Pink Floyd Ummagumma CD

UMMAGUMMA features a set of live performances on Disc 1 and a collection of solo studio projects by various band members on Disc 2.
Pink Floyd: David Gilmour (vocals, guitar); Richard Wright (vocals, keyboards); Roger Waters (vocals, bass); Nick Mason (drums).
Disc 1 was recorded live at Mothers, Birmingham, England and live at The
Manchester College Of Commerce, England in June 1969.
For many years, this double LP/CD was one of the most popular albums in Pink Floyd's pre-Dark Side of the Moon output, containing a live disc and a studio disc all for the price of one (in the LP version). The live set, recorded in Birmingham and Manchester in June 1969, is limited to four numbers, all drawn from the group's first two LPs or their then recent singles. Featuring the band's second lineup (i.e., no Syd Barrett), the set shows off a very potent group, their sound held together on-stage by Nick Mason's assertive drumming and Roger Waters' powerful bass work, which keep the proceedings moving no matter how spaced out the music gets; they also sound like they've got the amplifiers to make their music count, which is more than the early band had. "Astronomy Domine," "Careful with That Axe Eugene," "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," and "A Saucerful of Secrets" are all superior here to their studio originals, done longer, louder, and harder, with a real edge to the playing. The studio disc was more experimental, each member getting a certain amount of space on the record to make his own music -- Richard Wright's "Sysyphus" was a pure keyboard work, featuring various synthesizers, organs, and pianos; David Gilmour's "The Narrow Way" was a three-part instrumental for acoustic and electric guitars and electronic keyboards; and Nick Mason's "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" made use of a vast range of acoustic and electric percussion devices. Roger Waters' "Grantchester Meadows" was a lyrical folk-like number unlike almost anything else the group ever did. In 1994 the album was remastered and reissued in a green slipcase, in a version a lot louder and sharper (and cheaper) than the original CD release. ~ Bruce Eder
Party-liners may favor DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, but diehard space cadets recognize UMMAGUMMA as the pinnacle of post-Barrett Floyd's achievement. Originally released as a double LP, the first record is a live recording from 1969, while the second features four extended cuts written by (and featuring) each of the four band members in turn. Eschewing the catchy, Kinks-influenced pop kaleidoscope of the band's first album, the live portion focuses on extended, spacy near-instrumentals, heavy on acid-fueled jamming and atmospheric electronic textures.
From the Eastern-tinged "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" to the over-the-top psychosis of "Careful With That Axe, Eugene," UMMAGUMMA's first half is ground zero for the genre that would come to be known as space rock. The solo efforts on the second half are undoubtedly the band's most experimental, unconventional efforts ever. They make good use of the avant-garde techniques that were a key early influence, like musique concrete-style tape collage and sound effects. Along the way, there's some lovely folk-tinged balladry, courtesy of Roger Waters ("Grantchester Meadows"), and some proto-prog keyboard wizardry (Richard Wright's multi-part "Sysyphus").Q (1/95, p.275) - 3 Stars - Good - "...something of a bravely flawed gambit combining a side of Floyd live and archetypally spacey, with a studio set full of mad but appealing individual experiments..."
Mojo (Publisher) (9/00, p.121) - "...Based on the principle that groups are often at their best when they don't know what they're doing, this is Pink Floyd at their most adventurous....genuinely sounding exploratory..."