Barrett and Pink Floyd's management wanted the song to be released as a single, but were vetoed by the rest of the band and producer Norman Smith.
[3] Smith recalled that after some considerable effort he was able to contract the eight-piece Salvation Army International Staff Band for the session, which was booked from 7pm to 10pm, but Barrett was almost an hour late arriving.
[9] The video features Barrett (shown with an acoustic guitar for the first time) and the group miming to the song in a more conventional stage setting, with psychedelic projections in the background.
[6] The original audio to the promo is lost, and most versions use the BBC recording from late 1967,[nb 1] consequently causing sync issues most evident as Barrett sings the opening verse.
[12] In a contemporary negative review for A Saucerful of Secrets, Jim Miller of Rolling Stone asserts that ‘Jugband Blues’ "hardly does any credit to Barrett's credentials as a composer.
"[13] Barrett,[3] along with Pink Floyd's managers, Peter Jenner and King, wanted to release the song as a single in the new year,[12] before being vetoed by both the band and Norman Smith.
"[14][15] Barrett, by the beginning of the recording sessions for A Saucerful of Secrets, was already shrinking into a delirious state of mind, exacerbated by his feelings of alienation from the rest of the band.
"[14] "Jugband Blues" is one of two songs (the other being "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun") from A Saucerful of Secrets that were later included on the compilation album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.