Customer Reviews

Ummagumma

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(58)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The Amazon.com synopsis of "Ummagumma" is a little off, factwise; the part-live/part-studio "Ummagumma" was not the sole vision of bassist and, later, lead songwriter Roger Waters. It was in fact a group idea, sparked by the suggestion of keyboardist Richard Wright. With the studio album, each member was given half a vinyl side with which to experiment (key word), a move which some called self-indulgent, but it was no more self-indulgent than much of the Beatles' work (especially their films).
The live half of "Ummagumma" would be Pink Floyd's only official live release for nearly 20 years before 1988's "Delicate Sound of Thunder." The four selections are the ultimate document of Pink Floyd's psychedelic era, when they enjoyed playing live at smaller venues, as opposed to the arenas and stadiums of their post-"Dark Side of the Moon" days. Tracks that were already infinitely psychedelic in their studio parts are sent even further into space; 'Astronomy Domine' features an extended keyboard (or is it a mellotron?) solo, that brings a bit of beauty to an often spooky track, like the grim instrumental descent into insanity 'Careful With That Axe Eugene.' 'Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun' epitomized Pink Floyd's sound of the era, and the ominous 'A Saucerful of Secrets,' a conceptual instrumental about war, soars much higher than its studio version; David Gilmour's wordless vocal cries are much more emotional and powerful than they were before (and stronger than the version on the "Pink Floyd At Pompeii" film).
A late-70s "Encyclopedia of Rock" claimed that these live versions sounded "too close to the album versions." The writer obviously never listened to this album.
The material on the studio half is understandably difficult to enjoy if you're a new fan, or just not used to such unsual songs. But over time, one will find little pleasures in each one. Wright's operatic four-part instrumental 'Sysyphus' ranges from the dark and haunting to the serene and lovely. Roger Waters' 'Grantchester Meadows' is a surprisingly peaceful track from one of the gloomiest men in rock and roll, with a melancholy vocal reading, one of the most non-psychedelic of the Floyd's psychedelic era (the same can't be said about 'Several Species...' which is one of the most bizarre, erratic songs under Pink Floyd's belt). David Gilmour's winding, three-part 'The Narrow Way' shows his blossoming talent with both guitar and vocals, and never becomes boring. The final effort, 'The Grand Vizier's Garden Party,' is done by drummer Nick Mason and features opening and closing flutes, filled with engaging drum solos, with a melancholy tape effect at about the middle of Part 2; it's hard to tell exactly what makes that haunting sound, but it's nonetheless the highlight of the song.
Although most of the members of Pink Floyd share the same opinion that "Ummagumma" was a failure in artistic senses, they all seem to agree that its conceptual ideas--creating long, unbroken pieces of music that go through various themes--were the seeds for later triumphs such as the 'Echoes,' and various moods and ideas that wind through such albums as "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here."

Released in 1969, this experimental album consisted of solo works by each member of the band along with a disc of live material. I think that of the pre-Dark Side of the Moon albums, this may be the most difficult to listen to for most folks, although I really do like this album and appreciate the fact that the band was experimenting with different approaches to composition. The lineup at this point included Rick Wright (organ, piano, mellotron, vocals); Roger Waters (bass, vocals); Nick Mason (drums and percussion); and David Gilmour (electric and acoustic guitars; vocals).

The solo works are quite different from one another with Rick's moody keyboard opus demonstrating his fondness for Stockhausen and featuring some very dissonant and atonal sections. Dave's piece was a bit more of a straightforward rock piece and very good, although he has been quoted as saying he did not like it very much. Nick's drum piece is excellent and demonstrates just how creative a drummer he was (and still is) - for those of you that are curious, his track is not just a drum solo, but a very interesting "sound collage" with drums. Roger's pieces range from the pastoral (Grantchester Meadows) to the downright bizarre (Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict). The latter piece is purely a sound collage, with little in the way of what one would regard as melody, harmony, etc. Still, it is interesting nonetheless.

The live disc is what I used to get excited about and features excellent versions of A Saucerful of Secrets and especially Careful with that Axe Eugene - the screams are positively hair-raising. The energy of the live performances is pretty intense and the brooding and creepy mood of tunes like Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun is something that never fails to excite (or frighten depending on your perspective).

