The Cavern
Rock & Words
ATOM HEART MOTHER (Pink Floyd, 1970)
Artist: Pink Floyd (B+)
Recording Dates: Mar – Ago –‘70
Release Date: October 10th, 1970. UK
Record Label: Harvest / EMI
Producerr: Pink Floyd y Norman Smith
Rating: 7.5
Era: Progressive (1968-???)
Subgenre: Progressive
Best Song: Summer of ’68, and some fragments from Atom.
Tracklist: 1) Atom Heart Mother; 2) If; 3) Summer '68; 4) Fat Old Sun; 5) Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast.
The problem with Atom Heart Mother is that it was actually a serious attempt by the band to sound progressive, dazzling, and gigantic. If it were some kind of psychedelic Barrett-esque joke, it would still be an average album, but perhaps it would make more sense and elicit a few smiles. By 1970, Pink Floyd was still seriously searching for their path, but they were still lost in limbo, without a clear leader, without a particular style, and as a result, they continued to make disjointed and incoherent albums. It's not that there aren't good songs; "If," in its minimalism, has its charm; "Summer '68" is one of the best things Rick wrote on his own; even "Fat Old Sun," in its artificial simplicity, is beautiful. But a pseudo-progressive suite with classical touches of over 23 minutes? Seriously? And Alan's psychedelic breakfast? What kind of track is that? Why did people in the 70s think that avant-garde was synonymous with the most bizarre, strange, and nonsensical sounds they could record? Perhaps the idea wasn't bad at first, but enduring that barrage of noise for 13 minutes?
Atom Heart Mother is often called the band's most progressive album, if Pink Floyd was ever truly a progressive band. I partially agree. The first side, entirely covered by the very long and complex suite, is certainly the most prog they ever attempted. The second side, on the other hand, is more folk and tranquil, and is definitely enjoyable, although neither became a classic for the group.
The album's problem is its enormous lack of cohesion and direction. At this time, without a visible leader, they tried to create albums democratically, with everyone contributing to the songwriting. Well, except for Mason, whose lamentable result we already saw on the second Ummagumma album. The issue is that none of them had fully developed as songwriters, they didn't maintain a consistent style, and the multiple influences meant that the songs had little or nothing to do with each other, resulting in weak and disjointed albums. Thus, "Atom Heart Mother" was heavily influenced by Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra, released at the end of '69. Apparently, the album wasn't so bad, since a lot of bands started to think it was cool to add a whole orchestra to their sound, even if it was completely unnecessary and they hadn't the faintest idea how to balance classical and rock sounds. And there are some good attempts, but 23 minutes seems excessive to me. On the other side, we have minimalist tracks that contrast with the pretentiousness of the suite. “If” is lovely, an acoustic track by Roger with a vague Simon & Garfunkel influence. “Summer of '68” is a Rick Wright song, more melodic, with greater polish and a smoother transition, perhaps a bit dated to the hippie era and with a distant Procol Harum vibe, but it's still a beautiful track. Gilmour's “Fat Old Sun” is also a lovely, very minimalist song, but it's clear he's trying to copy Ray Davies' style, even in the vocal inflections. And “Alan's bla bla bla” is a mix of all the experimental and bizarre collages made in the name of the Avant-Garde, from “Revolution #9” to the abomination they themselves created on Ummagumma's second album. Don't they ever learn? Well, after this album, it seems they finally did.
I know many will disagree, but I get the impression they went into recording this album just to see what would happen, to see what would come out, with the sole idea of doing something more experimental and extravagant than what they had already done. Even the name itself suggests a lack of planning and ideas. The title is super cool, definitely, but Roger came up with it after they couldn't even agree on a title, so they just picked a random magazine headline and this is what came out. The cover too. They wanted the least Pink Floyd, the least psychedelic thing possible, something totally neutral and meaningless, so they sent photographer Storm Thorgeson with these instructions, and the first thing he found in the field was this beautiful Holstein specimen named Lullubelle. As if things weren't improvised enough, they named different sections of the suite with bovine references, like "Breast Milky" or "Funky Dung."
Somehow, the album managed to reach number one in England, though it didn't do as well in the United States. I attribute this more to the fact that it was one of the first albums with quadraphonic sound (engineered by Alan Parsons) than to any "enormous musical quality." Perhaps this was the album's greatest strength, because had it failed again, the band members were already talking about going their separate ways. And on their next studio album, a clear evolution and direction for their sound would finally be noticeable.
