Relics
	Produced by Norman Smith, The Pink Floyd, Joe Boyd
	Released on May 14, 1971
	UK CHART POSITION #32 . . . US CHART POSITION #152
	Find it at GEMM
4M 034-52150 cover [high resolution scan]

F or those who like their Pink rare and well done, I suppose. Relics collects nonalbum A sides and B sides plus a few popular album cuts, which has it at cross purposes: shallow archaeology and the pick of Pink. Since you were more likely to run across a cutout or budget price copy of Relics in the record bins than most Pink Floyd works, I’ve never given it much respect. The junky version I own (Sounds Superb, my royal cantaloupe halves) doesn’t help matters. And yet there’s no getting around the fact that “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play” are must-owns in the Pink canon that couldn’t be found anywhere else. (Fast-forward to 1983 and Works relegates Relics to the dust of ages again.) As for the three non-album B sides, they’re interesting but not exactly essential moments. “Paintbox” is a fair approximation of Peppers-era Beatles, “Julia Dream” pink narcosis, “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” a psychedelic instrumental more notable for its label than its contents. The essential moments actually number four: the opening trio (“Interstellar Overdrive” is and ever shall be amazing) and the closing “Bike.” What’s sandwiched in between is a mix of white fluff and reddish meat. Two tracks from More is more than necessary, while the heretofore unheard “Biding My Time,” unique to this album, is only a modestly good use of it (time, that is). Of course, I’ve never encountered a satisfactory Pink Floyd compilation. The albums are wondrous worlds, the compilations simply star matter stuck together.

TRACK LISTING

1. ARNOLD LAYNE    (Syd Barrett)
2. INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE    (Syd Barrett/Roger Waters/Richard Wright/Nick Mason)
3. SEE EMILY PLAY    (Syd Barrett)
4. REMEMBER A DAY    (Richard Wright)
5. PAINTBOX    (Richard Wright)
6. JULIA DREAM    (Roger Waters)
7. CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE, EUGENE    (Roger Waters/Richard Wright/David Gilmour/Nick Mason)
8. CIRRUS MINOR    (Roger Waters)
9. THE NILE SONG    (Roger Waters)
10. BIDING MY TIME    (Roger Waters)
11. BIKE    (Syd Barrett)

CREDITS

Nick Mason - art work

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