Poll: How do you rate Syd Barrett's "The Madcap Laughs" album?

And... we're back, this time with the first Pink Floyd solo album of our series!

The rules for this series: this poll is designed for people familiar with the album in question and with at least some familiarity with some of their other catalog (for comparison purposes). If the poll doesn't interest you, please kindly move on to a thread that does. Please simply consider how YOU would rate the album in question, in comparison with the rest of the Floyd's discography! And as always, a shout-out to member mrjinks for creating all the groundwork for this series.

Note: please use the same criteria for rating these solo albums as you would Pink Floyd as a band albums, so we can compare the results of this poll to, say, The Division Bell.

So, how do YOU rate this album?

Album history: "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."


Tracklist:
1. Terrapin 5:04
2. No Good Trying 3:26
3. Love You 2:30
4. No Man's Land 3:03
5. Dark Globe 2:02
6. Here I Go 3:11
7. Octopus 3:47
8. Golden Hair 1:59
9. Long Gone 2:50
10. She Took A Long Cold Look 1:55
11. Feel 2:17
12. If It's In You 2:26
13. Late Night 3:10




Previous polls - you may have noticed I've been updating these every new poll. However, from now on I will only be updating the Pink Floyd (as a band) polls periodically, although I will continue to update the solo albums.
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Currently 595 people have voted, with an average of 4.26.
A Saucerful of Secrets. Currently 363 people have voted, with an average of 3.78.
More. Currently 291 people have voted, with an average of 3.36.
Ummagumma. Currently 435 people have voted, with an average of 3.09.
Atom Heart Mother. Currently 445 people have voted, with an average of 3.72.
Meddle. Currently 522 people have voted, with an average of 4.70.
Obscured by Clouds. Currently 445 people have voted, with an average of 3.87.
The Dark Side of the Moon. Currently 621 people have voted, with an average of 4.75.
Wish You Were Here. Currently 742 people have voted, with an average of 4.78.
Animals. Currently 715 people have voted, with an average of 4.62.
The Wall. Currently 842 people have voted, with an average of 4.01.
The Final Cut. Currently 586 people have voted, with an average of 3.08.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Currently 441 people have voted, with an average of 2.97.
Delicate Sound of Thunder. Currently 256 people have voted, with an average of 2.89.
The Division Bell. Currently 491 people have voted, with an average of 3.28.
Pulse. Currently 307 people have voted, with an average of 3.34.
Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81. Currently 252 people have voted, with an average of 3.67.
The Endless River. Currently 474 people have voted, with an average of 2.53.

 

A unique and unforgettable album, and one that always makes me respect
Dave Gilmour as a producer and a man of sterling character.

 

I voted "Essential" before I understood that this was meant as "Essential for Floyd fans", but I'm not changing it. I understand that this Syd album (and maybe any Syd album) may not be to the taste of many Floyd fans, but I think anyone who's really into the Floyd should have this album. It's the Syd album that I enjoy most. It's wacky and fun and one can still listen to it and imagine that this guy is just having a good time rather than descending into a pit of misery and frustration. The following album Barrett has more of a creepy, negative vibe in my humble and probably incorrect opinion. My favorite tracks are "Terrapin", "No Good Trying", "Love You:, "Octopus", "Here I Go", and "Golden Hair." Currently "Here I Go" is my favorite track because the whole scenario of Syd taking up with the kind sister of his uninterested girlfriend is such a charming and pleasant fantasy.

 

Essential listening but also quite sad and troubling in regard to the life of the artist at work here. "Dark Globe" alone is worth the price of admission.

Personally, I prefer the breezy "Barrett" album by a smidgen. The presence of Rick Wright adds another level of musicality to the proceedings. But "Madcap Laughs" is the more emotionally powerful of the two. Ramshackle and distressing.

 

Essential to me.
"Terrapin" is one of our songs (my wife and I).

For a Pink Floyd fan? Probably somewhere within solid to not bad.
Personally, I listen to Syd solo more than any Floyd, and I like Syd solo more than I do Floyd when he was with them.
But that's just me.

 

An awesome album and essential but one I have to be in the right mood for.

 

Essential for early Floyd and psychedelic folk fans, but those who like to bellow "Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!" probably won't know how to deal with it.

 

I voted "not bad" as I think it has its fun moments. I don't think it is esssntial to a Floyd fan, though.

 

Not for me sadly. I just cant get into it. I have tried!!!

 

Amazing album. I would only cut off the false start in "If It's In You", which seems to have been included only to function as a portrait of an out-of-control Syd.

 

Not bad. I prefer Barrett though.

 

It's unsettling and fragile and captivating, and the songwriting is stellar. A unique talent. I dunno if the average Floys fan would like it; if that is a guy who likes to demo stereo set-ups with immaculately produced, smooth music.

 

Same. I just feel its incompleteness.

 

I love it . I'm a big fan of Syd's (and by this point) bent version of pop music .

None of the poll categories work for me though, because as has been mentioned already, just because I love this record, the later era Floyd fan isn't going to see the connection between this music and later Floyd nusic.

 

Pretty much everything that Syd touched was gold.

 

One of the three great Pink Floyd albums, along with Piper and Barrett.

 

Not sure it's essential listening for Floyd fans, but it is essential Syd. Thusly, I voted pretty solid.

It does go off the rails towards the end (you'd think they had some kind of more complete takes to use instead of stuff like "Feel", which is a good song but a bad take). "Terrapin", "Octopus" and "No Good Trying" are magical, up there with the best of Barrett's stuff to me. The other tracks aren't bad either ("Here I Go" is very charming). Syd seems mostly lucid and together throughout.

Madcap & Barrett are both very good albums.

 

It's not a Floyd album. Essential for Syd Barrett fans.

 

Definitely an essential album which I imagine a large number of Floyd fans would not like at all.

 

*
A pretty solid effort - worth recommending

 

'Essential for Floyd fans'.

Here's the crux. I think there are three kinds of Floyd fan*. (Excuse me if anyone can think of more, but three illustrates my point.)

1. The Floyd fan who prefers or only likes Syd. Syd-Floyd.
2. The Floyd fan who likes all Floyd whether Syd appears or not. Any-Floyd
3. The Floyd fan who prefers or only likes Floyd without Syd. Un-Syd-Floyd.

Which of these three definitions is opted for affects anyone voting for the first option – 'Essential for Floyd fans'. No point saying it is essential for Floyd fans who are Syd-antithetical

*Maybe this is a poll in itself.

 

No choice really encapsulated how I feel about this record, so I chose was "A pretty solid effort - worth recommending". I am going with the "worth recommending" part. This thing is anything but "solid" though.

 

The darkness does kind of creep in here on the menacing "Long Gone". But it is a great tune, IMO.

Also of special mention: the lovely "Golden Hair" and the closing track "Late Night" (which makes this a great late-night record to go along with certain substances).

 

It's definitely not essential for most Floyd fans, I am sorry to say. The album does scream that Syd was a great talent and that his issues cost him so much potential.

 

I am indescribably close to this album. I very rarely recommend it to anyone because to reject this album would be to reject me. It's too personal an album for me.