"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Single by Pink Floyd | |||||||||||||||||||||
A-side | "Point Me at the Sky" | ||||||||||||||||||||
Released | 17 December 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Format | 7" | ||||||||||||||||||||
Recorded | 4 November 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Genre | Psychedelic rock, art rock, progressive rock | ||||||||||||||||||||
Length | 5:45 (single version) 8:49 (Ummagumma live version) |
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Label | Columbia (EMI) (UK) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Writer(s) |
David Gilmour Roger Waters Richard Wright Nick Mason |
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Producer(s) | Norman Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pink Floyd singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||
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11 tracks |
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"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is a composition by the British rock band Pink Floyd. The studio recording was originally released as the B-side of their single "Point Me at the Sky" and is also featured on the Relics compilation album; live versions can also be found on Ummagumma and in the film Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii. Pink Floyd re-recorded the track for Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni's film Zabriskie Point, retitling it "Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up" on the film's soundtrack album. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd. It was included on the multi-artist Harvest compilation, A Breath of Fresh Air – A Harvest Records Anthology 1969–1974 in 2007.
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; in concert, Gilmour would often sing along with his guitar line.
For the re-recording made for Zabriskie Point, "Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up", whispering and a choir were added. Gilmour and Waters provided the vocals, and Waters' screaming is noticeably louder. It is a complete instrumental; unlike the original "Careful with That Axe, Eugene", "Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up" does not feature the spoken words "Careful with that axe, Eugene", and is in the key of E minor instead of the original D minor. In the film, it plays at the end during an explosion sequence filmed in slow motion. In the booklet of the soundtrack's reissue, David Fricke writes: "'Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up' is a cryptically titled remake of the Floyd's volcanic 1968 B-side 'Careful With That Axe, Eugene.' But its bonfire sound — all roaring guitars, crashing drums, and death-throe screaming — is the perfect complement to the movie's cataclysmic finish."