Relics (album)

The release of Relics occurred because the band's record company, EMI, were concerned that they had gone into the studio to record what would become Meddle 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".{{cite book|last=Povey|first=Glenn|title=Echoes : The Complete History of Pink Floyd|year=2006|publisher=Mind Head Publishing|isbn=978-0-9554624-0-5|edition=New|page=124|access-date=14 September 2012|chapter=The Sound of Music in My Ears 1970–1971|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qnnl3FnO-B4C&q=relics&pg=RA1-PA1973}} The compilation contains material from the first three albums: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucerful of Secrets and More.

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 This led to the LP being withdrawn and, as a result, the album became a rarity.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.{{cite web|url=http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1529377 |title=Relics@Everything2.com |publisher=Everything2.com |date=3 April 2004}}

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 two Syd Barrett-era hit singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play". Due to the lack of available stereo masters, both tracks were reprocessed into Duophonic 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 albums The Early Singles (1992, part of Shine On), 1967: The First Three Singles (1997), and the 40th anniversary edition of The 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 of The Early Singles (1992), it was left to the 1970 compilation The Best of the Pink Floyd (also known as Masters of Rock) and bootlegs such as The Dark Side of the Moo to plug the gap on LP.

The album also includes a previously unreleased studio recording of a Roger Waters song, "Biding My Time". The song, originally titled "Afternoon”, had been heard by live audiences as part of the Man and the Journey concert sequence. Following the sessions for Ummagumma, it was reworked as "Biding My Time", before being held over for two years until the release of Relics. Unusually, Richard Wright plays trombone on this track.{{Cite book|last=Kopp|first=Bill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVlHDwAAQBAJ&q=Biding+My+Time+Pink+Floyd&pg=PA89|title=Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to the Dark Side of the Moon|date=2018-02-09|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-5381-0828-4|language=en}}

The album cover was designed by drummer Nick Mason, and was inspired by his time studying architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic. In 2008, Mason sold a limited edition of 195 signed prints of this cover.{{cite web|url=http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/archive/nick-mason-relics-limited-edition-signed-print.html|title=Nick Mason "Relics" limited edition signed print|date=8 March 2008|access-date=14 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115232946/http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/archive/nick-mason-relics-limited-edition-signed-print.html|archive-date=15 November 2008|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.brain-damage.co.uk/archive/nick-mason-relics-launch-at-birmingham-gallery.html|title=Nick Mason - Relics launch at Birmingham gallery|publisher=Brain Damage|date=1 April 2008|access-date=14 September 2012}}

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, former Hipgnosis partner Storm 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 of The Division Bell, constructed by John Robertson.{{cite web|url=http://www.stpaulsgallery.com/album-prints/pink-floyd-relics-print-signed-by-nick-mason.asp?s...%20%3Ca%20href=|title=Pink Floyd Relics Limited Edition Album Print Signed By Nick Mason|date=September 2012}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-Relics/release/9953225|title=Pink Floyd – Relics (2016, Gatefold Sleeve, CD)|year=2016 |via=www.discogs.com}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/nickmasondrums/status/1128615347660234753|title=Nick Mason on Twitter|access-date=16 May 2019}} This animated tribute was made by Scandinavian artist Alex Teglbjærg, Artist on the border.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/mmxp|title=Alexander Teglbjærg on Youtube|website=YouTube |access-date=16 May 2019}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGnqK9-y3I4 |website=Youtube.com |publisher=Kingsize music |access-date=27 April 2022|title=Nick Masons Saucerful of Secrets - Bike - Liverpool Philharmonic 18/04/2022 |date=19 April 2022 }}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title1 = Arnold Layne

| note1 = Single A-side released 11 March 1967

| writer1 = Barrett

| extra1 = Barrett

| length1 = 2:56

| title2 = Interstellar Overdrive

| note2 = from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn 1967

| writer2 = Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason

| extra2 = instrumental

| length2 = 9:43

| title3 = See Emily Play

| note3 = Single A-side released 17 June 1967

| writer3 = Barrett

| extra3 = Barrett

| length3 = 2:53

| title4 = Remember a Day

| note4 = from A Saucerful of Secrets 1968

| writer4 = Wright

| extra4 = Wright

| length4 = 4:29

| title5 = Paint Box

| note5 = Single B-side to "Apples and Oranges", released 18 November 1967

| writer5 = Wright

| extra5 = Wright

| length5 = 3:33

| total_length = 23:34

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title6 = Julia Dream

| note6 = Single B-side to "It Would Be So Nice", released 13 April 1968

| writer6 = Waters

| extra6 = Gilmour

| length6 = 2:37

| title7 = Careful with That Axe, Eugene

| note7 = Single B-side to "Point Me at the Sky", released 7 December 1968

| writer7 = Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason

| extra7 = instrumental, vocalizations by Waters and Gilmour

| length7 = 5:45

| title8 = Cirrus Minor

| note8 = from Soundtrack from the Film More 1969

| writer8 = Waters

| extra8 = Gilmour

| length8 = 5:18

| title9 = The Nile Song

| note9 = from Soundtrack from the Film More 1969

| writer9 = Waters

| extra9 = Gilmour

| length9 = 3:25

| title10 = Biding My Time

| note10 = Previously unreleased, 1969

| writer10 = Waters

| extra10 = Waters

| length10 = 5:18

| title11 = Bike

| note11 = from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn 1967

| writer11 = Barrett

| extra11 = Barrett

| length11 = 3:21

| total_length = 25:44

}}

The Capitol reissue of the cassette (4N-16234) is in original order.

Pink Floyd

• Syd Barrett – lead and rhythm guitar (1–5, 11), lead vocals (1, 3, 11), backing vocals
• David Gilmour – lead and rhythm guitar (6–10), lead vocals (6, 8, 9), vocalizations (7), backing vocals
• Nick Mason – drums (1–3, 5–7, 9–11), percussion, original cover design
• Roger Waters – bass guitar (all tracks), lead vocals (10), vocalizations (7), backing vocals
• Rick Wright – Farfisa organ (1–4, 8), Hammond organ (6–8, 10), piano (3–5, 10, 11), lead vocals (4, 5), backing vocals; tack piano (3, 5, 11), electric harpsichord (3), Mellotron (6), vibraphone (7), trombone (10), harmonium (11), celesta (11), violin (11)

Additional personnel

• James Guthrie – remastering supervision
• Norman Smith – drums and backing vocals (4), drum roll (2)
• Doug Sax – remastering

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Relics}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=Pink Floyd|title=Relics|award=Gold|certyear=2013|certmonth=08|id=12146-1497-2|access-date=10 June 2016}}

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Category:Albums produced by David Gilmour

Category:Albums produced by Joe Boyd

Category:Albums produced by Nick Mason

Category:Albums produced by Norman Smith (record producer)

Category:Albums produced by Richard Wright (musician)

Category:Albums produced by Roger Waters

Category:Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis

Category:Albums with cover art by Storm Thorgerson

Category:Pink Floyd compilation albums

Category:1971 compilation albums

Category:Capitol Records compilation albums

Category:EMI Records compilation albums

Category:Harvest Records compilation albums

Category:B-side compilation albums