Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother

9.0 - England - 1970

Certainly a high-point in the Floyd’s middle-period, even though the group themselves frequently deride it in interviews (“a load of rubbish” says David Gilmour).  The title track takes up nearly half the record’s running time and inaugurated the Floydian tradition of side-long multipart epics. Starting and beginning with a strong melody (originally called “Theme From An Imaginary Western”) augmented by Ron Geesin’s string and horn arrangements, the track then settles into a suite of mellower parts (featuring a gorgeous steel guitar solo from Gilmour) and even a bit of funky stuff (the appropriately titled “Funky Dung” section).  There’s even some good ol’ Saucerfulesque noise in there (despite the warning of “Silence in the studio!").

The rest of the album measures up as well.  Waters, Wright, and Gilmour each contribute a track (seemingly carrying on the split solo sections of Ummagumma’s second disc).  Waters’ “If” is a pretty, affecting track in which the irascible bassist seems to come to terms with the fact that he’s a bit of a dick.  Gilmour’s “Fat Old Sun” is a thoroughly pleasant exercise in pastoral rock with a great guitar solo to boot.  But it’s Wright’s “Summer 68” that takes the cake with its upbeat tune and bouncy horn section.  Though released as a single in Japan, somehow this track never became the hit it deserved to be.  Shame that.  Wright seems to have been an underused songwriter – the George Harrison of the group

The album is rounded out by the three part suite, “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast”, that, while pleasant enough, doesn’t really go anywhere until the final half of the last section.  It does border on easy listening muzak to a certain extent, but there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that, and I do like the monologue provide by one of the group’s roadies (“Marmalade, I like marmalade”).