Ummagumma
Released in 1969, Ummagumma represents where the influence of departed founding songwriter Syd Barrett began to fade in favor of the rather less whimsical and pastoral visions of Roger Waters. Ummagumma is a double album, divided into live and studio halves. The live cuts–”Astronomy Domine,” “Careful with That Axe, Eugene,” “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” and “A Saucerful of Secrets”–established the Floyd’s predilection for gloomily atmospheric and faintly prepost [Read More...]
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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.”
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.