Careful with That Axe, Eugene

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"Careful with That Axe, Eugene"

Song by Pink Floyd
Released	17 December 1968
Recorded	4 November 1968
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	5:45
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason
Chronology
Point Me at the Sky (A)	"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (B)

"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". The single flopped, although its flipside proved to be a popular and favorite Pink Floyd tune.

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.

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 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. In the heavier parts and later in the quieter parts as well David Gilmour can be heard with unisono lines with guitar and scat vocals at once. Later he did it the same way on the instrumental piece Any Colour You Like on The Dark Side of the Moon.

The song's performance on the "Live at Pompeii" includes the whispered words:

 Down, down. Down, down. The star is screaming.
 Beneath the lies. Lie, lie. Tschay, tschay, tschay.
 [sound of Waters blowing into the microphone]
 [light screaming from Waters]
 Careful, careful, careful with that axe, Eugene.
 [very loud and prolonged scream]
 [another very loud and prolonged scream]
 [Waters blowing into the microphone]
 [light screaming from Waters]
 The stars are screaming loud.
 Tsch.
 Tsch.
 Tsch.
 [low groaning sound from Roger Waters]

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 9, 1972 concert in Zurich.

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.

[edit] Trivia

The song has been referenced in Dream Theater's very Floyd-inspired 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". This song was featured in an episode of The Young Ones. Pink Floyd's Nick Mason had produced The Damned's second album, Music for Pleasure.