Studio Album: Sysyphus Part I – Part II – Part
III – Part IV, Grantchester Meadows, Several
Species of Small Furry Animals
Gathered Together in a
Cave and Grooving with a Pict, The Narrow Way Part
I – Part II – Part III, The Grand Vizier´s Garden Party Part I
(Entrance) – Part II (Entertainment) – Part III (Exit).
Live Album: Astronomy
Domine, Careful with that Axe Eugene, Set the Controls for the Heart
of the Sun, A Saucerful of Secrets.
Type of Music: Psychedelic Avant Garde Folk-Rock
Comments:
I – Studio Album.
Ummagumma (Slang for Sex) is probably the weirdest Album in the Pink Floyd Collection. The Studio Album is basically a
collection of sounds and sound effects where each member of the band is getting the chance to “
shine” and experiment. Why the guys wanted to make an album like this? They were probably trying to figure out which way to go after Syd's departure from the band. Let's see if we all can come up with new musical ideas. We can then hand pick the best ideas and use them as a basis for our future musical direction as a band. Could be. Or maybe they were just a gang of ego trippers at the time who wanted to experiment with progressive Avant Garde Music and Studio Effects. It certainly became an experimental Album. If you compare it to More, it contains less actual music than that Sound-Track. In my opinion, most of the music on Ummagumma is interesting to hear for a couple of times but you won't spin this CD every week. It also sounds a bit dated when you listen to it now. But that does not mean it's a bad album. There are enough interesting musical ideas to be found.
The first suite is called Sysyphus and was
written by Richard Wright. It´s
avant garde music and reminds me of a classical piano piece recorded in
the Jungle. It's about a figure from the Greek mythology that has to push a rock up a hill in Hades, the Underworld. When he finally manages to get to the top, the rock rolls back again and a new effort starts. The music of course is trying to accompany this effort. Richard was obviously influenced by Arab music at this point in time, as first noticed in Set the Control for the Heart of the Sun.
David Gilmour wrote The Narrow Way,
basically a guitar piece, sometimes nice and calm, sometimes quite distorted
and ending with a vocal part. David plays all the instruments and takes care of the vocals. This is a strong song and it could have easily fitted on the soundtrack More.
Nick Mason is responsible for The Grand Vizier´s
Garden Party a percussion solo with electronic side effects. It' s interesting sometimes but boring in other instants. The flute , played by his wife at the time, is rather nice.
Between Sysyphus and The Narrow Way we
get two surprises. The first is a gentle folk song called Grantchester
Meadows, written by Roger Waters. The perfect song to wake you up on a
beautiful morning in spring. It is an ode to the British country side and is filled with sound effects. It could have been a song written by Simon & Garfunkel. It might be a bit overlong but it's very relaxing. The second one,called Small Furry Animals etc, is not really a song but it's extremely funny and well-made. Sometimes it sounds like a speech by Mussolini, held in a
cave for an assembled multitude of rats and bats.
In summary, this is not Pink Floyd for the casual
listener. It certainly is not the place to start your Pink Floyd collection. But if you are a true fan there is enough to discover on this Studio Album.
Rating: ******* (7 out of 10)
Black = Good Songs
Green = Great Songs
Red = Could Be Better
II- Live Album.
Now this is a different story altogether! Only four
songs on this Live Album but they are cooking! Three of them we already know
from The Piper at the Gates of
Dawn and A Saucerful of
Secrets. The fourth song, an instrumental, reminds Eugene to be Careful with that
Axe. It is a perfect Pink Floyd song that has everything that made this band great. The other three songs are longer, faster and more exciting than the studio
versions. The Sound Quality is excellent, even more so after having being
Re-Mastered. In short, a great Live Album that justifies buying the Ummagumma
set.
Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)
Black = Good Songs
Green = Great Songs
Red = Could Be Better
Given the differences between the
Studio - and the Live Album I have rated both records separately.
Who should buy this Record: The Studio
Album is for Fans Only. The Live Album however is Essential Pink
Floyd and one of the best Classic Rock Live Albums around. Look for a Special offer of the Remastered Double Set.