Reviews (page 5 of 8)
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.
This wasn’t for me
Annoying
just feels like poetry reading. very bland and uninspiring especially the last songs
mid
Meh, it was alright. Nothing too memorable here. Kinda chill 60 feel
not my jam
My neurospicy brain doesn’t love the way he strums the guitar. It was giving some folk/indie Beatles vibes though
- i do like it more for what it is. still have really no inclination to return to it again really. i suspect this is more for the fans who are already into Syd Barrett with all the multiple takes included. Had a nice rock edge but his voice was just so annoying in some parts. prob would give 2.5 if i could because i did find some it charming but since don't have desire to relisten will give it a 2 stars.
There's something about this sound and period of time that tends to not always gel with my personal tastes. I don't know what it is; I actually like the looseness, the edgy rough-around-the-edges performances, and his voice is pretty nice too. But at the same time on some tracks it sometimes feels like a group of musicians are surrounding him who are hearing these songs for the first time and playing along, and then that's what makes it on the album. His lyrics feel like that too, and reading more I get that he's going for a "stream of consciousness" thing but the final result isn't a great listen for me. By the time I'm at the third track, "Love You", I feel kind of annoyed to be honest? It's sort of draining in a way? The scene of: a former member of a much more famous band freestyling lines into a mic while a band behind him just kind of "figures it out along the way" isn't a great recipe for something I'd be interested in. It's not so bad to be a 1 for me, it's in between a 1 and a 2 and enough for me to give it a 2. Not really for me.
Tedious
Quite boring. I struggled a bit to get through this but wasn't so offensive to get a 1.
A mixed bag, but overall not really worth a relisten.
Super hard listen especially knowing he troubled Syd Barret was. Felt like distilled psychosis.
On s’ennuie, non ? J’ai pas fini
Boring, j'ai pas kiffé 2/5
Not on spotify. Also like dude has some interesting lyrics but not interesting music. Pink Floyd is Pink Floyd cause he wasn’t there and the band was allowed to rock.
Feels like more of an essential listen for Pink Floyd fans than a general audience. Some of the songs here feel more like sketches of an idea that an actual finished recording. Not entirely unlistenable (which is why it gets a 2) but I won't be revisiting this any time soon.
Meh
Not a big fan, 2, sorry Syd
Not sure I am a fan of psychedelic rock. None of it caught my ear, everything felt unsecured to anything and sounded a ton like the Beatles. Not a fan.
Syd was already on his way out of his mind here.
Beige Floyd.
Very strange Sad story for the creation of the album
If Syd can make two albums, so can i.
Best thing that happened to Pink Floyd was Syd leaving. 2/5
Big meh.
There are elements of Syd Barfett’s 2 records i really like (the whimsy, the almost freeform chaotic nature that is still holding some structure - the timing in Dark Globe) but elements i dislike (i find them a bit self indulgent and difficult to listen all the way through, almost like listening to someone who is just learning guitar fucking about with a four track - Dark Globe again), and finally there is something written in song and quite evident that is sad and a little uncomfortable in the way this and the next album shows a guy with incredible talent descending into mental health problems. The album reminds me of a better backed outsider artists like Wesley Willis. In the same way, is it fun, funny, sad, genius, rubbish - likely it is all these things.
Proper madlad
Interesting reading around this album and what troubles Syd Barrett was going through at the time. Not surprising therefore that the album is a bit of mess of different ideas and half finished songs.
