The
Making of "The Madcap Laughs"
by Malcolm Jones
Introduction
аааа
Scarcely a year goes by than the rock press, rather like the Times and
the first cuckoo of spring, report a СsightingТ of Syd Barrett, usually in
Cambridge or in London.а Whether these
reports are accurate is uncertain, but ever since the early seventies the myth
surrounding the man seems to have mushroomed. There is a growing army of
admirers who would see him as some sort of living legend, even though his total
recorded output consists of little more than three albums.а Legend or otherwise, I was able, in a modest
way, to be able to assist Syd in recording some of his best-remembered solo
recordings (I produced the first СMadcap LaughsТ sessions amounting to half of
the album).а With the exception of the
excellent СTerrapinТ publications there has been remarkably little written
about Syd, so this is my attempt to remedy this in some small way.а This publication is a straight, factual
account of the making of the album, Сthe Madcap LaughsТ.а As I kept all my studio production notes and
files what follows is an accurate account of events in those few months of
1969.
аааа I
had joined E.M.I. Records from Manchester University as a management trainee,
although my main passion in life was music. Raised on rock & roll (I was 23
at the time, just a little older, I think, than Syd), I played in amateur
groups in my native Southport, and even played on the stage of the Cavern Club
(an unpaid, failed, audition in case you want to know!).а After a month on the E.M.I. training course,
I was, in late 1967, offered the responsibility of acquiring finished recordings
from outside, independent producers.а
This included talents such as Mickie Most and Denny Cordell, who had
just signed Procol Harum and the Move to E.M.I., and I naturally accepted.а My first signing was СRiver To Another DayТ
by Dave EdmundsТ Love Sculpture.а Deep
Purple, Barclay James Harvest and Tyrannosaurus Rex soon followed.
аааа This
was the time when the British СundergroundТ movement was flourishing, and
E.M.I.Тs corporate image could make acquiring masters difficult in face of the
competition from progressive companies such as Island Records.а In view of this I campaigned within E.M.I.
for the establishment of a label with a more contemporary image than Parlophone
and Columbia.а I eventually had my way,
and was given the task of establishing and running the new label, which I
called Harvest, in addition to my other duties.а
After a successful launch in June of 1969, I was ready to plan more
releases...
ааа One
day, late in March, 1969, I received a message that Syd Barrett had Сphoned
EMIТs studio booking office to ask if he could go back into the studios and
start recording again.а It was over a
year since Syd had parted company with Pink Floyd and, as head of Harvest, the
request was referred to me.
аааа I
had never met Syd, although he had apparently been in the studio with Peter
Jenner a year previously, just after I joined EMI.а Needless to say I was familiar with his past
successes with the Floyd, and I knew as much as anyone about the circumstances
surrounding his leaving.а It had occurred
to me on several occasions to ask what had become of SydТs own solo
career.а Peter Jenner and Andrew King,
the original Floyd management team, managed many artists on Harvest.а Dark references were made to Тbroken
microphones in the studios and general disorderТ by EMI management, and this
had resulted in a period when, if not actually banned, SydТs presence at Abbey
Road was not particularly encouraged.а
None of Peter JennerТs recordings of Syd had turned out releasable, and
no-one in EMIТs A&R department had gone out of his way to encourage Syd
back.а Now that I had A&R
responsibility for Harvest, I was determined to make the most of this contact
with Syd and I rang him back immediately.
аааа Syd
explained that he had lots more material for a new album, and since he had not
recorded for more or less two years there was no reason to doubt him.а He was also keen to try and salvage some of
Peter JennerТs sessions (see session Appendices), and in all he seemed very
together - in contrast to all the rumours circulating at the time.а There was, he said, a song called Opel,
another called Terrapin, a song about an Indian girl called Swan Lee, and one
called Clowns And Jugglers.а Plus he had
started work at Abbey Road on a James Joyce poem, СGolden HairТ which he was
most anxious to complete.а It all sounded
too good for words!
аааа The
next day I approached Roy Featherstone, my immediate boss at the time, with the
line СSydТs ready to record againТ, explaining the conversation IТd had with
Syd and pushing hard for his restoration to favour.а Roy was very positive, but said heТd also
have to check with his boss, Ron White, who authorized all recordings.а In all honesty it wasnТt very hard persuading
them both to let Syd record again.а Both
Roy and Ron were well aware of SydТs successes and potential capabilities.а The Pink Floyd had already said that they did
not wish to release any more singles; СPoint Me At The SkyТ and СIt Would Be So
NiceТ before it had been flops and were no longer indicative of the style that
the new line-up was developing.а Work had
already begun on what was to become УUmmagummaФ the previous November (with
СEmbryoТ; more about that later!!).а It
is likely that they felt that, if EMI could have the СnewТ Floyd and the
creative genius behind the ТoldТ both recording, then all the better.а I furthermore had a powerful argument in
reserve should they deny Syd this chance to resume his career.а If they would not consent, I privately
argued, then they could not morally hold Syd to his contract, although legally
it would have been possible.а
Fortunately, it never came to that, and Ron and Roy gave me their
permission and support to let Syd record.
аааа
Contrary to what was later printed, E.M.I. never stipulated that Syd
could only cut singles.а What was decided
was to see what was the strength of SydТs new material, and plan
accordingly.а If it worked, then, O.K.
weТd do an album.а If not, weТd call it a
day.
аааа My
next task was to find a producer who Syd would feel comfortable with and of
whom EMI would approve, as they were adamant that Syd should not record unaided
in view of previous events. (1) I never did ask Syd if the rumours of studio
damage were true.а I suspect if there was
any truth in the stories then it was probably exaggerated.а None of the engineers ever made reference to
them.а The obvious first choice was
Norman Smith, an EMI staff producer and then still producer for the Floyd.
Norman was one of the finest producers of the time, and certainly the best of
those affiliated as staff producer.а
Norman engineered many of the early Beatles classics, and was a fine
musician.а Unfortunately his commitment
to the Floyd (СUmmagummaТ was in the early stages) and his reluctance to have a
conflict of interests with the Floyd and Syd made him decline the job.а Peter Jenner similarly thought it wise to
stay out, especially in view of his increasing responsibility to the growing
roster of acts he managed with Andrew King (including Edgar Broughton Band,
Tyrannosaurus Rex, Pete Brown, and soon, Kevin Ayers).а The other obvious choice, in retrospect,
would have been to offer Joe Boyd the chance to work with Syd again as he
produced СArnold LayneТ; regrettably, it didnТt occur to me at the time.а Although I had met Joe a couple of times, I
donТt recall knowing that heТd done ТArnold LayneТ.а I certainly didnТt remember his name from my
copy of the record, so I didnТt think of him.а
I still regret that.а E.M.I. had
no other staff producers capable of handling SydТs style as Norman could have
done, and when I talked it over with Syd his response was stark and simple...
СYou do itТ.а Syd knew I was a musician
(of sorts), and as he saw me as his ally at EMI (& I had produced СLove
SculptureФs first album) I probably was a logical choice to him.а I was also acceptable to EMIТs bosses who wanted
someone they knew and trusted present on the sessions.а If this seems naive in 1982, in 1969 no one
produced their own records, not even the Beatles.
аааа At
SydТs suggestion, then, and almost by default, I became SydТs producer.
аааа I
called him immediately to say we were in business, and suggested a meeting to
go over his new material.а As I was
unfamiliar with Peter JennerТs productions of the previous year, I asked Syd to
play me tapes he had of rough mixes of a song called Silas Lang (re-titled
СSwan LeeТ) (2) УSilas LangФ is the original title on the EMI files, and this
was later changed to УSwan LeeФ.а Syd
never referred to it as Silas Lang, and this may be a mistake on the part of
the engineer on the original session.а
Part of the lyric goes Сthe land in silence standsТ, which sounds, in
part, rather like СSilas LangТ. ,ТLate NightТ. (The master at EMI of this
original was probably erased and re-made later), СRamadanТ (or СRhamadanТ),
Lanky parts one and two (the last two were long instrumentals) and СGolden
HairТ, which Syd had referred to many times.а
СSilas LangТ or СSwan LeeТ was a long and rambling tale about an Indian
maiden, reminiscent in many ways of the story of Hiawatha.а It had no vocal when I heard it, but had
promise.а The version of СLate NightТ was
not the one finally released, but it too had a certain charm so we agreed to
re-make that.а СLankyТ and СRhamadanТ
were very long and rambling percussion instrumentals.а Engineer Peter BownТs announcement on the
tape of СLanky Part OneТ is, rather wearily, ФFive minutes of drums!Ф.а It wasnТt very good!а УRhamadanФ lasted for almost twenty minutes,
and in its unfinished state was also pretty boring.а Syd too was not satisfied with it (heТd
overdubbed several conga drums in random improvisation) and we agreed to
abandon that.а But in contrast, СGolden
HairТ was great, although it needed a little cleaning up (eventually, Syd
re-made it with Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters).а
After Syd had played me these tapes and we had discussed which to continue
with, he played me the new songs.а One of
the most exciting was a song in ¾ (waltz) tempo, which was the best I
had heard so far. Part of the lyric is reprinted overleaf.
OPEL (Syd Barrett) Copyright All rights reserved. (Excerpt)
On a distant shore, miles from land
Stands the ebony totem in ebony sand
The dream in a mist of gray
On a far distant shore
A pebble that stood alone
Driftwood lies half buried
Warm shallow water sweeps shells
So the cockles shine
A bare winding carcass stark
Shimmers as flies scoop up meat
An empty way and dry tears
IТm trying to find you
IТm living, IТm giving
To find you
To find you
IТm drowning ......
а
аааа It
was an extremely haunting song; very stark and poignant.а We would certainly record that one.а Next came a song called СClowns and
JugglersТ.а Fans will know it under its
eventual title, ТOctopusТ, again, another СyesТ.а Next Syd played snatches of another song,
СTerrapinТ which was similar in feel to СOpelТ, though less desolate.а And finally he played an old tymey song ТLove
YouТ which I liked a little, but as Syd was pretty keen on it, largely because
it was uptempo, I agreed on that too. Already we seemed to have enough for
¾ of an album and certainly several sessions.а I left SydТs flat totally elated, determined
next day to book studio time immediately and to get started.а (1) By coincidence I lived in the same square
as Syd - Earls Court Square.а By a
further coincidence, Dave Gilmour was living at the time in the block backing
onto SydТs in the adjacent Old Brompton Road.
ааа The
first session was booked for Thursday, April 10th, in studio three.а E.M.I.'s studio complex is still arguably one
of the best in the world.а In 1969 it
most certainly was.а Studio One was the
largest, and almost exclusively used for large orchestral recordings (when I
had first seen it I was convinced a helicopter could fly in it!).а Studio two was always fully booked, often by
the Beatles, the Hollies, and other top E.M.I. artists and, of course, the
Floyd often were using it for 'Ummagumma'. Studio Three was the smallest,
'though still large by studio standards, and more intimate than studio two (but
less technically advanced; studio two had 8 track machines while studio three
was still four track).а Both Syd and I
were familiar with Number 3 (I had produced Love Sculpture's first album there)
so we settled for that one.а Studio Two
had a control room set at a higher level than the studio itself, which meant
looking down on the musicians - and frankly I disliked that.а It's easier for the producer to see what's
happening but I felt it was harder for the musicians to see into the control
booth, and Syd needed a relaxed atmosphere.а
Plus, three was easier to book at short notice!
