Pink Floyd Discography
Atom Heart Mother
TRACKS
Atom Heart Mother (Mason, Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Geesin)
a. Father's Shout [00:00]
b. Breast Milky [5:20 (EMI/MFSL) or 02:59 (Echoes-L)]
c. Mother Fore [10:09 (EMI/MFSL) or 05:22 (Echoes-L)]
d. Funky Dung [15:26 (EMI/MFSL) or 10:11 (Echoes-L)]
e. Mind Your Throats Please [17:44 (EMI/MFSL) or 15:25 (Echoes-L)]
f. Remergence [19:49 (EMI/MFSL) or 17:44 (Echoes-L)] [23:45]
Instrumental
If (Waters) [04:31] Vocals by Waters. Summer '68 (Wright) [05:29]
Vocals by Wright.
Fat Old Sun (Gilmour) [05:24] Vocals by Gilmour.
Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast (Waters, Mason, Gilmour, Wright)
a. Rise and Shine [00:00]
b. Sunny Side Up [04:22]
c. Morning Glory [08:17] [13:01] Vocals by Alan Stiles.
Total Playing Time: 52:10
INFO
Release Date: October 10th, 1970
Atom Heart Mother was Pink Floyd's first No. 1 record. With a lot
innovative and experimental ideas, Pink Floyd teamed up with the
electronic composer Ron Geesin to create the side-long title track,
their most ambitious piece of work so far. By now the group were
producing themselves.
The title track has horns and a choir. It is split into six different,
named parts, although there is some controversy over where each section
starts and ends. The two versions currently accepted are
described below. You can hear the begining of the different divisions
by the main theme of the piece, played by the group and the orchestra.
Stanley Kubrick wanted "free rein" to use music from "Atom Heart
Mother" in his film "A Clockwork Orange." The band did not even fancy
the request.
The album was named during the sessions for the BBC radio show, when
the title track needed a name, and Ron Geesin suggested to Roger Waters
that he'd look through "The Evening Standard" and see if he
could find a title in there. The paper carried an article about a
pregnant woman with a pacemaker, headlined ATOM HEART MOTHER, ( I find
this very humourus by the way) During this song, there are two voices
that can be clearly heard at the respective times: 17:28 - "Here is a
loud announcement" 19:08 - "Silence in the studio!"
Alan, from "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" is Alan Stiles, a roadie of
Floyd's back then. It's his voice you hear on the track. The kitchen
sounds were recorded in Nick Mason's kitchen. The band was never very
happy with this piece, which might explain why it was performed live
only a few times. During the live performances of the album, the band
was served tea on stage. Early British pressings of the album had the
sound of the water dripping from the tap continue into the trail-off
groove in the record, allowing some turntables to play dripping water
forever (or until someone turns it off, whichever came first). Alan
Stiles can be seen on the back cover of Ummagumma.
The cow on the album cover is Lulubelle III. The cow-cover came to be
because the band wanted a cover that was as ordinary and un-psychedelic
as possible.
QUOTES
Nick Mason: "It's an averagely recorded album but a very interesting
idea, working with Ron Geesin, an orchestra and the Roger Aldiss choir.
Roger and I were quite friendly with Ron. I think I met him
through Robert Wyatt. The thing that Ron taught us most about was
recording techniques, and tricks done on the cheap. We learned how to
get round the men-in-white-coats and do things at home, like editing.
Ron taught us how to use two tape recorders to create an endless build
up of echo. It was all very relevant to things we did later. Now I
listen to it with acute embarrassment because the backing track was put
down by Roger and me, beginning to end, in one pass. Consequently
the tempo goes up and down. It was a 20-minute piece and we just
staggered through it. On the other side, Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast
was another great idea -- gas fires popping, kettles boiling, that
didn't really work on record but was great fun live. I've never heard
Roger lay claim to it, which makes me think it must have been a group
idea."
David Gilmour: "At the time we felt Atom Heart Mother, like Ummagumma,
was step towards something or other. Now I think they were both just a
blundering about in the dark."
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