Third Man Records (in conjunction with Sony Music Entertainment) is presenting Syd Barrett’s solo albums, The Madcap Laughs, Barrett, and Opel, as the 57th installment of the Vault subscription series. Individually out of print for almost ten years, and never previously available together on vinyl, Barrett’s complete solo works are featured in this set on 180-gram vinyl, pressed at Third Man Pressing in Detroit and packaged together in a custom slipcase with new exclusive artwork.
As an added bonus, the set includes a 7-inch single by David Gilmour covering two Barrett compositions, “Dominoes” and “Dark Globe.” Sign up is open now through July 31st, 2023 at midnight CST.
Pink Floyd may have been genuinely considered without a future upon the 1968 exit of co-founder and primary songwriter Syd Barrett. Barrett led the band and helped steer their scene out of their Blues-based R&B roots into the late 1960’s. Yet his subsequent solo work, in the shadow of Floyd’s omnipresence, has earned a cult following over the ensuing fifty years. Syd Barrett operated at the convergence of the Psychedelic and Folk realms, and left his mark on them through influence and reach.
Originally released in January 1970, The Madcap Laughs serves as Barrett’s best-known and most fully-realized solo effort. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios (then known as EMI Recording Studios) with production help from former Floyd bandmates David Gilmour and Roger Waters, the album reached number 40 on the UK charts. The reissue is pressed on golden hair colored vinyl.
Released in November of 1970, Barrett again enlisted former bandmates’ production guidance (Gilmour again in addition to Richard Wright) at Abbey Road Studios. Here it is presented on baby lemonade colored vinyl.
Consisting of outtakes and previously unreleased material from the 1968-1970 era, 1988’s Opel fills in the blanks of the two previous albums. It’s an early example of a record label reacting to an underground, cult following, since it was odd for an imprint to dig into the vault at that time. It is offered on milky way opal colored vinyl.
All three LPs are pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Third Man Pressing in Detroit and will come housed in a newly-designed slipcase featuring a recursive portrait of Syd by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Greg Ruth. The art is executed in one continuous line without lifting the pen.
An added bonus to this collection is a 7-inch single by David Gilmour covering two Barrett compositions. “Dominoes” was recorded at Royal Festival Hall in January 2002. The take on “Dark Globe” was recorded live shortly after Syd’s passing in 2006.