аааа Syd
and I spent the first session alone (7 p.m. to 12:30) investigating the old
tapes made a year earlier to see if anything was usable.а We first overdubbed guitar and vocal tracks
onto 'Silas Lang' ('Swan Lee') and experimented with ideas for 'Clowns And
Jugglers'.а Neither of these was
eventually used (Clowns And Jugglers, re-recorded as 'Octopus', was used in
another version), and we both agreed that the new songs were far better than
the old tracks.а But at least we had
checked each other out and we returned to Earls Court ready to start afresh the
next evening.
аааа The
next evening we got down to business proper.а
Syd was in a great mood and in fine form, a stark contrast to the
rumours and stories I'd been fed with.а
In little over five hours we laid down vocal and guitar tracks (extra
backings on most came later) for four new songs and two old.
аааа The
first we made (the engineer was Peter Mew) was 'Opel', at Syd's request.а We both felt at the time that it was one of
his best new songs *(1) After Dave (Gilmour) and Roger (Waters) took over
production, I left the final say to them and Syd as to which songs were
included in the final album.а I was
nevertheless very sad that 'Opel' was left out, especially in the light of what
I thought to be lesser songs being included.а
I assume it was Syd's decision.*а
It took Syd nine runs at it to get a complete take, and even that was
not perfect.а Nevertheless it had a stark
attraction to it, and most of the early takes were merely false starts.а Anyone who has experience of studio
techniques will appreciate that it takes several attempts to get the right feel
and to feel totally relaxed. ('Hound Dog' took over 30 takes!)а Many of the unsuccessful takes are merely lapses
of memory, technical faults, popping the letter 'p' at the microphone, squeaky
chairs, etc.а Syd always had lyric sheets
in front of him, and turning the pages was often caught on tape (it was left in
on 'She Took A Long Cold Look').а Two
complete takes were made, the rest were false starts similar to the ones Dave
and Roger left in on 'If It's In You'.
аааа Most
of the tracks on this were just with Syd and his guitar.а I felt that, with his guitar alone we could
put down some songs and overdub backings later as necessary (contrary to usual
policy of making backings and adding vocals afterwards).а Next we did 'Love You' - again just guitar
and voice.а We did several takes of
this.а The first was fast, in fact VERY
fast (faster than the issued one).а The
second was very slow!а Take three was a
false start, and take four was the one we later overdubbed and issued.а All three good takes were perfect, and in
fact we weren't sure which take to use.а
The studio note says 'Best to be decided later'.а All takes took less than twenty minutes to
do. аThis was Syd at full tilt!а At this session Syd was in great form, and
very happy.а No matter what people may
say to the contrary, Syd was very together, and this was his first session with
the new songs.а Although Opel needed 9
attempts, Love You needed only one re-take.а
The next track we did, 'It's No Good Trying' was much the same.а The very first take, with Syd and his blue
speckled Fender Telecaster, was good.а
Take two was a false start, and take three was the version we used
(although at 5 minutes 14 seconds it needed a little shortening).а I kept Syd on the move, refusing too many
retakes.а And it was working.а In the two hours between 7.30 and 9.30 we had
completed several successful takes of three songs.
аааа
During the tea break we discussed going back to some of the songs
started the previous year, in particular 'Golden Hair', and perhaps 'Late
Night' although the original version of that had been destroyed, it
seemed.а We returned to the studio and
started work on another new song, 'Terrapin'.а
In one take Syd laid down a guitar and vocal track that was to be the
master!а At my suggestion Syd double
tracked his vocal part, and that was it!а
(He later overdubbed the solo).
аааа When
we resumed Syd overdubbed slide guitar (using his cigarette lighter as a slide)
on the backing track of 'Late Night', plus the vocal.а The vocal took no time at all, and we swiftly
moved on to 'Golden Hair' which we had transferred from the original 4 track to
an 8 track master.а I do not know who the
musicians were on this track, but the instrumentation was identical to the
re-made version that Dave and Roger were to produce later - vibes, bass, drums
and guitar.а The version I worked on with
Syd was not the one used on the album, although the remake was a direct copy of
mine.а This first version featured Syd's
guitar more prominently.а In fact there
were two versions made at this session, the second featuring an added harmony
vocal line by Syd.а When I heard much
later that Dave and Roger re-made 'Golden Hair' I was, to say the least,
surprised.а The issued recording, while
technically better, is far less atmospheric than the original, and I still feel
that a re-make was unnecessary.
аааа By
midnight we felt we had done enough for one day.а We had worked on seven titles in one way or
another, and we both felt we had made great progress.а In the cab back to Earls Court we discussed
our next session, and I was looking forward to a quiet and relaxing weekend.а I told Syd I would pick him up the next
Thursday as usual; Syd replied by saying he'd bring along some musicians to
play on some of the tracks we were planning, and with that we parted company.
аааа The
following Thursday, as planned, I called a cab and went to collect Syd.а We dropped in at Dave Gilmour's flat round
the corner to borrow an amplifier, and set off for Abbey Road.а At the studio we met up with Jerry Shirley
and 'Willie' Wilson, the musicians Syd had invited along.а The session was to be done 'live' i.e.
everyone recording their parts at the same time, including Syd's vocal and
guitar parts.а As usual, Syd played his
blue Fender Telecaster, unamplified, as rhythm. *(1) Syd had maintained fairly
constant contact with David Gilmour, who's amp we were using.а When he delivered the tapes for the 'More'
album to me, David quizzed me as to how the sessions were progressing, although
he showed no interest at the time in producing Syd.а By April he had completed most of his solo
contributions to 'Ummagumma', and had more time to spare.*а We started with 'No Man's Land', and Syd ran
through the song several times with Jerry and Willie following to pick up the
sequences.а After a little rehearsal we
tried for a take to let everyone hear how we were progressing (frequently a 'take'
is attempted, not for a master, but simply to check that the equipment is
working correctly and to let the performers hear how they sound in the control
room).а After several other run throughs
we went for a master, and in all we completed three takes successfully, the
last being the best.а The bass was later
re-recorded *(2) The original bass track showed room for improvement, which we
did later on during the session, after Syd's guitar parts had been
recorded.*а Syd then recorded the guitar
solo and the spoken part, which was as unintelligible then as it is now!а The other guitar part was overdubbed later
(see session lists).а Syd's guitar
playing could, at times, be extremely erratic.а
He would frequently switch from playing rhythm to lead at double the
volume, setting the meters well into the red and requiring a re-take.а It was a matter of having too many ideas and
wanting to record them all at once!
