THE MADCAP LAUGHS

The first SYD BARRET solo album has some really nice musical moments in it. My favorites are the songs "Octopus", "Feel" and "If it's in You". "Golden Hair" has to be mentioned separately, as it was done from a poem by JAMES JOYCE! The tunes are minimalist and they manage to create a strange atmosphere.

The picture on the album jacket was taken from Syd's home (what a way of furnishing). I must admit, that I feel little troubled about these Syd releases, as I'm not sure if he understood the way he was exploited. There are very good ideas in his songs, but the producers perhaps emphasized more his madness than his genius, and they didn't make very big efforts to help him doing good performances. There are takes, where he loses the beat, and these stoned wanderings are left here to be laughed at. The recording process was following: First Syd smashed his hits to the tapes, and after that SOFT MACHINE's guys were called to the studio to sweat over them. It's an impossible task to play rhythm over non-rhythmic playing, except for BILL BRUFORD perhaps.