Customer Reviews

1967: The First 3 Singles, 30th Anniversary Edition

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LOOKIN FOR THESE 3 SINGLES YOULL EITHER HAVE TO BE A DIE HARD FAN , AND BUT THE SHINE ON BOX SET TO FIND THESE, OR GET THIS.....I GOT BOTH. IF YOU ARE A BARRETT FAN LIKE ME...GET THIS NOW....ITS ONLY A 6 SONG CD, BUT WELL WORTH IT FOR THE 2 UNRELEASED TRACKS...I LISTEN TO THIS 3 OR FOUR TIMES A DAY.....A++++

With this single sampler, the spirit of the first Pink Floyd, led by Barrett, shines again. The 6 songs of the collector sound fresh and childlike, and at the same time are sometimes reflective of the late 60's English society and of the Floyd's early success (and the pressure that came with it). I would recommend it to Syd Barrett (the Floyd's first leader) fans, of course, as well as to anybody who know Pink Floyd's music a bit and want to know more about their psychedelic debuts in the London underground scene. Maybe you shouldn't begin to discover the Floyd's works with this one, though... NB the recording is mono, but the sound quality is perfect. The single sampler includes the first 3 singles of Pink Floyd and their B-sides, i.e. Arnold Layne, Candy and a currant bun, See Emily play, Scarecrow, Apples and oranges and Paintbox. All save one of these songs were previously available, either on Relics or Piper at the gates of dawn. This raises the important question:! the early singles have not all been released yet; Point me at the sky and It would be so nice have never been released outside the Shine on box set. When will EMI release all these singles on a single CD? Floyd fans all over the world are still waiting...

This cd is a great example of the amazing 3min pop-psychedelic songs Syd could write in his glory.(minus paintbox, which is by Rick Wright)It was basically Arnold and Emily which made the floyd into pop stars in 1967 england. Though Arnold, Emily. scarecrow, and Paintbox can be found on other records, such as paintbox, this is only 1 of 2 places i know of to find Candy and a currant bun, which is awesome and shouldve been the a-side to their 1st single instead of the b-side. Then theres Apples and Oranges, which even though it flopped as a single, in the words of Roger Waters, "It's a fu!*ing good song", which it trully is, it was just recorded in to much of a hurry, the band diddnt even get to tune their instruments right. I recomend this for any fan of Floyd's early work, but if possible, look for "The Pink Floyd Early Singles" which was part of the Shine On box set, that disk contains the 6 songs here, but also the singles "It would be so Nice" and "Point Me at the Sky" with their b-sides, "Julia Dream" and "Careful With that Axe Eugene" which are trully classic floyd pieces.

I picked up this cd while in the UK on vacation and it has easily become one of my favorites. "Candy and a Currant Bun" and "Apples and Oranges" are great rare songs that are worth the cost of this sampler CD alone. These plus mono editions of "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play", and more make this essential to anyone who likes early floyd.

I guess I'm something of an oddity, as I love the "classic" Floyd ('Dark Side of the Moon' etc.) as well as the Syd-Floyd. Two different animals i suppose -- like apples and oranges (sorry 'bout that). "Arnold" and "Emily" may sound dated (what doesn't from 1967) but hold up as great pop songs. And I love the lyrics -- "float on a river forever and ever" -- as well as Syd's voice, which often sounds vulnerable in the same way that Gram Parsons' did.

"Candy And A Currant Bun" (originally titled "Let's Roll Another One") is typically great Syd and very catchy (Bowie "Rebel"-era fans, take note). "Scarecrow" is a folkier tune (albeit psychedelic folk) that doesn't quite fit in with the others, but is enjoyable nonetheless (early-Bolan and XTC fans, take note). "Apples And Oranges" is another excellent song marred by poor production and performance -- Syd's terrible sounding wah-wah (the single was released during the Jimi Hendrix tour) and Nick Mason's cymbals are mixed much too loudly, and the background vocals (Roger Waters?) are off-key (attention Dave and/or Roger: how about releasing a remixed version of this wonderful little song, along with the unreleased "Vegetable Man" and "Scream Thy Last Scream"). The Rick Wright tune "Paintbox," although very much "A Day In The Life"-derived, is quite good and fits in nicely with Syd's tunes - much better in fact than Roger Waters' songs from this period. Wright's contribution to the overall sound of these songs -- second only to Barrett's at this point -- should also be credited.

The artwork for this CD is fairly simple but nicely done -- no high concepts here -- as opposed to some of the other similar Floyd collections. It's a nice companion piece to the 'Piper' mono box, although less elaborate, and was actually intended to be a part of that set, sort of a bonus EP of singles from the same period (1967) when Syd was in the band. That's why the other post-Syd singles from 1968 were not included. The front and back covers of the original 45's are displayed on the front and back of the CD cover. The gatefold cover opens to a colorful pastiche of individual and group photos from the period. The design on the disc itself is identical to the 'Piper' mono disc.

