The Lost Pastoral: Why 'In the Beechwoods' Didn’t Make Piper

“In the Beechwoods” is one of the oddest Syd Barrett-era instrumentals – a drowsy, droning piece built around a simple two-chord pattern. The prominent instruments are Syd’s acoustic guitar (lightly fingerpicked), a slide guitar that seems to float in and out, and a meandering organ. The most interesting technique is the backwards tape loop that appears around the one-minute mark, a playful studio trick that feels more like a doodle than a finished idea.

The track was recorded during the Piper at the Gates of Dawn sessions in early 1967 but never made the final cut. The likely reason: it was too long and formless for a pop album. The band had already filled the LP’s 14 songs with tighter psychedelic nuggets, and “Beechwoods” – with its drifting, unedited feel – probably felt like a sketch rather than a proper track. It only surfaced decades later on the 1965: Their First Recordings compilation, giving fans a rare glimpse of Syd’s quiet, woodsy side.