UMMAGUMMA

Ummagumma is a really perplexing affair, to say the least. Although it's hardly Pink Floyd's masterpiece (for most), it was undoubtedly the exemplar of their pre-Dark Side records; the avant-garde compositions, the lengthy instrumentals, the blooming lyrical brilliance; it's all here, but not in the conventional way found in Meddle or Atom Heart Mother. It has its share of masterpieces...the brilliant classical-tinged "Sysyphus", the folk-influenced Waters song "Grantchester Meadows", the unexplainable "The Narrow Way", and, most importantly, the haunting "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" are all among Floyd's best work. Despite the high quality of these tracks, they're all exceedingly experimental, which can be something of a put off to the casual rock listener.

Pink Floyd was always a great live band, which is exemplified excellently by the record's first side; in fact, several of the renditions on here far exceed the studio originals, and the spectacular "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" ranks among the group's greatest material. The studio half, however, is almost completely unaccessible...unless you adore avant-garde (or you're a Floyd collectionist), I wouldn't recommend this album.