The band had also recorded a live version of " Interstellar Overdrive" (from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn) intended for placement on side one of the live album, and " The Embryo", which was recorded in the studio before it was decided that the band members each come up with their own material. Note blue plaque commemorating the venue.Īlthough the sleeve notes say that the live material was recorded in June 1969, the live album of Ummagumma was recorded live at Mothers Club in Birmingham on 27 April 1969 and the following week at Manchester College of Commerce on 2 May of the same year as part of The Man and The Journey Tour. The site of Mothers Club, above shops in Birmingham's Erdington suburb, where some of the live album was recorded (seen on 27 April 2019 – the 50th anniversary of the concert). Nevertheless, the album has been reissued on CD several times, along with the rest of their catalogue.
It was the last album cover to feature the band.Īlthough the album was well received at the time of release, and was a top five hit in the UK album charts, it has since been looked upon unfavourably by the band, who have expressed negative opinions about it in interviews. The artwork was designed by regular Floyd collaborators Hipgnosis and features a number of pictures of the band combined to give a Droste effect. The first disc consists of live recordings from concerts at Mothers Club in Birmingham and the College of Commerce in Manchester that contained part of their normal set list of the time, while the second contains solo compositions by each member of the band recorded at Abbey Road Studios. It is a double album and was released on 7 November 1969 by Harvest Records. The cover’s pretty cool, though.Ummagumma is the fourth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd. Its sheer length keeps it expensive to this day, and if the band ever wanted to add more live material to a future reissue, it’s doubtful anyone would complain. Instead, Ummagumma would either convert the skeptical, or convince critics that this band was just too pretentious for their own good. The best music on the 2 LPs can easily be distilled into a single set: side one, “Grantchester Meadows” and “The Narrow Way”. Nick Mason gets the last word with “The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party”, a trying eight-minute piece for percussion and tape edits framed by some flute. Part 3 is the keeper, a well-constructed song with buried lyrics that bring to mind the Rivendell scenes from The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings. Part 1 is based around an acoustic strum in D with some tape effects, then Part 2 builds on a sinister electric riff. Having not had enough fun with tape experiments, he offers “Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict”, a showcase for bird imitations and thick Scottish ranting.ĭavid Gilmour’s spotlight, “The Narrow Way”, is in three parts, consisting mostly of overdubbed guitars, but with more of an effort to be accessible, as might be expected. Roger Waters takes over with the highly soothing “Grantchester Meadows”, an acoustic piece with pastoral lyrics and sound effects to match, right up until he starts chasing the fly around the studio. Rather than give us something pretty on the piano in between, he chooses to create musique concrète, banging the keys and hitting the strings cacophonically. Rick Wright’s “Sysyphus” is presented in four parts, beginning and ending with a blast of Mellotron. The success of each member’s solo spot comes largely from where you’d expect. “Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun” and “A Saucerful Of Secrets” continue the band’s reputation as spacey freak-out improvisers, although the latter does get the gift of subtitles for each of the sections. “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” makes its first LP appearance, all one chord over bass octaves and a couple of screams. Even without Syd, the band takes the song into the stratosphere, with extended organ and guitar solos. The live portion is the most consistent, starting with an excellent version of “Astronomy Domine”.
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Still somewhat trying to find out how to best transfer their sound to vinyl, Ummagumma shows Pink Floyd grasping at three well-served straws common to big acts: the live album, the double album, and the individual-statement-by-each-member.
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