Syd Barrett : The Madcap Laughs (No EMI logo)

(1st press A-2G / B-2G / G1/G1 Stampers!)

This has to be the rarest and most collectable from Syd Barret's solo catalogue because not only is it a genuine first pressing but it also has the magical G1 stamper on both sides!  This is the holy grail of stampers to any avid collector and there are definitely not many of these around as this debut was only pressed in limited numbers.

There is no EMI logo on the label and being the earliest of first pressings it has the first known S2 label with the credit Barrett except + Joyce as opposed to Barrett + Joyce.

Whilst there are a number of hairlines the audio plays to an excellent standard overall and the laminated gatefold has only minor wear.

SHVL 765 // A - 2G / B - 2G // G1 / G1

The audio on Side One is Ex (Ex+ in many sections)

The audio on S2 is Ex (Ex+ in many sections / track 2 VG+)

The laminated cover is VG++

The labels are Ex+

The original inner sleeve is Ex

Visual grading

This vinyl has certainly been played a number of times but there are no scratches.  There are a lot of faint hairlines but they are exactly that, hairlines that have no real affect on the audio.  There are 3/4 that are a little more obvious but for such a rare pressing it is in very good condition and the audio will not disappoint.  There are also a couple of faint radial lines but again they have no bearing on the quality of the audio.  Having play tested every second I was actually very impressed by the overall clarity and this is a case of the audio being a lot better than the visual 'look' of the vinyl.  No scratches though!

Play grading  

'Terrapin' plays with superb clarity from the very first groove.  There is just a very mild hint of static hiss in the background but it is so quiet and does not intrude on the quality of the audio at all.  During the playback I only heard one light click and a handful of mega light dust ticks and for such a quiet opening track this is a very impressive start to the album.  'No Good Trying' plays incredibly well with no interference and resonates with a wonderful deep bass sound.  There are no clicks or pops and no crackle either.  The fade out is very 'clean' with only a little static at the end.  Yes there may be hairlines on the vinyl but they do not affect the audio in any way.  There is no 'muddiness' to the sound whatsoever and you can hear each note perfectly well.  'Love You' has barely any static on the intro and then plays with stunning precision.  The audio is so impressive here and again there is no interference of any kind, Syd's quirky vocal can be heard perfectly!  'No Man's Land' plays to the same standard and again Syd's vocal is very clear.  There isn't too much concentration on instrumentation on this album and this track is an example of that!  It's often described as a droning rocker with Barrett's rhythm guitar being somewhat low in the mix.  'Dark Globe' is the first track on the side produced by Gilmour and Waters and you can tell.  The sound is a little clearer and with only minor hint of barely audible static the clarity is excellent.  There are a couple of faint crackle sounds but that is the only 'background' although there is perhaps just a minor touch of distortion on the vocal.  'Here I Go' ends the side with great sound and again Syd's vocal just could not be any higher in the mix!  There is a minor hint of light static in the background but it is in no way intrusive and again there are no clicks or pops.

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There is some lead in static on the opening grooves of S2 but 'Octopus' then plays with great clarity and from the start and with barely any 'background'.  You can really sense the production work of Gilmour and Waters here and you can see why this was the only single released from the album.  It plays with wonderful depth and warmth from start to finish and again not one single click or pop.  The psychedelic 'Golden Hair' does have some background static/light crackle but the music is still very clear.  There are also about 6/7 clicks about one minute in with a couple that are louder but this is really the first obvious interference on the entire album which isn't bad!  The remainder plays with excellent clarity and only very light static in the background here and there.  The 'Long Gone' intro plays so well when you consider how quiet it is.  With only a modicum of light static the playback is very impressive and it continues in much the same way.  There are a couple of soft 'ticks' only and this minor classic plays with wonderful quality from start to finish.  There is only a hint of mild static here and there but certainly nothing intrusive.  The following triumvirate of songs beginning with 'She Took A Long Cold Look' all play with great clarity and depth and on this particular track you can hear the turn of the page perfectly!  It is a superb version.  On 'Feel' there is perhaps just a little more static but again I am at pains to say that it is very much in the background and totally non-intrusive.  The playback remains very impressive for such quiet acoustic track and the music and vocals are still very much to the fore.  'If It's In You' has some light static on the 'spoken' intro but again no clicks or pops.  As the track 'gets going' the audio is excellent and plays with barely any intrusion.  This 'live' track plays with superb clarity overall and whilst it has that rehearsal feel it is nonetheless a worthy addition to the album.  'Late Night' is the only track on the album produced by Peter Jenner although this is not credited on the album.  For a final track it plays extremely well and with only the lightest of background static here and there it ends the album in fine style.

In summary this iconic solo debut from Syd plays with great clarity overall and with only one track having any obvious interference (still not exactly major!) that is quite impressive.  Yes there are a number of hairlines but it just shows how robustly vinyl was made in this era as the playback is still of an excellent standard.  Let's not forget this G1/G1 stamper edition was one of the first ever off the 'printing press' maybe even the first!  That fact alone makes this timeless classic a highly collectable album in its own right and the strength of the audio will certainly not disappoint either.

The Gatefold

The laminated E.J. Day cover has some shelf wear although nothing major.  The top edges are in superb shape with no rubbing but the bottom edge of the front cover has three small but obvious rub marks and the other edge just the one.  Apart from that they are very clean.  The spine is a little dull in colour but it is still 100% legible with only a couple of small rubs and some wear on the corners.  The right hand corners actually have only a small amount of wear and the opening edge has light handling wear only.  The front cover is very clean overall with a couple of small laminate creases and some other creases running down the spine area.  The back cover is similar with 3/4 small creases and some smaller ones around the edges again - nothing to worry about you always find them on laminated covers of this age!  The inside of the gatefold is in great condition with no marking at all.  Not a bad example at all of this very 'first pressing' cover.

Inner sleeve

The original die-cut EMI inner has stood the test of time very well and has no splits at all.  It is also very clean and has only a couple of faint marks and some minor creasing.  It is advertising 'Piper...' and 'Sgt Peppers...' amongst others.

The labels

The yellow/green Harvest labels have lost none of their original cover but there is a fair amount of spindle wear as already mentioned.  Aside from that there are no other markings and no writing either.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

SHVL 765 // A - 2G / B - 2G // G1 / G1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

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