аааа This
April 17th session was the first that we did in Studio Two instead of Studio
Three.а Whereas the April 11th session
had been mainly voice and guitar tracks, with no backings, this one was to
employ Jerry Shirley and John 'Willie' Wilson (who also lived in Earls
Court!).а The greater scope afforded by
the 8 track machine in No. 2 (Studio three was 4 track) would allow us to do
more overdubs if necessary, particularly on 'No Man's Land'.а No. 2 also had a much better drum sound (it
is a larger studio) and it isn't hard to tell that Jerry Shirley plays
extremely loudly in the studio, especially on 'Here I Go'.а Compare the drum sound on this to Ringo's
Beatles work of the time.а They are very
similar.
аааа
'Here I Go', the second song of the session, was also the second
'old-tymey' song Syd did on the album - that is using a music hall style chord
structure.а With its unusual introduction
and overall theme, it shows Syd at his relaxed best.а He wrote it, I seem to remember, in a matter
of minutes. *(1) Syd nearly always had his lyrics in front of him on a stand,
in case of the occasional lapse of memory.а
This song was the only one I remember him needing no cue sheet at
all.*а The whole recording was done
absolutely 'live', with no overdubs at all.а
Syd changed from playing rhythm to lead guitar at the very end, and the
change is noticeable. (Syd, however, would change like that often.а Whereas it was accepted practice to record,
say, the rhythm guitar for the whole duration of the song and then to go back
later and overdub the solo.а To Syd this
was an unnecessary procedure!а He'd mix
them together.а That accounts for the
'drop' during the solo, as Syd's rhythm guitar is no longer there!)а The whole session lasted for just three hours
(in the afternoon).а At the end I
casually asked Syd if he had any more songs for the next one in a week's
time.а 'Not really, but, er, I've got a
weird idea I want to try out' was all he would say.а 'Well,' I replied, 'does it need other
musicians ? - because if so I'll need to book studio two again.'а 'No' was his reply.а A couple of days later I was none the wiser,
and getting rather anxious.а On the one hand
I didn't want to book the wrong studio, and on the other I didn't want to hold
valuable studio time with no real plans.а
Syd eventually said that he had no new songs but would quite like to see
if there was anything we could do with one of Pete Jenner's old tracks,
'Rhamadan'.а This was a long (even
boring) track, lasting about 18 minutes, which Syd (or, at least, I have always
presumed it was his playing) had made the previous May.а It featured several conga drum overdubs, with
no apparent theme or direction.а
Reluctantly I agreed to check it out, but said that we really didn't
need a studio for that, we could use one of the mixing rooms.а Just in case, I arranged for a stereo machine
to be set up so we could mix it for reference later at home or in my office.а On the morning of April 23rd., Syd and I
again set out for Abbey Road.
аааа Syd
was carrying a small, portable cassette player, which I assumed he was bringing
so that we could make him a copy of 'Rhamadan'.а
I was very wrong. 'I'd like to overdub some motorbike sounds onto
'Rhamadan'', he said, 'so I've been out on the back of a friend's bike with the
cassette player.а They are all ready to
put onto the 'Rhamadan' four track.'а
When Syd played the cassette of the sound effects, it was terrible!а Not only was it poor quality for casual
listening, it was certainly no good for professional recording.а Syd was quite insistent, so I said nothing
more until we got to Abbey Road.а I
planned to let engineer (Peter Mew, I believe) reinforce my feelings.а For almost an hour we struggled to wire Syd's
machine into the 4 track master machine.а
The trouble with such an operation is that professional electrical
fittings are bigger, better and more complex than those purchased over the
counter of the average hi-fi shop.а
Someone in the workshop at Abbey Road had to actually make a connecting
lead from Syd's cassette machine to the Studer 4 track.а When we eventually wired the two together
(cassette players are more common place in studios today with the increase in
quality achieved over the last five years), it was apparent to all of us that
the quality was not good enough.а Even
mixed into the conga drums at low level the tape hiss and extraneous noises
were unacceptable.
аааа
Fortunately, E.M.I. came to the rescue.а
One of the many advantages Abbey Road possessed over other studios of
the time was its superior back-up facilities *(1) The workshop that made up the
connecting lead for us was also responsible, as a matter of policy, for taking
apart any equipment from outside sources and checking that it was up to
E.M.I.'s technical standards.а When the
Beatles wanted to record in their newly opened Apple studios, it was E.M.I.'s
equipment that was shipped out, in bulk, to Apple to do the recording.а All Apple Studios started with was an empty
room!а And it wasn't long before they
were back recording in Abbey Road.* , including a large sound effects
library.а The next hour was spent
selecting the right combination of starting up, revving, starting off and
various gear changes, etc. for a thirty second tape, this time in stereo.а Exactly what Syd intended to do I shall never
know, because he later changed his mind and abandoned the project.а Maybe it still lies, rejected, in the
archives.
аааа The
session we planned for two days later was almost abandoned due to illness on my
part.а I had suffered from colitis for
some time, and a recurrence of the illness prevented me from attending the
session.а All that we planned to do was
transfer all the tracks originally made on 4 track to 8 track for more
overdubs, and I suggested to Syd that he might like to go ahead on his own and
mix them down himself.а Studio Three was
now (just) able to cope with 8 track machines, although it still had the old 4
track mixing desk.а Nevertheless it was
an improvement which we wished to take advantage of, especially as we had
decided to overdub backings onto 'It's No Good Trying', 'Clowns and Jugglers',
'Love You', and several others (see appendix).а
I noticed when preparing the appendix that 'Opel' was among them.а Syd had obviously, at this stage, not decided
to exclude it from the album.а I still
think, to this day, that this is one of his best and most haunting tracks, and
it was tragic that, for reasons unknown to me, it was not included on the final
album.