The Madcap Laughs This is one of those albums and artists where it's tricky to separate the music from the myth and legacy, but on a pure musical level I struggled to get into this beyond a few songs. Terrapin is great, the funereal tempo and slide are lovely, and I quite liked the off kilterness of Dark Globe, No Good Trying is a nice bit of droning psych and the organ on Long Gone is excellent. But outside that it all kind of merged into a pot of similarly tempoed, similarly strummed songs, with similar melodies. A bit of a shame as I was quite looking forward to hearing it, but ultimately I didn’t really connect with it, and I can’t think I’ll revisit, so I’ll go with a 2. 🧢🧢 Playlist submission: Terrapin
The woozy guitar and melody of 'Terrapin' is a dead ringer for Blur's 'Miss America', and it struck me that maybe this album has a breadth of influence more than its own value. The influence/crossover with Bowie's early stuff is startling, and oftentimes equally as jarring. A cheeky music hall cadence and unintentionally humorous lyrics ("Close our eyes to the Octopus ride, isn't it good to be lost in the wood") is often like a Bowie pastiche. The false start of 'It's in You' is pure Nigel Tuffnell. By this point the nonsensical lyrics are extremely grating. "Puddletown Tom was the underground yummy yum yum" my hairy arse. 'Love You' is my favourite for this - "ice cream scuse me, whoops don't abuse me, blimey how's your father, going down the lido, ticklea-a-tickle-a-dildo". Or something like that. The lyrics are all from a childlike perspective, and not as in childlike wonder - as in a 30 year old who's been kept back in Year 4 for 25 years. On Piper at the Gates of Dawn the band bring this madness to life, such as on the atmospheric 'Pow R. Toc. H' an atmospheric build complete with zany mutterings from Syd. 'Bike' on that album is classic Syd, but transformed into a classic piece of psychedelic rock. Without these band embellishments, I fear the material to be extremely trying. There's potentially an odd genius buried in here somewhere. But you really have to be very generous indeed to ascribe such an interpretation. It feels influential on lo-fi folk rock and others For most bands this would the anthology, posthumously released as a curio.
No Good Trying has the highest degree of overlap with my taste and if this album had been filled with more tracks like this and a couple others then there'd be a different ratings outcome. Alas, a bit too many Terrapin-styled tracks on Madcap Laughs. As Syd announces with the album cover's symbolism this is a record of the light and the dark. Here the light slightly wins, but it's too infused with hippie melodies a la Love You, etc. that to me are sickly sweet and folkified even if of a fried mind. I find it's hard to enjoy the circus music in its entirety but can acknowledge some of these tracks will last another 55 years.
I thought the instrumentation on the album was cool. But i really did not like the singing on most of the songs. 5/10
I was going to write a mean funny review here, but I think I should change my perspective knowing the backstory to this album. Syd Barrett was the front man for Pink Floyd for 3 years before ending up with health issues due to overuse of LSD. Look up the backstory, pretty wild and also very sad as he slowly lost his marbles. This was the album he released after getting the boot from the other members. The album I feel slowly falls apart the further you get into it, although there are moments that actually sound alright. Its an interesting album to listen to knowing the context of what happened, a very sad album to listen to as well, especially knowing how good Pink Floyd went on to be. However it was not very enjoyable to listen to unfortunately. 4/10 sorry Syd.
Didn't know this was the person behind Pink Floyd
Best Track - "Octopus"
Good album lots Southern English pastoral whimsy. Far better than the pap his erstwhile colleagues pumped out. It’s easy to see how this album influenced greats like the Television Personalities. But you’d be better buying a TVP lp than this. The songs are good but much of it is Demo-y. Basic minor chords strummed on an acoustic with minimal overdubs. His next lp showed what he was capable of better.
Well you can certainly hear the influence he had on the early Pink Floyd. It's definitely an album of its time, but it needs the Floyd collaboration. If Pink Floyd is the cake, this is a bowl sugar without the flour eggs and milk. Really want to give it a 3, but I all honesty it's a mid-range 2.
This seems like the origin album for GBV and that kind of thing. Not really my taste.
“Madcap” is a little misleading. I was hoping this would be really off the wall. Unfortunately, without drugs this is just boring, even with the goofy moments. There’s no way a Syd-led Floyd would have been commercially successful, and this is unfortunately a sad reminder of his decline.
Boring list filler
Moody and trippy and just disturbed/disturbing. I used a lyric app to follow along. As poetry goes, some tracks made sense. Others just left me blank. Need another gummy onboard before I give this one another go. Please don't let this artist appear on this list again... my anxiety cannot handle it. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): Love You. Here I Go. ⭐⭐: Didn't like it. Didn't hate it. Saved no tracks.
Oof. This was mostly a rough listen. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): Here I Go, Octopus ⭐⭐: Didn't like it, didn't hate it. Saved no tracks.
It's kind of fun, but he's doesn't really have a very good voice.
Dislike this type of music - like discount Beatles, but with the uninteresting style of Beatles music
Difficult to listen to.
He's just singing about some girl he's sad about, how original.
Look, I know I'm far from the first person to complain about this, but the amount of 60s/70s white british guy rock on the 1001 is starting to get to me. There's too much of it. Anyway this was pretty boring.
