A brief Madcap England introduction to Syd Barrett's seminal solo album 'The Madcap Laughs'.
Beginning in 2007 with the aim of bringing affordable 1960s and 1970s inspired garments finished with a modern Indie edge to a contemporary fashion audience, our new fashion label was born. The influence for the brand name came from Syd Barrett's seminal 1970 album 'The Madcap Laughs', a cool and quirky psychedelic folk album which deservedly made it on to Mojo's 2003 list of 'Top 50 Eccentric Albums of All Time'. However recognising this classic album can slip somewhat under the radar, with its lo-fi stylings occupying a starkly different soundcape to that pursued by his former Pink Floyd bandmates. Anyway we think its an album everybody should give a listen to, so with that in mind, here is a quick Madcap England guide to 'The Madcap Laughs'.
Syd Barrett was a founding member of Pink Floyd, and it was under his leadership that the band broke through with their debut album "Piper at the Gates of Dawn". Released in August 1967 whilst the group was riding high on the critical success of their influential performances at London's short lived but iconic UFO club, and a couple of quirky 7" singles in the form of "Arnold Lane" and "See Emily Play". The album was a cool combination of the bands improvisational long-form pieces and Barrett's whimsical psychedelic pop songs. The album was released to commercial and critical success, but the same month the band was forced to cancel their appearance at the prestigious National Jazz and Blues Festival, citing Barret's nervous exhaustion as the cause. It was unfortunately a sign of things to come.
By Christmas of 1967 one of Syd Barrett's old Cambridge chums, Dave Gilmour, had been approached by the other members of Pink Floyd to join as a second guitarist. The initial plan was for Gilmour to not replace Barrett but cover for him, with increasingly Gilmour taking on vocals and playing guitar whilst Barrett wandered around on stage. The rest of the band gradually grew weary of Barrett's unpredictable antics, and as Gilmour recalls on the way to one gig one person asked, "Shall we pick Syd up?" and another said, "Let's not bother", and like that Syd Barrett was no longer a member of Pink Floyd.
Barrett officially left Pink Floyd in April 1968, and begun working on his solo debut the following month although the bulk of the sessions took place between April and July 1969. Five different producers were credited during the slightly chaotic recording process, with Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters mixing the album on top of producing several sessions. The final track order was sequenced by Barrett and Gilmour on 6 October 1969 with Barrett's sole solo single "Octopus" released the following month.
"Octopus" is in some ways classic Barrett, directly quoting a section from "Rilloby-Rill" by English poet Sir Henry Newbolt, it is perfect example Barrett's slightly provincial psychedelic folk. Joined by Gilmour on bass guitar and drums the song seems to be a cool continuation of those early Pink Floyd singles, combining English whimsy and psychedelia with a catchy chorus. The albums title came from a mishearing by Gilmour of a line from this song; "Well, the mad cat laughed at the man on the border..." , which is fortunate because Mad Cat England doesn't work as well. Naturally this is the track responsible for the cool Madcap England logo, so its a particular favourite around these parts.
The cover artwork for "The Madcap Laughs" was photographed by Mick Rock and shows Barrett in his bedroom in Wetherby Mansions, alongside the floorboards which he'd painted orange and purple. Barrett is joined on the back sleeve by "Iggy the Eskimo" who was naked in the kitchen when Rock turned up for the photo shoot.
The album itself was released in January 1970, and at the time only had limited commercial success, peaking at number 40 on the UK's official albums chart. To some extent the album sounds like a lo-fi take on "Piper at the Gates of Dawn", with the stripped down arrangements adding to the vulnerabilty and rawness of Barrett's songwriting. Despite Barrett's ongoing personal struggles the songwriting displays moments of genius, with Barrett composing surealist poetry which perfectly explores themes of childhood, imagination, and isolation. Yes the album can seem at times a little cluttered and the production a tad uneven, but nonetheless it is still a rewarding listen and perfect intoduction to 60s experimental rock and Syd Barrett's unique artistry.
In support of the album Barrett performed his only solo live performance, at the Kensington Olympia backed by Dave Gilmour and drummer Jerry Shirley. The set consisted of live performances of "Terrapin", "Gigolo Aunt", "Effervescing Elephant", and "Octopus", however the vocals were only audible on "Octopus" and Barrett abrubtly ended that rendition before walking off stage for good.
Hopefully this quick intoduction to the troubled genius of Syd Barrett and his classic debut album has created an appetite to explore the man and his music further. "The Madcap Laughs" is a great listen not just as an exploration of Barrett's post Pink Floyd mind set but as a truly unique psychedelic experience.