This remastered version is pretty good and features a mini-poster along with the two CDs packaged in a green cardboard case. The sound quality of the studio pieces is not bad, although the sound quality of the live disc is a bit grainy - very listenable though.

All in all, this is a good album by Pink Floyd that features the group experimenting through their solo works, and demonstrating what an exciting live unit they were. In fact, the live set is an excellent document from this early phase of Pink Floyd. Ummagumma (which is slang for copulation I believe) is recommended along with Piper at the Gates of Dawn 1967); A Saucerful of Secrets (1968); More (1969); Atom Heart Mother (1970); Meddle (1971); Obscured by Clouds (1972); and Animals (1977).

Pink Floyd's collossal ability is showcased here, on this phenomenal double album. As a musical statement, it is often misunderstood, but it's brilliance lies in its striking originality. At just over 86 minutes long Ummagumma is the Floyd's unique exposition on the capabilities of experimental music. It consists of one live disc and one studio disc. The live album blows away all competition in a dazzeling explosion of glorious space rock-Pink Floyd style. The studio album allows each member to record individually. The results reveal deep talent and imagination and it's a shame that so few people bother to listen to it.
The live album is just too cool not to be Floyd. The four tracks, extended versions of "Astronomy Domine", "Careful with that Axe, Eugene", "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and "A Saucerful of Secrets", all achieve such incredible sonic depth that it's difficult to imagine that sound coming from any physical object or being. Few bands had the intuitive chemistry of the Pink Floyd and, in my humble opinion, none had the composing ability or distinctive sound. In all honesty, the Who were probably THE greatest live band of all time, but my personal preference is for the Floyd (but I still think "The Who Live at Leeds" is the ultimate live rock'n'roll album).
The Floyd's brand of psychedelic jamming is unique and these live cuts are a treat for the enlightened listener's ears. The instruments are at one with the muscicians and the musicians are at one with each other. Roger contributes pulsating bass, hearty whacks to a gong and some terrifying screams. His whispered vocals on "Set the controls..." are suitably mysterious. Dave goes at his guitar like a demon and his wordless vocals on "Saucerful..." are exceptional. Rick's keyboards, both the sinister soloing and the shimmering chords, are integral to the sound and Nick lays down more dynamic grooves than you'd think possible in just four numbers. The track selection is faultless (not that they were spoilt for choice at this stage in their career!). "Astronomy Domine" is the perfect opener, with its many explosive climaxes. Daves guitar seems to roar gently inbetween notes but there is nothing gentle about his playing on the fearsome "Eugene", where his wall-of-sound approach, which kicks in after Roger's famous scream, consists mainly of menacing powerchords, punctuated by high-pitched feedback shrieks. The hypnotic dirge, "Set the controls..." builds up to a frenzied clatter of drums and various edge-of-the-universe sounds. Then the band treat us to a truly memorable rendition of "A Saucerful of Secrets". It begins with the sombre bass and organ soundscape of the first movement (titled "something else") before the first glass-splintering organ licks signal the start of the chaotic second movement (aptly titled "syncopated pandamonium"). The third movement, "storm signal", is dominated by Nick's insistent drum pattern. The final movement, "Celestial voices", is a beautiful dreamscape that lifts the soul with a sensational mixture of drums, bass, organ, guitar and soulful wailing. This is the pure undiluted sound of Pink Floyd putting all of their effort into making music and never bothering with a lyric when a murderous scream will do.
On the studio album, each member does his own thing, sometimes to jaw-dropping effect. At other times they are content to merely make the listener aware that some sounds exist that nobody ever made before. It begins with Wright's keyboard-orientated, avant garde classical instrumental, "Sysyphus". It's indulgent and over-serious but brilliant and it proves what an excellent composer Rick is.
After the classical grandeur of "Sysyphus", Roger gives us the wonderfully mellow ballad, "Grantchester Meadows". It really does bring "sounds of yesterday into this city room". The birdsong, trickling water, acoustic guitar, smooth singing and soothing lyrics create a dreamy seven minutes of relaxation, which ends with the sound of an unfortunate fly being swatted (typical of Water's humour). Roger's other composition is the mad piece of entertainment: "Several species of small fury animals gathered together in a cave and grooving with a pict". (the pict is almost incomprehensible but I'm sure he says something about "the wind cried mary" and "Bob is dead!"
Dave created something wonderful with "the narrow way", a three part epic that begins with a tuneful acoustic guitar section that has heavenly backing vocals and weird effects in the background that jump beautifully between the guitar notes and gradually get louder and then sink into a dark and unnerving riff that sounds like Tony Iommi playing "set the controls..." on a worn out telecaster with only three strings. Part three is really classic though. The singing is really good and the fact that Gilmour uses keybourds, bass and drums as well as guitar make it sound more like a group effort than the other studio cuts.
"The Narrow way" would have made a climatic ending but as an encore comes Nick Mason's effort. "The Grand Visier's Garden party" is a complex sound collage, which builds layers of percussion and stretches recording technology to the brink. It makes an interesting listen and the drum solo at the end of part two is superb. Nick closes the piece and the album with unassuming flutes.
Ummagumma is a monument of couragious sound experiments that has every right to the respect it never gets. Incidentally, "ummagumma" is an English euphemism for shagging.

