Pink Floyd Album: “Atom Heart Mother”

I've been a Pink Floyd fan for years and track down all their obscure stuff just like every other fan. This album usually falls through the cracks when Pink Floyd's massive canon of work is reviewed. Too bad, because this album is truly groundbreaking.

Listen to such magic as Summer of 68, which uses some nice horn work. The title track is a sprawling opus mixing classical, rock and funk with great effect. My all-time favorite is Fat Old Sun, which just might be the best PF song ever. The guitar track in this song is quite simply mindblowing. Even better then Comfortably Numb, in my opinion. The album is rounded out by the acoustic beauty of If and the fun Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast, which has great percussion work by Nick Mason.

Any serious Floyd aficianado already has this album, but budding fans need to pick it up. Besides, you newbies have to give yourself a break from The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon, anyway!

Among my first Pink Floyd albums were Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, and Animals. Once I listened to this album, I was astonished that I had never heard of it before.

I would almost rate this album to be better than The Wall (by far their best album, and in my opinion, the most incredible created of all time) but it would have to be much longer (if it was a double-cd album, I'd have a much harder decision!).

Still, this is plenty long. With only 5 songs, it weighs out at over 52 minutes! The first song alone is 23 minutes long! You will, as I have, fall in love with these songs - "Fat Old Sun" and "Summer of '68" are some of my favorite songs of all time.

If you've heard other Pink Floyd, such as Ummagumma or Meddle, you may have heard a very abstract form of Pink Floyd (synthesizers and songs that almost drain on, sounding more like sounds than written music). This album takes a step away from that with some of the most musical PF on any cd.

I own every single Pink Floyd album ever created, and this is probably my 2nd favorite. I strongly urge you to buy a copy, it is necessary for any classic rock fan!

Sorry if I misquoted the reviewer below, but how can anyone put down early Pink Floyd like that? The Wall and all of the following albums simply lacked the creativity of the older years. Even Dark Side of the Moon is getting less interesting (The only time I still listen to it is with Wizard of Oz). To insult early Floyd as the reviewer below did is completely ridiculous. Atom Heart Mother is a wonderful example of the CREATIVE AND AMAZING WORKS OF EARLY POST-DRUG(Syd Barrett) PINK FLOYD. The title track is an epic triumphant piece, fusing classical music and vintage Floyd to create an unforgettable song. The slide guitar in "If" is memorable, as well as the lyrics. "Summer '68" is all around excellent, especially the brass section, "Fat Old Sun" is a wonderful lazy song with an excellent guitar solo, and "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast", although many consider it to be a novelty track, includes some very fine melodies, some extremely similar to their later works (Meddle, etc.). So it is on that note that I spit in the face of the reviewer below. Sell your copy of The Wall, buy Atom Heart Mother, and listen to it with pride.

Not only is Atom Heart Mother a superb reflection of Pink Floyd's innovative nature, but it also contains some absolutely brilliant music. It would be wrong to call this a "prog rock" album as that immediately puts the band into a category with ELP and friends, which seems silly when you look at the scope of Floyd's music, which goes well beyond the confines of quasi-classical pomp rock. Pink Floyd represent the good side of progressive music. The side which is a progressive embrace of the arts rather than just a dismissive pigeon-hole.

Atom Heart Mother opens with a sprawling epic, which encompasses everything from funk to classical, from dissonant keyboard experiments to soaring guitar and organ duals between Dave and Rick. In typically off-the-wall-and-out-of-the-window fashion the band employed avant garde' composer Ron Geesin and crafted an orchestrated masterpiece around a brilliant collection of themes, melodies, rhythms and timeless Gilmour soloes. The composition exceeds twenty three minutes and is divided into six parts (all of which, it appears, are about cows) including the cannily titled "Mind your throats please". It may not be the most accessable album opener but it can't be over-emphasised how GOOD this piece is.

On the second side Roger's obscure genius shines on the subtle ballad "If", with lyrics which ponder on the inexplainable flaws of humans and the threat of madness ("If I go insane, please don't put your wires in my brain").

"Summer '68", Rick's bouncey pop song, has an irresistable rhythmic drive and and a wonderful clashing of horns, acoustic strumming and great piano playing.

Dave's graceful "Fat old sun" is one of the best songs in the history of the world, topped off with a real diamond of a guitar solo.

Running on surprisingly long for a 1970 album, ATM continues with the dodgy three part instrumental "Alan's psychedelic Breakfast". The daft but amusing sound effects and some pleasant guitar and keyboard noodlings make the first two sections highly enjoyable but the piece really gets going with the uplifting jam at the end.

All-in-all this is a must have album for Floyd fans and, if you're feeling adventurous, not a bad place to start for new-comers interested in the pre-darkside Floyd. It's a long way from radio friendly but a person with good taste should recognise this as one of the most creative albums of all time whether they already like the band or not (and Pink Floyd were very much a band in 1970).

There is not much to be said about Atom Heart Mother that probably hasn't already been stated - it is simply a great album. Although it is a bit slower-paced than the more "popular" Floyd works, this by no means detracts from the album's content. The Atom Heart Mother suite that kicks off the album is stunning. Period. The following three songs are also quite good, with Rick Wright's performance of "Summer '68" proving to be exceptional (interesting considering the fact that Gilmour and Waters did most of the singing and writing from then on). "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" closes the album and, contrary to popular belief, it is a FINE song by any means. Although I hate to be trite, I must say that this album is a must-have for any and all persons with even a remote interest in the Floyd. You will most certainly not be disappointed.

On a related note, try "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and "Meddle" as well - both are truly masterful pre-DSOTM works.