Atom Heart Mother (suite)
Encyclopedia
"Atom Heart Mother" is a six-part suite
by progressive rock
band Pink Floyd
, composed by all members of the band and Ron Geesin
. It appeared on the Atom Heart Mother
album in 1970
, taking up the whole first side of the original vinyl record. It is Pink Floyd's longest uncut piece (the later "Shine On You Crazy Diamond
", though longer, was split between two sides of Wish You Were Here.) Pink Floyd performed it live between 1970 and 1972, first touring with a brass section and choir, and later without.
Recording began with the drum and bass parts, recorded in one take for the entire suite, resulting in an inconsistent tempo throughout the song.
The song was the last Pink Floyd composition which was credited as being co-written by someone outside the band prior to 1979 (not counting Clare Torry
's contribution to "The Great Gig in the Sky
", for which she has been retroactively given credit due to a settlement with Pink Floyd).
Stanley Kubrick
wanted to use this track for his film A Clockwork Orange
; however, the band refused permission. Kubrick did, however, include the album cover in the film. It can be seen on a shelf in the music shop scene. Years later, Kubrick refused Roger Waters permission to use audio samples from his film 2001: A Space Odyssey
on Waters' solo album Amused to Death
.
When Roger Waters heard David Gilmour playing the guitar parts for this track, he said that he thought it sounded like the theme song from the western film The Magnificent Seven
.
The number was performed live for the first time in thirty-six years on 14 and 15 June 2008 by The Canticum Choir, with the Royal College of Music
on brass, Caroline Dale
on cello, Ron Geesin
on piano, Andrea Beghi on drums, Nadir Morelli on bass, Federico Maremmi on guitar and Emanuele Borgi on the Hammond organ. David Gilmour joined the gig on the second night at Cadogan Hall
.
note, a brass
section swoops in, creating a dramatic effect. The band then enter with the brass continuing, before the music calms down. Being reprised several times, this part may be seen as the main theme of the piece. This section, as well as the next two sections, are in the key of E minor
.
solo begins, accompanied by bass guitar
and organ
, with drums joining later. This is followed by a double-tracked slide guitar solo. The choir soon joins in at the end of this section.
sequence, playing chords based on E-minor, gradually joined by soprano voices and then a choir
. The voices swell to a dramatic crescendo, before finally dying down.
to G minor
, this section features a simple band jam session
. It contains a second, much bluesier guitar solo. With the introduction of a sustained note on a Farfisa organ, and grand piano, this section changes into a chant
ing section by the choir. The song then changes key back to E minor, slowly building to a reprise of the main theme from "Father's Shout".
Part one is composed mainly of electronic noises. Furthermore it is the only section on this album to feature the Mellotron
; Wright uses the "3 Violins" and "Flute" registration in order to create the dissonant chord clusters throughout this sound collage. A distorted
voice says "Here is a loud announcement!" about 10 seconds before the next part starts. This section ends with a sound effect from the EMI archive, of a steam train passing.
Part two uses various instruments fading
in and out, many of which are recognizable from earlier in the suite, and also features a Leslie speaker
used on a piano, an effect that is used again in "Echoes". The same brass part that opens the song is heard over this section, culminating with a distorted voice shouting, "Silence in the studio!" before exploding into the next section.
from the choir and brass.
". (This was used as the title of an independently produced Pink Floyd magazine which ran from 1983–93.) In July 1970 it was called "Atom Heart Mother". The title was decided when Ron Geesin pointed Roger Waters to an edition of the Evening Standard
(dated 16/7/70) and told him that he would find the song title in the newspaper. Waters saw an article about a pregnant woman who had been fitted with a heart pacemaker. The headline was "Atom Heart Mother Named".
also:
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
by progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, composed by all members of the band and Ron Geesin
Ron Geesin
Ronald 'Ron' Geesin is a British musician and composer, noted for his quirky creations and novel applications of sound. He is probably best known as the orchestrator and organizer of Pink Floyd's "Atom Heart Mother" in 1970, after the band found themselves hopelessly deadlocked over how to...
