. Its the first time i've heard it, listened twice back to back and whilst its not unlistenable, there isnt a lot to make me come back again. Best tracks: No Good Trying, Long Gone.

I was so bored. Couldn't finish. I must be missing context here, why was this in this list?

2 1/2

Meget splittet på den her, faldt i hans Wikipedia side mens jeg lyttede. Sørgelig historie, man kan stille spørgsmålstegn ved om den burde være blevet udgivet. Enkelte numre spiller men generelt ikke et album der burde være på listen imo

First half is pretty good, last half is questionable... 2+

Friends don't let friends sing and play out of tune.

Did not like this at all

didn't really enjoy this

I don't like this.

This was a rough listen. An example of a guy who's clearly talented but has really gone off the rails and needed someone to guide him back on track. "Octopus" was about the only song on here I enjoyed. Everything else would have flashes of potential but then devolve into nothing.

The legendary man that was the genius behind early Pink Floyd. That's what I've been told, but this did not live up to that in any way. Maybe he was too far gone mentally at this point and its no fault of his own that this was produced and pressed. That being said, it exists and I had to sit through 37 long minutes of dull psychedelic dredge.

At first during the first song I thought I'd like this album but mid-way through the second track I knew it was going to be a chore to listen to. The album feels like it's trying way too hard to be something edgy, but for me it fails to deliver anything beyond boring, monotone tracks. The vocal delivery is horrible to listen to as well. There are some redeeming features - the musicianship itself isn't bad - but overall it's not fun to listen to.

Another one that I should theoretically like but it was just weird.

First half sounded like any other '60s band, the other half was just demos and failed attempts.

This is a strange one. If I were to judge the album completely on its own I'd give it a weak 2 stars, but I feel to give it more based on the history that surrounds it. A big reason I love going through this list of albums is learning about people and bands, and learning about Syd Barrett and how instrumental he was in forming Pink Floyd, but then largely discarded was fascinating. This album is rough, outtakes are included in the core tracks and it meanders greatly. However it is fun and whimsical even if you can tell the author was struggling with his mental health. Interesting circumstances surround this one, but it isn't one that I think I'll revisit anytime soon. Standouts: Octopus, Late Night Rating: 2.5/5

I quite like the Barrett-era Floyd albums and have given these solo albums a go several times throughout the years but they just... don't really do anything for me.

Uninteresting

The only thing more monotonous than a Pink Floyd album is album made by its individual members. Yeesh. What a slog.

Some heady cotton candy and humor but little that hits the emotions directly

Yikes

Sure, why not just include a Syd Barrett solo album? He's British and was in a popular band. That works. I beg someone to tell me what is special about this album if the name "Syd Barrett" wasn't the name of the artist. My favorite songs: No Good Trying No Man's Land Dark Globe Octopus Long Gone

Objectively bollocks. Sounds like a man losing the plot. It is a man losing the plot. It's hard to enjoy, but equally hard not to like some of it. The structure is almost reflecting a man's descent - but I'm cynical and not sure that it's intentional. A difficult listen, and really, not worthy of this list of albums.

The guy has an incredible history and clearly has talent but this just wasn’t quite my kind of music, it felt unfinished

A solid offering that sounds a lot like a lot of other things. Some of the tracks made me cringe though. 4/10

It's a mid album. I'm already getting sick of this program recommending me melancholy singer-songwriter records.

I spent a lot of time with this album in college. I remember wondering why/how he was so comfortable with the guitar mistakes, spending hours deciphering the lyrics and wondering how he was able to craft such imagery with his word choice and how the uneven production was ‘approved’ by the record company at a time when the label had all of the power… I love this album in the way one would love a spouse’s art project - you love it because they love it. Ice cream ‘scuse me I’ve seen you looking good the other evening!