I'm honestly not a huge fan of Syd Barrett's work after Pink Floyd. It's a lot more eery, spontaneous and unpredictable, and it's lost the dreamlike, whimsical edge I appreciate. LSD is a hell of a drug.
Two tracks in, already prefer it to Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. Here I Go is good. Lots of unfinished tracks, especially on side two. Some pompous people try and demonstrate how smart they are by never finishing anything. "Please hold on to the steel rail." Late Night is charming. I'm at the end, some of the tracks work but a lot of them don't and are just irritating. I'm still not hearing a genius here, though I did listen to Joni Mitchell's Blue before this so maybe that's skewing my ears here.
Amateurish and a bit childish; not worth a second pass. 3/10
Ah yes. It was only a matter of time when I got my first 'on the list for cultural importance rather than quality'. Syd Barrett undoubtedly had an influence on 20th Century music and beyond. What that influence is though, is less than tangible. We know he was a founding member of Pink Floyd, and that his spectre hung over the band long after he left. But when you think of Floyd's best albums - even their less than great albums - Barrett is not directly involved. The Madcap Laughs is very typical of the sort of late 60s zany freak-outs which you saw from the likes of Frank Zappa. It was a new and exciting scene, but while it accentuated freedom and inspiration, musical and melodic ability was something of an after thought. Hence the end result of this album being a curio rather than something your average person is going to choose to listen to. In essence, there's very little stopping you or I or anyone going into a studio today and making a 'better' album than this, assuming you had the money and backing. What this album does showcase is the evolution and descent of Barrett. It's not clear where his songwriting would have gone if things had turned out differently. Many songs sound like they could have been lifted from Piper, and many have a similar vibe. Whimsy is the word you'll see most often when people with half a brain talk about this album. Some of the songs are fine, but the repetitive rhythm and the recurring cadence and limited melodic tics of Barrett mean that you can listen to any two or three songs and understand/avoid everything else. Three stars for being a historical record of a man who could have been a genius, or could have been exposed as a fraud. Two stars for the music.
Wannabe like The Beatles.
Not very good
1.9 Fucking hell. I think everyone should actually listen to this album, it's a great advert why psychadelics should be used only sparingly, with long pauses in between. Admittedly, poor Syd if the biographies are true, in that he was effectively spiked on the daily by his wanker housemates. But what a nonsense album, it's not the work of a genius, it's the work of a man who has clearly gone off the rails. If an unknown person released that it would have been laughed out of record shops.
Not a huge fan of the Barrett years at baseline. This just sounds like a record producer abusing someone in the middle of a massive mental decline.
I love Octopus but honestly the rest of this is quite bad. Idk if that’s a nuclear take but I was extremely disappointed with this.
I'm the type of person where if the first 4 or 5 songs don't do it for me, I don't wanna keep going. The style of music isn't gonna take a dramatic shift suddenly that'll make it my taste. This was one of those albums for me. Definitely sounds like it belongs in the 70s or 80s.
Not very bad but simply not my stuff.
Really struggled to finish this one, might need to come back to it when I’m feeling more chilled.
2,2/5
This was a strange album, very raw, unfocused. Not surprising given this was Syd Barrett post Floyd and when he was in the throes of mental illness. Not really my taste if I'm honest, though I appreciate that its a time capsule of sorts into the mind of a man who wasn't well.
You can obviously hear the early Pink Floyd here, given that he was the principle songwriter on their debut album. It's not an era of the band that particularly resonates with me though and I found this to be fine but unispiring! Perhaps it was just my mood at the time but I often zoned out when listening and I couldn't really recall much from it afterwards. Not one I'll be returning to.
I can't say that I've bothered to look into the solo works of any of Pink Floyd's members. Although the case of Syd Barrett was unique in that he was kicked out of the band after a few short years due to his own personal/mental struggles. Did Syd Barrett make Pink Floyd? Or did Pink Floyd make Syd Barrett? Probably the latter, but this guy had two solo albums so surely there was some individual talent there. This album isn't really anything special if I'm being honest. More of an unpleasant listen, as opposed to experimental like most rock records were doing around this time. This album just never really gets going and lacks cohesion. Obviously a sad/depressing backdrop that led to this album, but that doesn't give it much merit to stand on.
Shades of early Pink Floyd here, but I'd already said this of early Pink Floyd "Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd, so super simple rhymes over psychedelic swirls and overdubs that makes it sound like the most transcendental shit ever laid down on tape. It shouldn't work, but it does..." This time it doesn't work, it's missing everyone else...