. It appeared on the Atom Heart Mother
Atom Heart Mother
Atom Heart Mother is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1970 by Harvest and EMI Records in the United Kingdom and Harvest and Capitol in the United States. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England, and reached number one in the United...
album in 1970
1970 in music
- Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs....
, taking up the whole first side of the original vinyl record. It is Pink Floyd's longest uncut piece (the later "Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour. The song is a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, although it was not originally explicitly written with him in mind. It was first performed on their 1974 French...
", though longer, was split between two sides of Wish You Were Here.) Pink Floyd performed it live between 1970 and 1972, first touring with a brass section and choir, and later without.
Recording began with the drum and bass parts, recorded in one take for the entire suite, resulting in an inconsistent tempo throughout the song.
The song was the last Pink Floyd composition which was credited as being co-written by someone outside the band prior to 1979 (not counting Clare Torry
Clare Torry
Clare Torry is a British singer who famously performed the wordless vocals on Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky" on the 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.-Education:...
's contribution to "The Great Gig in the Sky
The Great Gig in the Sky
"The Great Gig in the Sky" is the fifth track from English progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon. It features voice instrumental music by Clare Torry.-Composition:...
", for which she has been retroactively given credit due to a settlement with Pink Floyd).
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
wanted to use this track for his film A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
; however, the band refused permission. Kubrick did, however, include the album cover in the film. It can be seen on a shelf in the music shop scene. Years later, Kubrick refused Roger Waters permission to use audio samples from his film 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
on Waters' solo album Amused to Death
Amused to Death
Amused to Death is a concept album, and the third studio album by former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters. It was released in 1992.The album title was attached to material that Waters began working on during the Radio KAOS tour...
.
When Roger Waters heard David Gilmour playing the guitar parts for this track, he said that he thought it sounded like the theme song from the western film The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
.
The number was performed live for the first time in thirty-six years on 14 and 15 June 2008 by The Canticum Choir, with the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
on brass, Caroline Dale
Caroline Dale
Caroline Dale is a widely-recorded British cellist who has performed music for numerous films, including Truly, Madly, Deeply, Hilary and Jackie, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, as well as the 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and 2007's Academy Award winner Atonement...
on cello, Ron Geesin
Ron Geesin
Ronald 'Ron' Geesin is a British musician and composer, noted for his quirky creations and novel applications of sound. He is probably best known as the orchestrator and organizer of Pink Floyd's "Atom Heart Mother" in 1970, after the band found themselves hopelessly deadlocked over how to...
on piano, Andrea Beghi on drums, Nadir Morelli on bass, Federico Maremmi on guitar and Emanuele Borgi on the Hammond organ. David Gilmour joined the gig on the second night at Cadogan Hall
Cadogan Hall
Cadogan Hall is a 900-seat capacity concert hall on Sloane Terrace in Chelsea / Belgravia in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, United Kingdom...
.
Father's Shout (0:00–2:54)
Opening with a low Hammond organHammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
note, a brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
section swoops in, creating a dramatic effect. The band then enter with the brass continuing, before the music calms down. Being reprised several times, this part may be seen as the main theme of the piece. This section, as well as the next two sections, are in the key of E minor
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
.
Breast Milky (2:55–5:26)
After this, a celloCello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
solo begins, accompanied by bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, with drums joining later. This is followed by a double-tracked slide guitar solo. The choir soon joins in at the end of this section.
Mother Fore (5:27–10:12)
Picking up directly after the last note of the guitar solo, the organ (with quiet bass and drums) takes over for a five-minute ostinatoOstinato
In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. An ostinato is always a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in...
sequence, playing chords based on E-minor, gradually joined by soprano voices and then a choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. The voices swell to a dramatic crescendo, before finally dying down.
Funky Dung (10:13–15:29)
Introduced by a key change from E minorE minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
to G minor
G minor
G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. For the harmonic minor scale, the F is raised to F. Its relative major is B-flat major, and its parallel major is G major....
, this section features a simple band jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
. It contains a second, much bluesier guitar solo. With the introduction of a sustained note on a Farfisa organ, and grand piano, this section changes into a chant
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
ing section by the choir. The song then changes key back to E minor, slowly building to a reprise of the main theme from "Father's Shout".