A better anti-drug PSA than DARE will ever be cuz holy shit man how much acid could one man POSSIBLY be on. An occasional psychedelic banger hidden in a bunch of the most confusing music your brain will ever try to comprehend is good enough for a 2/5. Best: No Man's Land Worst: Love You Liked songs: 4/13 High 2

I don't like his voice very much

I love large parts of Pink Floyd's output. Starting with The Wall (which I can absolutely do without these days, except for a couple of songs) I worked my way through their oevre. I enjoyed Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets (a live project playing only pre-Dark Side material) quite a lot. But. I'm yet to fully understand what Syd Barrett's genius is supposed to have been. Maybe you had to be there. This has some elements already present on the Floyd debut, but it doesn't really add much, and it sounds a bit like a directionless album from somebody who really wasn't into what he was recording any more and who probably simply should have been left alone. Which in fairness is exactly what happened after his second solo album plus an aborted third album attempt.

4/10 Album started off with a couple strong tracks but seriously fell off by the end - feeling more like a demo than anything that should have been released and celebrated years later. Worth listening to if you want to examine mental health in rock music, but it's not particularly good beyond that.

When someone takes TOO MUCH

Big Pink Floyd fan, but with most of the solo material of the members this is real below the bands standard. Be it David Gilmour, Roger Waters and in this case Syd Barrett. Records which could easily be forgotten. The Madcap Laughs doesn't reflect at any point the importance of Syd Barrett for the early Pink Floyd. A few songs are ok, but for the most part the songs are way too short and there is not really a connection between the songs. As mentioned earlier. The legacy of Syd Barrett was his membership in early Pink Floyd, not this end of life vehicle. 2/5

Like it's not bad but what is going on

Very deconstructed

Oof. Just gonna be completely honest. This was pretty difficult to listen to.

Starts interestingly enough but by the end not at all worth it. Thank goodness for its relatively short 37 minute runtime. RYM: N Saved a song: N

I gotta be honest, this one almost put me to sleep, though I'm not certain that was the intention.

There is not much to this

Too psychedelic

Couldn't get into this one. Shoulda stuck with Floyd, Syd.

There probably is merit in this being on the list. Does it showcase a loss to PF or enable them to become boring farts? Whatever; this album is shambolic, demonstrating that no one was in control. There is some inspired stuff but it is rare. Out of tune vocals, discordant instrumentation. It does make for easy listening.

Brutal

Terrapin - 4/5 No Good Trying - 3/5 Love You - 2/5 No Man's Land - 2/5 Dark Globe - 1/5 Here I Go - 3/5 Octopus - 5/5 Golden Hair - 2/5 Long Gone - 4/5 She Took a Long Cold Look - 2/5 Feel - 1/5 If It's in You - 1/5 Late Night - 2/5 Average score: 2.5/5 ⭐️⭐️ i was worried going into this based on how others have rated the album, and i can see what people are talking about now that i've listened. in my opinion, it's not the worst album i've ever heard but it's not very good either. it's a rough listen in just about every way. Octopus was a fun listen, and a few other tracks had some appeal, but that's about it i don't really know much about this guy beyond the fact that he was in Pink Floyd. what an interesting direction to go down musically. good on him for making music he wants to make i guess?

I first thought: yet another psychedelic rock album. Effectively another Pink Floyd album. Yawn! However, this isn’t really psychedelic rock. It’s just odd. It’s got a bit of a Beatles mashed with Chas and Dave vibe to it. I didn’t enjoy listening to it.

Not as bad as I feared however it's not something I'll ever listen to again.

hm

I never liked the title and the myth of Barret as a crazy musical genius. The album feels tentative, uneven and in parts unfinished (it's recording history is complicated). But is never boring. Favourite song: "Octopus" (i like the french record sleeve) I like the idea of using a poem by James Joyce in "Golden Hair". 2.75 / 5

This album depresses me, but not in a particularly interesting way. It's just a bit dull and dreary -- a truly British experience.

Meh

I give it a 4.6/10 Not quite for me but not the worst I've heard.

Boring..

2.5/5 Listened to this twice in a row because I really really really wanted to love this, cause I love the shit out of Piper - my favourite Floyd album infact. But this just doesn't do it for me. I'm not invested in this, at all. The words just come and go, the songwriting ain't even a fraction as interesting and whimsical as that on piper. Doesn't interest me one bit. I even stopped everything and focused on this lyrics - tried to analyse them, looked up discussions about their meaning incase I'm missing something but no. I just don't like it. Which is a shame because I was so ready to be a Syd fanboy. Musically, it's barebones. Production, and everything else even are very minimal. Just a man and his guitar. Barely Psychedelic. And the songwriting is lackluster. Really wanted to like this but alas, it is what it is.

