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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Unsung Vanguard Of Psychedelic Space-Rock, March 16, 2002
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.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not to be missed., September 4, 2002
For those used to the later Pink Floyd, this will come as a complete surprise. But after a few hearings, the musical fun will come through. And while it is Pink Floyd with all that implies, it is more of an exploration of the groups musical tastes and boundaries. If you like rock as opposed to dance music, this is a must-have album - first in that it contains some truely classic and ground breaking music and second in that (however obscurely) the music has managed to leave its imprint on almost everything to follow. The live tracks are grand - and deserve (though it isn't necessary) to be played loudly. For me, the introduction to "Astronome Domine" and "Saucerful of Secrets" have the power to drag the listener in with little effort. Unlike many similar pieces, the variety of sounds and dynamic range make the music unlike much you might hear outside a concert hall - in a couple of tracks the music fades to a very quiet contemplative mood only to swell quickly into a loud, noisy contrast. The studio tracks are wildly different sounding almost completely different -much quieter (though far from always quiet) with odd vocal backgrounds (and a few surprising add ons). "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered in a Cave and Grooving With a Pict" is a delight and completely unexpected and "Grantchester Meadows" is a quite and rich track featuring acoustic guitar, voice and birds. If the pieces on this album were played separately, a casual listener might well conclude that they were played by entirely different people with very different musical interests, but played together, its clear that there is a strong commonality and that these four disparate musicians capable of going in very different directions are still somehow forging a sound, mood and presence that is unique and unforgettable. Not all of the music here is a success - but even the tracks that are less strong are worth listening to and thinking about. An album strangely and sadly underheard and underestimated.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Quite rocking psychodela, August 19, 2005
This is last PF psychedelic album, and it's pretty succesful, but also very wierd. The first disc contains live recordings, and they are good. Astronomy Domine seems more powerful than on piper, and it has an organ improvisation. Careful with THat Axe Eugene is an absolute classic of psychodelic rock. Set THe Controls are also better than the studio version, also more scary and with more improvisations. Saucerful Of Secrets is more wild and the last part is much more powerful than on studio version, but studio version is more mystery and scary.
The studio part of ummagumma is a set of most wierd, twisted, psychedelic songs Pink Floyd ever did. Each member of the band wrore his own material and so here it is. First comes Richard Wright with Syphys, that starts quite interesting, but then it becomes so twisted and you just can't listen to it. Next one is Waters, with soft song Grandchester Meadows, that goes into Several Spieces..., and this is a combination of sounds of some small fury animals with some other wierd stuff. I don't really like that. But here's something better: i think Narrow Way is the best part of ummagumma studio. Part first is a soft acoustic melody, part two is a heavy, distorted riff with some other effects, and part three is a mystery, psychodelic song. I think it's worth effort and i like it. There's still something else, Mason shows us his drum creation, Grand Vizier's Garden Party, which is a song only with drum and percussion and a lot of improvisations. At first time I didn't like it, but it has its wierd, haunted climax that is cool.
Generally I think ummagumma is a worth effort, but my favourtie PF psychodelic album is A Saucerful Of Secrets. Also, If You're a beginner, don't start with this one; Go for Dark Side Of The Moon or Wish You Were Here.
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