The Madcap Laughs And Barrett - Syd Barrett

Vinyl L.P - Harvest Records - SHSP 4041.

1974 - U.K.

Cover, photographs (S. Thorgerson): HIPGNOSIS.

Artwork: Richard Evans.

Photographs: Blackhill Ents., Lupus Music, SKR.

Back cover

Gatefold

Inner gatefold

Labels disc 1

Labels disc 2

Syd Barrett

      About the artist and the album:

Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (1946–2006) was the visionary founder, guitarist, and principal original songwriter of the legendary British band Pink Floyd. His genius defined the sound of psychedelic rock in the late 1960s, masterfully captured on their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967).

He was known for his experimental guitar playing, employing echo techniques, distortion, and even using a Zippo lighter to slide across the strings. After leaving the band in 1968, he recorded two cult albums in 1970. Due to fragile mental health—attributed to excessive LSD use and possible schizophrenia—he retired permanently from music in 1974. He lived the rest of his life in seclusion in his native Cambridge, dedicating himself to painting and gardening.

His persona and subsequent mental decline inspired Pink Floyd masterpieces such as the album Wish You Were Here and the iconic song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." He died on July 7, 2006, at the age of 60 from pancreatic cancer and complications of diabetes. In 1996, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd.

The Madcap Laughs and Barrett is a double album released in 1975 by Harvest Records, which reissued Syd Barrett's two solo albums, The Madcap Laughs (1970) and Barrett (1970), as a single, marking the first US release of both LPs. It wasn't a new album, but rather a compilation combining his debut (The Madcap Laughs) and his second solo album (Barrett) under the title Syd Barrett. The Madcap Laughs was originally released in the UK in January 1970 and Barrett in November 1970.

It features Syd Barrett's psychedelic and idiosyncratic solo work, with contributions from Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Richard Wright.