Enh....

Actually enjoyed a few songs but overall I'm not sure why this album is on the list.

Strange to me, can find any melodic hook that could catch me in this album

What?! The 60s (and 70s) were a weird time.

Boooo 2/5

Notable Textzeile: This is a story about a girl that I knew She didn't like my songs and that made me feel blue She said, "A big band is far better than you" Es gibt einige unfreiwillig (oder irgendwie absichtlich sarkastisch, aber nicht mit genug Distanz vorgetragen um irgendwie auch nur ein wenig souverän zu sein) Textzeilen, die ich kurz in ihrer Tragik interessant fand. Aber insgesamt ist das eher nervig als besonders. Wenn dann was zur Gitarre dazukommt unterstützt es nicht sondern orgelt irgendwie so dazwischen. Darüber hinaus sind es nichts mehr als Skizzen, halb-motiviert vorgetragen und mit wenig Spannung.

Puh ist das dark. Musikalisch dann aber leider doch eher meh. Beim hören gegoogled und die ganze Lore rund ums Album gelesen. Macht alles nicht besser. Gehört bestimmt auf diese Liste und ist ein aussergewöhnliches Album, das mich aber nicht über eine weirde Faszination hinaus berührt.

This whole album made me feel sad.

This was a bit of a tough listen

I love all of Pink Floyd. And Syd Barrett’s story is tragic. And this album is incredibly sad to listen to.

Uhhh, really slow, weird, an I'm sorry to say but just bad album.

Getting pretty tired of this ‘70s hippie crap.

I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't get myself to. I love the psychedelic rock sound, but I don't like his voice. His vocal performance really brings most of the songs down. It ends up creating a product, where most of the songs are just ok, and others are straight up bad.

medio pesadito el álbum, muchos temas y largos, uffff

Sad boy in a weird way

No Pink, no Floyd, no good.

Not great and just here due to the story of the artist. Floyd became a lot more after Syd left and the way he struggled was sad. Unique musician and he isn't awful but this is mostly a magazine article.

There was some of this that I enjoyed for it's odd qualities and wasn't sure how to handle this. After reading a bit, it's like he had the access and means to make the album , but probably shouldn't have been enabled. It's interesting, but doesn't make it a good album, or one that requires listening.

...meh. In it's purest form.

Syd Barrett “The Madcap Laughs” Ugh. I’m a diehard, lifelong Pink Floyd fan but this was a slog. I always preferred post-Syd Floyd. I listened to all of Syd’s solo work when I was younger. Wasn’t a fan then and that hasn’t changed.

It fit the sound of the time and thats about it.

Syd Barrett inspired a lot of great music, but I've never been able to really enjoy his stuff.

Not on my taste, quite mixed feelings 2/5

Misunderstood guy. mad genius? Not sure about that…

Hard to rate - Pink Floyd was/is an awesome band - and when Syd was involved they really put Psych Rock on the map... almost 60 years ago. However, as we know, he went off kilter. Hard to disagree that post-Barrett Floyd IS awesome, but there really are creative nuggets here, For true Floyd lovers

It’s a shame we medicalize and institutionalize things that should be organic and magical. People should buy weed from a weird guy in a sketchy apartment who you have to listen to talk about the unibomber’s manifesto for 45 minutes, not from a store with price tags and credit card readers. Women should give birth in a field surrounded by flowers and woodland creatures, not in a sterile hospital with doctors in white coats and metallic stethoscopes. And crazy people should be recognized as seers and mystics and their ravings studied for the way they provide glimpses into the world that we straights can’t see, not treated as if they are suffering from a treatable illness. Oh wait, no, the opposite of all of that. This sounded like lazy half thought out demos by someone who doesn’t give a shit about what he’s doing. This guy’s story may be very compelling but this album sucks. Psychedelic folk this.

#Ass

A jumbled mess of an album, this at best felt like a worse version of Magical Mystery Tour, and at worst just utter garbled rambling nonsense. Weird and incoherent, I find this one unpalatable.

