This is what they should have released, of course:Real Relics
Compilation album by Pink Floyd
Assembled by Me, from 'The Early Years' box set (apart from "Biding my Time", sourced from 'Relics') - 2017
Recorded 1967–1969
Producers: Pink Floyd, Norman Smith, Joe Boyd
Syd Barrett – lead and rhythm guitar (Side One) vocals (1-6)
David Gilmour – lead and rhythm guitar (Side Two) lead vocals (9,10,13), vocalizations on "Careful with that Axe, Eugene"
Nick Mason – drums, percussion, co-lead vocal (4) original cover design
Roger Waters – bass guitar, lead vocal on "Biding My Time", vocalizations on "Careful with That Axe, Eugene", backing vocals
Rick Wright – organ, piano, mellotron, lead vocals (7, 8) co-lead (2,6,9) backing vocals, trombone on "Biding My Time"
Side one
1. "Arnold Layne" (Single A-side released 11 March 1967) Barrett 2:56
2. "Candy and a Currant Bun"(Single B-side released 11 March 1967) Barrett 2:46
3. "See Emily Play" (Single A-side released 17 June 1967) Barrett 2:53
4. "Scream Thy Last Scream" (Unreleased single, recorded 7–8 August 1967) Barrett 4:43
5. "Vegetable Man" (Unreleased single, recorded 9–11 October 1967) Barrett 2:32
6. "Apples and Oranges" (Single A-side released 18 November 1967) Barrett 3:04
7. "Paint Box" (Single B-side released 18 November 1967) Wright 3:48
Side two
8. "It Would Be So Nice" (Single A-side released 13 April 1968) Wright 3:47
9. "Julia Dream" (Single B-side released 13 April 1968) Waters 2:37
10. "Point Me at the Sky" (Single A-side released 7 December 1968) Gilmour/Waters 3:35
11. "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (Single B-side released 7 December 1968) Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason 5:45
12. "Embryo" (from 1970 compilation, Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air. Recorded Nov. 1968 ) Waters 4:39
13. "Biding My Time" (Previously released only on 'Relics' in 1971, recorded 1969) Waters 5:18
1 "Arnold Layne" 2:57
(Syd Barrett)
Single by The Pink Floyd (B-side "Candy and a Currant Bun") Released 10 March 1967
Recorded 29 January 1967 – 27 February 1967 at Sound Techniques and EMI Studios, London
Producer Joe Boyd
Syd Barrett – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, lead vocals
Richard Wright – Farfisa organ, backing vocals
Roger Waters – bass guitar
Nick Mason – drums
"Arnold Layne" is the debut single by the Pink Floyd.
Nick Mason on the choice of "Arnold Layne": "We knew we wanted to be rock'n'roll stars and we wanted to make singles, so it seemed the most suitable song to condense into 3 minutes without losing too much". The band had tried to re-record "Arnold Layne" after signing up with EMI, but the Joe Boyd version from January was released instead. The song would be Boyd's last production for Pink Floyd.
Boyd mentioned in several interviews over the years that "Arnold Layne" regularly ran for ten to fifteen minutes in concert (with extended instrumental passages), but the band knew that it had to be shortened for use as a single. He has also said it was a complex recording involving some tricky editing, recalling that the middle instrumental section with Richard Wright's organ solo was recorded as an edit piece and spliced into the song for the final mix.
Both "Arnold Layne" and "Candy and a Currant Bun" were mixed into mono for the single. Neither have ever been given a stereo mix, although the four-track master tapes still exist in the EMI tape archive.
The song's title character is a transvestite whose strange hobby is stealing women's clothes and undergarments from washing lines. According to Roger Waters, "Arnold Layne" was actually based on a real person: "Both my mother and Syd's mother had students as lodgers because there was a girls' college up the road so there were constantly great lines of bras and knickers on our washing lines and 'Arnold' or whoever he was, had bits off our washing lines."
2 "Candy and a Currant Bun" 2:38
(Syd Barrett)
Single B side, released 10 March 1967
Recorded 29 January 1967 at Sound Techniques Studios, London and 27 February 1967 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
Producer Joe Boyd
Syd Barrett – lead vocals, electric guitars
Rick Wright – Farfisa organ, harmony vocals
Roger Waters – bass, screaming
Nick Mason – drums, spoken line
"Candy and a Currant Bun" was the B-side to Pink Floyd's first single, Arnold Layne. Its lyrical content is about drugs and casual sex
When performed live in 1967, the song was known as "Let's Roll Another One" and contained the line "I'm high – Don't try to spoil my fun", but the record company forced Syd Barrett to rewrite it, at the suggestion of Roger Waters, without the controversial drug references.
