Pink Floyd first attempted to record the piece in a Los Angeles studio on 22 August 1968, but this only resulted in a basic instrumental track and the session was abandoned.

[8] The music consists of a light, organ-based jam, with Wright using the Phrygian mode and an accompanying bass guitar playing just one tone (in this case, D) in octaves.

[11] For the soundtrack to the film The Committee, recorded in early 1968, one piece has the band playing a long instrumental featuring a very similar riff.

[3][13] Director Michelangelo Antonioni had been interested in working with Pink Floyd after hearing "Careful with That Axe, Eugene", and the re-recording was placed in the film's climax where the heroine imagines a villa in Arizona is exploding in slow motion.

[14][a] A further remake was attempted during the Zabriskie Point sessions, and was eventually released as "Explosion" on The Early Years 1965–1972 box, as part of the 1970: Devi/ation volume.

[17][5] An embryonic form was performed on 31 May 1968 at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, under the original title of "Keep Smiling People", which was filmed by NTS and broadcast on 5 July.

[17][20] The Ummagumma version is considerably longer than its studio counterpart, as well as having the organ parts played on Wright's Farfisa Compact Duo rather than a Hammond.

[20] For The Man and The Journey live suite, performed during mid-1969, "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" was played in the second half of the show, under the title "Beset by Creatures of the Deep".

[27] Footage also exists of the group performing the piece on the Australian TV programme, GTK, filmed on 15 August 1971 at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney.

[38][39][40] The soundtrack to The Committee, featuring a prototypical version of the song, was played to press at the film's reception, but remained unreleased until The Early Years 1965–1972.