This album represents more of a lesson in the history of Barrett and Pink Floyd than a collection of music one would enjoy on its merits. After hearing the discord of the first couple tracks, I educated myself on the biography of Barrett and began to understand the history behind the random instruments and rambling lyrics. It comes as no surprise that this album was born out of necessity on the part of the recording company to produce an album from Barrett, whom they had recently acquired following his departure from Pink Floyd. Thus, the album was not made from the passion and creativity of Barrett, and the struggles of those involved with the album to generate music representative of Barrett's former talents is woven through each song. There isn't much to enjoy of this album from a musical perspective, and listening provides more of a sad history lesson; but, at least some context is provided behind some of Pink Floyd's great hits like "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and other homages to Barrett.

Irritating, that's what I remember most from the album. I understand that the premise of the album to be quite chaotic and unsettling, but it became moany and whiny, also disharmonic. Difficult listen, not really palatable for myself.

2.5

Honestly this starts off not to bad. It seems the Malcom Jones produced we was at least somewhat coherent and the two Soft Machine backed tracks, "No Good Trying" and "Love You" I really liked. "Terrapin" is a bit sloppy, but no more than say "Jugband Blues" (or many Greatful Dead songs for that matter) the other two session backed tracks, "No Man's Land" and "Here I Go" were decently good up beat tempo grooves (especially the too most of the material on the album). Then we get to the Gilmour and Waters produce tracks. By the time they got to the project, Syd had checked out and it shows. The Gilmour/Barrett tracks, "Octopus" and "Golden Hair", were the better of those sessions that starts off side two are tolerable at best. The rest of side two, honestly sounds like he couldn't or didn't want to play I don't know which. I was on the struggle bus big time getting through the last half of side two. As far as for the songwriting of this album. I want to say honestly that some of the songs wouldn't be so bad if it got a proper production. But I don't think anyone could have gotten a proper production out of Sid Barrett at this point of his career. (4.8) ★★

An album from a drug-addcted man. Disturbing, with some pearls.

Denne var seig å komme igjennom, må jeg dessverre si. Nære 1er'n.

all over the place, trying too hard to be casual, and so left to be uninteresting. Passss

No, to je pa fakin hilarious! Torej bi mi moglo bit mal bolj všeč tole, glede na to da sem včer trdila, da mi je prvi PF album kul (čeprav sta Waters & Gilmour ful prisotna na tem albumu). Hm, not very impressed so far. Pri "Here I Go" sm dojela, da so njegovi vokali neverjetno dolgočasni, oziroma poje, ko da je zdolgočasen. "Octopus" je čist fletn. "Long Gone" mi je kul. Ne štekam zakaj so vključil, kle prot koncu albuma, te dele, ko se sliši, kako se Barrett in majster za snemanje zgovarjata? Ker nič ne doda, razen minutaže za album. Ne uživam v shitty petju.

I think this was only on the list because he was in Pink Floyd. Unremarkable album.

A very strange and disjointed album to say the least. It got me to do some research into Syd which was very interesting and sad. 2.5

Love Pink Floyd, but this just ain't it. No idea how this could make this list.

This was a tough one to get through. This was definitely the sound of early Pink Floyd, the PF of the 60's. It was interesting but not something I would want to listen to again.

Many respect Syd Barrett as the founder of Pink Floyd and one of the pioneers of psychedelic music in general. Even more are grateful that he left Pink Floyd soon afterward; this is understandable. Barrett spent almost two years making his first solo album, and not because it was technically complex — far from it. On the contrary, almost the entire album is built on the most sloppy acoustic guitar strumming and singing (if you can call it that) over it. Sometimes session musicians, completely clueless about how and what was supposed to be played, would overdub these parts. In the end, Syd's wildness scared off two producers, and Gilmour and Waters, who had worked with him in his previous band, had to be called in to finish the recording. All in all, it's certainly listenable, but it sounds like the ravings of a madman, which, by all appearances, is precisely what it is.

This was fine

I liked "Octopus." That being said, I don't think I vibe at all with Syd Barrett music.

