ATOM HEART MOTHER

I think this album represents us the phase where the band searched for a new direction after the hazy post-Barret psychedelia days. The result on this album didn't please me personally, though many wonderful songs are also borne from those days of personnel renaissance. There are some good technical achievements accomplished on this record, but the stylistic solutions are very far from my own personal tastes.

The album opens with a big 23 minutes long epic themed about cows (I think). Here the band plays over symphonic orchestra, and the composition starts with annoying fanfares. After some effect treated motives which grow my feeling of uncomfortabiltiy, the middle part offers some better movements with choir. As the symphonic orchestra stops playing, band goes for their basic slow blues, which would form as their trademark for the upcoming records of the 1970's. As the orchestra returns to the game, we get chaotic aural experimenting to disturb our mental states. I am open for the surreal psychedelic musical impressions, but in my opinion this is just plain fooling around, not serious research of consciousness altering avant-garde states. The horrifying track ends to some choirs and a bombastic theme, reaching a primitive cycle form in its failed conquest for compositional integrity. When compared to other classical music fusion efforts by Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Procol Harum for example, this track is in my own judgment reaching the least successful result.

Rest of the album consists of acoustic fragile ballads "If" and "Fat Old Sun", which felt quite powerless acoustic wailings to my ears, maybe due lowered abilities of reception after the title suite. "Summer 68" reaches for relaxation with piano driven pop tune resembling maybe Beatles or something similar. The last "whacky" tune conlcudes the record with collage of sounds, marred through effects and causing serious boredom for thirteen minutes.

The second word of the title tune's fourth movement sadly describes this album in my humble opinion, and I want to beg my pardon from all of those who liked this album, as this record just did not match to my own tastes. There aren't innovative strength nor power here, which I found from some other albums of this classic band. Maybe fans of symphonic epics and acoustic 60's pop tunes can appreciate this album much more than me. Once more, my deepest apologies.