аааа On
May 3rd Mike Ratledge and Robert Wyatt of the Soft Machine overdubbed various
parts onto the 8 track copies made the previous session.а In contrast to their own recordings, Syd's
tracks were very erratic and unpredictable.а
Although Syd booked them he wasn't very good at explaining to them what
he wanted.а 'Love You' was a simple
overdub of jangle piano and drums, plus of course, Hugh Hopper on bass.а Lack of adequate rehearsal gave the Soft's
performances a rather ragged aspect, for which I must take responsibility.а If I had been able to give them more studio
time they would have delivered better backings, although I must add that over
the years the erratic quality of these tracks has been what endeared them to
Barrett fans.а I can't help feeling,
'though, that the Soft Machine themselves were not very proud of their own
contributions!
аааа We
had done 'Love You' first because it was the easiest.а Next came 'It's No Good Trying'.а This was not a particularly easy track to overdub.а Between lines, (or verses) Syd had varying
passages of blank guitar chords with no regular form to them.а At one moment there would be 8 bars between
verses, at the next maybe 6 or seven.. very hard for a musician other than the
composer to follow!а A drummer likes to
be able to 'lead into' the next verse with either a roll or a pause, or
anything to announce the arrival of another new verse.а Without written parts (charts) it had to be
done from memory, and given such a task they fared extremely well.а If 'Love You' was a little irregular (Syd
went into the next verse, occasionally, after 6 1/2 or 7 bars instead of 8)
then 'It's No Good Trying' was positively impossible!а Syd had, before the session, taken copy tapes
of many of these tracks which I had presumed were to give to the musicians he
was booking to learn ahead of the session. Unfortunately I was wrong.а He kept them!а
Anyway, after a bit of a struggle, we overdubbed 'It's No Good Trying'
and moved on to 'Clowns and Jugglers'.а
This was the version I had worked on with Syd, originally, on our first
session together on 10/4/69, when we had overdubbed guitar and voice onto a
rough guitar backing Syd had made alone the year previously.а It was in a higher key (than the issued one)
and Syd had to sing really forcefully to make it work, but it still rates as
one of my favourite unissued Syd recordings, after 'Opel'.а Unfortunately he wished to overdub bass and
drums (as was done, in a further re-make, for the version Dave and Roger
produced that eventually appeared on the album).а I liked it as it was, with Syd's voice and
several guitar tracks to back him up.а It
had some very effective sounds, made by Syd, by half speaking words and sounds,
during the solo.а Unfortunately, the
contributions at this overdub session by the Soft Machine were, in all honesty,
pretty dire, and it must have been THIS version that Dave Gilmour heard and
which led him to persuade Syd to remake it later.а Mike Ratledge was required to improvise long
passages of organ chords which, frankly, didn't work, and Robert Wyatt ended up
playing tambourine.а It was easier than
trying to follow Syd's erratic bar structures!
аааа The
following day we had a further session and Syd overdubbed his backwards guitar
track on 'It's No Good Trying', and the lead guitar line on 'Terrapin', and 'No
Man's Land'.
аааа
During most of the later sessions Dave Gilmour had been taking a casual
interest in what Syd was doing in the studios.а
The Soundtrack for Barbet Schroeder's 'More' film had been completed (it
was, out of interest, not made at Abbey Road as it was not a regular Pink Floyd
album, being made as a commission for someone other than E.M.I.а The royalty rate was consequently higher than
usual as the recording costs were born by the film makers and the Floyd).а With 'More' out of the way, Dave was back at
Abbey Road with the rest of the Pink Floyd recording material for 'Ummagumma',
their first major album without Syd at all (he does play on several tracks on
'A Saucerful Of Secrets', contrary to stories stating otherwise).а Syd had been seeing Dave a lot, and had even
been to see him backstage at a Floyd show in Croydon.а It was only a short step to Dave (with Roger
Waters) suggesting to Syd that he should produce some tracks as well as myself.
аааа At
the time I never felt any sense of being ousted from my role as producer.а I had fared pretty well, and I still feel
that there was enough already made to complete an album.а Much of what David and Roger were to produce
was little more than guitar and voice tracks which any of us could have
supervised.а I have referred to 'Opel'
and the early versions of 'Clowns and Jugglers' and 'Golden Hair', both of
which later were re-made, with minor improvements.а But I had no objections at the time. My original
ambition had been fulfilled - to get Syd back on record.а How it was done was of no objection to me as
long as it was done professionally, so when Dave came to me and said that Syd
wanted him and Roger to do the remaining parts of the album, I acquiesced.а In a sense I was a little apprehensive.а Although I had my office duties (I was still,
of course, head of Harvest and had not relinquished my post acquiring
recordings for other E.M.I. labels), I felt that David in particular had a lot
on his plate (He still had to record major parts for 'Ummagumma').а But I felt that it was very likely that he
and Roger could produce more interesting tracks than I ever could.
аааа I
think here I should correct a fallacy, recorded in Rick Sanders; excellent
book, 'Pink Floyd' (Futura Publications, 1976).а
In it he states that E.M.I. called a halt to the album, saying: 'Barrett
asked David Gilmour for help.а Gilmour
and Waters managed to talk EMI into allowing three more days in the studio to
finish the album.'а In fact, EMI had
agreed that the project should extend into an album after about the third
session, after they had heard rough mixes of several tracks.
аааа
Unknowingly, then, my last studio session with Syd was on May 4th.а From then on, I would act in executive
capacity only.
