UMMAGUMMA

10 years after discovering my favourite musicians I finally complete my collection 3 years ago with Ummagumma...and the Floyd wowed me once more. It is their most unusual album, and easily the most inaccessible. The whole of it reminds of old horror films, rendering Ummagumma also Pink Floyd's darkest album. Here a suite-by-suite:

The Wright suite (Sysyphus) - 7

Its best moments are the quiet phases of part 4 and the Floyd take on capoeira (part 3): dark, organic matter squelching through the plains of Mordor. The piano piece (part 2) starts well but gets a little on the self-indulgent side. The slightly cringe-inducing moments are those big pads of impending doom found in part 1 and at the end of part 4. Overall, Sysyphus is a very interesting listen.

The Waters suite - 8

Grantchester Meadows is a likeable folk song, about English meadows and its nature. The suite then shows us the albums' most eccentric moment: Furry Animals cannot be described, it has to be heard. I like it, but it is very strange. What I don't like is the tail-end of it which features an over-the-top Scottish brogue lamenting.

The Gilmour suite (Narrow Way) - 8

This works the best as a suite, the 3 separate pieces melt into each other to form one whole. We have a nice and uplifting acoustic instrumental guitar-led piece followed by a lesson in the black arts: the second instrumental piece is a slow trudging riff surrounded by effects...it is actually pretty good. The suite closes with the anthem of the album: a rocker with a darkly infectious signature, in-keeping with the avant-garde macabreness of Ummagumma.

The Mason suite (Grand Vizier) - 8

My favourite piece of music from the entire album is the first two-thirds of Mason's main piece (part 2): it is so warmingly dreamy. It reminds of doing peyote around a fire searching for your spirit animal. It ends with a Mason drumathon which is pretty good, but no equal of the beautiful moments before it. Mason bookends this main part with two short flute 'n drum pieces, which barely add anything to the album.

The live songs - 7

The performance of Set The Controls is excellent, A Saucerful Of Secrets has a strong end section with Eugene and Astronomy Domine fairly good without adding much to the originals.

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Ummagumma is no essential masterpiece. But it is heartily-recommended for lovers of the strange. I'd also add that it is the least-typical Floyd album (not including the post-Waters dirges).