The Madcap Laughs

The Madcap Laughs
Studio album by Syd Barrett
Released	2 January 1970 (1970-01-02)[1]
Recorded	28 May 1968 – 5 August 1969
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Psychedelic folk[2][3] folk rock[4] psychedelic rock[5] avant-pop[6]
Length	37:41
Label	Harvest
Producer	Syd Barrett Peter Jenner Malcolm Jones David Gilmour Roger Waters
Syd Barrett chronology
The Madcap Laughs (1970) Barrett (1970)
Crazy Diamond reissue
Singles from The Madcap Laughs
"Octopus" Released: 14 November 1969

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 lengthy recording history, with work beginning in May 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 several members of Soft Machine.

The Madcap Laughs, released in January 1970 on Harvest in the UK but not released in the US until 1974, enjoyed minimal commercial success on release, reaching number 40 on the UK's official albums chart. It was re-released in 1974 as part of Syd Barrett (which contained The Madcap Laughs and Barrett), which saw the first US issue of the two LPs. 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.