There is little doubt that 1969's "Ummagumma" substantiated Pink Floyd's psychedelic cult band status further than they had before, whether intentionally or not. To say the least, it is different from the Floyd's later, more successful, works; there is no central concept or theme. There are no moody outbursts against a rigid educational system or campaigners for censorship. There is no united co-musicianship (though this time it is not the result of bitter feelings among the members). But there is one essential element that paints this album with an intriguing color; ruthless freedom of experimentation.
According to the band, one purpose of "Ummagumma" (the title is enough to suggest its strange yet inventive manner) was to allow each individual member his chance to experiment half a side of vinyl, doing whatever he wanted with it. The result may seem self-indulgent and needless to say, weird, by our naive standards, but it was undoubtedly innovative and natural.
Through the live disc, we are introduced to the atmosphere of "Ummagumma" until we can clearly see into the world that lies ahead; the spacey psychedelic sounds form an imagery that is complex beyond measure. I remember playing the extraordinary live version of "Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun" for a friend, who remarked, "If I walked into someone's basement and they were playing this music, I'd get out of there as fast as I could." This reaction is not unexpected upon the first listen to the disc. But once one realizes that Pink Floyd's intention was not to scare--and that none of the memebers were on drugs at this time--they will be able to appreciate the world they've created here.
Then comes the unappreciated but undeniably inventive experimental concoction that is the studio album. We are greeted with keyboardist Rick Wright's four-part opus, "Sysyphus." Named after a character of Greek mythology, the instrumental comprised of heavy organ and piano movement, seems to tell its own story of the mythological character without intending to. An example of Wright's talent as a musician. From here we are cradled by bassist Roger Waters' acoustic peaceful melody, "Grandchester Meadows," complete with early foreshadowings of his moody yet assuring brilliant lyrics. But after the final acoustic notes, we hear the unexpected sounds of a man swatting at a fly, and are thrown into, perhaps Pink Floyd's most unusual song to date, "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving With a Pict." The "instruments" Waters used were his own belly and coffee tables as drums, with several sound effects. The raving spoken word lyrics go (officially) undeciphered to this day. From here, guitarist David Gilmour provides a reasonable aftershock with the three-part "The Narrow Way." With this song, Gilmour blossomed, in an early stage in Pink Floyd's history. And then we are flung from heavy guitars to the flute intro of drummer Nick Mason's opus "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party." The entire second part is one long percussion solo, besides some sound effects sprinkled throughout the track's surprisingly pleasant effect. Another pair of flutes punctuate the album's exit.
I strongly recommend "Ummagumma" to those dabbling in the psychedelic space-rock arts; this is the unsung vanguard of its genre, a feat Pink Floyd has accomplished more than once. Presented here in limited edition deluxe packaging and pure remastering, "Ummagumma" can be fully appreciated for what it is; a world of its own, ready to be discovered again and again.

