Ummagumma

Release date: October 25th, 1969


Apparently this double disc--an obligatory purchase for all hipsters on its release in 1969--isn't too highly regarded by the Floyd themselves these days ("Ummagumma-- what a disaster!", Roger Waters is said to have remarked); but it's one of the most adventurous mainstream rock ventures of all time, and certainly the Floyd's best stab at being avant-garde.

As with the original LP, the CD set is divided into two discs. The first contains the live album of four old favourites, recorded at favoured Floyd venues of the time (June 1969) like Mothers Club (April 27th) in Birmingham and the Manchester Institute of Technology (May 2nd). The sparkling version of "Astronomy Domine" and a chilling "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" (the first of many Floyd tracks about insanity) are particularly outstanding, and helped cement the Floyd's status as cult superstars. Each group member was given half a vinyl side to experiment with, in the second disc -- the studio one.

Nick Mason: "This was absolutely not a band album. The live stuff sounds incredibly antiquated now, although the fact of Pink Floyd playing at Mothers in Birmingham was considered a bit of an event at the time. We were looking for new ways of constructing an album, although I think what this demonstrates is that our sum is always better than the parts. EMI was very hidebound in those days. It was still run by guys in white coats. I was prevented from editing my own tapes by a studio manager who told me I wasn't a union member."

David Gilmour: "I'd never written anything before. I just went into the studio and started waffling about, tacking bits and pieces together. I rang up Roger at one point to ask him to write me some lyrics. He just said, No."

"Ummagumma" was a slang term for knockin' boots. (Knockin' boots of course being a slang term for doing the Wild Thang; which is, of course, slang for having sex.) Of course, Rock and Roll was a slang term for -- you get the picture. So, looked at that way, the album "Ummagumma" could simply mean "Rock and Roll."


Tracks:

1. Live album:
   
   Astronomy Domine (Barrett)

   [08:28] Vocals by Waters (name chanting), Gilmour (high harmonies) and Wright (low ones).
   Careful With That Axe, Eugene (Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour)

   [08:47] Vocals by Waters; Gilmours does the "ooooh".
   Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun(Waters)

   [09:22] Vocals by Waters
   A Saucerful of Secrets (Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour)

   a. Something Else [00:00]

   b. Syncopated Pandemonium [03:57]

   c. Storm Signal [07:16]

   d. Celestial Voices [10:14]

   [12:49] Vocals on Celestial Voices by Gilmour
   
   Studio album:
   
   Sysyphus [part 1-4] (Wright)

   [13:17] Vocals on part 4 by Wright.
   Grantchester Meadows (Waters)

   [07:28] Vocals by Waters.
   Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving With a Pict (Waters)

   [04:57] Vocals by Waters.
   The Narrow Way [part 1-3] (Gilmour)

   [12:14] Vocals on part 3 by Gilmour.
   The Grand Vizier's Garden Party(Mason)

   Part 1 (entrance)

   Part 2 (entertainment)

   Part 3 (exit)

   [08:45] Instrumental.
   

Total Playing Time: 86'33

Musicians Featured:

1. David Gilmour: Guitar, Vocals
   Nick Mason: Drums
   Roger Waters: Bass Guitar, Vocals
   Rick Wright: Keyboards, Vocals