"Scream Thy Last Scream" is a song by

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

, written by frontman

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

and scheduled to be the band's next single after "See Emily Play". Its first official release was on '' The Early Years 1965-1972'' box set in November 2016.

Recording

Only two takes are complete. It was recorded in the same sessions as "

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, appearing on their second album, ''A Saucerful of Secrets'' (1968). It was written by Roger Waters, taking lyrics from a Chinese poetry book, and features ...

", on 7–8 August 1967.

Music and lyrics

The song features several changes in tempo, a sped-up double-tracked vocal part by Barrett, while drummer

Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation i ...

simultaneously sings the normal part (one of only 4 moments he ever sang on a Floyd record),Mason, Nick. ''Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004). . a range of bells, crowd noises, an instrumental section that continually increases in speed featuring wah-wah guitar solos and keyboards, and surreal lyrics. Barrett is only clearly audible on one line in the song, "''she'll be scrubbing bubbles on all fours''".

Aborted release and other versions

The two tracks were arranged to be released as a single on 8 September 1967, before it was vetoed by the band's record company, EMI. The song was again scheduled for release, this time with "Vegetable Man" as the B-side, but cancelled for the second time. "'Scream Thy Last Scream' has lead vocals by

," noted

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...

in 2002. "We did actually perform that one a few times in my very early years with Pink Floyd. I don't know if they Scream_Thy_Last_Scream'_and_' Scream_Thy_Last_Scream'_and_'Vegetable_Man'">Vegetable_Man.html"_;"title="Scream_Thy_Last_Scream'_and_'Vegetable_Man">Scream_Thy_Last_Scream'_and_'Vegetable_Man'were_ever_finally_Audio_mixing_(recorded_music).html" ;"title="Vegetable_Man'.html" ;"title="Vegetable_Man.html" ;"title="Scream Thy Last Scream' and 'Vegetable Man">Scream Thy Last Scream' and 'Vegetable Man'">Vegetable_Man.html" ;"title="Scream Thy Last Scream' and 'Vegetable Man">Scream Thy Last Scream' and 'Vegetable Man'were ever finally Audio mixing (recorded music)">mixed." A late-Barrett era rendition was recorded live in Rotterdam in November 1967, at the Hippy-Happy Fair. Producer Malcolm Jones (who produced Barrett's ''The Madcap Laughs'' album) remixed "Vegetable Man" and "Scream Thy Last Scream", for inclusion on the Barrett rarities album ''

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

'' (1988). However, the band blocked their inclusion. 'Scream Thy Last Scream' and 'Vegetable Man' appeared on many bootlegs until November 2016. The two tracks, along with others such as "Jugband Blues" and another unreleased track called "In the Beechwoods" were remixed in 2010 and also included in the ''Early Years'' box set. A promotional video was made for the track, directed by poet

Spike Hawkins Spike Hawkins (1943-2017) was a British poet, best known for his "Three Pig Poems", included in his one book, the Fulcrum Press collection ''The Lost Fire-Brigade'' (1968). He was part of the poetry scene in Liverpool during the 1960s and much of ...

. A final studio cut of "Scream Thy Last Scream" was completed along with a somewhat different BBC radio version (which features both Barrett and Mason on lead vocals) and even some live recordings.http://pinkfloydhyperbase.dk/unreleased/index.html#SCREAM THY LAST SCREAM All are widely available on bootleg recordings.

Personnel

– guitar, sped-up double-tracked vocals, vocals *

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-s ...

– bass guitar *

Richard Wright Richard Wright may refer to: Arts * Richard Wright (author) (1908–1960), African-American novelist * Richard B. Wright (1937–2017), Canadian novelist * Richard Wright (painter) (1735–1775), marine painter * Richard Wright (artist) (born 19 ...

– Farfisa organ,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated ...

– drums, lead vocals

References

{{Authority control Pink Floyd songs Songs written by Syd Barrett 2016 songs

Recording

Music and lyrics

Aborted release and other versions

Personnel

See also

References