Syd Barrett: The Madcap Laughs Die Version auf Vinyl LP in Standard- Auflage. Diese besondere Auflage wurde veröffentlicht in Europa im Verlag Harvest am 10. Juli 2014.

In 1967, Pink Floyd were synonymous with London's counterculture. In the band's early days, Syd Barrett was its driving creative force. He wrote two psychedelic hits, Arnold Layne and See Emily Play, but then, unfortunately, things went downhill mentally and he ceased to be wearable - especially at live gigs. He then recorded the songs "Barrett" and "The Madcap Laughs". Especially on his solo debut, The Madcap Laughs, his diverse, semi-revolutionary ideas that he would like to realize at once became apparent. But the album is also a document of his philosophy that the first take, even if it's a dud, should always be the best take, and that repetition of recordings should be fundamentally rejected because it would only rob the songs of their spontaneity. No wonder the label executives were concerned about the success of the album, which was only basically finished after weeks in the studio. So it was that David Gilmour and Roger Waters helped mix and finish the album in a few concentrated sessions. The second album was released in 1970 and is much stronger than the debut On the One Hand contains a wealth of great song ideas - some of them almost bordering on madness. On the other hand, Barrett fails because of his lack of ability to execute his ideas musically. Thanks to the renewed support of former Pink Floyd bandmates, this album could at least be completed - it represents nothing more and nothing less than a mirror of Barrett's fractured psyche. After that, Barrett withdrew from the music scene entirely. And became a living legend. "Opel" features unreleased songs and alternate takes from the recording sessions for both albums. Whether you think Syd Barrett is a charlatan or a genius, "Opel" is an interesting collection of songs that are more spontaneous snapshots than perfect music. Like the title track, many of the songs are acoustic. The Native American saga of "Swan Lee" is delivered by Barrett with a shrill bass voice accompanied by prominent guitar accents and psychedelic organ. "Golden Hair" is familiar from the debut album - here it is heard in a sparingly orchestrated vocal version and alternatively as an instrumental track. "Lanky Part 2" combines mantric drumming rituals with guitar and vibraphone accents - and comes across as childlike and playful as the mentally torn artist himself was. Magical or manic, depending on your point of view.

Album Genres übergreifend Rock, Folk-Rock und Psychedelic rock. Gatefold Vinyl.