In 1969, and following from the LP Ummagumma, Pink Floyd recorded three tracks (Heart Beat, Pig Meat, Crumbling Land and Come In Number 51 Your Time Is Up) for the Zabriskie Point soundtrack, and Embryo, which appeared on the Harvest label sampler Picnic, A Breath Of Fresh Air, both LPs released in 1970. Ron elaborates on the show further as well as his work with Pink Floyd in the following excerpt of an interview conducted by Matt Johns, editor of Brain Damage (where the full afternoon’s discussion can be found. The two recent shows were part of a performance by maverick composer, poet, electronic musician and collector Ron Geesin, who had collaborated on the original piece, opening the Chelsea Festival on 14 and 15 June 2008. So what is the appeal of Atom Heart Mother? The orchestrated title track with its aggressive undertones? The quandary with their musical direction, drifting from psychedelia to progressive rock? The tension in the studio (there was plenty)? The pressure? Or was it the now familiar cow on the front cover with no title or band name? Either way, judging by the success of the recent performance, with brass, cellist and choir, it is still a work that means much to a great many. This was something many fans thought they’d never see, and it proved a huge success.
And earlier this year, guitarist David Gilmour performed the title track live with co-writer and arranger Ron Geesin and top tribute band Mun Floyd to much acclaim. So 38 years on, why celebrate Atom Heart Mother? Well, it was the band’s first really big seller, the first album to go gold, there’s the groundbreaking 23-minute title track, and it was the first Pink Floyd album to top the charts, something that Dark Side Of The Moon never did. And 1979’s The Wall took the band to the top of the singles’ chart. The aforementioned DSOTM has outsold pretty much any other album by a British artist and inspired recent themed concerts by the band’s bassist Roger Waters. With the psychedelic Syd Barrett material a favourite with critics and Dark Side Of The Moon gracing almost every record collection in the country, the 60s and 70s Pink Floyd took the music world by storm, and 1970 was a turning point. Pink Floyd’s 1970 album Atom Heart Mother is one LP in the band’s illustrious discography that is often overlooked, and has met with very mixed reactions from fans and band alike.
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