Quite bad. Mostly delusional mumbling. Sadly sounds like too much acid. The first track was pretty good, then steadily downhill. 2.4/5
The first half was a decent collection of psych-folk tunes, nothing mindblowing. The second half devolved into secondhand embarrassment…. I’m not even sure it should have been released.
Only occasionally did I think that music and lyrics came together into something good and/or interesting. Mostly I felt this droned on. 2/5
Njae
Psykadelisk musik i all ära men detta känns verkligen som att jag måste vara hög för att uppskatta.
Syd Barrett är ju cool men det här var inget o hänga i granen direkt
Boring
This album is like serving up a plate of spices without any actual dish to go with it. Sure, spices can elevate a meal, but who wants to eat just a heap of pepper or cinnamon? Syd might have been a flavorful spice in Pink Floyd, but this solo effort just doesn’t hit the mark.
Did not age very well…a recording that could only have been made in that time and place.
This seemed very disjointed to me but makes sense considering the state of Syd and the merry go round of producers working on the album. I didn’t really enjoy this and I feel like giving it a round up would be giving credit for his prior contributions and music influence rather than this specific album. 2.5/5
It's just not good. Sorry Syd...
forgettable
Weird hippy album. Lots of animal talk.
This album is not much inspired, it's raw and feels like a collection of unfinished songs with not much to say. I thought I would like it, but it has not been the case. Some songs were good, but most of the album was bland and uninteresting for me.
Syd Barrett channeling the Beatles. Apparently recorded during a time of mental decline, which makes a boring album slightly disturbing.
..
Sieni Gschicht isch legendär - sorry, Pink Floyd gfallt mer besser ohni de Sid.
sehr sy barret hä. sehr weird d text sind super. bi terrapin bini nochli unkonzentriert gsi aber etz bini bitz drin. so dark globe gad isch sehr unkonventionell well ungnau gspielt. eigentlich isch alles so. sini stimm chunt vo rechts und er singt nur so halbe in tune aber d melodie und d akkörd sind sehr cool. mer ghört chli wohers de gilmour hett irgendwie. long gone isch sehr geil wow. super cooli zweiti stimm. ah gilmour und waters hend produzieeeert. okay ab feel wird klar dass ihm nöd guet goht und s sind afoch schlechti takes vo songs und er schrummt gitarre. nöd würkli guet. oooka wereeirds album aber sicher es 3 wells echt cooli sache het wo a die alustische pink floyd tracks erinnered.
So now I know where Nigel Tufnel comes from.
Mad cap fr Had its moments but nothing crazy, bad parts were bad
dry pussy central
yeah his stuff isn't notable after Pink Floyd
More of a curio than an actual piece of music. It's whimsical enough to just about scrape more than one star.
This vocal style and sound is dated and uninteresting.
If James Joyce's Ulysses was set to music it might sound like this. It is evocative but doesn't quite deliver. It sounds like a busker at a train station who doesn't care if you put some coins in his hat, he just wants somewhere with an echo to practice. It's fragmented, has moments ( varies into skiffle and Beatlesque sections), but doesn't quite work. It sounds like someone trying to work out their sound, other offerings may be worth a listen.
Het eerste nummer klinkt nog heel erg jaren '60. Ben je mij eigenlijk al kwijt. Gelukkig varieert het album wel en brengt het soms een interessant klinkend stukje. Er zijn twee stabiele factoren over het gehele album. Ten eerste de wat duistere klank, ten tweede de valse zang. Waar bijna aan het einde mee gespot wordt. Zelfspot is een teken van relativering en dus best mooi. Maar de beste vorm van relativering aan het einde van de opname was geweest te besluiten het album toch maar niet uit te brengen.
Listening to this you can see that all early Pink Floyd is Syd Barrett. It has a charm and there are interesting songs. However as with Floyd and a lot of that genre you have to be off your face to enjoy it. I was stone cold sober and bored.
Very much meh.
Meh
not sure about this
Glad Syd left Pink Floyd.
The whole album feels so slow its almost painful. While one or three of these songs would have been nice on an otherwise more speedy rock album I would have enjoyed them more. As 13 songs ina row I almost fell asleep before it was over.
Maso
This is not good. Sounds like Lou Reed playing Kinks' songs. The Kinks are much better. Lou Reed is even worse.