аааа The
rest of the album was done in three sessions, on June 12th and 13th, and a
month later, on July 26th.а The reason
for the long gap, which Syd found very frustrating, was that both Dave and
Roger were in the studio mixing 'Ummagumma' *(1) Putting all the sessions
together they run thus:
а 12 June
1969 : Syd Barrett (5 titles)
а 13 June
1969 : Syd Barrett (1 title)
а 17 June
1969 : Mixing Dave's part of 'Ummagumma'
а 23 June
1969 : Mixing Roger's part of 'Ummagumma'
а 26 July
1969 : Syd's last session for the album
ааа The
additional cause for the delay in the completion of the album was that the
Floyd were on tour in Holland for much of July.*, so Rick Sanders contention
that 'half of 'the Madcap Laughs' was recorded in a two-day sprint' is largely
true.
аааа On
June 12th, Dave and Roger supervised the re-making of 'Clowns and Jugglers'
(now re-titled 'Octopus') and 'Golden Hair', plus two new titles 'Dark Globe'
and 'Long Gone'.а As I was not present on
these sessions I cannot, of course, describe the atmosphere of the moment or
describe how these tracks were made.а But
from my session sheet made by the engineer and producers at the time, this is
approximately what went on.
аааа The
first track to be tackled was 'Octopus'.а
Although this version was completed to Syd and Dave's satisfaction, it
was shorter than the issued version, running for 2.49 as opposed to the issued
3.45 version.а Only 4 tracks of the 8
were used, probably two voices and two guitar tracks, all by Syd.а 'Octopus' was put to one side and 'Golden
Hair' was started (again!).а Syd did 5
takes before a satisfactory one was completed, and both takes 6 and 7 were more
or less completed, although the files indicate that only take 6 was
satisfactorily completed, running for 1 minute 44 seconds.а Takes 8, 9 and 10 were all false starts, and
eventually, after eleven takes, the master was done!а After this, Syd overdubbed his vocal (the
original takes were just his acoustic guitar) plus the vibes, organ and cymbals
of Dave and Roger (although Roger does not appear on the engineer's list of
producers: Syd and Dave are officially listed) and, possibly, Rick
Wright??а This eleventh take of Golden
Hair (not to mention the many early takes of the original version!), plus overdubs,
is the one that was finally released.а It
had been a long time in the making, although I must say it was well worth the
effort.а It is one of Syd's best ever
recordings, and I put it on the 'B' side of 'Octopus', later.
аааа The third
recording was a second attempt (on that day, that is), to record a successful
take of 'Octopus'.а This time, after
another 10 takes, it was the eleventh take of 'Octopus' (the re-make) that
constituted the basic track for the issued version.а The song had had a very chequered career,
starting life, in its unissued form, in July, 1968, continuing with attempts by
me to have The Soft Machine overdub it (3/5/69) and eventually being abandoned
in preference to this remake of June 12th.а
The modus operandi, as far as I can tell, was, much as I had done, to
have Syd record guitar and vocal only and to overdub the rest of the
instruments later.а Certainly, from the
studio notes, it seems that this was what happened, as the session the next day
(13/6/69) was devoted solely to overdubbing drums, vocal, bass and electric
guitars.
аааа
NOTE: I hope that the reader is not, at this point, lost in the welter
of takes, re-takes, re-makes, etc.а I
suggest that you refer to the session appendix later in the book and to the run
down of the album and when each track was recorded, also in the appendix.
аааа
Having completed successful takes of 'Golden Hair' and 'Octopus', the
next track tackled was a new song, 'Dark Globe'.а Syd obviously was best at ease with songs
that he had not attempted to record too many times, as he completed this one on
the second take.а It is, admittedly, only
guitar and voice, but so too were the basic takes for 'Golden Hair' and
'Octopus' which both took eleven takes to get the same basic track.а I can draw no assumptions from this other
than the general one which - I had always adopted with Syd, namely not to keep
on with too many attempts at the same song with no break.а 'Long Gone', the next title attempted by Syd
and Dave, didn't work after two takes, and was later replaced by another
attempt.а The last song on the session
was another take of 'Dark Globe', probably to see if they could come up with a
better take than the one already accepted.а
Strangely, the issued version runs for only 1.57 minutes, while the
later, unissued one was as long as 3.15! *(1) For the observant, the album
states the time of the issued version of 'Dark Globe' as 2.10!а Time it for yourself!а Maybe there was a false start from take one
intended for use and excluded at the last moment by Syd, Dave and Roger, which
would have added extra time.а As I was
not responsible, of course, for this title, this is only supposition.а But it certainly was the first version, not
the second, used.*а I have never heard it
but it would be good to compare it with the short, issued version.а Anyway, it was decided not to use this
re-make and to use the one made earlier in the session.
аааа As
stated earlier, the session the next day was a short one, devoted solely to the
overdubbing, onto the previous day's master of 'Octopus', the bass, drums, lead
voice and electric guitar that completed the issued master.а Again, Syd and Dave are listed as producers,
with no mention of Roger Waters.
аааа The
session of June 13th was the last Syd would have for over a month, as the Floyd
had work to do of their own and, in particular, a tour, during most of July, of
Holland.а His final session for the album
took place on July 16th, and was completed pretty much in a hurry!а Titles completed during that session were
'She Took A Long Cold Look', 'Long Gone' (the remade, issued version), an
attempted re-make of 'Dark Globe' (Called 'Wouldn't You Miss Me' on the session
sheet!) and the continuous run of 'She Took A Long Cold Look (at me)' / 'Feel'
/ 'If It's In You'.а Again, I do not know
how the first version on this session of 'She Took A Long Cold Look' went, but
my original reaction, (which I still hold) was one of disappointment.а False starts are O.K. if they give an insight
into the musicianship / artistry of those present, or even if they present the
odd mistake which everyone is capable of.а
But when I first heard the false starts to 'If It's In You' my reaction
then, (as now) was first one of anger that they were left in, and, secondly,
boredom!а Now I hate to wind people up,
but the false starts to the tracks that I had personally supervised were far
more interesting than those left in the final album.а They certainly would have been more of a
candid insight to the atmosphere on the sessions and less detrimental to Syd's
abilities than the ones left in.а Those
left in show Syd, at best, as out of tune (which he rarely was) and, at worst,
as out of control (which again, he never was).а
They are still my least favourite tracks on the record, in direct contrast
to my favourites which also were Gilmour/Waters productions ('Octopus', 'Golden
Hair').а Apart from the overdubbing of
organ onto 'Long Gone', the whole of this session was just Syd alone, a rather
desolate ending to the recording of an album that took over a year to make,
with as much ending up on the cutting room floor as on the issued album.
