Atom Heart Mother suite - (rating is off the scale)
I struggle to describe why I love this. Like On The Run: the first time I heard the Atom Heart Mother suite I knew my development in musical love had significantly changed. There are many reasons that make this piece perfect:
- the low humming build-up - the signature line - the violin line - the vocals, my God the vocals - the introduction of the guitar solo - that first POING! is life affirming - the abstract middle section - the finale! My God the finale!
If - 7
Pink Floyd, wary of causing the very fabric of reality to conflict with itself, lower expectations and pace with this easy number. A soft ballad with nice vocals and guitar work...but it doesn't deliver goose pimples.
Summer of '68 - 9
Sung by Wright (who sounds like Gilmour), this is narrowly the best piece of the trio of songs in the middle of Atom Heart the album. Mid-paced summery rhythms remind of Beach Boys or Beatles. The song also has a big brass section which gives it an edge.
Fat Old Sun - 8
Gilmour sings it like he sings Green Is The Colour: ie - he sings it falsetto and very well. This is a lovely song, but it's not quite magic. The 14-minute BBC sessions version however, is quite magic (info: John Peel 1970 session).
Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast - 8
It took me a few years until I started enjoying this piece. It is a harmless and good-natured jam with themes of what one has for breakfast (like jam). The contents of the music are as funny as the song's title.
So, Atom Heart Mother is clearly a masterpiece of progressive rock music and, for me, has a much weightier epic song than its successor Echoes (from the Meddle album).
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