3 "See Emily Play" 2:53
(Syd Barrett)
Single by Pink Floyd (B-side "Scarecrow") Released 16 June 1967
Recorded 21 May 1967 at Sound Techniques, London
Producer Norman Smith
Syd Barrett – lead vocals, electric guitar, slide guitar
Richard Wright – Farfisa organ, piano, tack piano, Baldwin electric harpsichord, backing vocals
Roger Waters – bass guitar, backing vocals
Nick Mason – drums
"See Emily Play" is Pink Floyd's second single. Written by original frontman Syd Barrett and recorded on 23 May 1967, it featured 10 March 1967 on the American edition of their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967).
The details as to the recording remain shrouded in mystery due to the lack of paperwork in the EMI archive. Engineer Jeff Jarrett recalls that "See Emily Play" was recorded in a much longer form which was then edited down for the single release. It was recorded at Sound Techniques studios on 21 May 1967. There was much trickery involved in the recording with backward tapes, much use of echo and reverb, and the first piano bridge between the first chorus and second verse was recorded at a slow pace then sped up for the final master. The four-track master tape was wiped or misplaced. It no longer exists and has never been mixed into true stereo; it was reprocessed for fake stereo on the 1971 Relics compilation but I have used the genuine mono version here.
Barrett, reputedly, was not happy with the final studio cut, and he protested against its release, which producer Norman Smith speculated was based on his fear of commercialism. It was during sessions for the song that David Gilmour visited the studio, and although being invited by Barrett, was shocked by the perceived changes in Barrett's personality when he did not appear to recognise him. For many years Gilmour would recall this, saying, "I'll go on record as saying, that was when he changed".
4 "Scream Thy Last Scream" 4:43
(Syd Barrett)
Unissued single recorded 7–8 August 1967
Released on the album The Early Years 1965–1972 in November 2016
Producer Norman Smith
Nick Mason – lead vocals, drums
Syd Barrett – guitar, sped-up double-tracked vocals, vocals (one line)
Richard Wright – keyboards
Roger Waters – bass guitar
"Scream Thy Last Scream" was scheduled to be the band's follow-up single to "See Emily Play" though its first official release was not until The Early Years 1965-1972 box set was issued in November 2016. It was recorded in the same early Saucerful of Secrets sessions as "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", on 7–8 August 1967. The two tracks were arranged to be released as a single on 8 September 1967, before it was vetoed by the band's record company, EMI. The song was again scheduled for release, this time with "Vegetable Man" as the B-side, but cancelled for the second time.The song features several changes in tempo, a sped-up double-tracked vocal part by Barrett, while drummer Nick Mason simultaneously sings the untreated part, a range of bells, crowd noises, an instrumental section that continually increases in speed featuring wah-wah guitar solos and keyboards, and surreal lyrics. Barrett is only clearly audible on one line in the song, "she'll be scrubbing bubbles on all fours".
5 "Vegetable Man" 2:32
(Syd Barrett)
Unissued single recorded 9–11 October 1967
Released on the album The Early Years 1965–1972 in November 2016
Producer Norman Smith
Syd Barrett – guitar, lead vocals
Richard Wright – keyboards, backing vocals
Roger Waters – bass guitar, backing vocals
Nick Mason – drums, percussion, backing vocals
"Vegetable Man" was considered for the band's third single or for inclusion on their second album A Saucerful of Secrets. The song was recorded from 9 to 11 October 1967. It was an attempt to record a follow-up single to "See Emily Play", as well as the beginning of sessions for the album that would eventually become A Saucerful of Secrets. "Vegetable Man" was scheduled for release, as the B-side to "Scream Thy Last Scream", but cancelled, and both tracks remained unreleased until 2016. Eventually, "Apples and Oranges" was chosen for the single release instead, with "Paint Box" as the B-side.
Peter Jenner wanted the song released: "I always thought they should be put out, so I let my copies be heard. I knew that Roger would never let them out, or Dave. They somehow felt they were a bit indecent, like putting out nude pictures of a famous actress: it just wasn't cricket. But I thought they were good songs and great pieces of art. They're disturbing, and not a lot of fun, but they're some of Syd's finest work – though God knows, I wouldn't wish anyone to go through what he's gone through to get to those songs. They're like Van Gogh."
Jenner claims Barrett wrote the song describing himself as he sat at Jenner's home, "He had to go and record and, because a song was needed, he just wrote a description of what he was wearing at the time..." Jenner called the track "too dark". Many cite it as a document of Syd's apparent monumental breakdown as a recording artist and as a person. The song was written around the same time as "Jugband Blues" which is directed towards anyone within Barrett's orbit, while "Vegetable Man" is aimed at the music industry and himself. Both songs contain the same cynical humour.