My God, this album! When our poshly spoken psychedelic hero'sfirst unleashed it upon an unsuspecting record buying public, mostFloyd fans were still lamenting the departure of arch-loon Syd Barrett from the band. `Piper at the Gates of Dawn' was a distant memory and `Saucerful of Secrets' had given us a first glimpse of the new David Gilmour-driven musical re-energisation of the weird world of Roger Waters' mind. The live album of this two record set has blistering versions of four pieces drawn from previous albums and those of us lucky to have caught them live at this stage in their career, will never forget the raw power and weirdness of `Astronomy Domine', `Careful With That Axe Eugene', `Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun' and `Saucerful of Secrets'. `Careful with that Axe Eugene' must have one of the eeriest openings of all time, building quietly, menacingly, until Waters' bass line seems to pause in one key before the awful agony of that inhuman scream. The cosmic sounds of `Set the Controls', made it easy to imagine oneself alone aboard an old twenty-third century doomed space wreck, whilst the inexorable crescendo of the last section of `Saucerful of Secrets', has to be one of the great moments in rock history - up there with the opening riff of `Voodoo Chile', or Jimmy Page's classic chord sequence in `Stairway to Heaven'. As if this wasn't enough to satisfy the cravings of fifty million space cadets, the studio recording took the listener to a place further out than Timothy Leary's mind! People who don't remember what sound recording was like before stereo, will have to try and imagine what effect the luminosity of this music had on the listener of the day. It wasn't that stereo was new technology, but this was the first time I can remember it being used in such a way. From it's ominous opening and Rick Wright's Satie-esque piano meanderings which eventually collapse into madness, on through the surreal pastoral tranquility of `Grantchester Meadows' and the utterly lunatic and wonderfully satirical, `Several Species of Small Furry Animals etc'. Having revisited this music in the year 2000, this reviewer is pleased to report that it still has the power to amaze and enthrall and to those younger music fans who are unaware of Pink Floyd pre-DSOTM, I urge you to beg, borrow or steal a copy of the re-mastered 1994 version and take a couple of hours out, to set sail on this venerable ocean of weirdness.

It was pretty hard for me to choose a Floyd album to review as I consider most of their records close, personal friends. But after mulling it over, I settled on Ummagumma. It isn't my favorite Floyd album. Heck, it's not even in my top five, but I chose to focus on this album for a number of reasons.

When this record first came out, Pink Floyd's future was anything but certain. They had just lost their lead singer and chief composer, Syd Barrett, and the rest of the band (including newly joined Dave Gilmour) was struggling to take up the reins. Saucerful of Secrets, their second studio album, was the band's first outing without Syd, and while it wasn't necessarilly a bad album, it had failed to live up to their groundbreaking debut. What they really needed at this point was to solidify their fan base while exerting their own skills as songwriters. Ummagumma was their attempt to do just that.

This double disc is divided into live tracks and studio compositions. The first disc is a glorious, if brief, return to roots with early songs performed alongside newer compositions, such as Water's beautiful deep space psychedelic 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.' This live material is entirely satisfying due to the quality of the performances, but also on account of the fact that little of Floyd's early live work is documented. Other than bootlegs, Live at Pompeii is perhaps the only other live recording that addresses this critical phase in Floyd's development.

The second disc, however, is where the fun starts. Each member set out to write his own compositions... and what results we are treated to. Waters' song, 'Several small species of animals... ,' is perhaps the weirdest track you will encounter, but it's just the tip of the psychedelic iceberg. 'Grandshester Meadows' is a delicate piece that anticipates such future ballads as 'If' and 'Is there anybody out there?' 'The Grand Viziers Garden Party' is a long psychedlic piece that builds to a climax with Waters laying down a wailing vocal. The songs are as varied as imaginable... and it quickly becomes evident that from this primordial and multi-colored ooze the Dark Side of the Moon would someday emerge.

Yes, I can hear all you classic rock dunderheads now - "No way, man - The Wall is the best one, man! This one isn't even music!" Well, go turn on your fave rock radio station now and you'll hear the same 4/4 floyd prog rock/concept tomfoolery they play every 9 minutes and you can pretend to be the rebel you're not like you do every other day of your life.

As for the rest of you, buy this album! Put on the studio album, turn out the lights, and CRANK IT. This is what true musical experimentation is all about. This album is more influential than you might think - anyone who listens to the current wave of ambient/noise/electronica will recognize it's value. Anything goes, boys and girls. Whoops! Gotta go - a giant bat is chasing me!

