Raising Musical Awareness: The Madcap Laughs

The caterpillar hood, a feathery tongue, a dream dragon, an octopus ride, and a skeleton kissed to the steel rail. Childish babble? Or the poetic genius of a disturbed mind? I doubt even Syd Barrett, founding member of obscure British band Pink Floyd, knows for sure…

 Released on January 3, 1970 – just three days before Barrett’s 24^th birthday – The Madcap Laughs is Syd Barrett’s first post-Pink Floyd solo album. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, production on the album began in May 1968 and was not completed until August of 1969, with Barrett spending almost a year out of the studio in between sessions.

The album is a psychedelic love story wrapped around some unnamed muse. The opening track, “Terrapin,” begins with the line “I really love you, and I mean you.” The song is delicate and dreamlike, hovering somewhere in between reality and romantic fantasy. The instrumentation is sparse, with only an acoustic and electric guitar accompanying Barrett’s floating vocals.

The rest of the tracks on the album are an eclectic assortment of acid rockers, freak-folk ballads, and psychedelic pop numbers. This diversity was Barrett’s intention: “I wanted it to be a whole thing that people would listen to all the way through with everything related and balanced, the tempos and moods offsetting each other, and I hope that's what it sounds like,” said Barrett in an interview for the album Lucy Leaves & Other Rarities. He succeeded, with standouts including the charming love song “Here I Go,” the hallucinatory “Octopus,” and the raw “Dark Globe,” which was produced by Barrett’s former band mates David Gilmour and Roger Waters.

The album is also laced with a medieval mysticism, most notably heard on “Golden Hair,” which rings out like a romantic ballad sung by some ancient bard. Songs of a similar theme can be heard on early Pink Floyd albums, such as “Matilda Mother” off The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

The album becomes significantly stranger with “If It’s In You.” The song appears unrehearsed (maybe unfinished?) and the take is nearly unlistenable. However, it somehow fits lopsided, upside-down into this oddly cohesive album. On it’s own it would be discredited as a throw-away outtake, but with prominent placement on the album as an official track the song somehow becomes something more. A mysterious mistake that gives the listener insight into the altered mind of Barrett and his deteriorating mental state. That being said, it’s hard to completely justify the lack of effort put into completing the track. It is an interesting tune and could have been genuinely good had the proper care been given to it.

The following track, “Late Night,” (also the final track on the album) balances the delirium of “If It’s In You.” The song is among the most heavily produced on the album, with drums, bass, and two sparkling guitars accompanying Syd’s vocals. The track is also the only recording taken from the original May 1968 sessions, which may account for the substantial overdubbing and polish. “Late Night,” when looked at alongside “Terrapin,” acts as a nice bookend to the album, returning to the theme of surreal love. This time, however, Barrett seems willing to simply remember the love, rather than request it.

The Madcap Laughs, as the name might imply, is an album that is strange, beautiful, and humorous. However, the menagerie of melodies isn’t the only reason to lend your ear. Barrett opens himself to the listener, and the result is as maddeningly creative as it is gorgeous. Emphasis on the mad.

“And the way you kiss will always be a very special thing to me…”

Listening Recommendations: For pleasure and inspiration at twilight. Or for extensive study in an honours psychology class.