Just like the iconic cover of Storm Thorgerson on which the blazing Frisian cow Lulubelle III shows us her buttocks cheekily. (MR) complete with crackling bacon and whistling kettle) have stood the test of time well. The band members themselves prefer not to be reminded of it (David Gilmour in 2001: 'God, it's shit') and that's a shame because the remaining material, including strong songs like Fat Old Sun and Summer 68 and the drawn-out Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast ( a breakfast ritual set to music, complete with crackling bacon and whistling kettle) have stood the test of time well. The concept of band with orchestra was already in vogue in 1970 (Deep Purple, Moody Blues), but that didn't make Atom Heart Mother's avant-garde bombast any less groundbreaking. Following … a newspaper article about a pregnant woman with a plutonium-fed pacemaker, the name Atom Heart Mother was eventually coined for the whimsical suite that covered the entire first side of the eponymous LP. The album has major contributions from Ron Geesin. The recordings were difficult, which led to the working title Argument In E Minor For Band And Orchestra. Atom Heart Mother is the fifth studio album by Pink Floyd, released in 1970 through Harvest Records. Arrangements were made for a twenty-piece choir, a classical brass section and a cellist. When it was decided to record it, the young Scottish arranger and conductor Ron Geesin was called in for help. For those who know Pink Floyd solely through lyric dominated albums such as "The Wall" and later "dehydrated" Floyd albums, however, it may come as something of a shock.In 1970 Pink Floyd experimented on stage with a long suite called The Amazing Pudding. This album is unique and a "must" for any serious Floyd fan. The music is not as strong as the title track, but there is that certain "something" about it (and the album as a whole) that keeps me coming back for more. The album concludes with "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" another instrumental suite punctuated by sound effects and a backround voice. In my opinion these songs are all stronger then the short songs from Meddle. This was the bands first recording with an orchestra, the title track The Atom Heart Mother Suite taking up a full side of the original vinyl release. "If" is memorable as Water's first "list song" and includes possibly his first references to insanity : "If I go insane, please don't put your wires in my brain", and "Fat Old Sun" is a beautiful sleepy Guilour effort. The 'Atom Heart Mother' suite takes up all of side one, and is split into six parts, individually named. While none of them can be described as "high impact" songs, all three have a haunting simplicity and the best lyrics up to that point. Side 2 of the lp consists of three songs, "If", "Summer of '67" and "Fat old Sun" written by Waters, Wright and Guilmour respectively. +-+ + Atom Heart Mother Suite - Pink Floyd + +-+ Tuning: Standard (EADGBe) Tab. The musical themes themselves are both noble and grand in nature and the Suite is, quite simply an astonishing piece of music which is comparable to such modern classics as Holst's "The Planets". Whereas Echoes was built largely on the quality and texture of sound itself, beginning with that repeated and distorted keyboard note, AHM is based on musical themes which are repeated and developed in the classical style throughout the piece. Apart from its length and the fact that it is largely instrumental, it bears little resemblance to "Echoes" from the "Meddle" album. The album opener, "Atom Heart Mother Suite" (side 1 of the lp) is a 23 minute epic. This work was composed by the process of Pink Floyd providing Ron Geesin with a full-length tape of all chords, rhythm and effects, upon which he wrote all. This is largely due to the influence of Ron Geesin who co-wrote the title track and the use of brass instruments and a choir to add texture and colour to the sound. Something of an enigma among their work, this is the one Floyd album which doesn't have the trade mark "Pink Floyd Sound" be it the cosmic / nursery rhyme feel of the Syd Barrett era or the tight, lyrics dominated Roger Waters era. Atom Heart Mother Album Review By James Caulfield"Atom Heart Mother" - best album title and containing the best song title ever : "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast"!
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