Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Discussions about Pink Floyd and Solo Official Album CDs and DVDs.

Rate This Album

5 - Best
23
24%
4
28
30%
3
18
19%
2
18
19%
1 - Worst
7
7%
 
Total votes: 94

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zag
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by zag »

2066 wrote: A real ear opener for me. Of course, the cover is beyond cool too.
Same here... heh heh, I can still remember a few parties and people´s reactions after heavy smoking...
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by Idisaffect »

danielcaux wrote:the studio portion is .... Floyd's second masterpiece.
You are hilarious!

Astronomy Domine : I almost don't miss Syd, it's so good.

Eugene: We all know this is great. Definitive early, post- Syd Floyd. Rick Wright at the height of his musical influence on the band.

Set ze controls: Waters getting ready to take control. At least he left plenty of space for his band mates on this one. I like it a lot.

SFOS : Psychedelic noodlings. Never liked Gilmours' "Aaahhs" at the end.

Sisyphus : Pass that joint, Rick.

Granchester Meadows : Pass the hash, Roger. I'll hang out and listen. Very soothing.

Several Species : What 2066 said. Also, when I was 12 years old in the late 80's I bought this because of the song title of this track and CWTAE. Yes, I bought it because of song titles. It was from a garage sale and it was on vinyl. I still have it. I scratched the shit out of it. I had never listened to pink floyd before except for the radio. This was my favorite track when I was 12. It was my introduction to pink floyd.

Narrow Way 1,2,3 : Amateur hour. But if you like it, you like it. Beyond his beautiful voice, Gilmour had not really developed his talent, yet. He'd get it right on the next album with Fat Old Sun.

Grand Vizier: I have no idea.

Live album 4/5
Studio 2/5 (maybe I just need another toke)
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by RonToon »

Ummagumma was the 1st Pink Floyd album that I bought. The live tracks are great although Careful is performed a bit too fast for my taste. The solo LP has always been hit 'n miss for me. I still enjoy Roger's contributions and the final section of The Narrow Way.
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by Massed Gadgets »

I love this album from start to finish, it's one of my favourites by PF. It was, in fact, the studio album that really first drew me in. I loved the juxtaposition of these beautiful pastoral sounds alongside more experimental excursions. Rick Wright's Sysyphus is brilliant. While there has always been much debate over whether or not PF were a progressive rock band, I think this is probably one of the most progressive things they did, a unique synthesis of classical and free jazz elements using rock instruments. Very avant-garde, but very innovative too. Roger's two pieces, again, bring together the pastoral, the lovely folk piece Grantchester Meadows with the extremely experimental Several Species, but in a sort of Yin Yang way, there's a touch of each in the other, with the buzzing insect and the unique sound effects in GM, and the hint of nature and the ancient in SS. Although most people, including Gilmour himself, write off The Narrow Way as crap, I really disagree. The Narrow Way Pt. 1 is one of Daves most haunting pastoral folksy pieces, just a lovely spacey atmosphere to it. Pt. 2 is minimalist Krautrock before their was such a thing. I love it! And in fact, many of the early Krautrock artists cited Ummagumma as a major inspiration to them. Pt. 3 starts off slow and mysterious, segueing beautifully from Pt. 2 into some dreamy, atmospheric space rock to finish it off. What's not to love? And fianlly, there is Nick's Piece. While probably the weakest piece on the album, it still does have it's merits, a groundbreaking attempt to utilize drums, not for the typical drum solo, but to create ambient music. Not entirely successful, but still listenable and you have to give Nick points for trying. All in all, a fascinating musical journey. Paired with the live album, which features some of the best versions of their earlier material (even if SFOS was comped together from two different performances!), this is a masterpiece of experimental psychedelic music.
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by Sonic Destruction »

Perhaps "Ummagumma" doesn't deserve the four that I gave it, but I really love most of this album.

From the looks of this thread, it seems few would disagree that the live tracks are killer. "Astronomy" and "Set the Controls" in particular are just mind-numbing spacerock, and put the original studio versions to shame (even though they are great in their own right).

The problem is that some of the studio "solo" tracks are just so directionless. "Granchester Meadows" is superb, and I love Gilmour's "The Narrow Way" (so many haunting atmospheres and emotions contained within just one track). However, the Rick and Nick attempts are almost unlistenable to my ears and "Several Species" is not really as good as what I wish it was.

