| Relics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK cover | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 14 May 1971 (UK)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1967–1969 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:38 | |||
| Label | Starline | |||
| Producer | Pink Floyd,Norman Smith,Joe Boyd | |||
| Pink Floyd chronology | ||||
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| Compact Disc cover | ||||
 Storm Thorgerson created a new cover for the 1996 re-release, photographing a model inspired by the original line drawing. | ||||
| Pink Floyd compilation albums chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| BBC | Positive[3] |
| Blender |  [4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| Yahoo! Music | favourable[6] |
Relics (subtitle:A Bizarre Collection of Antiques & Curios) is a 1971compilation album by English rock bandPink Floyd. The album was released in the UK on 14 May 1971 and in the US on the following day. Initially released by Starline, the compilation was reissued byMusic for Pleasure in the UK, whileHarvest andCapitol distributed the album in the US. A remastered CD was released in 1996 with a different album cover, picturing a three-dimensional model based on the sketch drawn by drummerNick Mason for the album's initial release.[7]
The release ofRelics occurred because the band's record company,EMI, were concerned that they had gone into the studio to record what would becomeMeddle without any songs or ideas, effectively starting from scratch. This, combined with their ever-increasing touring schedule, made EMI realise that no new product would be released for some time, possibly not until well over a year after completing their previous album,Atom Heart Mother. In order to issue some more "product" for fans, they decided to release a budget priced LP on their Starline label, combining early singles, B-sides, album tracks and one unreleased song, "Biding My Time".[8] The compilation contains material from the first three albums:The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,A Saucerful of Secrets andMore.
Relics has been re-released on numerous occasions, and at times without the proper authority. One such incident involved EMI Australia releasing the album on CD in 1987 without the band's consent. This led to the LP being withdrawn and, as a result, the album became a rarity.Relics was made readily available again when it was officially issued on CD in 1996.[9]
Relics was reissued again on CD on 17 June 2016, featuring the original sketch artwork cover and containing the same mastering as the 1996 edition.
Relics was most noted for its inclusion of the band's first twoSyd Barrett-era hit singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play". Due to the lack of available stereo masters, both tracks were reprocessed intoDuophonic stereo for the album's original release (the 1996 CD release reverts to the original mono mixes). Also included were the B-sides of the three follow-up singles, with the tracks "Paint Box", "Julia Dream" and "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" appearing in true stereo.Relics has the only CD release of "Paint Box" that has the same length (3:33) that the original single version had; on the albumsThe Early Singles (1992, part ofShine On),1967: The First Three Singles (1997), and the 40th anniversary edition ofThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn (2007), it fades out about 13 seconds later.
The album was not a definitive collection of non-album material, as several single A-sides were omitted ("Apples and Oranges", "It Would Be So Nice" and "Point Me at the Sky"), as well as one B-side ("Candy and a Currant Bun"). Until this was rectified with the release ofThe Early Singles (1992), it was left to the 1970 compilationThe Best of the Pink Floyd (also known asMasters of Rock) and bootlegs such asThe Dark Side of the Moo to plug the gap on LP.
The album also includes a previously unreleased studio recording of aRoger Waters song, "Biding My Time". The song, originally titled "Afternoon”, had been heard by live audiences as part of theMan and the Journey concert sequence. Following the sessions forUmmagumma, it was reworked as "Biding My Time", before being held over for two years until the release ofRelics. Unusually,Richard Wright plays trombone on this track.[10]
The album cover was designed by drummer Nick Mason, and was inspired by his time studying architecture at theRegent Street Polytechnic. In 2008, Mason sold a limited edition of 195 signed prints of this cover.[11][12]
In addition to variations on the original design, the album was released in several countries with different artwork. The four-eyed face on the original US album cover was an antique bottle opener.
When the album was released on CD, formerHipgnosis partnerStorm Thorgerson had a real-life version of the contraption on the cover made and presented it to Mason. It is still in Mason's office. Both Thorgerson and his assistant, Peter Curzon, came up with the idea after viewing the head sculpture which appeared on the album sleeve ofThe Division Bell, constructed by John Robertson.[13]
While the 2016 CD reissue by Pink Floyd Records reverted to the original sketch cover, it also contains photographs of the three-dimensional object inside the booklet.[14]
In May 2019, for the 48th anniversary of the album's release, Nick Mason's official Twitter account, as well as the official Pink Floyd Facebook page, posted a fan made animation of the original cover art.[15] This animated tribute was made by Scandinavian artist Alex Teglbjærg,Artist on the border.[16] The animation was used by Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets for the Echoes tour of 2022. It was used as the backdrop for the performance of the final song Bike.[17]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Arnold Layne" (SingleA-side released 11 March 1967) | Barrett | Barrett | 2:56 |
| 2. | "Interstellar Overdrive" (fromThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn 1967) | Barrett,Waters,Wright,Mason | instrumental | 9:43 |
| 3. | "See Emily Play" (Single A-side released 17 June 1967) | Barrett | Barrett | 2:53 |
| 4. | "Remember a Day" (fromA Saucerful of Secrets 1968) | Wright | Wright | 4:29 |
| 5. | "Paint Box" (Single B-side to "Apples and Oranges", released 18 November 1967) | Wright | Wright | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 23:34 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Julia Dream" (Single B-side to "It Would Be So Nice", released 13 April 1968) | Waters | Gilmour | 2:37 |
| 7. | "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (Single B-side to "Point Me at the Sky", released 7 December 1968) | Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason | instrumental, vocalizations by Waters and Gilmour | 5:45 |
| 8. | "Cirrus Minor" (fromSoundtrack from the Film More 1969) | Waters | Gilmour | 5:18 |
| 9. | "The Nile Song" (fromSoundtrack from the Film More 1969) | Waters | Gilmour | 3:25 |
| 10. | "Biding My Time" (Previously unreleased, 1969) | Waters | Waters | 5:18 |
| 11. | "Bike" (fromThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn 1967) | Barrett | Barrett | 3:21 |
| Total length: | 25:44 | |||
The Capitol reissue of the cassette (4N-16234) is in original order.
Pink Floyd
Additional personnel
Charts[edit]
| Certifications[edit]
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