First off, let me say that there is some damn good music on here. "See Emily Play" is possibly my favorite Floyd song, and "Arnold Layne" is also great. Hell, everything on here is good, although it's not the most mind-blowingly amazing thing I've ever heard. But what I think is most interesting about this is that you can hear what happened to Syd over the course of 1967. On the first single, "Arnold Layne"/"Candy and a Currant Bun", he's already very good. The second single, "See Emily Play"/"Scarecrow", shows him experimenting more and doing some really strange and interesting stuff. (The distorted piano solo in S.E.P. is a wonderful moment). But "Apples and Oranges," while a good song, is already beginning to sound like what he would do in the '70s after his breakdown--silly, jumpy melody, fragmented lyrics, etc. etc. When you get to the b-side, "Paintbox," it's a shock. After five tracks of Syd Barrett, we have a Richard Wright song, the first non-Barrett single and the first indication of Barrett's fading from the group. The style is vastly different, almost sounding like The Wall at times--but, unlike the Floyd's 70s stuff, it's very good... Perhaps an even more interesting CD is the "early singles" CD from some box set that I got off Ebay, which includes the '68 singles as well. There you can hear the quality steeply drop off after Barrett's leaving, from Wright's pretty good "It Would Be So Nice", to Waters' nice-but-sappy "Julia Dream", to the mildly-irritating "Point Me At the Sky", to the tedious original version of "Careful With That Axe, Eugene."

Most hardcore floyd fans will already have the material contained herein on bootlegs, or possibly the Shine On box set. But for those moderate and beginning floyd fans that are interested in more than just the mainstream floyd, or for any syd barrett fan, this album is essential.

This is an early look at the singles of Pink Floyd, which were vastly different than the albums. It was almost as if The floyd were two different groups. On one hand you had pop(the singles) and on the other you had experimental freedom. This led to much stress at some venues, as the live floyd was much more the album floyd than the singles floyd. There are stories of the band being pelted with coins by angry crowds that came to hear arnold layne and see emily play, and instead got 20 minute and half hour experimental jam sessions.

Dont miss this opportunity to hear a young and vibrant Pink Floyd, with Syd in the height of his powers.

This is a fantastic CD- it's Pink Floyd's early singles. It's also impossible to find so if you're a fan and it's available, definitely get it. The songs are catchy, odd, witty, lyrical, a lot of fun and sound very different from the later work. These singles are more upbeat. The closest thing I can think of that's similar is some Pulp songs from Different Class. If you like Pink Floyd, you'll love this. It gives you a whole different view of the band, and will delight you for hours!

I agree with the previous reviewer (Great Psychedelic Pop!) with a couple of small corrections/comments: I think it's a tambourine or another percussion instrument, not the cymbals, that's mixed too loudly in Apples And Oranges; and, Norman Smith (the EMI staff producer on most of these tracks) would have to be credited ahead of Rick Wright in shaping the overall sound in the studio at this point. For my money, however, Joe Boyd (their original producer) was the man they needed in the producer's chair for these early recordings.

I must add that Rick Wright showed great promise as a songwriter (and vocalist) here and on several other early tracks, but he seems to have been convinced by the other band members that his compositions, especially the lyrics, weren't very good. Too bad. I wish he'd been a little more assertive and stuck with it. He couldn't fill Syd's rather large psychedelic sneakers, but I enjoy his songs nonetheless.

Regarding the David Bowie, Marc Bolan, & XTC comparisons, I think all three have gone on record as citing Syd Barrett as a major influence. Bowie even did a version (a not very good one) of See Emily Play on Pinups, and Bolan - well, just look at his hair, makeup, and clothes, or listen to just about any T.Rex lyric. XTC's Dukes of Stratosphear is practically an homage (a very good one) to early Pink Floyd, as well as several other bands from that era.

David Gilmour has said he is not opposed to officially releasing the oft-bootlegged Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett songs Vegetable Man and Scream Thy Last Scream, but also pointed out that the decision isn't really his to make, since he wasn't in the band when they were recorded. If you've heard these songs then you know they are interesting but not on the same level, quality-wise, as most of the released material. Think Barrett solo material, rather than some unearthed Emily-style gem.

This record has to be one of my PF favourites, it's great and such gems as "Arnold Layne", "Scarecrow", "See Emily Play" and "Apples and Oranges" really make the time listening worthwhile. I bought Relics and Piper at the Gates of Dawn before, and this sorts out the best tracks from them and a few more ones and the whole is staggering, GREAT RECORD!

//Gustaf Lindquist