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Octopus (Syd Barrett song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Octopus
| cover = Syd_barrett_octopusFR.jpg
| alt =
| caption = French picture sleeve
| type = single
| artist = Syd Barrett
| album = The Madcap Laughs
| B-side = Golden Hair
| released = 14 November 1969
| recorded =
*May 1968; 12 & 13 June 1969
*20 July 1968 ('Opel' version)
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Psychedelic rock
| length =
*3:47 (single and 'Madcap' version)
*3:27 ('Opel' version)
| label = Harvest Records
| writer = Syd Barrett
| producer = Syd Barrett and David Gilmour
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Wouldn't You Miss Me
| next_year = 1988
| misc =
}}
"'Octopus'" (originally recorded as "'Clowns and Jugglers'" and also known as "'The Madcap Laughs'") is a song by Syd Barrett. In January 1970 it appeared on his first solo album 'The Madcap Laughs'.
Writing
Barrett reflected on the song's writing:
"Octopus" directly quotes a section from "Rilloby-Rill" by English poet Sir Henry Newbolt (18621938). The song also features a variety of other influences.
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 in May, that would later be released on Barrett's first solo album. During the May sessions, Jenner failed to record, properly, any vocals at all for several tracks, including "Clown and Jugglers". Sessions stopped once Barrett was in psychiatric care, apparently after a drive around Britain in his Mini.
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. Barrett wanted to recover the Jenner-produced sessions recordings; several tracks, including "Clowns and Jugglers", were improved upon.
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.
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'. 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 "Discothque de Radio France".
It was included on the multi-artist Harvest compilation 'A Breath of Fresh Air A Harvest Records Anthology 19691974' in 2007. For later release in 2010, on 'An Introduction to Syd Barrett', David Gilmour added bass to one track, "Here I Go". 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.
Personnel
*Syd Barrett vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, producer
*David Gilmour bass guitar, drums, co-producer
References
Category:Syd Barrett songs
Category:1969 debut singles
Category:Psychedelic songs
Category:Songs written by Syd Barrett
Category:Song recordings produced by David Gilmour
Category:1968 songs
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