So I got Ummagumma for Christmas

And I open it up and take the poster out and the first thing I do is copy the music onto my computer before I even listen to it. So I copied the studio album and went to copy the live album, and honest to god it was another studio album. I was like WOW

HEy man, im in ur shoes right now, haha, i got the same thing
but now im confused, so if anyone would like to tell me, where did CAreful with that axe, Eugene come from? WAs it on an album, was it released only in live form on UMMAGUMMA, and on relics, and on the live at pompie DVD? I fell in love with the song and i would love somg backround on it. THAnks!

"Careful With That Axe, Eugene" was the b-side to the "Point Me At The Sky" single, released 17 Dec, 1968. There are at least 2 different studio versions... well mixes as far as I can tell: One stereo and one mono, one on Relics and one on the PMATS single..... I don't remember if they are different RECORDINGS, but the mix is very different. (Botley?)

Also, there is "Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up" which is a version of the song recorded especially for the Zabriskie Point soundtrack, apparently CWTA,E was what perked up the director's ears to getting the Floyd for the movie.... and the freakout is especially nice on this version, synching with an explosion at the end of the movie.

When played live, CWTA,E was often played immediately following Green Is The Colour. (that order, I believe came from its place in The Journey)

Other names for the song are "Keep Smiling People", "Murderistic Women", "Beset By Creatures of the Deep" and "The One Chord Wonder"

[edit] Okay, according to the "full-of-errors" book "Another Brick In the Wall", the version that appeared as the B-Side to PMATS was the fourth recorded version of the song... but the first to be officially released. Recorded 2 Nov 1968. It also claims that the name Eugene came from the ASide (Point Me...etc) which also mentions "Eugene." [/edit]

The Zabriskie Point version is the best out of all the studio attempts.

By the way, I took the CD back and the worker was like wow that's weird and they gave me a gift receipt thing so I bought More instead, and I'm getting Ummagumma this week. lol and I forgot to take the poster that came with Ummagumma back so I guess I'll have 2 of those

More is an altogether better record than UmmaGumma.

And not all UmmaGumma editions come replete with poster, you probably did the smart thing/

More is way better.

Yea Ummagumma studio isn't that great, I listened to More a few times since yesterday and I like it alot.

Yup... same take, different mix. The vocalizations are MUCH louder on the mono version, especially at the end. Creepy!

There was a very primitive version recorded at the BBC on 25 June 1968 under the "Murderistic Women" title. They also used part of this song in the Committee soundtrack (without giving a title). It was performed live a few times before the single came out, when Roger introduced it as "Keep Smiling People." None of these editions had the "scream" in the middle and I don't think "Murderistic Women" had any vocalizations at all.

The "Beset By Creatures of the Deep" moniker is from the Man and the Journey cycle... after "The Beginning" (aka Green Is the Colour) was played they used some wave noises to introduce CwtAE/BbCotD. This was after the single containing "Careful With That Axe Eugene" was released, though... so I don't think the new title fooled anybody. "One Chord Wonder" might be a working title, or more likely just a nickname.

I don't know exactly what "four recorded versions" the book is referring to, but although I have at least 90 different recordings of this song there have indeed been only four officially released takes: the one on Relics (in stereo), the one on the single (in mono), the one on Zabriskie Point, and the one on Ummagumma. But the single was the first of these to see release.

I like that title

Taken as a whole, yes. Sysyphus and the Vizier drag Ummagumma down, as a whole, well below More.


But if we were to cut out everything but the middle 5 tracks (Grantchester, Species, Narrow Way 123) then Ummagumma would overall be better than More.

What's good about Several Species?

The sound effects are very entertaining and "avant garde" (as dave says in the song)

It's floyd experimentation at its best. Sysyphus and Vizier is Floyd at its worst, really.


Species is awesome, frankly. It's weird but good.

I keep wondering, in fact.

I enjoyed the live album.