Don’t know how to feel about this. The weirdness and stripped back sound reminds me of horn of plenty by grizzly bear, clearly must have inspired it. Probably won’t listen again
Did not enjoy this one.
It's psychedelic, sure, but in the waaaay too many tabs of acid and shrooms kinda way, not really the fun way. Lyrically and musically very amateurish, but i do like a couple songs here, namely No Good Trying and No Mans Land. Maybe obvious to say but definitely a good move for Pink Floyd to go a different direction when they did, unfortunately Barrett really lost it by this point
just thought it was a bit dull
Oof, not my favorite. All kinda sounds the same, but disjointed at times and lacking in rhythm and melody.
Not great. After the first couple songs I thought it might actually be decent, but it quickly descended into what should have been studio outtakes. I feel a little bad after reading more of the history behind this album, but this is just a sad, incoherent mess.
48/100. While I can see the potential for something experimental and intriguing, the execution just feels messy and incoherent. It comes off more like rambling than anything purposeful. Some might find charm in the chaos, but for me, it mostly sounded like nonsense.
Don't know about this one. But not too convinced by early Pink Floyd either.
Oof. This was a hard listen. Poor Syd was clearly going through shit when he recorded this album.
Fun, easy listening, a la Beatles 70s vibe. But not enough going on lyrically or instrumentally to keep me hooked. Enjoyed the folky vibe and quirky British voice, but not seeing much replay value. On to the next!
Album #1 - this is a rough listen. It's a mish-mash of songs. No songs stand out. Love the creativity and Syd's voice. Mostly this album sounds like outtakes and throwaways from The Wall. Then the album falls apart. It's a concept album missing a concept or common thread.
Syd seems to be the only one laughing on this one. No one without name recognition could have gotten this album released.
It was like one long demo session. A lot of the songs had potential but were either chopped up abbreviated or talked through. I don’t get this album.
His guitar skills let’s just say are a lot better than his vocal skills. Not very memorable anyway as an album.
More like 2.5….
This sounded like a worn-out musician who was forced to record an album. And it seems that this is exactly this.
Bleh. DNF Best Song: Octopus Rating: 3.0/10 (Irritating) Stars: 2/5
2.3
Strum strum strum
Very repetitive. Not for me
Just because an album is meaningful doesn’t mean it’s good. Also, I don’t feel I needed to listen to this before I died. But also, the list creator didn’t think Enya was worth listening to apparently. So I guess what I’m saying is I don’t think the list writer had taste.
My mate at school Eddie got me to listen to Syd way back in the day. We were stoners and thought anyone who was off their head or a bit out there was cool! Listening back to this now over 40 years later I realise what a load of shit it really is! Sorry Syd.
Soundtrack mentalnog propadanja. Žalosno za slušati.
It was remarkable how much this album sounded like a collection of Ringo songs. Between his voice, the style of music, the lyrics (there was even a song called "Octopus") I was getting real strong Ringo vibes. Unfortunately I think Ringo songs work best when they are 1 to an album... not all 13.
Not my taste, I don't like it at all. Some songs are unlistenable.
Maybe it's just the day but two songs in and I'm already bored with this. I mean as everyone has said, Pink Floyd wouldn't exist without Syd Barrett. But that doesn't mean that he's some kind of brilliant infallible genius. This...isn't great. It's rough, it's not recorded well, it's uneven. I don't mind weird lyrics or experimental music but this doesn't really succeed at either of those things. It doesn't sound like this was actually a finished record, it sounds like a demo. Some of it almost sounds like a parody, really. It kind of reminds me of Spinal Tap - how they went through all the various genres of music over the years. This would be the Spinal Tap version of psychedelia. Imagine Cups and Cakes mixed with Listen to the Flower People, but not actually as good as either. That's this whole record. Had Syd Barrett not been involved with Pink Floyd but released this same album, would anyone even remember it? Maybe some. I doubt it would be on this list. 2/5
Didn't do anything for me
Pink Floyd is my favourite band, and while It's not my go-to I enjoy the Syd-era albums. But the Syd solo stuff... ugh. I've tried but never managed to get into it. It's just kinda too much Syd.
This was not for me. I found it boring and repetitive. I’m not sure why it’s on this list.
Starts out nice and trippy but quickly becomes a poor Beatles knock off with monotone vocals.
