10 Most Inaccessible But Ultimately Rewarding Albums Ever

5. Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPCS56LSXxY Although not outright inaccessible in the literal sense, the debut album from former Pink Floyd mastermind Syd Barrett hits enough off key, off beat notes and straight up bizarre transitions to be considered a very challenging piece of work. Even compared to the experimental work of Pink Floyd, The Madcap Laughs is more subliminally inaccessible than that groups early work. If you know anything about Barrett you know about his issues with mental health, something which peters through the cracks on this oddity of a record. The whimsical, psychedelic moments are often offset by erratic musical turns, almost as if the cogs behind the tracks become stuck only to be pried apart again and again. This unbalancing act is also one of the albums greatest achievements because it perpetually moves forward whilst also feeling like it's going backwards giving the tracks a sense of bypassing time and space entirely in the blink of an eye. There is a subtle adeptness that meanders throughout the thirteen tracks on display which is a testament to what an out of the box musician Barrett was. The centerpiece of the album contains five consecutive tracks that expand the mind because of their simple but paradoxically complex nature. They exhibit the conflicting approaches that clash in such a beautiful but dark way like the disturbing schizophrenia expose of 'Dark Globe' and the low monotone vocals but bright guitar strums of 'Here I Go'. 'Octopus' features nonsensical stream of consciousness in the albums most accessible yet not straightforward song. 'Long Gone' chronicles the loss of a loved one let go with its changing moods from verse to chorus, again showing how comfortable Barrett is with changing moods on a whim. Perhaps the best of these five gems however is the dark space odyssey 'Golden Hair', a song which goes to great extremes to repel any light that might shine upon its dark core. Again it is an example of how powerful a vocalist and storyteller Barrett can be when at his introspective best. There is something harrowing about this record even with taking Barrett out of the equation. Even the lighter moments have shades of dark buried underneath their summery vibes in a way that doesn't reveal itself until repeated listens. A wonderful foray into the surreal and an incredibly multifaceted approach make The Madcap Laughs a true psychedelic classic.