The Taxman Cometh

Pearl Bar runs up a hefty tab with the comptroller's office as once-hot Washington Avenue sings the blues.

Comments (0) By Chris Gray and Craig Hlavaty Wednesday, Jan 23 2013

3. "Give Birth to a Smile": Only ever released on a soundtrack called Music from "The Body" and credited to Roger Waters and Ron Geesin, this earlier song might be the most recognizable as in the later Floyd style, featuring a church choir of backing vocalists and the rich organ tones they would become much better known for on Dark Side.

2. "Careful with That Axe, Eugene": So beloved in the Floyd canon that it is one of the only middle-era Floyd songs to be played even after Dark Side was released, and in fact stayed in the band's set lists all the way to the late '70s, "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is one of the darkest tracks the band has ever recorded. (Don't listen to it on hard drugs or you're gonna have a bad trip.) Note Waters's manic screaming on this track as well, which ended up being far ahead of its time in rock history.

James Bricker

Dwight Taylor Lee performs with the Literary Greats at the 2012 Main Street Block Party.

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1. "The Embryo": Standing out as one of the greatest early Floyd tracks, "The Embryo" was never recorded in its full version by the band. A short, softer version appeared on the Works compilation, but the ten-minute psych-rock version they played live remains the exclusive domain of bootlegs.

This is a shame, because "Embryo" is a classic example of Floyd's evolution, mixing their early eerie psychedelic style with what we would hear more of on "Echoes" and Meddle just a short time later.