Ummagumma

Careful With That Axe, Eugene' is next up. At just under 9 minutes it is a very similar version as to the one found on 'Live In Pompeii' video. There is one important difference though. The scream actually gives the impression that someone is being cut into little pieces (and it's not Jimmy Young!). I love this piece and is played live by The Australian Pink Floyd Show to a rousing reception. It is a very moving instrumental which builds to a murderous mid-section and then dies away, slowly. A classic.

Another classic, and again the best official released version is found in 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun'. 9 minutes long here, it knocks the excellent studio version into touch.

A Saucerful Of Secrets' completes the disc. It is similar to the studio version except for Gilmour's more pronounced vocal on the 5 minute outro. (The same finale as to 'The Man and the Journey').

The studio album could have pages written about it. It was going to be an experiment using household utensils. Thankfully that idea fell apart. What was released is a right mixture of solo efforts. Firstly, Wright with his musical version of Homer's Greek character Sysyphus pushing his rock infinitely almost to the top of a hill only to let it slip roll down again. To me it is a total waste of 13 minutes. It is the sort of noise that kids would make on BBC's "Music Time". (Who remembers that programme?)

Next two gems from Waters. The beautifully serene 'Grantchester Meadows' and the very silly, but stunning 'Several Species...' A Pict being slang for a Scot. Apparently to get the full drift of the hidden messages on this one track you need to play the vinyl at 16rpm/33rpm/45rpm/78rpm backwards and forwards. Don't worry if you've only got a CD player it is still great fun. Waters contribution comes in at 12.30 minutes.

Gilmour didn't have faith in his lyrics on his 12.20 minute piece 'The Narrow Way'. His voice is deliberately hidden in the mix of part 3. So the lyrics were not printed in the booklet. However, they are easy to find on the net. OK, the lyrics aren't outstanding but they aren't bad for an early attempt. The music is good; moody and powerful if just a little chaotic at times.

8 of Mason's 8.40 minutes are, for me anyway, a waste of time. Again reminders of "Music Time". But were Led Zeppelin inspired by the flute ending on part 3 for their intro to, oh what's the name of the most popular song ever written, oh..., "Stairway To Heaven".

Don't worry that the live album is spoilt by audience noise (like Delicate Sound Of Thunder) it isn't. This was recorded in England in June '69 when the crowd gave polite, respectful silence during each track, just like on 'Yessongs' by Yes. And just like 'Yessongs' the sound quality is superb. Remember this is years before digital recording. This album is only enhanced by being remastered. Finally, great packaging (even if some photos are from the 70's) from Storm Thorgerson who worked on the original album but it is nice to refer to that vinyl to see the original presentation showing different photos and Floyd's second album in one of the mirrors on the wall.

Thanks for reading this long essay, but it is impossible to describe this double CD in only a few words.

As ever there is a concept here, however the strange thing about this album is that the concept seems to be very much like a self-governed competition between the band to see who can craft the best standalone composition. "Does the winner get full control of the band?" says Roger... bad luck for Rick and Nick then, who turn in the dire Sysyphus and the even worse Grand Vizier's Garden Party repectivly. Gilmour gives it some gusto on the Narrow Way, which unsurprisingly is based around various guitar effects and sequencers, whilst Waters proves himself the king of the castle with the lovely, folk-infused Grantchester Meadows.

The other composition on this disk is Waters’ attempt at surreal psychedelic experimentalism, which is saved from complete tedium thanks to some rather humours (and indecipherable) vocal passages... this however soon becomes dull though, and much like Wright and Mason’s work, is overcome by it’s own pretension. As everyone else in the world has already mentioned, disk one is pretty fantastic stuff, with the Floyd delivering four of their early classics in a live, loud and utterly electrifying new form. This is certainly enough to warrant three out of five stars... but would I recommend this as a purchase? Probably not.

You really have to ask your self some serious questions with this album, like is it really worth it? Yes the live disk is terrific, and yes it does have a legendary status amongst Pink Floyd devotees and the band’s legacy as a whole... but at this current price...? Is it worth spending the best part of twenty-pounds on what really amounts to a four track, live mish-mash...? No, didn’t think so.

Then you have the live album to go. Astronomy Domine has a far more menacing effect than Barrett's version on the first album and the vocals at the end of A Saucerful of Secrets are a true feat, plus Nick Mason really belts those skins again on this one!!

Bands today would never realease an album like this 1) because their money-minded managers would never allow it and 2) they probably wouldn't know how anyway. True creativity in music is clearly not what it used to be.