The album opens with “Atom Heart Mother”. I must be frank, of all Pink Floyd's epic suites, this is the one I find least memorable. There are great moments in “A Saucerful of Secrets,” and quite a few more in “Careful With That Axe Eugene,” with very distinct sections; “Echoes” would already be a masterpiece, not to mention “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” or the suites from Animals. But I'm sure I'm not the only one in the world who doesn't remember “Atom Heart Mother” for anything in particular, no matter how hard I try. I can at least hum fragments of the others, but this suite, although it has some good parts, escapes my memory, and when I try to recall the horn section, I invariably end up thinking of King Crimson's “Fallen Angel.” Even at the end, I'm left wondering if it was instrumental or included vocals, and I have to go back to find some very impressionistic choirs, but no vocal melody per se, nor lyrics. Furthermore, it's the longest studio piece they ever recorded. Ron Geesin is listed as a co-author as the orchestra's arranger, but they ended up having a falling out with him, and he left the piece unfinished. The suite begins with "Fathers Shout." It opens with a subtle Hammond organ by Rick, followed by a wind section, which establishes the suite's main theme at 1:25. The intensity then decreases, and sounds of engines, ambulances, horses, explosions, and other sounds are introduced . This section lasts until 2:50. Then comes "Breat Milky" with a cello and organ solo, which begins to accelerate, accompanied by Mason's drum rolls. Gilmour then plays a slide guitar, and the intensity gradually increases until the section ends at 5:25. "Mother Fore" begins almost silently, with a very faint organ and a soprano voice in the background, building to a slow, very slow crescendo. Gradually, more voices join in, creating a beautiful, solemn, and dramatic harmony, almost Handelesque, but lacking a particularly memorable melody. The band enters towards the end of the section, but never quite explodes. And so we arrive at 10:10, when the choir fades away and “Funky Dung” begins, with a keyboard intro that vaguely reminds me of “The Great Gig In The Sky” with its Farfisa tone, but then Gilmour’s guitar dispels the effect. David isn’t bad, but it’s very disorganized. It feels like an improvisation, as if they’d said, “Hey, fire up the machines, let’s jam and see what comes out…” Well, it feels that way because that’s what it was. It’s a jam. Then the backing vocals enter with a similar effect to the staccato ending of the previous section, the horns come in, and another 5 minutes pass until 15:20, when this part ends. “Mind Your Throat” opens with the main theme we hear in the first few minutes (and no, I don't even remember that one afterward), and then they slap on a rather nonsensical electronic collage. Wright uses a Mellotron to add dissonances and exotic sounds, and just when we were starting to suspect that Yoko must have had something to do with it (after all, it was recorded at Abbey Road Studios), a distorted voice says, “Here is a loud announcement.” But they don't make any announcement, much to our disappointment. Then the final section, called “Remergence,” begins with a kind of reprise of the main theme, followed by a violin or cello solo. David then layers two slide solos in different keys as they begin the crescendo of the coda, dramatic until it reaches a disorganized climax with choirs, the entire orchestra, and the band performing perhaps the best sequence of the suite. And that's it. I don't know where people see the exquisiteness and magic in it. It's incredibly long, pretentious, experimental, pseudo-classical, epic, and monstrous. But it's not monumental. Not everything that's over 20 minutes long should be considered the eighth wonder of the world, right? Although I understand if there are people who think the complete opposite and adore the song. Personally, I insist, I think it's the weakest of their epic tracks.
“If” is a Waters song, sung by himself. A song somewhere between folk and pastoral, not unlike Grantchester Meadows. A lovely arpeggio on acoustic guitar, followed by an effective slide guitar solo from David that enters at 1:25 with a lethargic and dreamy atmosphere. The lyrics are introspective, speculative, and at times give the impression that it's the first song he dedicated to Syd Barrett, given the references to madness. Furthermore, Roger's singing style is calm, almost warm, nothing like the aggressive, almost shouted tone he usually uses. A good ballad.
Rick Wright steals the show with “Summer of '68”, the best track on the album. Apparently, he sings it himself, although at first I was fooled into thinking it was David. The song is much more vibrant, with a beautiful piano intro and hippie-ish lyrics about a one-night stand. The melody is wonderful, and then comes that more festive shift to the bridges, “How do you feel…” with the “parapapaaaaaaa” very much in the style of the Beach Boys. There’s a trumpet solo, also somewhere between Beach Boys and Beatles, and then the acoustic guitar accentuates the strumming, and the whole thing is colorful and full of good hippie vibes. Towards the end, they indulge in small rhythm changes and bombastic figures with the horn section, much better handled than in the suite. It’s true, it’s a bit dated, but it’s catchy, beautiful, and moving, and it’s impossible not to be swept away by the aura of optimism that surrounds it. Well done, Rick!
“Fat Old Sun” is David's contribution. Another acoustic ballad, somewhat mellow. I have nothing against it in particular; it's nice, but not very memorable. Gilmour tries hard to imitate not only Ray Davies's songwriting style but also his singing, complete with inflections and falsettos. This could easily have been Arthur from The Kinks, wouldn't you say? On the other hand, the guitar at the end isn't bad, but it doesn't strike me as David's most inspired moment. There's nothing wrong with this series of songs; in fact, the calm, relaxed, and feel-good atmosphere makes you think they've finally found a style leaning towards experimental folk. You can't say anything bad about them, but there's not much good or noteworthy to say either, and it's no wonder it doesn't appear on any of Floyd's collections or anthologies.
The album closes with “Alan Psychedelic Breakfast”. Note: if you don't want to be pigeonholed as a psychedelic band, don't include a track like this or give it a psychedelic title. Since they were 13 minutes short of filling the album, what better way than to record a guy in the kitchen cracking eggs, frying bacon, and chewing? All that was missing was a burp or a trip to the bathroom. While we listen to this delicacy, there are instrumental sounds, mostly little piano flourishes from Wright or guitar riffs from Gilmour, but really at an amateurish level, without direction, improvising in the most childish and silly way. And the worst part is that it lasts 13 minutes when the joke only lasted 1 or 2! Maybe it's funny on the first listen, but after a while, you start to suspect that these guys were totally dependent on Syd to do any decent experimentation.
The album isn't as terrible as many people say. Roger Waters said it was an album that no one should ever hear again, in an interview he gave in '85. Dave Gilmour said in 2001 that it was the lowest point artistically in the band's entire history. I don't know if it's that bad. But it's not something to be worshipped like by many die-hard fans who say the Main Suite is a conceptual masterpiece. The truth is, it's a very, very average album; and Pink Floyd isn't an average band.
Depending on your mood, it can be enjoyable, or it can seem boring and bland. It really depends on the listener and how they woke up. What I do know is that I don't recommend it as a starting point for discovering Floyd, since it's not a representative album of their sound or their best work, and it's perhaps best suited for those looking for the complete collection. Fortunately, from this point on, Waters would slowly begin to take the reins, and the band would start its transition to its mature period. A radical change, which fortunately would be for the better. This is the last step back before gaining momentum and taking the Great Leap.
By Corvan
Oct/28/2011
