Pink Floyd Thread - New Old Releases

[Dave Tudor]

And now, with Steve's permission, the first of two tasters, before the main course on Saturday.

For Syd and Rick

Arnold Layne/Candy And A Currant Bun

Columbia DB 8156
Released 11 March 1967 (UK); 24 April 1967 (US)
Date of UK Chart Entry: 30 March 1967
Highest UK Chart Position: 20 (8 weeks on chart)

Formed in London in early 1965 by an unlikely group of art and architecture students, The Pink Floyd spent the next two years (and several name changes) building up a reputation as the biggest and brightest band on the burgeoning London underground scene. Residents at the legendary Marquee and UFO clubs, ex-Cambridge residents Roger Keith 'Syd' Barrett (lead guitar, vocals) and Roger Waters (bass, vocals), along with Londoners Richard Wright (organ, vocals) and Nick Mason (drums) wowed the freaks, the fashionable and the famous with their lengthy, spaced-out improvisations and mind-bending psychedelic light shows, night after tripped-out night. After forming Blackhill Enterprises in October 1966, a six-way partnership with managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King, The Pink Floyd were soon ready to enter the recording studio for the first time. On 11th and 12th January, at Sound Techniques Ltd. in London, under the guidance of renowned producer Joe Boyd and engineer John Wood, the band recorded two of their more structured jams: Interstellar Overdrive and a new piece which was entitled Nick's Boogie. Neither of these recordings would see the light of day in their entirety for nearly 25 years (these two tracks will thus be covered in due course), although excerpts of Interstellar Overdrive would appear in Tonite Let's All Make Love In London, Peter Whitehead's documentary film of the underground scene, released in December 1967.

Pink Floyd, late 1966

As The Pink Floyd's popularity grew, record companies were soon clamouring for their signature, and it was EMI who eventually captured the band in January 1967. However, despite being known for endless instrumental workouts, it was still common practice for all pop groups at that time to release singles, and Pink Floyd were no exception to the requirement to produce hits. Although Interstellar Overdrive was briefly considered as an unlikely debut single, EMI eventually turned to two Syd Barrett compositions which the band had recorded with Boyd at Sound Techniques on 29 January: Arnold Layne and Candy And A Currant Bun. With Barrett's tale of a Cambridge underwear thief on the A-side, the record was released by EMI's subsidiary Columbia label in March, with plenty of publicity in the music papers, a rather bizarre promo film, an extremely rare 'picture'-sleeved promo disc (now fetching nearly ?5,000 in some quarters, this is undoubtedly the rarest, most sought-after Pink Floyd record) and some reported 'financial help' aiding the disc's climb to a respectable - if unspectacular - number 20 in the British singles charts.

Arnold Layne promo disc label

Although a ban by the normally free-thinking Radio London (they objected to the questionable subject matter of the lyrics) and a debut appearance on BBC-TV's premier music show, Top Of The Pops (now missing from the BBC archives, rather unsurprisingly) did little to help sales, there was no question that The Pink Floyd had well and truly arrived on the British music scene, and Arnold Layne would eventually be regarded as one of the most innovative and influential singles of the era.

ARNOLD LAYNE (Syd Barrett) 2.52

The Beatles' first wasn't exactly great, The Stones' possibly even less so; The Who's and The Small Faces' were pretty good, to be fair, while The Kinks' is now all but forgotten; however, for a British rock act of the 1960?s not normally remembered for their hits, Pink Floyd's debut single is nothing short of a classic. Right from the start, the track sounds way ahead of its time, with Barrett's jangly guitar and unusual, nasally vocals, backed by a solid bass line from Waters, conjuring a sound unlike anything else of that period. It's a curiously upbeat number (especially considering the Floyd's later material) which hides a dark subject matter, its lyrics concerning the titular character?s penchant for stealing ladies' underwear from washing lines and his ultimate fate - unchartered territory for a British pop single, even in 1967. Although not particularly 'psychedelic', the echo-y drums during the bridge are almost obligatory, while Richard Wright produces the first of his trademark 'Turkish Delight' organ solos during the instrumental. The production might now be termed somewhat 'lo-fi', but it's a wonderful piece of work from Joe Boyd (probably better known for his folk rock productions) who effortlessly manages to capture the spirit and integrity of Pink Floyd while giving the band a new commercial flavour. Arnold Layne is a supreme slice of psychedelia, a record which has seen its reputation grow and grow over the years, to the point at which it still influences countless guitar bands to this day.

Arnold Layne promo film

CANDY AND A CURRANT BUN (Syd Barrett) 2.38

If Arnold Layne was controversial, then its trippy, harder-edged B-side was possibly even more so. Originally titled Let's Roll Another One, there are no prizes for guessing what this little number's all about: a heady mix of sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll, its lyrics are almost impenetrable at times (what does Syd sing in that first bridge? "Please just f*** with me"!? Outrageous!) while the pounding drums and the changes in rhythm present an uneasy counterpoint to the flipside. Wright produces a near identical keyboard lick, and it's already evident - surprisingly so, maybe - that he and Barrett are the major musical forces in the group at this point. Candy And A Currant Bun is a strange brew, but it's an extremely listenable track, and a criminally overlooked piece of The Pink Floyd's early history.