It's like the goofy songs Ringo Starr performs on his solo albums, but people respect it because it's made by a mentally ill person. The musicality from the later groups this helped inspire is missing, so it doesn't work for me
# Album Name: The Madcap Laughs # Artist: Syd Barrett # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Wow, that was a cluster fuck. Im a big PF fan. Admittedly, post barrett. However, i was looking forward to seeing what he had in his arsenal. This is just a mess. There was flashes of good melodies and sounds but it just went into an incoherent blubber. Im genuinely torn between a 1 or 2 rating. What a disaster Syd. RIP old chum but Thanks for leaving PF and giving way to one of the best bands of a lifetime. # Top Tunes: None # Would I listen to it again? No
Wish I could rate higher but there was too many tracks I didn’t enjoy. Shine on you crazy diamond. 2.5/5
Gotta say this was pretty generic. I knew the story behind Syd and I expected more, but maybe time and the adoration from very famous old friends dilutes the hype. Not unlistenable but pretty boring. I liked the first track and that's about it.
Ну такое, вроде вайбы, но не моё
Yes. Crazy. Sad
There are a few pleasant moments to be had here, but its mostly a deeply unpleasant look at a man falling apart due to drug addiction, and not in a cool edgy way, but in a "everyone's laughing at him" kind of way. Depressing.
Oh wow I’m speechless because there was nothing interesting about this album
Now then, I fear I'm going to go a bit po-faced here, because really, this just feels a bit like a level of intrusion into mental collapse that shouldn't be allowed really. Syd, one of the true greats, can barely keep it together for a song here, never mind an album. I understand why it's so fascinating and important, but it sits uncomfortably. There's an argument that you could say the same about (for instance) The Holy Bible and Richie's state when he wrote the lyrics to that, but at least that went through the band process. This just feels so personal and sad.
This guy was nuts.
I have always liked me some Pink Floyd (even though there are always some songs on their albums that are just a lot of noise that you have to sift through). Still, I had never heard any of the band’s work while they were led by Syd Barrett, so I was eager to give this one a listen. Although I enjoyed the first few songs, it went on and degraded down to something sounding more like a demo tape. It ends up with 2 stars from me.
Woof. I'd kick him out of Pink Floyd, too.
This is a weird one, as expected. It sounds like the last incoherent ramblings of a man slowly slipping into psychosis.....which is exactly what it is. There are some gems though amid the chaos of this album. Favorite songs: Love You, Octopus Least favorite songs: Dark Globe, Golden Hair, She Took a Long Cold Look, If It's In You, Late Night 2/5
Honestly didn’t enjoy this. As a Pink Floyd fan it’s hard to rate this low but I just did not enjoy it
Die hard Floyd fans may love this, but while I love Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall and maybe Wish you were here, this album is a little liminal for me. There are some decent moments, but it's not something that really shines like a crazy diamond, pun intended. Late Night is maybe the most interesting track for me. 2/5
One of those albums that I had to stop and check the reviews first because I just know there's more to it than meets the eye. I can't in good faith rate this well, because it's definitely a mess, but I gave it an extra star because there does seem to be some merit here and there, and I can understand what Syd was going through. Tough album to get through.
The best thing that ever happened to Pink Floyd was Syd Barrett's departure.
Trying to figure out what exactly I'm supposed to be getting out of this.
Pink Floyd is my favorite band, so I picked up The Madcap Laughs many years ago(before you could just stream whatever you wanted) hoping to discover something special. Unfortunately, I was disappointed then and I’m still disappointed now. I guess it makes sense though, Piper at the Gates of Dawn is probably my least favorite Pink Floyd album, and this has a lot of that same scattered, chaotic energy without the polish or cohesion. An interesting piece of history, but disappointing at every visit.
I guess this “matters” because of who it is and the context…very forgettable other than maybe “Here I Go” and Octopus”
I actually had no idea the legendary pink Floyd founder had a solo album after leaving . I wanted to like it , and I did it in parts , it’s intimate emotional but it doesn’t hit the mark much for me musically. Still a fascinating listen considering the context
Mostly uninteresting late 60s psych rock. I think this one's mainly going to be of interest to people who are invested in the history of that era, who care about these personalities. So, not for me.
This one was pretty rough
I just read part of the wikipedia page for this album, which I rarely do before writing a review. Because this album is very bad. It's just a weird mishmash of 60s psychedelia cliches that sounds very much like all the other albums of this genre I've listened to from this era. Look, I'm not going to go in on it too hard. I don't think it's special AT ALL, and if this album wasn't created by the original Pink Floyd singer, I cannot imagine it would be on this list.
