Originally Posted by jackhammer

ATOM HEART MOTHER (1970)


Before any analysis of the music is commented on, kudos to the Floyd and creative consultant Storm Thorgesen/Hipgnosis for creating a simple yet iconic album cover. Talk about distancing yourselves from the music....curiously it was'nt just the cover art that provided this. ATOM HEART MOTHER is one of the most ambitious, yet undeniable failures in Pink Floyd's back catalogue.

The attempt to marry orchestral/choral work to the Floyd's undenieably ambitious musical leanings was a deeply flawed undertaking. The title track is a 20 minute plus extended piece that includes a few snippets of classic Floyd but nevertheless falls short of the sound that both the Floyd and co-writer (a rare credit for an external writer) Ron Geesin were searching for. The rythmn section (Bass and Guitars) were recorded in one take due to the protracted nature of the Orchestral recordings and a terrible lapse in tempo is evident early on in the track. Even listening back after a long hiatus, it is difficult to find any significant points to recommend this track.

The latter half is more tolerable with contributions from both Wright (SUMMER 68) and Gilmour (FAT OLD SUN). however it is Roger Waters' IF that provides a tiny glimpse into the Floyd that was to come. This acoustic/folk tinged track was an indication both musically and lyrically to what Waters was striving for within Pink Floyd.

ALAN'S PSYCHEDELIC BREAKFAST end's the album is to be truthful an awful track, and one of my least favourite Floyd tracks. Featuring many interludes of engineer Alan Parsons providing a running commentary on his breakfast running over a fairly standard piece of rock/physcedelia that was so prevalent in the late 60'/early 70's.

In summation. A missed opportunity for the Floyd but it still somehow pushed an undisputed masterpiece kicking and screaming from it's tired and flabby body....

Originally Posted by snagglepuss

Nice to see this thread getting a lotta love! I am a super huge Floyd fan, my favorite period being '68-'72. Right after Syd;Right before Dark Side.

However I must disagree with the review of Atom Heart Mother. This entire album is a masterpiece! Especially the title track. Even Stanley Kubrick thought so. He wanted to use it as the theme to A Clockwork Orange, but since he wanted to cut it up and only use pieces of it, Roger Waters said No.
Not sure if that was good thing though, cuz it might have given the Floyd better exposure but then we wouldn't have Wendy Carlos' haunting electronica, now would we?

The guitar solo in Fat Old Sun is just a harbinger of what was to come from David Gilmour. He hadn't really broken out the epic solos until this one.

Summer '68 is Ricks finest achievement, aside from the "ping" that we all know became "Echoes".

If is another foreshadowing of the lyricist that Roger Waters was becoming. More introspective than previous songs

As for Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast, what a beautiful pastoral feeling to this song, especially the first two parts. I dare you to listen to this song and not get the feeling that it's a lazy Sunday morning, newspaper out, bacon sizzling, coffee, toast, eggs, Marmalade(i like marmalade). It's a very relaxing song.

Atom Heart Mother happens to be my favorite PF album. It took a few listens to grow on me. It was the last Floyd album I got into. I can see why people aren't as psyched about AHM as they are about DSOTM.

AHM and Ummagumma are kind of "Rites of Passage" with Floyd nuts cuz I guess if you really like and can get into these albums then you really are a true Floyd fan!

Definitley NOT a "missed opportunity" for the Floyd, nor a "failure" as our reviewer put it. More like a springboard for Darkside.

Originally Posted by jackhammer

However, one of the main problems with the album is creating a third person narrative through the fictional character Pink.

The aforementioned tracks are so obviously Waters emotions, that the creation of a jaded rock star bemoaning his life (Empty Spaces for example) seems trite and a cop out for Waters. He wants to brave his soul but just when it seems like the end of the world, the figure of Pink appears.

It's a shame that this device is used so much during the album. The need to hide behind a fictitous character smacks of a cop out to me and I would have appreciated the album so much more if Waters stopped hiding behind the shadow puppet and laid his soul bare AND acknowledged that is is him.

Originally Posted by Strummer521

I only listen to you talk when I want to hear Emo performed acapella.

Originally Posted by boo boo

Pink isn't based on just Waters.

He's based on Syd too.

Originally Posted by spark10036

Also I know everybody is familiar with the song Wish You Were Here, so try the cover Thom Yorke did for the soundtrack of Lords of Dogtown.One of the best covers I ever listened to.

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I am surprised by the lack of posts but I will persevere!

A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS (1968)


Ahhh. the difficult second album syndrome. Nothing could be more apt for Floyd's follow up to Piper.

Syd Barrett was becoming increasingly more removed from reality due to his copious amount of acid taking. The band had to take the momentous decision of having to bring in a replacement for Barrett. As their chief songwriter, it was a brave; and in terms of their career, fortuitous desicion. Dave Gilmour was drafted in initially to fill in for Barrett live, but his mental state gave them no option to have Gilmour replace him permanently. This gives SAUCERFUL a disjointed feel with Barrett performing on three tracks and Gilmour the remainder. The album has moments of brilliance and utter pap. Let's seperate the wheat from the chaff!

In a rare songwriting spurt, Richard Wright supplies two tracks of which REMEMBER A DAY is undeniably the better. It is a brilliant piece of psychedelic pop with a hypnotic beat replete with Wrights soft soothing vocals.

Another highlight of the album is the beginning of Floyd's link with the term Space Rock (which annoys the hell out of me to be honest) and the Roger Waters penned SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN. Expansive, hypnotic and trippy, the track was also the first time we heard Waters willingness to become one of the main songwriters in Floyd.

The opening track LET THERE BE MORE LIGHT is probably the best example of what was to come from Gilmour. He contributes vocally and there are some guitar chords and motifs that would become the mainstay of the classic Floyd sound.

The title track is a thoroughly disjointed 12 minute instrumental, and could be classed as avant garde. There are some interesting ideas but it lacks any structure. The Floyd became masters of overcoming this trait.

Corporal Clegg is quite frankly terrible. Badly produced and featuring a kazoo (!) hook, it is a rare filler in their discography.

The album closes fittingly on Barretts JUGBAND BLUES.While musically it is not hugely impressive, the lyrics point to a fractured soul and the beginning of a loss to music in general.

JUGBAND BLUES:

And I'm most obliged to you for making it clear
that I'm not here

And I never knew the moon could be so big
And I never knew the moon could be so blue
And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
and brought me here instead dressed in red

And I'm wondering who could be writing this song
I don't care if the sun don't shine
And I don't care if nothing is mine
And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
I'll do my loving in the winter

And the sea isn't green
And I love the queen
And what exactly is a dream?
And what exactly is a joke?

To sum up-an interesting album with many ideas bouncing around, and while it lacks direction, it's plus points far outweigh it's minuses.