Dr. DOOMSTRIKER

Pink Floyd's first double album is controversial at best, mainly because of the weird studio album. The live stuff is excellent, but casual fans will be uncomfortable with this album.

Disc 1

Astronomy Domine- Much, much better than the studio cut. Eerie and grabbing from the moment it is put on. Gilmour sings the lyrics with perfection.

Careful With That Axe, Eugene- Comparing this to the studio cut is strange because the studio cut isn't a freak-out piece of music like the live version. Cool guitar licks and Waters' yelling help the song a lot.

Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun- When will the live album stop- this song is better than the original as well. Waters sings the lyrics with a quieter tone and the last four minutes are sustained trippy bits added to the original.

A Saucerful of Secrets- The best song on the live album. Gilmour's guitars and Wright's organs are kicked up loud and the result is very freaky (I especially like the areas where distortion occurs because of the loudness).

Disc 2

Sysyphus- Not so much music as it is atmosphere- mostly it is just Wright hitting notes on an organ. But the climax is great.

Grantchester Meadows- One of the Floyd's best early songs with some of Waters' best lyrics. A great slow song.

Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving With a Pict- This is not music- this is just sound effects with Waters' demented Scotsman speak at the end.

The Narrow Way- An average Floyd piece with great guitar work. The lyrics are barely audible, though.

The Grand Vizier's Garden Party- This isn't music either- just Mason taking out his frustrations on percussion instruments.

Not for the casual fan at all- but hardcore Floyd fans will love it. And what does ummagumma mean?

I bought this album right around my 13th birthday back in 1970. It sure knocked me for a loop back then. I didn't play it all that much (with the exception of the live sections) until 4 years later. For the most part, the studio material is a real hodgepodge of half baked musical and non musical ideas. This is not the stuff that one would associate with Pink Floyd, the rock icons, yet I'm perversely drawn back to it from time to time. I don't expect today's 20 year old to get " Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving Withe A Pict" Unless of course, he has it blasting from his car stereo and is cow tipping with his friends at 3am under the influenece of Window Pane LSD, and no, this is not an endorsement of such behavior :)~ But I digress. The live part of the album is really quite good. "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" "Astronomy Domine" and "Saucer full Of Secrets" are classic acid drenched Floyd. The began to refine and tone down that aspect of their sound with each passing release after this. Why only 3 stars? I give the live half 4 and the studio half 2. Mainly because Timothy Leary's dead

I will only review the studio album, the one which makes a whole of a controversy. Is the band trying to fool the listeners or not? OF COURSE NOT!!! Poor-minded are those who think this way (well, OK, the live album contains 4 awesome songs which are great in this live version). Back to Ummagumma Studio. The only track on Floyd's 4º album I consider a SONG is "Narrow Way part 3". "Grantchester" approaches. All the others are an experiment of sound effects mixed with odd distortions of the basic instruments guitar, bass, drums and piano, plus another weird indefinite textures they create... BUT who's saying all this salad is a slap on the ear? To the tracks:

Sysyphus has some good moments, for example the first half of part 2(a soft piano tune) and the ending of part 4(a macabre melody which would perfectly fit in a horror movie), but also some very unpleasant moments like part 3(only stupid noise). As a whole, an average song. (Song?) In "Grantchester" you can hardly listen the acoustic guitar, only instrument accompanying Roger's babbling, smoother than ever. The track reminds me of Simon And Garfunkel. "Several Species" is the synthesis of the album: a collage of weird sounds and the bizarrest voice Roger has ever done, but very funny. I love it. "Narrow Way" is the best thing in all this mess. Parts 1 and 2 are sinister, it's like they're leading the listener through a narrow way, and in the end of it, we have part 3, the jewel on the top of the crown. With vocals by Dave Gilmour, part 3 is one of the most catching PF songs. The SONG contains such a poignant melody that makes one want to cry. I can't understand why the band didn't "use" this great song(Narrow Way as a whole) in compilations or big gigs... "Grand Vizier's", guess what? A weird track. Also a collage of textures and sounds. Awesome drum solo in the end of "entertainment". But differently from Sysyphus or Several Species, "Party" is addicting.

Overall, Ummagumma isn't easy to comprehend, it requires some time and most of all, AN OPEN MIND! Enjoy this psychedelia!!!