Careful With That Axe Eugene

Pink Floyd before they went Dark Side

Careful With That Axe Eugene is all its multiple live versions, ranging from six minutes to fifteen, is a great example of Pink Floyd in transition. That is post Syd Barrett and all the lyrical Edwardian whimsy and prior to the epic, well-crafted songs on their definitive Dark Side of the Moon.

It was first recorded in November 68, roughly six months after the departure of Syd Barrett, following his descent into psychosis. Originally it was the B side of their single, Point Me At The Sky, but soon became a main stay of their live performances. To be honest, the five minute studio recording is a very anaemic version. Only when played live does the beast come alive. And fortunately a number of such recordings exist, including one from the excellent movie, Pink Floyd, Live at Pompeii (1971), as above, and the album, Ummagumma, as below.

It was the latter that I first listened to as a young school boy. Back in the day, you made your home recordings using a microphone held closely to the speaker, hoping no one came bursting into the room to ruin the moment. I borrowed my family’s old reel to reel tape machine and my sister’s boyfriend’s copy of the album and, once successfully recorded…