SYD BARRETT – THE MADCAP LAUGHS / BARRETT 2LP – Nr MINT UK 1974  PINK FLOYD

Syd Barrett – The Madcap Laughs / Barrett
(Harvest Records  1974  SHDW404)
Matrix No’s: A2/B2/A1/B1 – UK Pressing

Gatefold Sleeve in Excellent+ condition
– some light ringwear

Vinyls in Nr MINT condition
(there is the odd light dust crackle)

Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was a British musician, composer, singer-songwriter, and painter. Best known as a founder member of the band Pink Floyd, Barrett was the lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter in its early years and is credited with naming the band. Barrett was excluded from Pink Floyd in April 1968 after David Gilmour took over as their new guitarist, and was briefly hospitalised amid speculation of mental illness.

Barrett was musically active for less than ten years. With Pink Floyd, he recorded four singles, their debut album (and contributed to the second one), and several unreleased songs. Barrett began his solo career in 1969 with the single “Octopus” from his first solo album, The Madcap Laughs (1970). The album was recorded over the course of a year with five different producers (Peter Jenner, Malcolm Jones, David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Barrett himself). Nearly two months after Madcap was released, Barrett began working on his second and final album, Barrett (1970), produced by Gilmour and featuring contributions from Richard Wright. Two years later, he left the music industry, retired from public life and strictly guarded his own privacy until his death in 2006. In 1988, an album of unreleased tracks and outtakes, Opel, was released by EMI with Barrett’s approval.

Barrett’s innovative guitar work and exploration of experimental techniques such as dissonance, distortion and feedback influenced many musicians. His recordings are also noted for their strongly English-accented vocal delivery. After leaving music, Barrett continued with painting and dedicated himself to gardening. Pink Floyd wrote and recorded several tributes to him, most notably the 1975 album Wish You Were Here, which included “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, as homage to Barrett.

The Madcap Laughs is the debut solo album by the English singer-songwriter Syd Barrett. It was recorded after Barrett had left Pink Floyd in April 1968. The album had a chequered recording history, with work beginning in mid-1968, but the bulk of the sessions taking place between April and July 1969, for which five different producers were credited − including Barrett, Peter Jenner (1968 sessions), Malcolm Jones (early-to-mid-1969 sessions), and fellow Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Roger Waters (mid-1969 sessions). Among the guest musicians are Willie Wilson from (Gilmour’s old band) Jokers Wild and Robert Wyatt of the band Soft Machine.

The Madcap Laughs, released in January 1970 on Harvest in the UK, and on Capitol Records in the US, enjoyed minimal commercial success on release, reaching number 40 on the UK’s official albums chart, while failing to hit the US charts. It was re-released in 1974 as part of Syd Barrett (which contained The Madcap Laughs and Barrett). The album was remastered and reissued in 1993, along with Barrett’s other albums, Barrett (1970) and Opel (1988), independently and as part of the Crazy Diamond box set. A newly remastered version was released in 2010.

Barrett is the second and final studio album of new material released by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett. Recording began at Abbey Road Studios on 26 February 1970, and lasted for 15 sessions until 21 July. The album was produced by Pink Floyd’s guitarist David Gilmour, who also contributed on bass guitar, and features contributions from fellow Pink Floyd member Richard Wright on keyboard and previous Madcap contributor Jerry Shirley on drums.

Barrett was released in November 1970 on Harvest in the United Kingdom and Capitol in the United States, but failed to chart in both markets; it was re-released in 1974 as part of Syd Barrett. No singles were issued from the album. It was remastered and reissued in 1993, along with Barrett’s other albums − The Madcap Laughs (1970) and Opel (1988) − independently and as part of the Crazy Diamond box set. A newly remastered version was released in 2010.

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