UMMAGUMMA

Oh my, Ummagumma! I don't know what to make of the title as much as of the whole album. The live versions are average (I like the studio versions better), so I don't really need this. The studio versions of each band member are very different. I must say I find the stuff by Gilmour and Mason unlistenable, but the tracks by Wright and Waters have always lured me to explore them. SYSYPHUS by Wright has some very menacing and bombastic parts, very exciting and interesting. GRANTCHESTER MEADOWS is a nice acoustic song by Waters in the Floyd style of Atom Heart Mother. SEVERAL SPECIES... is an odd piece, also by Waters, depicting exactly what title of the song refers to. Sounds like the incantation of an evil magician to me. The album is not without appeal, but I have fun only with one of the four sides of the vinyl version. I think 2 stars are fair as a very personal rating.