Mind Your Throats, Please (15:30–19:13)
The 'noise' piece in the song, divided in two parts:Part one is composed mainly of electronic noises. Furthermore it is the only section on this album to feature the Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
; Wright uses the "3 Violins" and "Flute" registration in order to create the dissonant chord clusters throughout this sound collage. A distorted
Distortion
A distortion is the alteration of the original shape of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted, and often many methods are employed to minimize it in practice...
voice says "Here is a loud announcement!" about 10 seconds before the next part starts. This section ends with a sound effect from the EMI archive, of a steam train passing.
Part two uses various instruments fading
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
in and out, many of which are recognizable from earlier in the suite, and also features a Leslie speaker
Leslie speaker
The Leslie speaker is a specially constructed amplifier/loudspeaker used to create special audio effects using the Doppler effect. Named after its inventor, Donald Leslie, it is particularly associated with the Hammond organ but is used with a variety of instruments as well as vocals. The...
used on a piano, an effect that is used again in "Echoes". The same brass part that opens the song is heard over this section, culminating with a distorted voice shouting, "Silence in the studio!" before exploding into the next section.
Remergence (19:14–23:43)
This part begins with a reprise of the Father's Shout main theme, which then quietens into an abridged reprise of the cello solo, followed by a double layered guitar section reminiscent of the first slide solo. This all leads into a climactic final reprise of the Father's Shout theme with the entire brass section and choir, ending with a very long resolve to E majorE major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
from the choir and brass.
Alternative section divisions
Vinyl and most CD editions of the album do not split the suite into physical tracks, and the matching of titles to sections as shown above is not universally accepted. One of the CD editions on EMI has different track divisions as shown below, but this has not been proven to be officially sanctioned, and other divisions have been proposed as well.- Father's Shout (00:00–05:20)
- Breast Milky (5:21–10:09)
- Mother Fore (10:10–15:26)
- Funky Dung (15:27–17:44)
- Mind Your Throats Please (17:45–19:49)
- Remergence (19:49–23:39)
Working titles
The working title for this piece changed a few times during the composing and recording process. When the first main theme was composed, David Gilmour called it "Theme From an Imaginary Western". The first working title for the six-part piece was "Epic", written in Ron Geesin's handwriting at the top of his original score. Later it was changed to "The Amazing PuddingThe Amazing Pudding
The Amazing Pudding was a Pink Floyd and Roger Waters fan magazine , founded by Ivor Trueman and edited and published, variously, by him , Andy Mabbett , Bruno MacDonald and Dave Walker , for ten years .Mabbett...
". (This was used as the title of an independently produced Pink Floyd magazine which ran from 1983–93.) In July 1970 it was called "Atom Heart Mother". The title was decided when Ron Geesin pointed Roger Waters to an edition of the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
(dated 16/7/70) and told him that he would find the song title in the newspaper. Waters saw an article about a pregnant woman who had been fitted with a heart pacemaker. The headline was "Atom Heart Mother Named".
Trivia
- An edited version of this song was considered for the album Echoes: The Best of Pink FloydEchoes: The Best of Pink FloydEchoes: The Best of Pink Floyd is a compilation album by Pink Floyd. It was released by EMI Records in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2001 and the following day in the United States through Capitol Records. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart on 24 November 2001, with sales...
, but never made the final cut.
Personnel
- David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
: guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles... - Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, tape edits - Richard WrightRichard Wright (musician)Richard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...
: Hammond M-100 organ, Farfisa Compact Duo organ, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, grand piano - Nick MasonNick MasonNicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion, tape edits
also:
- Ron GeesinRon GeesinRonald 'Ron' Geesin is a British musician and composer, noted for his quirky creations and novel applications of sound. He is probably best known as the orchestrator and organizer of Pink Floyd's "Atom Heart Mother" in 1970, after the band found themselves hopelessly deadlocked over how to...
: orchestrationOrchestrationOrchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
and co-compositionMusical compositionMusical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :... - Abbey Road Session Pops Orchestra: brass and orchestral sections
- John Alldis ChoirJohn AlldisJohn Alldis was an English chorus-master and conductor.After his education at Felsted, Alldis studied as a choral scholar under Boris Ord at King's College, Cambridge, from 1949 to 1952....