Pink Floyd, Atom Heart Mother

Don't panic.... this album is bonkers. You will have a hard time "getting it" for a little while. Why?

Well, it starts off with the title track, (Atom Heart Mother is inexplicably linked to cows, which is never explained) which meanders on for well over 20 minutes, and is actually a "piece" rather than a song, of about 5 "movements". Each even has a sub-name (and hilariously named too). All very prog, all very odd (by today's standards anyway), and all very, in a faux-classical way, pretentious.

But hey, Pink Floyd is the band that brought you Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Careful with that Axe, Eugene, and much more from the world of psychedelia. With Syd Barrett's view of the world, and willing support from great musicians with a mischievous sense of humour, only later would you ever find a more straightforward approach to music, when Waters took charge and the band became (one might argue) more mainstream.

So actually the first track is, if I may be so bold, where you want to spend your time, as it is a very rewarding and interesting piece of music, and was steering through largely uncharted territory at the time to achieve some of the sounds. The result is rewarding, curious, interesting; as well as being repetitive, self-indulgent and far too long. But the choral work alone is great, and some of the sound creations are wonderful, as well as a memorable riff/melody on the brass. So you'll pay a tenner or so for one song that gives you nearly 25 minutes of music.

Then you'll find yourself still reeling as 3 instantly forgettable songs trundle idly past, each one a platform for some personal efforts by Waters, Wright and Gilmour. Each has its merit, but that's about as much as I can muster about them.

Finally you'll think the lights have finally gone out on planet normal when you hear the opening phrases of Alan's Psychadelic Breakfast. Despite repeated efforts, I just really don't get this. A set of kitchen sound-effects set to a particularly uninspired piece of piano music and with very little development or progression to help the 13 minute slog move in any direction other than rapidly downhill. Turgid, pointless, and very silly - I sincerely concur with the band's own view, allegedly given years later, that it was "absolute rubbish". On track one a voice is heard saying "silence in the studio" - they really should have taken their own advice on the final track. That said, we sort of knew this was going to be a funny ride from the word go, so being musically disappointed with one of the tracks is for me, an acceptable part of the journey. Others might get from from "Alan", admittedly.

But its a strong chance that you'll reach the end of the album, scratch your head and put track 1 on again, and probably not bother with the rest of the album from that point onwards. I don't, and I still get a heck of a lot out of Atom Heart Mother. It broke ground for these guys (remember this was 1970) that they were to later hone, refine and exploit in Echoes, Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, all of which are heralded, quite rightly, as classic albums. You can't therefore dismiss this album simply as a little bit odd (though it undoubtedly is); listen to it again and consider the effort that went in and consider the ideas it spawned. Then - granted - continue scratching your head, but this time with a smile.

I love Atom Heart Mother, probably because not only is the music so good, but probably because it is so utterly bonkers. I doubt anyone in the music industry would ever be allowed to produce such a curious assortment as a commercial venture ever again.

Public notice: If you haven't heard any Pink Floyd before (where have you been?), then DON'T start here! Try Dark Side of the Moon first.