Pink Floyd has one of those fanbases that leave few stones unturned. Their excavation of the band’s discography leaves anyone trying to come up with a deep cut with a hard task. Nevertheless, we’ve compiled a few non-singles that are less known by casual fans for your listening pleasure.
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We’ve shied away from The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon given their status in the band’s mythos. If those two albums are all you know from Pink Floyd, take a gander at five of their best deep cuts, below.
[RELATED: The Story Behind the Album Cover: Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’]
1. “Jugband Blues”
“Jugband Blues” would go on to become Syd Barrett’s final hurrah with Pink Floyd. Before sessions for the accompanying record A Saucerful of Secrets could begin, the former frontman’s mental health began to deteriorate causing him to eventually be replaced.
His last contribution to the band, “Jugband Blues,” was the paradigm of his songwriting style: playful and riddled with darkness. He all but calls out his bandmembers with the lyrics: It’s awfully considerate of you to think of me here / And I’m most obliged to you for making it clear / That I’m not here. The curtain drew on Barrett’s time with Pink Floyd after Saucerful, but this song sears his shadow into the band’s history.
2. “Green Is The Colour”
Pink Floyd is largely known for their psychedelic offerings, but they aren’t strangers to the softer side of rock either. As an example of that affinity check out “Green Is The Colour.” The song was composed for the Barbet Schroeder film “More.” In the lyrics, Roger Waters creates a love letter to Ibiza—the setting of Schroeder’s film.
The lyrics are riddled with stunning imagery: She lay in the shadow of the wave / Hazy were the visions of her playing / Sunlight on her eyes but / Moonshine beat her blind every time. Pink Floyd’s slower numbers are just as spinworthy as their extended, spacey anthems.
3. “Autumn ’68”
The Endless River is mostly composed of old demos and one-off deep cuts. Among which is “Autumn ’68.” The song features Richard Wright playing the Royal Albert Hall’s organ one night before a show. The spontaneous organ line is coupled with a more modern recording of David Gilmour playing guitar, bridging the gaps between Pink Floyd’s expansive career.
4. “Poles Apart”
Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson, is to thank for this deep cut. She comes in hot with the lyrics to “Poles Apart.”
You were always the golden boy then/ And that you’d never lose that light in your eyes, she wrote as a pointed message to Barrett, before adding in a slight to Waters, Hey you/ Did you ever realize what you’d become? And did you see / That it wasn’t only me you were running from? While he looked to outside sources for the lyrics, he delivers his up-teenth fantastic guitar solo towards the end of the song.
5. “What Shall We Do Now?”
“What Shall We Do Now?” was originally set to appear on The Wall before technical limitations got it cut. Nevertheless, the band did include it during their live shows for the album and the 1982 film adaptation. Waters wrote very Waters lyrics for this one: Shall we work straight through the night?/ Shall we get into fights?/ Leave the lights on?/ Drop bombs?/ Do tours of the East?/ Contract diseases? It likely would’ve been a good fit on The Wall, but let’s just be thankful we got to hear it at all. Plus, it hits hard live, so arguably that is the best circumstance for its release.
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