6 "Apples and Oranges" 3:08
(Syd Barrett)
Single A side (B-side "Paint Box") Released 18 November 1967
Recorded 26 and 27 October 1967
Producer Norman Smith
Syd Barrett – electric guitar, lead vocals
Richard Wright – Hammond organ, piano, electric piano, backing vocals, falsetto lead vocals (bridge)
Roger Waters – bass guitar, backing vocals
Nick Mason – drums, tambourine
"Apples and Oranges" is the third single by Pink Floyd, the final one written by Syd Barrett, and released in 1967. The B-side was "Paint Box" written by Richard Wright. The song is about a girl whom the narrator meets at the supermarket. It is one of only a handful of songs by Pink Floyd which deals directly with love. The song was recorded shortly before the band's US tour, on 26 and 27 October.
This was the group's first single that failed to break into the UK charts. Waters blamed the single's sales performance on Norman Smith: "'Apples and Oranges' was destroyed by the production. It's a fucking good song". When the single failed to reach the charts, Barrett's reply was that he "couldn't care less."
Both sides were mixed in stereo (as included here), but the single was issued in mono, which was very muddy and probably contributed to its lack of success. Mono and stereo mixes of "Apples and Oranges" and the mono mix of "Paint Box" are included in the 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition release of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
"It's a happy song, and it's got a touch of Christmas. It's about a girl who I saw just walking round town, in Richmond." — Syd Barrett
7 "Paint Box" 3:45
(Richard Wright)
Single B Side (A-side "Apples and Oranges") Released 18 November 1967
Recorded October 1967 at De Lane Lea Studios, London
Producer Norman Smith
Richard Wright – lead vocals, piano, tack piano
Syd Barrett – acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals
Roger Waters – bass guitar, backing vocals
Nick Mason – drums
"Paint Box", written and sung by keyboardist Richard Wright, was first released in 1967 as the B-side to the single "Apples and Oranges".
Musical features of the song include its long drum fills by Nick Mason, and a piano solo by Wright, which is panned around the stereo spectrum. Wright also doubles on tack piano in addition to the ordinary acoustic piano. The song is the first of many Pink Floyd songs to prominently feature an E minor added ninth chord. This chord would become a signature aspect of their better-known material: It opens The Dark Side of the Moon with "Breathe". It is prominent in "Welcome to the Machine" from Wish You Were Here, where it alternates with a C Major seventh chord for most of the song. "Dogs" from Animals centers around the chord as played on down-tuned guitars, resulting in a concert pitch of D minor ninth. It appeared again in "Hey You" and "Vera" from The Wall. It would appear in no less than four songs from The Final Cut: "Your Possible Pasts"; "The Hero's Return"; "The Gunner's Dream"; and "The Fletcher Memorial Home".
"Paint Box" was originally issued in mono for the single. This stereo mix was later included on the Masters of Rock compilation, and on the compilation album Relics as "Paintbox", which was also the spelling used when the mono mix was issued on the third disc of the 40th Anniversary deluxe edition of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
8 "It Would Be So Nice" 3:47
(Richard Wright)
Single A side (B-side "Julia Dream") Released 12 April 1968
Recorded February 1968 at Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer Norman Smith
Rick Wright – lead vocals, Farfisa organ, piano, mellotron, recorder
David Gilmour – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Roger Waters – bass guitar, backing vocals
Nick Mason – drums
"It Would Be So Nice", written by Richard Wright, was the fourth single released by the group. The song was left off the 1971 collection Relics and, prior to the release of The Early Singles in 1992 was quite hard to find.
In The Dark Side of the Moon: The Making of the Pink Floyd Masterpiece, John Harris writes about the song:
"The first recorded work [Pink Floyd] released in the wake of Syd Barrett's exit was Richard Wright's almost unbearably whimsical 'It Would Be So Nice,' a single whose lightweight strain of pop-psychedelia—akin, perhaps, to the music of such faux-counterculturalists as the Hollies and the Monkees—rendered it a non-event that failed to trouble the British charts; as Roger Waters later recalled, 'No one ever heard it because it was such a lousy record.' Waters' own compositional efforts, however, were hardly more promising. 'Julia Dream', the single's B-side, crystallized much the same problem: though the band evidently wanted to maintain the Syd Barrett aesthetic, their attempts sounded hopelessly lightweight."
Nick Mason was even more vocal than Waters in his dislike for the song: "Fucking awful, that record, wasn't it? At that period we had no direction. We were being hustled about to make hit singles. There's so many people saying it's important you start to think it is important. It is possible on an LP to do exactly what we want to do. . . ."
Roger Waters: "Live bookings seem to depend on whether or not you have a record in the Top Ten. I don't like 'It Would Be So Nice.' I don't like the song or the way it's sung."
9 "Julia Dream" 2:37
(Roger Waters)
Single B side (A-side "It Would Be So Nice") Released 12 April 1968
Recorded 13 February 1968 at Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer Norman Smith
David Gilmour – acoustic guitar, electric guitar processed through delay, lead vocals
Roger Waters – bass guitar, backing vocals
Rick Wright – Mellotron, Hammond organ, backing vocals
Nick Mason – percussion
"Julia Dream" is the B-side of the single "It Would Be So Nice". The song was the first to be recorded by the band with lead vocals by David Gilmour.
