How Syd Barrett's 'Scream Thy Last Scream' Became a Holy Grail — and What Its 2015 Release Meant

For decades, Pink Floyd collectors treated “Scream Thy Last Scream” like a ghost story. Recorded in August 1967 during Syd Barrett’s final sessions with the band, it was one of the last songs he wrote before his mental state unraveled and the group replaced him with David Gilmour. The track was mixed, sequenced as a potential single with “Vegetable Man” on the B-side, then shelved and never officially released. A handful of low-quality bootlegs circulated among fans, and the song became the holy grail — not just because it was rare, but because it captured Syd at his most fractured and experimental, complete with sped-up vocals, odd time signatures, and lyrics about a “cellophane cat” and a “butcher baby.”

When the Early Years 1965–1972 box set finally dropped in 2015, including a cleaned-up version of “Scream Thy Last Scream,” it wasn’t just a treat for completists. It gave fans the closest thing to closure on Syd’s abrupt exit. Hearing the song in proper stereo, alongside “Vegetable Man,” revealed a songwriter still pushing boundaries even as his grip was slipping. The release acknowledged that these lost songs weren’t embarrassing relics — they were essential to understanding Pink Floyd’s pivot from psychedelic whimsy to something darker. For those who’d only encountered the track as a hissy bootleg, the 2015 version felt like finding a missing piece of the band’s DNA.