ATOM HEART MOTHER

The case with so many negative thoughts about this album is that it has a very unique taste and sadly not appealing to everybody, especially those Pink Floyd fans, who enjoy albums from after "Dark Side of the Moon." For me - this piece of art totally does it. Pink Floyd were exploring their new sound, still lacking some amount of confidence in producing new material after Syd Barrett's departure from the band. He was considered the band's bee's knees, the engine of the group. "Atom Heart Mother" shows a very bold and brave step the band has taken.

The album cover presents a cow on a green field. Some say that a cow represents "a mother". However, this very animal found its place on the cover of the album simply because Pink Floyd thought it was the least psychedelic they could think of.

The album starts with "Atom Heart Mother", which is a nearly 24-minute, 6-movemental, intstrumental suite. A fairly heavy and a very catchy theme on symphonic horns presents a very strong Wagner influence, sounding like some sort of a 19th century German hunter anthem. This piece features beautiful, lush, smooth Hammond organ sounds from Richard Wright and a few solos from David Gilmour - one even being a slide guitar solo! All complimented by a very competent rhythm section from Nick Mason and Roger Waters.

"If" makes you picture yourself by the river just outside Cambridge, where band members used to spend a lot of time. An entertaining, sort of hippie-folk acoustic song with some washy, reverbrated guitar solos from David Gilmour and a little touch of Rick's organ. "Summer '68", with a fairly similar mood to the previous track starts out with beautiful piano playing, then suplimented by an acoustic guitar and very strong, creamy organ sounds. Overall, a very enjoyable piece. "Fat Old Sun" starts out with a silent acoustic guitar, than turning into a nostalgic, anthem with David Gilmour's kosher guitar solos. This brings a tear or two to eyes of those sensitive to true music. "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" is the most controversial piece on the album. Featuring recorded sounds of a breakfast being prepared and voices talking about everyday life and breakfast. This features rather light, musical passages in between the recorded parts. This is not a very enjoyable tune to many newcommers nor diehard Floyd fans. It does require quite a lot from the listener. A lot of patience, following to see the meaning of what's within the song. For me personally - this is a great closing to a very enjoyable experience.

Overall, I believe "Atom Heart Mother" to be a magnificent effort. A work of art, very underrated and misunderstood. This is one of my top 3 Pink Floyd albums and a very different experience. While some tracks like "Atom Heart Mother" are quite proggy, some still lie in in the band's unique psychedelic style. This album is not for everyone, but is surely an essential album in a historical sense.

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