Pink Floyd 6: Relics

Something of a stopgap release appeared before the Floyd completed their next album, with the intention of promoting their earlier, less commercial work. Relics combined old singles and album tracks without any real attempt at completeness. Its subtitle, “A Bizarre Collection of Antiques and Curios”, couldn’t have been more apt.

Syd gets plenty of exposure here, with his classic singles “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play”, plus “Bike” and all ten minutes of “Interstellar Overdrive”. “Remember A Day” represents A Saucerful Of Secrets, and Rick gets another vocal with the B-side “Paintbox”. Roger’s “Julia Dream” and “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” (a studio version, with a great scream) were both B-sides as well. The opening and contrasting one-two from More nearly brings us up to date, and there is a true rarity with the inclusion of “Biding My Time”, which had been a centerpiece of various live performances but makes its only album appearance here.

Relics offered the same track listing on both sides of the pond, but while the British got an intricately handsome cover drawing by Nick Mason, Americans were treated to hideous photos of two four-eyed bottle openers. (At least there was helpful recording information on the back cover, for those of us who care about such things.)

When Relics was grandly unveiled on CD in 1996—with new artwork—it missed a perfect opportunity by not including four singles that would certainly have added value, if only to accompany their flipsides. As it is, “Candy And A Currant Bun” and “Apples And Oranges” are currently available on the 40th Anniversary Edition of Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, while “It Would Be So Nice” and “Point Me At The Sky”, briefly available in the Shine On box, are now accessible in the Early Years sets.

Pink Floyd Relics (1971)—3