Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs
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- 4 days ago
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Written By: Moti Kupfer
Release date - 3.1.1970
“When one door closes, another door opens.”
That was the scenario that led Syd Barrett out of "Pink Floyd", and paved the way toward his debut solo album, "The Madcap Laughs", released on January 3, 1970.
By mid-1967, the members of “Pink Floyd” were witnessing their bandmate Syd Barrett transform from a brilliantly creative musician into a shadow of himself. Barrett, who until then had been the driving force of the group, wrote 8 of the 11 songs on “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”, the band’s debut album. He was responsible for the group’s psychedelic and experimental sound and also shaped its visual identity.
Barrett, a graduate of Cambridge Art School, developed his musical vision during his time there. Alongside this, he became immersed in what he referred to as “the psychedelic experience”, inspired by the teachings of the American poet and psychologist Timothy Leary.
Leary advocated the use of LSD as a way to “fix” the world, claiming that the drug detached the ego from the id and the superego, returning a person to a childlike psychological state, pure in intention and full of love for life.
In reality, Leary’s vision mainly resulted in large numbers of people addicted to a substance that turned them into emotionally numb, disconnected zombies. Beyond the many instances in which Barrett would suddenly stop playing during a performance for no apparent reason, one particularly bizarre incident is remembered in which he begged his bandmates not to peel him, convinced that he was a banana.
Toward the end of 1967, the members of “Pink Floyd” brought in a second guitarist as a backup for Barrett: David Gilmour. On January 26, the decisive moment arrived. While traveling from London to a show at Southampton University, the question was raised: “Should we pick up Syd?” The answer came immediately: “Let’s not bother.” And just like that, Syd Barrett found himself outside of “Pink Floyd”.
Deeply hurt by his bandmates behavior, Barrett initially continued to visit the studio, watching his former bandmates record with growing bitterness, until he decided to create music on his own. He entered the studio alongside Peter Jenner and Andrew King, two of “Pink Floyd”’s managers who left with him. Jenner took Barrett to EMI Studios (later known as "Abbey Road Studios") in northwest London to record several solo songs. It quickly became clear to Jenner that working with Barrett was extremely difficult due to his severe mental state.
After two months of intermittent recording sessions, Barrett abruptly stopped the recordings, ended his relationship, and set out on a journey across Britain that eventually led to psychiatric treatment at a clinic in Cambridge.
Only six months later, in early 1969, Barrett began to recover slightly and decided to return to recording. At that point, it became clear that Jenner was no longer interested in continuing to work with him, and the producer’s role was given to Malcolm Jones, head of EMI’s progressive rock label.
Much like John Lennon, Barrett turned surreal images and childhood literary influences into songs. In April 1969, after a nine month break, he resumed work on his debut album, "The Madcap Laughs".
Barrett enlisted the help of many friends during the sessions. Among them were two of his former "Pink Floyd" bandmates. David Gilmour played twelve string guitar, bass, and even drums on one track, while Roger Waters produced parts of the album. Also contributing were Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, and Hugh Hopper of "Soft Machine", Willie Wilson - drummer of "Jokers Wild", (David Gilmour’s first band), who played bass, and Jerry Shirley, drummer of "Humble Pie".
Most of the songs were initially built around Barrett singing and playing acoustic guitar, with session musicians later adding their parts. Even in this stripped down format, problems arose. Barrett’s playing was unpredictable, sometimes skipping beats or inserting them at random, making it difficult for the musicians to understand the songs’ structure.
Despite these challenges, this is an album that became a milestone in music history. Blending acoustic folk with psychedelic rock, it went on to inspire countless artists. Many of its songs were later covered by other artists. "Octopus" was the only track released as a single, reaching the UK Top 40.
The album cover was photographed by Mick Rock. For the shoot, Barrett painted the floor of his bedroom at Wetherby Mansions in vivid shades of orange and purple, turning his personal space into part of the album’s surreal visual identity.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music