Interesting. This kind of feels like listening to a Nick Drake practice session. Very raw and vulnerable vocals. Just ok. 2.4 outta 5

I've really never delved into Syd-era Floyd, so this was new to me. It was interesting. Favorite song: Octopus

Shine on you crazy diamond. Oh, and your solo career sucks.

this would be a really fun album to listen to if i hadn't ever heard any other music before

Any mid psych-rock that exists without being on this list exists without God’s consent.

Sounds like if John Oliver thought he was the fifth Beatle.

Vaikeeta kuunneltavaa. Ilmeisesti tällä levyllä joku diipimpi tarina, kun tutustui wikin kautta enemmän. Tarina ei vaikuttanut siihen, että olihan tää aika raskasta kuunneltavaa. 2/5 ei maistu salami

Less of an album to hear before you die, more of a curiosity what kind of music someone who’s struggling with mental health can make. If this wasn’t made by a founding member of Pink Floyd I doubt anyone would care.

Syd Barrett has an interesting sound. It’s like if Paul McCartney wrote songs that Ringo Starr sang.

Enjoyed learning more about Syd's life, but wasn't loving this album. The end trailed off hard and a lot of things that should have stayed a demo. 2/5

Album 46 Top 3 favorites off the album: Golden Hair, She Took a Long Cold Look at Me (Take 4), It's No Good Trying (Take 5) Lukewarm on this one. I actually liked the extra takes at the end of the album more than I liked some of their fully fleshed out equivalents. Golden Hair felt different than the rest, kind of dreamy in a way just slightly off, like a liminal space of a song. I dig it. Again with the wishing I could give it half stars. I don't hate it. I don't love it. I can't remember which one I didn't like, so I'll leave it be.

Another album that used to be bought up a lot that I never got round to. I think I wanted to like this a lot more than I ended up doing. Quite easy to hear the way it inspired a later generation of musicians (A couple of tracks are really reminiscent of early Blur's slower songs, for example), but as a whole it didn't really gel for me.

This was a much easier listen than I thought when I saw it was Syd Barrett; it also has a much lower rating here than I thought. It was decent folk-adelic type rock with Syd’s whimsical lyrics. Nothing really mind blowing, just ok, and it’s always interesting to get a look in the mind and music someone so on the edge.

this was fine? nothing crazy but it did send me into a deep on pink floyds wikipedia page so i loved that

started strong and tailed off a lot of these songs sound pretty similar

My rating 2.0.

Variable and sounds very dated

Think I’d have preferred to listen to an album by Syd James rather than Syd Barrett. Cor, blimey!

I had great hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it came as titled. A little mad, and little wondering, and little inconsistent, not many laughs.

Ok 2/5

Känns mycket tveksamt om detta album hade getts ut om det inte vore för att det är Syd Barrett vid den tidpunkten. Till stora delar som att höra demo- och tidiga tagningar-spår på deluxeutgåvor av historiska album, något jag kan uppskatta mycket när det är musik som ligger mig nära men här tycker jag det lyfter väldigt sällan. Några ändå mysiga slackerrockiga och psychiga stunder som känns pigga och lite före sin tid. Ett album som är jag tycker är mer intressant än bra. Hade varit mer intresserad av att se en dokumentär om det än att faktiskt lyssna på det igen.

Intressant att höra den här plågade människan. Men så jävla bra är det ju inte tyvärr, sånär som på några låtskisser och idéer som hade kunnat bli nåt tillsammans med hans gamla polare. Påminner om john frusciantes soloalbum på 90-talet.

Obligatorisk kurslitteratur för varje aspirerande psykadeliker. Som min gamle vän Greven! Tycker det här är så sjukt bjäring.

Monotone, loud guitar pick scraping, layered vocals. I found more annoying out of this than stuff I enjoyed. Its better relegated to background music.