Still, four out of five for the good stuff, and much credit for attempting to release a double album when they had just lost their chief song-writer.
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by Idisaffect »

Massed Gadgets wrote: The Narrow Way Pt. 1 is one of Daves most haunting pastoral folksy pieces, just a lovely spacey atmosphere to it. Pt. 2 is minimalist Krautrock before their was such a thing. I love it! And in fact, many of the early Krautrock artists cited Ummagumma as a major inspiration to them. Pt. 3 starts off slow and mysterious, segueing beautifully from Pt. 2 into some dreamy, atmospheric space rock to finish it off. What's not to love?
You actually made me want to hear it again. :)
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by danielcaux »

Pat Albertson wrote:and much credit for attempting to release a double album when they had just lost their chief song-writer.
Well, they thought of it more like just a single album with a bonus live LP included in the package. I believe they were afraid of people not being adventurous enough for wanting to buy an experimental album, so they added the live disc as a safety net. The original price of the album was that of a single LP, that was one of the reasons for it being so successful, increasing Pink Floyd's popularity and paving the way for Atom Heart Mother's "No. 1".
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by Hogtown »

I really like this album. But, I have to say, one thing freaks me out, and I will have to type in tiny print about the Several Species trackis it me, or can you hear these words: "cu-cu-cu-come bum fuck me/cu-cu-cu-come bum fuck me...I mean is that what the furry animals are doing to that pict?

I especially love Rick's solo piece.
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by ddebil »

Hogtown wrote:is it me, or can you hear these words: "cu-cu-cu-come bum fuck me/cu-cu-cu-come bum fuck me...I mean is that what the furry animals are doing to that pict?
:smt043 :smt043 :smt043
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by Hogtown »

ddebil, that is what I hear. Freaks me out.
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by ddebil »

You are such a bastard! That's all I can hear now. :twisted:
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by Hogtown »

You hear it too?
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

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If you don't shut up, I'll do it!
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by MeanMrKetchup »

When I first heard Ummagumma, I certainly liked the live album, however poorly recorded is it, it has a somewhat nostalgic feeling to it and the performances are great. Astronomy Domine is a brilliant version, especially considering Syd isn't there, this is followed by Careful With That Axe, Eugene - the first version I heard and I have always loved it. Then comes Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, a good version and the live album ends with A Saucerful Of Secrets, now when I heard the album version I wasn't all that impressed but this live version brought the piece back to life for me. And the live album is already over, I want more, personally.

When I first heard the studio album, I wasn't impressed. It is growing on me though, Sysyphus is an interesting piece from Rick, but doesn't spark much imagination for me and doesn't seem to do alot. Granchester Meadows does alot better, a wonderful pastoral ballad with a cool use of sound effects at the end with the swatting of a fly which leads to Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict. Alright so the title definitely draws you in, but be prepared to be, well not disappointed but perhaps lost for words. A decent piece of experimentation, but I would only ever listen to this in the context of the album. The Narrow Way is a rival of Granchester Meadows for the best "solo project" of the album, Dave's folksy picking is nicely done and the contrast of part 2 works well. Then it's Nick's turn, another three part project, although part 1 and 3 are pretty much just his wife on a flute. His Entertainment piece is alright but drum solos often are dull and need to end sooner, this is little exception although he can have credit for the experimentation.

Overall, yes it's still growing on me, and I kid of like the idea of having a live album to show how well the band gels together followed by a disc of solo things, but generally it doesn't hold together as a great album for me. Not at all my favorite, although the cover art is lovely, that's gotta count for something. I gave this a 2.
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Re: Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

Post by gabrisher »

This one of my favorites. I gave it a 5. Reading this thread has brought back my first encounters with it. I remember being a young teen in the early 80's and allways picking up the lp in the local record store and being intrigued by the cover, the fact that there was a studio and live lp included, and the long weird song titles.

When I finally got around to buying it I for some reason bought the tape instead of the lp, which is strage because prefered lps at the time. It must have been because I wanted to listen to it in my walkman, or more likely because it was cheaper. More likely the later. If I remeber correctly I paid $10.99 for the tape while the lp was $12.99. It was a single tape which usually cost $8.99 back then, but it was 2 lps on one tape so I was making out , right? Wrong. The version I bought only included the studio lp, plus Astronomy Domine. I still enjoyed it but coudn't believe I got jipped out of the other live tracks. A couple years later I finally bought the lp. Am I the only one this ever happened to?

It also was a few years after I bought the lp that I noticed on the cover how each band member switches places as the picture goes back into infinity. I had thought it was the same picture repeated. The music and the cover have never stopped pleasing and surprising me.