Written by bassist Roger Waters, "Julia Dream" is characterised by the slow tempo, the airy, ambient Mellotron sounds from keyboardist Rick Wright and lush chorus vocals. The song was later included on several compilation albums, including Relics.
10 "Point Me at the Sky" 3:35
(David Gilmour/Roger Waters)
Single A side (B-side "Careful with That Axe, Eugene") Released 17 December 1968
Recorded 4 November 1968
Producer Norman Smith
David Gilmour – electric guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals (verses, second half of choruses)
Roger Waters – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals (first half of chorus and final verse)
Rick Wright – Hammond organ, piano, glockenspiel, backing vocals
Nick Mason – drums, maracas, temple blocks
"Point Me at the Sky" is the fifth single by Pink Floyd, released on 17 December 1968. The song was an early collaboration by bassist Roger Waters with guitarist David Gilmour. The vocals on the verse of the song are sung by Gilmour, and the bridge vocals are shared between Gilmour and Waters.
"Point Me at the Sky" has since become the rarest of all officially released Pink Floyd recordings. It was not intended for album release, resulting in the recording being mixed in mono only. The single did not chart in the U.K. The B-side, "Careful with That Axe, Eugene", became far more popular, as it was later included on two different Pink Floyd albums and played regularly at concerts through the early 1970s. PMATS was left off the 1971 collection Relics. Its first widespread re-release occurred in 2016, when it was included with The Early Years 1965–1972 box set . Roger Waters has called "Point Me at the Sky" a "notable failure" of the post-Barrett era. Following its lack of chart success, the band decided to stop releasing singles in the U.K. altogether and concentrate only on albums, since, according to Waters, "we were no bloody good at it."
11 "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" 5:45
(Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason)
Single B side (A-side: "Point Me at the Sky") Released 17 December 1968
Recorded 4 November 1968
Producer Norman Smith
Roger Waters – bass guitar, screaming, whispered phrase
David Gilmour – guitar, scat vocals
Richard Wright – Hammond organ, vibraphone
Nick Mason – drums
"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" was originally released as the B-side of "Point Me at the Sky" and was also featured on Relics compilation album. The music consists of a light, organ-based jam, with Richard Wright using the Phrygian mode and an accompanying bass guitar playing just one tone (in this case, D) in octaves, with a segue into the song's only lyrics: the title of the song whispered menacingly, followed by Roger Waters' scream. The song becomes much louder and more intense before gradually settling down again. In the heavier parts and later, quieter parts, David Gilmour can be heard with guitar and scat vocals.
12 "Embryo" 4:39
(Roger Waters)
from the album Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air (Released May 1970)
Recorded November 1968
Producer Norman Smith
David Gilmour – acoustic and electric guitar, lead and backing vocals
Richard Wright – Mellotron, Farfisa organ, piano
Roger Waters – bass guitar, tape effects (sped-up gibberish)
Nick Mason – drums, percussion
"Embryo" (sometimes called "The Embryo") is a song by Pink Floyd. It was a concert staple in 1970–71, but a full band version was never released on any Pink Floyd studio album. A studio version did appear in 1970 on the rare multi-artist album Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air. Its next appearance was in 1983 on Pink Floyd's own compilation Works.
The studio version of the song, recorded in November 1968, is a quiet, almost acoustic piece sung by David Gilmour lasting less than five minutes. The song ends with an organ solo and high-pitched vocal gibberish (with bassist Roger Waters having sped his voice up, much like he would later do on "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict"). This studio take has not appeared on any Pink Floyd album except Works, a US compilation. "Embryo" was finally granted widespread international release in the 2016 Early Years box set.
13 "Biding My Time" 5:18
(Roger Waters)
from the album Relics (Released May 1971)
Recorded July 1969
Producer Norman Smith
Roger Waters – bass, vocals
David Gilmour – acoustic and electric guitars
Richard Wright – piano, organ, trombone
Nick Mason – drums, percussion
Prior to the Relics compilation album, "Biding My Time" was an unreleased recording. It has never appeared on any other compilation - not even the otherwise comprehensive Early Years box set, from which the rest of this collection was sourced. The song at this time was heard only by fans who attended concerts where the band performed their early concept piece, The Man and The Journey, where the song appeared as "Afternoon". During the song a trombone can be heard which is played by keyboardist Rick Wright.
There is very little known about the circumstances of recording or intentions for use of this song bar the credit on the rear of Relics which reads "Produced by Norman Smith, 9 July 1969". There is speculation that it may have been recorded for use on either Ummagumma or Atom Heart Mother, but it is no more than speculation.