Although the Syd Barrett era of Pink Floyd isn't my favorite part of their discography, one of those albums would be better suited on this list than his solo work.
Here I Go was the best track here in my opinion. This album just isn't my cup of tea, it's just sort of successive acoustic ramblings. I'm not giving it a 1 out of sympathy for Syd, cause his story is really tragic.
Do people genuinely love this album or have they just romanticised the idea of the troubled genius? I’m not convinced that anyone hearing this without knowing who Syd Barrett was would understand what the fuss was about.
Pretty much unfinished. Glad I listened to it and can appreciate his genius but not sure I’ll listen to solo Syd again
Okay
It's alright. Wouldn't listen to it again. No stand out song
This is not an album crafted by a genius at the peak of his craft. This is an album stitched together by a set of producere and a clearly unwell artist. We did not need the outtakes or the coughing. Honestly I'm not sure we needed any of this.
singer songwrighter, 1970 -> 2
Yawn
This is not a good album, not even close. If it was anyone other than Syd Barrett I very much doubt it would even have been released, let alone made its way on to the list. I like Pink Floyd, but only after Barrett was no longer involved.
I am utterly surprised at this, but... honestly didn't care for this. It felt sad - I know his other music is better and it sounded too much like someone not in a good place. :/ Kind of saddened my brain a little. Nice chords and pretty songwriting at times though
There is some hope to this album, but it is a bit too rambly most of the time. Will I listen to again: 5%
More listensble than I expected, but wouldn’t listen again
I wanted to like this, but it was a mess.
A drab and depressing assortment of demos by a man who was very unwell.
As a long time Floyd fan, I give credit to says Barrett for his role getting them started and influencing their work. I can go without his solo work, even with help from friends.
I'm disinclined. The general sound is folk-rock and I often get behind that. I liked the first couple of songs: Terrapin and No Good Trying. But the rest of the album was either "meh" or kind of annoying (the outtakes on If It's In You).
It's like Syd heard "Octopus's Garden" and decided "I'll make a whole album like that, but twice as random and half as charming."
Drunk Beatles vibes. Not bad, but not really good either.
Geez, the Pink Floyd guys dodged a bullet when this guy quit. 1.61
Feels like a rough collection of half baked songs. There are definitely some shining moments but by and large it sounds very slapdash. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a Syd era Pink Floyd album - perhaps that context would help. But I did not find this very enjoyable and I don’t think it does a good job convincing me.
Not a huge fan of this. Good at its best but it's too long. Some of this could have been left out
Não me pegou muito. Uma vozinha um violão, acho que precisava de mais. Dito isso, gostei de Octopus.
Listening to this album was depressing. Except for a couple of nice moments it just highlights the deterioration of a talented musician. I should give it 1 star, but since it's Barrett, I'll give it 2.
Weird and whimsical but not in a good way
weird psychedelia stuff
Meh
I get the importance of this album but it's a hard listen.
Insanity distilled.
Not my jam
I didn't think much of this. I understand Barrett was a genius in his own very unique way, but that didn't make this collection of tracks any more appealing to me.
Boring and dull, not much to listen here
2.5 ok stripped down psychedelic
Every 60s brit musician wanted to do Vaudeville
mehh
I didn't love it. To me it sounded like the generic soundtrack to some forgettable 60's movie. It's not a sound I'm into. That being said, my wife really did enjoy it. Your mileage may vary.
I'm a Pink Floyd fan, even an early PF fan and knew of some of the stories of Syd Barrett but never have listened to his albums. I had heard of Golden Hair, and did enjoy that song, there was a cover of that song done really well by Slowdive. The rest of the album wasn't my favorite, I'm going to go with 2 star I think.
Not sure what I’m supposed to do with this. I suppose you have to listen to it to understand that Pink Floyd didn’t work except as a sum of its parts. Not punishing to listen to, but rather thin and not something I’d ever revisit.
meh.
Not a lot of dynamics to this album. The raw feeling of the album is there, but verges into amatuerish at times. I like the effects he does to his voice. Psychedelic country music. The are a couple interesting songs, but it is mostly a slog to get through the while album to be honest.
I just could not get into this.
Terrible. All sounded the same. One extra star for Pink Floyd.
“You took too much man, too much, too much.”
Syd has a cool reputation, but this was just like a less talented Donovan.