Ummagumma

Ummagumma

(Released on:- 25th October, 1969)

  Album's title cover

A Studio album (studio and live) by Pink Floyd

Released - 25 October 1969

Recorded - 1969

Length - 86:11

Label - Harvest, EMI (UK), Harvest/Capitol, Capitol (U.S.)

Producer - Pink Floyd (disc one), Norman Smith (disc two)

                                                                                       

Introduction

                  Ummagumma is a double rock album by Pink Floyd.

It was a double album. One disc was recorded live at Mothers Club, Birmingham, on April 27, 1969 and the following week at Manchester College of Commerce, on May 2; the other included four solo segments, one by each of the band, recorded in the studio.

The album was released in the UK on October 25, 1969 and then in the USA on November 10. The album would reach #5 on the UK album charts and #74 on the US album charts, marking the first time the band reached the top 100 in the US.

In 1987, the album was re-released on a two CD set. A digitally re-mastered two CD set was released in 1994.

Background

Ummagumma is a double album. One disc was recorded live at Mothers Club, Birmingham, on 27 April 1969 and the following week at Manchester College of Commerce, on 2 May 1969; the other included four solo segments, one half-side of vinyl each by David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and Roger Waters.

The album was released in the UK on 25 October 1969 and then in the U.S. on 10 November 1969. The album reached #5 on the UK album charts and #74 on the US album charts, marking the first time the band reached the top 100 in the U.S. The album was certified Gold in the U.S. in February 1974 and Platinum in March 1994. Once released, critics have been quoted as saying it sounded like "Rick Wright and Roger Waters had sex on a bunch of instruments and recorded the sound they made."

In 1987, the album was re-released on a two CD set. A digitally re-mastered version was released in 1994 in the UK and 1995 in the US. Neither CD release includes the picture of Waters' first wife, which had appeared on the inner-gatefold sleeve of the original vinyl issue.

The cover of the original LP varies between the British (and Canadian) and American releases. The British version has the album Gigi leaning against the wall immediately above the 'Pink Floyd' letters. On the original American album version, however, this was airbrushed to a plain white sleeve, apparently because of copyright concerns (though the Gigi cover appears in U.S. CD version's booklet). Inside the cover is a picture of David Gilmour in front of the Elfin Oak. Nick Mason came up with the idea for the rear cover (or cover of the Live Album), which shows the band's equipment laid out on a runway at Biggin Hill Airfield.

Track listing

Disc one: live album

Side one

"Astronomy Domine" (Syd Barrett) – 8:29

"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (Roger Waters, Rick Wright, David Gilmour, Nick Mason) – 8:50

Side two

"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (Waters) – 9:12

"A Saucerful of Secrets" (Gilmour/Waters/Mason/Wright) – 12:48

"Something Else"

"Syncopated Pandemonium"

"Storm Signal"

"Celestial Voices"

Disc two: studio album

Side one

"Sysyphus Part 1" (Wright) – 1:03 (CD) 4:29 (original 1969 LP)

"Sysyphus Part 2" (Wright) – 3:30 (CD) 1:49 (original 1969 LP)

"Sysyphus Part 3" (Wright) – 1:49 (CD) 3:07 (original 1969 LP)

"Sysyphus Part 4" (Wright) – 6:59 (CD) 3:38 (original 1969 LP)

"Grantchester Meadows" (Waters) – 7:26

"Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict" (Waters) – 4:59

Side two

"The Narrow Way Part 1" (Gilmour) – 3:27

"The Narrow Way Part 2" (Gilmour) – 2:53

"The Narrow Way Part 3" (Gilmour) – 5:57

"The Grand Vizier's Garden Party Part 1: Entrance" (Mason) – 1:00

"The Grand Vizier's Garden Party Part 2: Entertainment" (Mason) – 7:06

"The Grand Vizier's Garden Party Part 3: Exit" (Mason) – 0:38

Miscellaneous

The title Ummagumma comes from a British slang word for sexual intercourse.

MFSL announced their plans to release Ummagumma on their ultrasound series, but later withdrew those stating that the master tapes were below quality.

Overdubs were added later to the live performances.

The album is the last to feature photos of the band members on the outer cover. They are seated in the order, from front-to-back, of Gilmour (in his bare feet), Waters, Mason and Wright. In each successive "reflection" in the upper-left corner, they move each band member forward one space, with the front-most member going to the back. On the US album (with the airbrushed Gigi cover), in the smallest "reflection", with Wright in the foreground, instead of another "reflection" the cover of A Saucerful of Secrets appears. On the UK version, the "reflection" has Gilmour in the front once again. On the live album cover, roadies Alan Stiles (who would later appear on Atom Heart Mother's "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast") and the late Peter Watts (who contributed the manic laughter and speech of "Brain Damage", and who was the father of actress Naomi Watts) are shown with the band's equipment at Biggin Hill Airport.

