"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is a song by the British band Pink Floyd. The studio recording is featured on Relics, while a live version can be found on Ummagumma. The song was originally released as the B-side of their single "Point Me at the Sky." Pink Floyd re-recorded the track for Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni's film Zabriskie Point. The song is retitled "Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up" on the soundtrack album for the film.
The music consists of a light organ based jam (using the "Egyptian" style organ that is common of Rick Wright in this period), 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 a Roger Waters scream, as in "Candy and a Currant Bun". This scream would reappear on many subsequent songs such as "Run Like Hell", the very beginning of "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2," and "Two Suns in the Sunset." In the heavier parts and later, quieter parts, David Gilmour can be heard with guitar and scat vocals; in concert, Gilmour would often sing along with his guitar line.
Pink Floyd performed the song at almost every show from 1968-1973 and once in 1977. An embryonic form was performed as early as 23 May 1968 (captured in a recording at The Paradiso in Amsterdam) under the original title of "Keep Smiling People", and another version was recorded on 25 June 1968 at BBC Piccadilly Studios and broadcast on John Peel's Top Gear radio program 11 August 1968 with the title "Murderistic Woman".
During the 1969 tour, it was performed as "Beset by Creatures of the Deep" as part of The Man and the Journey. From autumn 1969 till spring 1971 it was often played as a medley in conjunction with "Green Is the Colour".
During Pink Floyd's late 1972 European tour, the song was occasionally performed with a loud (and largely indecipherable) Pictish rant preceding the uttering of the song's title and its trademark scream. A particularly well-known example is the performance from the band's December 1972 concert in Zürich, and their concert on November 15, 1972 in Germany.
Pink Floyd last performed "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" in Oakland, California, on May 9, 1977, as an encore. For this rendition, Rick Wright had to use a mini-Moog synthesizer in place of the Farfisa organ he used originally on the live version and the Hammond organ on the studio version. Snowy White, the band's touring guitarist at the time, was coaxed into performing the piece with the band despite having never heard the song before, let alone played it.
Pink Floyd Careful With that axe Eugene (Live at Pompeii)
"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is a song by the British band Pink Floyd. The studio recording is featured on Relics, while a live version can be found on Ummagumma. The song was originally released as the B-side of their single "Point Me at the Sky." Pink Floyd re-recorded the track for Italian dir...
more
Comments