Atom Heart Mother/Meddle - Pink Floyd > Reviews > Orchestral Floyd

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Average
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	It's Floyd
Disadvantages:	Alans Breakfast

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Atom Heart Mother

Issued in 1970, Atom Heart Mother was Pink Floyd's first album to top the album chart, yet it is probably the most hated by the band's members, this is mainly due to the albums 27 min long title track, which the band found difficult to perform live, as they often forgot where they were in the song. Yet with the Floyd faithful, it is a must!!

Personally, I feel that the title track is an excellent piece of work, although some of the brass instruments sound rather harsh, and the piece has dated somewhat, over the years. But, as an orchestral/rock piece it works well.

Two other rock bands; Deep Purple and Uriah Heep both had dabblings with rock/orchestral composotions at that time, so it was not something that would have taken the nation by surprise.

The other tracks on the album seem to be just filling up the second side, although 'Fat Old Sun' is pretty good and was often stretched out when played live, whilst Alan's Psychadelic Breakfast rates as my least favourite Floyd song. The song simply comprises of the sound effects of someone making breakfast, possibly Floyd at their most pompous.....

....and the front cover is an acquired taste and depicts a cow grazing.

Meddle

Released the following year, this is undoubtedly Floyd at their peak, and probably the first definitive album that truly represents Floyd as we know them.

Echoes, takes up half the album and this is a must have for anyone who remotely likes Floyd. For me, personally, Meddle is a better piece of work than the 'more-successful' Dark Side.

Meddle also includes some Pastoral compositions, which are considered album-fillers, and the highly-charged 'One of These Days', which sees Nick Mason powering away on the drums, in a desperate attempt to keep in tempo with the heavy bass melody.

In summary, getting both Meddle and Atom Heart Mother on the same album is sheer genius.