Ummagumma

Performer: Pink Floyd
Engineer: Peter Mew; Brian Humphries
Producer: Hurricane Smith; Pink Floyd
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: UMMAGUMMA features a set of live performances on Disc 1 and a collection of solo studio projects by various band members on Disc 2. Pink Floyd: David Gilmour (vocals, guitar); Richard Wright (vocals, keyboards); Roger Waters (vocals, bass); Nick Mason (drums). Disc 1 was recorded live at Mothers, Birmingham, England and live at The Manchester College Of Commerce, England in June 1969. Party-liners may favor DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, but diehard space cadets recognize UMMAGUMMA as the pinnacle of post-Barrett Floyd's achievement. Originally released as a double LP, the first record is a live recording from 1969, while the second features four extended cuts written by (and featuring) each of the four band members in turn. Eschewing the catchy, Kinks-influenced pop kaleidoscope of the band's first album, the live portion focuses on extended, spacy near-instrumentals, heavy on acid-fueled jamming and atmospheric electronic textures. From the Eastern-tinged "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" to the over-the-top psychosis of "Careful With That Axe, Eugene," UMMAGUMMA's first half is ground zero for the genre that would come to be known as space rock. The solo efforts on the second half are undoubtedly the band's most experimental, unconventional efforts ever. They make good use of the avant-garde techniques that were a key early influence, like musique concrete-style tape collage and sound effects. Along the way, there's some lovely folk-tinged balladry, courtesy of Roger Waters ("Grantchester Meadows"), and some proto-prog keyboard wizardry (Richard Wright's multi-part "Sysyphus").

Q (1/95, p.275) - 3 Stars - Good - "...something of a bravely flawed gambit combining a side of Floyd live and archetypally spacey, with a studio set full of mad but appealing individual experiments..." Mojo (Publisher) (9/00, p.121) - "...Based on the principle that groups are often at their best when they don't know what they're doing, this is Pink Floyd at their most adventurous....genuinely sounding exploratory..."

From their first Syd Barrett-led psych-pop record to their concept albums and elaborately presented live shows of the 1970s, these space-rock pioneers reached unprecedented heights of commercial and aesthetic success. Their '73 opus, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, remained on the album charts for an astounding 14 years, making it one of the best-selling records ever. Even after the departure of main conceptualist Roger Waters following 1983's THE FINAL CUT, Floyd continued to release albums well into the '90s, with David Gilmour leading the band.

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