music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Octopus" (originally recorded as "Clowns and Jugglers" and also known as "The Madcap Laughs")[2] is a song by Syd Barrett. In January 1970 it appeared on his first solo album The Madcap Laughs.

"Octopus"
French picture sleeve
Single by Syd Barrett
from the album The Madcap Laughs
B-side	"Golden Hair"
Released	14 November 1969
Recorded	May 1968;[1] 12 & 13 June 1969 20 July 1968 (Opel version)
Genre	Psychedelic rock
Length	3:47 (single and Madcap version) 3:27 (Opel version)
Label	Harvest Records
Songwriter(s)	Syd Barrett
Producer(s)	Syd Barrett and David Gilmour
Syd Barrett singles chronology
"Octopus" (1969) "Wouldn't You Miss Me" (1988)
The Madcap Laughs track listing
13 tracks Side one "Terrapin" "No Good Trying" "Love You" "No Man's Land" "Dark Globe" "Here I Go" Side two "Octopus" "Golden Hair" "Long Gone" "She Took a Long Cold Look" "Feel" "If It's In You" "Late Night"
An Introduction to Syd Barrett track listing
18 tracks "Arnold Layne" "See Emily Play" "Apples and Oranges" "Matilda Mother" "Chapter 24" "Bike" "Terrapin" "Love You" "Dark Globe" "Here I Go" "Octopus" "She Took a Long Cool Look" "If It's In You" "Baby Lemonade" "Dominoes" "Gigolo Aunt" "Effervescing Elephant" "Bob Dylan Blues"
Official video
"Octopus" (2001 Remaster) on YouTube

Writing

Barrett reflected on the song's writing:

I carried that about in my head for about six months before I actually wrote it so maybe that's why it came out so well. The idea was like those number songs like Green Grow the Rushes, O where you have, say, twelve lines each related to the next and an overall theme. It's like a fool-proof combination of lyrics, really, and then the chorus comes in and changes the tempo but holds the whole thing together.[3]

"Octopus" directly quotes a section from "Rilloby-Rill" by English poet Sir Henry Newbolt (1862–1938). The song also features a variety of other influences.[4]

Recording

Syd Barrett left Pink Floyd in April 1968, along with their manager Peter Jenner. Jenner led Barrett into EMI Studios to record some tracks[5] in May, that would later be released on Barrett's first solo album.[1] During the May sessions, Jenner failed to record, properly, any vocals at all for several tracks, including "Clown and Jugglers".[2] Sessions stopped once Barrett was in psychiatric care, apparently after a drive around Britain in his Mini.[6]

After New Year 1969, a somewhat recovered Barrett decided upon returning to a musical career; Barrett contacted EMI, and was passed on to Malcolm Jones, the then-head of EMI's new prog rock label, Harvest.[5] Barrett wanted to recover the Jenner-produced sessions recordings; several tracks, including "Clowns and Jugglers", were improved upon.[7]

An early version of the song, recorded with the band Soft Machine, was released on the Barrett rarities album Opel (1988) under the title "Clowns and Jugglers". The 1993 re-releases of The Madcap Laughs and Opel contain alternate versions of "Octopus" and "Clowns and Jugglers" respectively, as bonus tracks.[8]

Release

The album's title came about as a result of co-producer David Gilmour mishearing a line from this song ("Well, the mad cat laughed at the man on the border..." - although the word "madcap" does figure in another of the song's lyrics, "To a madcap galloping chase"). "Octopus" is known for being Barrett's only single as a solo artist. It was released on 14 November 1969, two months before the release of The Madcap Laughs.[9] In France, the single gained a picture sleeve, which had the drawing of an octopus on it. A very scarce exemplar of this single has been auctioned for 10,500 euros on 19 June 2016 (Lot 284) during an 8000 vinyl records sale organized by the "Discothèque de Radio France".[10]

It was included on the multi-artist Harvest compilation A Breath of Fresh Air – A Harvest Records Anthology 1969–1974 in 2007.[11] For later release in 2010, on An Introduction to Syd Barrett, David Gilmour added bass to one track, "Here I Go".[12] In 2011, as part of Record Store Day Black Friday, a limited edition tin-set featuring a replica of the "Octopus" single yellow vinyl, with a 120-page book of photos of Barrett by photographer, Mick Rock, was released in the US.[13]

Personnel

• Syd Barrett – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, producer
• David Gilmour – bass guitar, drums, co-producer

References

На других языках

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[de] Octopus (Lied)

Octopus (ursprünglich aufgenommen als Clowns and Jugglers, aufgrund einer Textzeile auch bekannt als The Madcap Laughs, 1969 dann umgeschrieben auf den heutigen Titel) ist ein Song von Syd Barrett. Er erschien am 14. November 1969 zunächst als A-Seite der gleichnamigen Single sowie am 3. Januar 1970 auf Barretts Debüt-Solo-Album The Madcap Laughs.[1]

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- [en] Octopus (Syd Barrett song)

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[es] Octopus (canción)

«Octopus», originalmente titulada como Clowns and Juggers, y a veces también conocida como The Madcap Laughs, es una canción del músico y compositor, Syd Barrett, lanzada como el único sencillo del álbum debut de Barrett después de su estadía de varios conciertos y el álbum debut de la banda Pink Floyd, con la alineación original (Barrett, Richard Wright, Roger Waters, Nick Mason y Bob Klose, anterior miembro que estuvo poco tiempo en la banda), The Madcap Laughs,[1] que incluía a la canción del mismo álbum, Golden Hair en el lado B.[2]

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[ru] Octopus (песня)

Octopus (также известная как Clowns and Jugglers, а также известная как The Madcap Laughs[1]) — песня, написанная и исполненная Сидом Барреттом в 1969 году и выпущенная на его первом сольном альбоме The Madcap Laughs. Название этого альбома было взято Дэвидом Гилмором из строк этой песни («Well, the madcap laughed at the man on the border…»). Octopus так же является единственным синглом Сида, с песней Golden Hair на стороне B. Сингл был выпущен 14 ноября, за два месяца до выпуска альбома.

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