ATOM HEART MOTHER

This would be the first FLOYD album to go number one on the UK charts. Which is kind of strange actually when you consider the music. Recorded as per usual at Abbey Road studios and Norman Smith is back as executive producer. The band brought in Ron Geesin to help with the side long title track. Ron had worked with Nick Mason on his contributions to the "Ummagumma" album and he had also collaborated with Waters on the 1970 soundtrack "Music From The Body". Ron was very much into electronics and the avant-garde. He was hired to give his creative opinions and he would put together the orchestral and choir sections featured here.

"Atom Heart Mother" is one of the few PINK FLOYD tracks to have mellotron played on it. In fact there really isn't a FLOYD track quite like this one. It would be difficult to even know this was them most of the time. Kind of an Oldfield flavour to this one but more symphonic really. Lots of orchestration to open the first minute and a half before drums and brass come in. It starts to sound like PINK FLOYD after 4 minutes. Synths, guitar, organ and female vocal melodies create a beautiful sound. Drums are back 9 minutes in as Gilmour fires off some rounds of guitar as the organ plays on. This is one of my favourite passages of the album. Vocal melodies are back and brass. There is a great full sound 15 minutes in followed by some experimental noises. We get the melody back after 19 minutes and some strings. Gilmour lays down some scorching guitar as horns play to end the song. For me the choir and orchestration really works well on the title track, especially the vocal melodies.

I really like the next three songs that all remind me of the "Meddle" album. It's kind of cool that each of these three tunes were each written and sung by a different member of the band. "If" was a Waters' tune with gentle guitar and vocals. A nice reflective tune. "Summer'68" was a Wright tune about groupies. Piano, drums, horns and vocals in this fun and at times sixties sounding song. "Fat Old Sun" is a Gilmour tune and a long time favourite of mine. The drums and guitar take on a greater role towards the end of the song. On "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" the actual human "noises" are done by Alan their roadie as you can hear him in the kitchen making breakfast. This goes on throughout the song in intervals. In between we get at first a guitar and piano melody until 3 1/2 minutes in. Later guitar, and then later still organ.

I like this record a lot (cows and all) and give it a solid 4 stars.