ATOM HEART MOTHER

"Atom Heart Mother" is the 5th full-length studio album by UK psychadelic/progressive rock act Pink Floyd. The album was released through Harvest/EMI Records in October 1970. Pink Floyd recorded "Atom Heart Mother" between February and August 1970 at Abbey Road Studios in London. Despite it´s adventurous and progressive nature, the album went number 1 on the UK charts and did fairly well in the US too although the band´s big breakthrough in America wouldn´t come until a couple of albums down the line.

The Hipgnosis created "cow" cover artwork (which doesn´t feature the band name) probably ranks among the most iconic cover artworks in history. The laid back earthy atmosphere of the cover artwork stands in stark contrast to the ambitious music featured within.

The album features 5 tracks. The original vinyl version featured the side long title track on side A and the remaining 4 tracks on side B. The 23:51 minutes long title track is quite the ambitious composition which features orchestral- and choir arrangements (arranged by Ron Geesin) in addition the band´s regular rock instrumentation (note the gorgeous David Gilmour guitar solo). It´s the centerpiece and highlight of the album although it could have done with some editing. However epic and beautiful it is, it drags a bit and could easily have been 6 - 7 minutes shorter.

The tracks on side B are quite different in style and of varied quality. "If" is a folky acoustic track, "Summer ´68" is a rock song with features classical orchestration, "Fat Old Sun" is mellow to start with but features a louder section later on and the 12:56 minutes long "Alan´s Psychadelic Breakfast", which is divided into three parts, is a mostly acoustic affair but of a rather experimental nature. Out of those it´s "Summer ´68" that stands out as the most interesting track. The rest are decent but not really great.

The sound production is a bit dark and murky, but the organic nature of the sound suits the music pretty well. Upon conclusion it´s obvious that "Atom Heart Mother" is a transition album between Pink Floyd´s psychadelic rock past and their progressive rock future. This album features a bit of both styles and doesn´t seem to make up it´s mind on what it wants to be. The stylistic confusion isn´t doing the band any favours in terms of album flow, but on the other hand the album sure is both an adventurous and innovative listening experience and for that alone Pink Floyd deserve some praise. Overall it´s not their best or most cohesive release but a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.