After Pink Floyd's May 16, 1970 performance at The Warehouse in New Orleans, the equipment shown on the rear cover of Ummagumma was stolen. The remaining concerts on this U.S. tour were canceled. After the theft, and the Grateful Dead's drug bust after their January 31, 1970 performance, also at The Warehouse; New Orleans was shunned by most rock bands for the first half of the 1970s. The Grateful Dead would not play in New Orleans for another 10 years. Pink Floyd wouldn't play there for another 24 years.

The original intention of the band with the live album was to release those songs and then stop playing them. However, with the popularity of the album, the public kept wanting to hear songs from the live album, and so they stayed in their set lists for some time.

Although the sleeve notes say that the live material was recorded in June of 1969, these tracks were actually recorded at shows in March and April of 1969.

Until the release of The Division Bell, Ummagumma was the only Pink Floyd studio album to feature a female instrumentalist. Lindy, Nick Mason's wife at the time, played flute on parts 1 and 3 of "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party".

Part 3 on "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" is amongst the shortest Pink Floyd studio recordings ever released. Only "Stop", which was 0:32, from The Wall, and "A New Machine (Part 2)", which was 0:38, from A Momentary Lapse of Reason, are of equal or shorter length.

This album and Atom Heart Mother were the only Floyd studio albums to not be represented on Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.

The sequencing of the studio album would later inspire the arrangement for the Minutemen double album Double Nickels on the Dime.

Personnel

Roger Waters – bass guitar, guitar and vocals on "Grantchester Meadows", tape effects on "Several

Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict"

David Gilmour – vocals, guitar, and instruments on "The Narrow Way"

Richard Wright – keyboards, vocals, instruments on "Sysyphus"

Nick Mason – drums, percussion, instruments on "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" (except flute)

Lindy Mason (then Mason's wife) – flute (uncredited)

The title Ummagumma comes from a British slang word for sexual intercourse

MFSL announced their plans to release Ummagumma on their ultrasound series, but later withdrew those stating that the master tapes were below quality.

Overdubs were added later to the live performances .

The album is the last to feature photos of the band members on the outer cover. They are seated in the order, from front-to-back, of Gilmour (in his bare feet), Waters, Mason and Wright. In each successive "reflection" in the upper-left corner, they move each band member forward one space, with the front-most member going to the back. On the US album (with the airbrushed Gigi cover), in the smallest "reflection", with Wright in the foreground, instead of another "reflection" the cover of A Saucerful of Secrets appears. On the UK version, the "reflection" has Gilmour in the front once again. On the live album cover, roadies Alan Stiles (who would later appear on Atom Heart Mother's "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast") and the late Peter Watts (who contributed the manic laughter and speech of "Brain Damage", and who was the father of actress Naomi Watts) are shown with the band's equipment at Biggin Hill Airport.

After Pink Floyd's May 16, 1970 performance at The Warehouse in New Orleans, the equipment shown on the rear cover of Ummagumma was stolen. The remaining concerts on this U.S. tour were canceled. After the theft, and the Grateful Dead's drug bust after their January 31, 1970 performance, also at The Warehouse; New Orleans was shunned by most rock bands for the first half of the 1970s. The Grateful Dead would not play in New Orleans for another 10 years. Pink Floyd wouldn't play there for another 24 years.

The original intention of the band with the live album was to release those songs and then stop playing them. However, with the popularity of the album, the public kept wanting to hear songs from the live album, and so they stayed in their set lists for some time.

Although the sleeve notes say that the live material was recorded in June of 1969, these tracks were actually recorded at shows in March and April of 1969.

Until the release of The Division Bell, Ummagumma was the only Pink Floyd studio album to feature a female instrumentalist. Lindy, Nick Mason's wife at the time, played flute on parts 1 and 3 of "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party".

Part 3 on "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" is amongst the shortest Pink Floyd studio recordings ever released. Only "Stop", which was 0:32, from The Wall, and "A New Machine (Part 2)", which was 0:38, from A Momentary Lapse of Reason, are of equal or shorter length.

This album and Atom Heart Mother were the only Floyd studio albums to not be represented on Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd

The sequencing of the studio album would later inspire the arrangement for the Minutemen double album Double Nickels on the Dime.

Quotes

"What was your inspiration for The Narrow Way (on Ummagumma) your first major Floyd composition?"

"Well, we'd decided to make the damn album, and each of us to do a piece of music on our own... it was just desperation really, trying to think of something to do, to write by myself. I'd never written anything before, I just went into a studio and started waffling about, tacking bits and pieces together. I haven't heard it in years. I've no idea what it's like." - David Gilmour - Sounds "Guitar Heroes" Magazine, May 1983

"What do you think of your early records like Atom Heart Mother and Ummagumma today?"

"I think both are pretty horrible. Well, the live disc of Ummagumma might be all right, but even that isn't recorded well." - David Gilmour - German news magazine Der Spiegel No. 23 - 5 June 1995

"When you listen to Ummagumma, you get the feeling that each one of you is doing his own music, not caring much about the others."

"That's right. I can't be precise, but we were very individualistic at the time." - Nick Mason - March 1973

"The back of Ummagumma comes from something Nick Mason did." - Storm Thorgerson - Guitar World - February 1998.