ATOM HEART MOTHER

It's interesting, I thought I'd despise this album considering at this point in time Floyd was still trying to transition out of their Syd Barrett psychedelic phase, but for some reason, I'm not appalled at all. I actually hear a progression to their more spacy side that the band would roll from here on out till The Wall.

Another good reason is probably because I'm a big fan of long instrumentals, and this album is bookended by them, with the title track taking the lion's share of attention. It's weird because although it sounds like a Floyd song, you can't shake that "psychedelic" feel to it, even if you can't even describe it very well. Perhaps it' s the orchestral samples that sound ripped straight from The Beatles studio tapes. Or maybe it's the sound quality of the time? Either way, it's a blend of both worlds, and it works well actually, Gilmore's guitars continuing to soar and echo over a beautiful soundscape of keys, noise and stuff.

It's here, where you could probably say, that my favorite aspect of Floyd was finally mastered, the long jam, with Nick Mason keeping a slow steady groove, Wright on the keys setting the tone and the mood, Waters at the helm, and Gilmore just rockin' out. No matter the subject of which these guys played, if there are no instrumental jams, it's not Pink Floyd. Gilmore's guitar is just otherworldly, it's a sound so unique to him that you can't confuse his playing style at all. Much like you could pick out the sound of Hendrix or Petrucci or Malmsteen, even Van Halen or Paige, Gilmore's is a signature sound, one that pops up on either the radio or my iPod and my first reaction is "Ahhh, now I can relax". It's a sedative, and I just absolutely love it.

The same goes for the closer, "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". This definitely relates more to the psychedelic side, not merely because it has "psychedelic" in the track name, but because it has a quirkier, perkier aspect to the track. Gilmore's acoustic plucks keep the track moving and chugging along, whereas Mason's grooves held back the band in "Atom Heart Mother", and dictated the pace for Gilmore to start noodling.

It's the inner three tracks that are the intriguing bits. "If" seems to be a Waters showcase, which is weird because Waters and "soft" don't really mix, but that's exactly what happens here. "Summer '68" (not to be confused with Bryan Adams "Summer '69) is a Wright driven piece, with Gilmore taking the mic this time, definitely the more production heavy of the three inner pieces, while "Fat Old Sun" seems to soothe like "If" just a couple of tracks before. These three inner pieces definitely have a whiff of "Beatles" to them, not much, but just a bit of the more accessible side, considering this was released in the middle of the bands soundtrack escapades, where anything other than accessibility is not an option.

I personally find this to be an excellent album, even though I'm not the biggest psych fan, there's still enough of that classic Floyd sound that I just can't get away from, and luckily, it would only get better from here on out. A must in any Floyd fan's collection.