The idea was like those number songs like ‘Green Grow the Rushes O’, where you have, say, twelve lines each related to the next and an overall theme. Syd was pleased with his song: “I carried that about in my head for about six months before I actually wrote it so maybe that’s why it came out so well. It remains a remarkable song in so many dimensions. The first single by Syd Barrett as a solo artist was released on 14 November 1969, two months before the release of ‘The Madcap Laughs’. The winds they blew and the leaves did wag The winds they blew and the leaves should wag The madcap laughed at the man on the border Well, the madcap laughed at the man on the border With a honey plough of yellow prickly seedsĬlover honey pots and mystic shining feed So trip to heave and ho, up down, to and fro 'Trip to heave and ho, up down, to and froĪnd the tune they play is "In Us Confide" Join us in wishing Happy Golden Anniversary to the magic Madcap album.Transcribed from Track 7 of The Madcap Laughs but see note on the right (para.5) regarding the spelling of 'madcap' or 'madcat': Syd, in love again, had embarked in a daffodil-filled springtime on recordings that would go on to form an outstanding collection on one of rock music’s enduringly legendary albums. ![]() Therefore, The Madcap Laughs, in all its darkness, holds a special lighter place in time. For the hippie generation, two serious blows were dealt when in December the link between the Manson family and their atrocities was fully uncovered and the tragic Altamont festival played out. The end of the year turned darker, much darker, and all too well showed that the 1960s were over. When the album was released things had changed. The spring and summer also included the build-up to the moon landing, the anticipation of the Woodstock concert and, more importantly for Syd, the return to stage by Bob Dylan after three long years away from the public eye. ![]() Syd had in 1969 left behind him his annus horribilis and gained new hope, much thanks to Malcolm Jones, and new love with Gala Pinion. The cover art notwithstanding, The Madcap Laughs was actually created in a happy time window. Storm took weird to new levels with this inside cover! EMI probably did well in selecting among the April photos for the cover. Top center, Syd seems to have his head stuck in a TV set and top left is an even more odd image and a bit of a mystery: A baby and some sort of tool against nasal congestion (?). To remove any debate about the nature of the imagery there is also an image of Syd with a cracked head at the bottom of the gatefold. Storm shows us Syd Barrett with his head up in the clouds and beyond, and several creepy images that spawn almost like octopus tentacles from his torso. Some of these so-called yoga photos by Storm Thorgerson ended up on the inside of the original gatefold cover – with the madcap theme in full bloom. The less known but officially commissioned “yoga session” actually took place in October. ![]() The famous photo sessions with daffodils and a naked Iggy Rose took place in April. Some say it was held back not to compete with Ummagumma. In a distinctly non-commercial move, the album missed the Christmas market, in spite of a final recording session as early as July 26, 1969. It was 50 years ago that a most unique rock album was released, The Madcap Laughs by Syd Barrett – an example of “art brut” in music.
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