аааа It
is possibly an indication (contrary to reports) as to the freedom that Dave,
Roger and Syd had, that the album was completed and mixed with no-one (including
myself) knowing so!а So when Syd rang and
told me that Dave and Roger had mixed the tracks they had produced and that
they intended to mix mine too, I knew we finally had an album.а The album was finally assembled into its
final running order by Syd and Dave on October 6th (it had taken over two
months to mix, and Syd was a bit pissed off with the delay, as I was!), and the
next task was to schedule the release date........at last!!!
The Sleeve
ааа The
task of designing the album sleeve went to Storm Thorgorson and Aubrey 'Po'
Powell of Hipgnosis, who had previously done the design for 'A Saucerful Of
Secrets'.а In 1967 all album graphics
were, by tradition, done by the resident designers in the record companies.а The Beatles, at E.M.I. at least, were
probably the first group ever to be allowed to bring in outside designers, and
the Pink Floyd were the second. Allowing outsiders to do artwork was little
short of a heresy, and complaints such as 'It's the wrong size for the
platemakers' or 'the EMI logo is in the wrong place' (it had to be placed top
left) were offered as the reason for keeping work within the company.а It also allowed the company, understandably,
to keep greater control over the progress of work.а Almost single-handed in Britain, Hipgnosis
managed, by their work for the Floyd and acts on Harvest that I gave to
Hipgnosis at the design stage, to change the quality of album graphics and put
an end to years of indifferent work.а In
1982 it is almost expected that a group will have a very large say in the
design of their sleeve, or even do (or commission) the work themselves.а But in 1967 it was a very different
story!а One day in October or November I
had cause to drop in at Syd's flat on my way home to leave him a tape of the
album, and what I saw gave me quite a start.а
In anticipation of the photographic session for the sleeve, Syd had
painted the bare floorboards of his room orange and purple.а Up until then the floor was bare, with Syd's
few possessions mostly on the floor; hi-fi, guitar, cushions, books and
paintings.а In fact the room was much as
appears on the original 'Madcap' sleeve.а
Syd was well pleased with his days work and I must say it made a fine setting
for the session due to take place.
аааа By
the time the artwork was completed it was too late to get the album pressed and
into the shops in time for Christmas without doing an unprofessional job of
work.а Then, as now, it is usually
beneficial to pre-sell the album by giving a salesman a finished sleeve to show
to the buyers in the individual shops. Such a sales aid can double advanced
orders, but tends to delay the release of the record.а In the end a months delay means no lost sales
(if someone wants an album, he will more likely than not still want it a month
later!) but all too often there is pressure from management and from the artist
him or herself to rush the release of the record.а In my experience such actions are rarely
likely to increase sales, usually it is the opposite. Fortunately, is Syd's
case, there was no such pressure and the sales department scheduled the album
for their January supplement, with our choice of single, 'Octopus' / 'Golden
Hair' helping to pre-sell the album during December.а The album is still available over ten years
later, so I think our release plan didn't to it much harm!
аааа The
initial reaction was generally very good, with a particularly flattering review
in the then fledgling 'Time Out'. Syd was offered a 'live' session by Top Gear,
and the recording was broadcast during late February.а Elsewhere there was precious little airplay
either for the single or for any of the album tracks.а Radio was even more charts oriented than it
is today with only a couple of 'rock' programmes per week, and the initial
sales of a couple of thousand were largely through word of mouth based on Syd's
reputation.а I recently found a sales
figure sheet dated 27th February, showing that, in almost two months, 'The
Madcap Laughs' had sold just over 6,000 copies.а
Not bad! 'Melody Maker', while not devoting many column inches to the
record gave a fairly enthusiastic review, saying it was 'a fine album full of
madness and lunacy representing the Barrett mind unleashed'.а 'Disc' called it 'an excellent album to start
1970'.
ааа 'Beat
Instrumental' gave it a rather strange, uncomprehending review, putting it in a
'late night' bracket, and stating that 'Terrapin' comprised vocals, guitar and
washboard'!! Nevertheless it was a good review, calling it a 'beautiful solo
album'.а The January 31st edition of
'Melody Maker' carried an interview with Syd by Chris Welch, with Syd stating
that 'Top Of The Pops' is all right! and that he had written lots more
material.а N.M.E. made the observation
that, with the listing of five engineers, it would have been a nice touch to
list the musicians too.а Sad to say that
was contractually impossible, as all the musicians involved were under contract
to other companies, and in the climate of 1970 rival labels were reluctant to
allow their stars to appear on other labels.а
This was particularly annoying as it is only fair to list musicians who
have made a significant contribution to an album.а It wasn't possible, though, so their names
were left off.а In a sense it added an
air of mystery to the whole affair, but there is no reason why the re-issue
double album could not have rectified the situation.а Unfortunately this was not done and to this
day no musician credits appear on the sleeve.
аааа For
my own part, among my usual efforts, I took the time to write a letter, under
an assumed name, to M.M. saying how great the album was.а Dishonest ?а
Not really, but I felt I had to do all I could personally manage to help
sell the record.а At the time I had no
financial stake, and when the letter was published I allowed myself a private
smile.
