Ummagumma (1969)

Live Disc

Studio Disc

Total


 

Disc One  
  1. Astronomy Domine
  2. Careful With That Axe, Eugene
  3. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
  4. A Saucerful of Secrets
  
Disc Two
  1. Sysyphus
  2. Grantchester Meadows
  3. Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered
      Together and Grooving with a Pict
  4. The Narrow Way
  5. The Grand Vizier's Garden Party

 

This is one of those albums where the reactions from fans are all over the place. Depending on who you ask, it’s either a bold experimental triumph or a frustrating detour into musical self-indulgence. In truth, Ummagumma is really two different albums presented as one—a live disc that captures the band’s early strengths, and a studio disc that sounds like each band member was sent to their own room and told to come back with something... anything.

Let’s start with the studio half. The concept was that each member would contribute their own “suite” of music—solo projects in all but name. In theory, this could have produced something interesting. In practice, it sounds more like a class project where everyone turned in wildly different assignments and no one read the syllabus. Richard Wright kicks things off with the Sysyphus pieces—essentially a collection of eerie, atonal keyboard workouts that feel more like soundtrack material for a particularly unpleasant dream. It’s technically impressive, but nearly impossible to enjoy on any emotional level.

Roger Waters contributes two tracks, both centered around the natural world. Grantchester Meadows opens promisingly, with gentle acoustic strumming and bucolic imagery, but quickly devolves into a mess of sound effects and strange audio interruptions. His second offering, Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict (yes, that’s the title), is about as unlistenable as it sounds. It’s hard to tell if it’s meant as a joke or an actual artistic statement. Either way, once is enough.

David Gilmour’s The Narrow Way suite has glimmers of promise. You can hear the beginnings of his signature guitar tone, and some melodies begin to form. Unfortunately, like the rest of the disc, it loses itself in a haze of directionless experimentation. Nick Mason’s contribution, The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party, is essentially a percussion solo in three parts. It’s admirable that everyone got a turn, but there’s a reason this format was never repeated.

Fortunately, the live disc rescues the package from complete collapse. This is Pink Floyd as a band—not as four individuals in separate rooms. The four extended live performances here are among the best early examples of what the band was capable of in a concert setting. Astronomy Domine retains its wild Barrett-era energy, while Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun grows into something far more dynamic and brooding than its studio counterpart. Careful with That Axe, Eugene, previously only available as a single, is downright terrifying in this context—in the best way possible. And A Saucerful of Secrets rounds things out with all the power and weirdness that defined their early period.

It wouldn’t be surprising to find old vinyl copies of Ummagumma where the live record is worn thin and the studio disc still looks mint. It’s that kind of release. This was a band in transition—still searching for its identity post-Barrett, and trying on new ideas, even if they didn’t all fit. It would take a few more records to settle into the next phase of their career. But at least, on the live half of this double album, we’re reminded why people cared in the first place.

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