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Atom Heart Mother by: Pink Floyd

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Rating: - A Journey into the depths of Floydonia

Atom Heart Mother is an exceptional album, typically Floydian in the sense that it is not a complilation of 3 minute arrangements but rather one huge piece, segmented and gracefully so. The title piece 'Atom Heart Mother' almost transports the listener into a semi-conscious, state of concentration! ingenius, incredible time and effort has went into this album....and it really shows...lyrically the midsection of 'If' 'Fat Old Sun'and 'Summer of 68' are quite brilliant. Fat Old Sun is breathtaking, a highly observent recollection of everything, Fat Old Sun in my opinion is the song of all songs....it captures everything in life...the highs the lows, suprise, monotony everything....i rate this as probably the best Pink Floyd album...Original beyond comparison...The Peak of an intelligent band, the collaboration of confidence, fairy land music, and poetry..and poetry

Rating: - Overblown, but brilliantly so nonetheless.

Hmmm. This is a strange one and no mistake. The Floyd's first two studio albums bore psychedelic overtones and they don't really seem to indicate the dramatic change in musical direction shown in Atom Heart Mother. This is not a Floyd album that springs instantly to mind when discussing their achievements with friends over a cup of darjeeling, but it deserves to be.

The title track is perhaps the most ambitious attempt to produce "Orchestral Rock". Made in collaboration with composer Ron Geesin, it is hard not to come away from it feeling very very impressed indeed. It has moments of quite stunning beauty, and beats the crap out of Echoes. Both songs are over 20 minutes long, but Atom Heart Mother manages (in my opinion) to stay consistently interesting for longer periods whereas Echoes starts and ends well but loses the plot completely for about ten minutes in the middle. If I had to choose an epic song to take to a desert island, it would be no contest. I'd be taking the cow.

Summer '68 is the other stand out track in my opinion. I think it is the trumpet parts spaced throughout it that clinch it. Surely Rick Wrights finest hour. In fact, I think it was his ONLY hour! But I may be mistaken so please, don't quote me.

Both If and Fat Old Sun are pleasant and unoffending in their own way, but don't exactly rush up and belt you on the nose. However, they add a mellower air to the proceedings. In fact, the whole album seems somehow mellow. Despite the motorbike sound effects and cacophany of trumpets. Hmm. Perhaps not. See what you think.

Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast is a last, desperate attempt to cling onto the hippy, psyched out Barrett days. It's much like a burnt out fifty year old going back to the playground to play hopscotch or what-have-you. He's too old and can't do it anymore. All the breakfast noises and crunching sounds give me a pain in the rectum. I was never into breakfast. And such food-related frolics don't belong on a studio album. The song is best avoided. Set your hi-fis to play the first four tracks. You'll thank me.

Oh, and as an afterthought, the album cover is quite the finest thing Pink Floyd has ever produced. Simple, yet stunningly effective, it is a work of absolute GENIUS. Buy this album for the music. If you don't think you'll like the music, then for God's sake buy it for the cow. I did.

Rating: - Different :-D

My favourite type of music in the whole world -regardless of the style- have got to be long tripped out journeys of songs, which is exactly what this album kicks off and ends with.

The first track 'Atom Heart mother' is a strange and addictive classical voyage through five tunes and almost twenty minutes of pure brass 'n' bass instrumental bliss, this track alone deserves 6 stars.

The others are almost as good, in fact 'If', 'Fat old sun' and 'Summer 68' all stand out as well as any song on any of their more popular albums. However, the one that really does it for me is the second tune in the last track ('Sunny Side Up' in 'Alans Psychedelic Breakfast')... it is a masterpiece! - oh to be able to pick two guitars at once!

If you enjoyed Echoes on Meddle then you should really enjoy this album, if you can put up with the weird noises that is. If you are serious about Pink Floyd (ie you own and enjoy an album from before The Dark Side Of The Moon) then you NEED to get this album!

Rating: - Long forgotten excellence

Yes, Pink Floyd were once.. gasp.. cool, experimental and flexible. At the time, they occupied a position in Europe very similar to the one occupied by the Grateful Dead in the US - loyal fans, a small basic repertoire, and a determinedly "underground" approach to the music business. If they could only have glimpsed the bloated future that awaited them, they'd have run the other way.

This is not the greatest of albums and, being a contrarian, i'd add that the non Atom Heart side is really the classic. That wonderful "How do you feeeeeeeeel" remains a defining moment of psychedelia and the intake of certain substances turn this side into a masterpiece of inventiveness.

Nearest equivalent at the time? I guess Amon Duul and other German Bands.

The other plus is that Roger Waters' later misanthropy is thankfully reined in a little here. No snarling denunciations of British society here.

A transitional album from a band about to step into the straightjacket of super-fame.....

Rating: - Pink Floyd's most underrated album

Atom Heart Mother sees Pink Floyd remain true to their psychedelic roots. The title track is an impressive attempt to fuse rock music with stylistic concepts from classical music, and almost comes off completely (Close to the Edge, released around the same time is perhaps more successful). The rest of the album is good as well, and special mention should go to Fat Old Sun - it is the most beautiful summer song ever written and almost brings a tear to your eye.

As for Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast - hmmmmmm - it's a laugh the first couple of times, and at least you can program it out after that!

Review Pages: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next »