аааа All
in all, the initial sales and reaction were sufficient to justify sanctioning a
second solo album.а The first session
took place as early as 26th Feb., and the following day Syd made four songs as
demos only, in stereo only, not multi track.а
They were 'Wolfpack', 'Waving My Arms In The Air', 'Living Alone' and a
track that has since been the subject of much speculation 'Dylan Blues'.а David Gilmour is credited, on the recording
sheet, as having taken the tape with him at the end of the session.а I am sure Syd's fans would love to hear those
four demos to compare them with the versions released on 'Barrett', but above
all, the 'Dylan Blues' is the most tantalizing!а
I often wonder if Dave still has the tape.а Still, that's another story!!
|
Syd Barrett Recording
Sessions Below is a documentation of
all Syd Barrett solo recording sessions for 'The Madcap Laughs'. It
includes the 1968 sessions supervised by Peter Jenner, none of which were
issued with the exception of a small part of 'Late Night'. |
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|
PRODUCED BY PETER JENNER: |
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|
5/6/68 |
Silas
Lang : not issued
(Later re-titled 'Swan Lee') |
|
|
5/14/68 |
Rhamadan
: not
issued |
|
|
Late
Night version 2.:
Partly used for L.P. |
||
|
5/28/68 |
Golden
Hair version 1.:
cont'd. not issued |
|
|
6/8/68 |
Swan
Lee: cont'd. not
issued |
|
|
6/20/68 |
Swan
Lee: cont'd. not
issued |
|
|
7/20/68 |
Clowns
And Jugglers (later re-titled 'Octopus') version 1: (this session produced by Syd
alone) not issued |
|
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PRODUCED BY MALCOM JONES: |
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|
4/10/69 |
Swan
Lee: cont'd. not
issued |
|
|
Opel: not issued |
||
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4/17/69 |
No
Man's Land |
|
|
4/23/69 |
Rhamadan: contd. not issued |
|
|
4/25/69 |
The following titles were transferred from the
original 4 track masters to 8 track tape for overdubs at a later date.
No new recording was done other than on 'Love You', but it is included as a
session as it is an indication as to the songs that Syd was planning to
continue with, and Syd supervised the copying himself. It's No Good Trying;
Terrapin; Opel; Clowns and Jugglers, Love You, Golden Hair; Late Night; Swan
Lee; Love You was overdubbed, but as I was not present at this session I
cannot specify what. They were certainly minor additions. Items 1, 2, 5, 7,
were issued - items 3, 4, 6, 8 were not, although items 4, 6 were re-recorded
later and issued. |
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|
Love
You: cont'd.
(Note 3) |
||
|
5/4/69 |
It's
No Good Trying: cont'd. |
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PRODUCED
BY DAVE GILMOUR AND ROGER WATERS: |
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|
Octopus
version 2: not
issued (for clarification, see note 4) |
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|
6/13/69 |
Octopus version 3: cont'd. |
|
|
7/26/69 |
She
Took A Long Cold Look version 1: not issued |
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MIXING
SESSIONS FROM MULTITRACK TO STEREO MASTER: |
||
|
The mixing of the album was accomplished in two
days, in a total of three sessions by Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters. Long
Gone, She Took A Long Cold Look, Feel, If It's In You and Octopus were all
mixed in a morning session on August 5th by Dave and Roger. Golden Hair, Dark
Globe and Terrapin were mixed in a similar three hour session in the
afternoon of the same day. The remaining tracks, all my productions, were
mixed by Dave alone on September 16th. The splicing together of the
album, including the sequencing of the running order, was done by Dave and
Syd on October 6th. |
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"THE MADCAP LAUGHS" |
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|
What follows is a
rundown, track by track, of the album as it |
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|
SIDE
ONE: |
* 1. TERRAPIN |
April 11th '69 - take 1. Guitar and voice
(both double tracked) |
|
* 2. NO GOOD TRYING |
April 11th '69 - take 3. Guitar and voice |
|
|
* 3. LOVE YOU |
April 11th '69 - take 4. Guitar and voice |
|
|
* 4. NO MANS LAND |
April 17th '69 - take 5. Syd, plus Jerry
Shirley, drums, John 'Willie' Wilson, bass. (Bass, vocals re-made later
on same session) |
|
|
*5. DARK GLOBE |
June 12th '69 - take 2 Guitar and voice. |
|
|
* 6. HERE I GO |
April 17th '69 - take 5 Syd, voice / guitar plus Jerry Shirley, drums, John 'Willie' Wilson ,bass. Recorded 'live'. |
|
|
SIDE
TWO: |
*1. OCTOPUS |
June 12th '69 - take 11. Guitar and voice |
|
*2. GOLDEN HAIR |
June 12th '69 - take 11. Guitar,
voice. Vocal, vibes, organ, cymbals overdubbed after (Rick Wright? plus
unknown cymbals, maybe Shirley ?) |
|
|
*3. LONG GONE |
July 26th '69 - take 1 Guitar and
voice. Organ overdubbed later with second vocal. |
|
|
*4. SHE TOOK A LONG COLD LOOK |
July
26th '69 - take
5 Guitar and voice. |
|
|
*5. FEEL |
July
26th '69 - take
1 Guitar and voice |
|
|
6. IF IT'S IN
YOU |
July
26th '69 - take
5 Guitar and voice |
|
|
**7. LATE
NIGHT |
May
21st '68 - take 2
Backing track; (unknown musicians) |
|
|
Notes: |
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|
Note 1. When an existing recording from a
previous session is continued, for example to overdub vocals, or guitars,
etc., I have put 'continued'. This means that the recording in question
is not another version. |
|
|
|
Note 2. Naturally, any recording
without the note 'not issued' is the one which appears on 'Madcap Laughs'. |
|
|
|
Note 3. on this session, the Soft
Machine (Mike Ratledge, keyboards; Robert Wyatt, drums; Hugh Hopper, bass)
overdubbed backings. |
|
|
|
Note:
the recording sheet lists Syd and Dave Gilmour as producers, with no
reference to Roger Waters. |
|
|
|
Note 5: for clarity, this is the issued
version |
|
|
|
Note 6: for clarity, this is the issued
version |
|