Ok, ich verstehe die Rolle von Syd in der Musikgeschichte aber wegen dem gefällt mir seine Musik trotzdem nicht

it's not my fav, i didn't finish the whole thing tbh but after learning the history to the artist and album it was hard to want to listen to.

some cute songs, but syd needs the band i fear

Este álbum no va más allá de la curiosidad por comprobar qué era capaz de hacer el bueno de Syd Barret en solitario después de haber puesto el alma y los problemas en el primer disco de Pink Floyd. Tenemos una sucesión de temas, en su mayoría acústicos, con un profundo carácter introspectivo, que distan mucho de conseguir enganchar al oyente. La figura de Syd es más reconocida por la huella que dejó en su ex-banda y lo que no hizo que por su aportación real más allá de la misma banda. Hoy en día, casi olvidado, solo se le cita para reforzar la lucha a favor de la salud mental.

Sounds very modern oddly enough

wow! please never make music again. 2/5

Lidt kopi af Beatles, og svær at lytte til ://

Somewhat hard to listen to. I can appreciate the raw nature of the recording and songwriting, but there are so many other albums with the same quality that are just nicer to listen to.

An interesting album even if just for the insight into a man deteriorating into severe mental illness. As for whether I enjoyed listening to it, not particularly. But I do get why it's in the book given his prominence as the founding frontman of Pink Floyd

3/10… psychedelic / folk / *1970

Not super listenable for me.

The songs just don't come together to make a cohesive album.

The album was ok, I never heard of Syd Barrett before, a couple songs sounded familiar though

Do we have to include every person from a famous band who went solo on this list? Some redeemable qualities but overall this was -a pretty painful listen.

Madcap? Maybe. Boring and pointless? Most likely.

Artiste connu de nom. Je suis un grand fan de Pink Floyd, mais là j’ai été particulièrement déçu par cet album qui m’a rapidement barbé … Pas désagréable (+1), mais vraiment rien ne m’a attiré dans cet album. => 2/5 Et je crains beaucoup l'écoute prochaine de ´The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ si il est dans ce style.

I wanted to like this but it’s just too loose and the songs feel unfinished.

Wow, this one really feels like a stretch, a kind of "lifetime achievement" nod to a guy who undoubtedly influenced the direction of Pink Floyd, which undoubtedly influenced the direction of rock music in the past 50 years. But the album itself is a pretty complete nothing burger, with only slight hints of the directions Barrett played with during his Floyd days that Roger Waters and David Gilmour honed into the signature Pink Floyd sound AFTER Barrett left the group. Knowing his influence, it's pretty much impossible NOT to overrate an album like this, I know (one of the two points I find myself tending toward in my own rating is pretty much simply a gift to the man I know influenced later music I have loved for decades), but if anyone BESIDES Barrett was named as the performer on this album, there's no way it makes a list of 10,000 albums we need to hear, let alone 1,001.

2/5

I thought there were some good songs at the beginning of the album but towards the end they got a bit too weird and unenjoyable for my taste

Decent but forgettable

I love syd and the influence he had on PF, but this shouldn't be on here. It's raw, unfinished, and not particularly well done.

Piper at the gates of yawn. Like Bob Dylan singing Elliot Smith

Love You sounds like a proto-gummy bear song Honey love you, honey little Honey funny sunny morning Love you more funny love in the skyline baby Ice-cream 'scuse me vs Oh, I'm a yummy, tummy, funny, lucky gummy bear I'm a jelly bear, 'cause I'm a gummy bear Oh, I'm a movin', groovin', jammin', singin' gummy bear Much of the album has nursery-rhyme adjacent lyrics, very silly and twee (derogatory). "If it's in you" is the dictionary definition of caterwauling. Just horrific. No Man's Land is the okayest song. 1.5/5

god that was just miserable to listen to. the music was far from anything special, and his vocals are absolute dross. generous 2

There's little difference from his Floyd contributions and it's very influenced by his decline. The songs are a bit too similar. Yeah for students of Floyd examining Floyd lore but we don't all have to go there

60’s blues rock. I’m not going to add it to my list of albums. In general, it’s quite dreary and unfinished, especially towards the end. Terrapin and Octopus are, in my opinion, the only tracks that’s fine. If it wasn’t Syd Barrett, it’d have been forgotten in my view. The tragedy of what happened to him is why this ranks in the 1001 albums you must listen to before you die. Maybe if you were more focused on the contextual side, viewing that the album shows a deterioration of his mental state, you could appreciate it more.