Careful_with_that_axe,_eugene

“Careful with That Axe, Eugene”
Single by Pink Floyd from the album The Early Singles
A-side	Point Me at the Sky
Released	17 December 1968
Format	7"
Recorded	4 November, 1968
Genre	Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock
Length	5:45
Label	Columbia (EMI) (UK)
Writer(s)	David Gilmour Roger Waters Rick Wright Nick Mason
Producer	Norman Smith
Pink Floyd singles chronology
Let There Be More Light (1968) Point Me at the Sky (1968) The Nile Song (1969)
Zabriskie Point track listing
"Dance of Death" (10) "Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up" (11) "Love Scene Improvisations (Version 1)" (1 of disc two)

"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is a Pink Floyd song. 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.

Composition

The music consists of a light organ based jam (using the "Egyptian" style organ that is so common of Rick Wright in this period), and an accompanying bass guitar playing just a tone and the same tone an octave above with a segue into the song\'s only lyrics: the title of the song whispered menacingly, and various screams by Roger Waters. Waters screams like this 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 in the quieter parts as well David Gilmour can be heard with guitar and scat vocals.

Live History

Pink Floyd performed the song from 1968-1973 and 1977. An embryonic form of the song was recorded 25 June 1968 at BBC Piccadilly Studios and broadcast on John Peel\'s Top Gear radio program 11 August 1968 with the title "Murderistic Women".

During the 1969 tour, it was performed as "Beset by Creatures of the Deep" as part of "The Man and the Journey" concept. 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 Hammond organ on the studio version.

Alternative versions and References

• The song has been referenced in Dream Theater\'s song "Octavarium", from the album of the same name.

• This song is referenced also by Half Man Half Biscuit on their Back in the DHSS album. In "Time Flies By (When You\'re The Driver Of A Train)", Eugene is asked to be \'careful with that spliff\'.

• In The Damned\'s "Nasty" where Dave Vanian sings "Careful with that axe you meanie". Pink Floyd\'s Nick Mason had produced The Damned\'s second album, Music for Pleasure.

• Phish also references "Careful with that Axe, Eugene" in their 1997 live release Slip Stitch and Pass during "Mike\'s Song".

• The song was covered by the punk rock band Stukas Over Bedrock on the Mystic Records 1984 Covers LP.

• The German electronics pioneer Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook released a series of albums titled "The Dark Side of the Moog". Each carried a play on words inspired by Pink Floyd tracks. On "The Dark Side Of The Moog VIII" the eight tracks are "Careful with the AKS, Peter Parts 1-8".

Jerry Garcia (Urban Legend)

One of the most popular Floyd myths states that "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" was a reference to Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia, who famously lost a portion of his right-hand middle finger in a childhood wood-chopping accident. Thus, the title refers to Garcia\'s older brother (who was responsible for the accident), wryly instructing him to be more careful with his "axe" (presumably, the axe that severed part of Jerry\'s finger).

While the story behind Garcia\'s missing finger is true, there is no connection between the childhood accident and the song, as neither Garcia, the Dead, nor the story of the childhood accident were widely known when this song was written. Furthermore, Garcia\'s older brother was named Tiff, not Eugene.

Personnel

• Roger Waters - Bass and vocalisations
• David Gilmour - Guitar and vocalisations
• Richard Wright - Organ
• Nick Mason - Drums

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia