ATOM HEART MOTHER

For the first time somebody who's not part of the band is credited as co-writer and this somebody is the eclectic composer and orchestral director Ron Geesin. He composed and arranged the orchestral and choir parts fo this suite that's effectively built by assembling several parts composed in different moments. Recognising who can be the author of each single part is quite easy. After a brass introduction and the noise of a car crash we have a single bass not intrducing the main symphonic theme.

The idea from which the title is from was taken from a newspaper: a pregnant woman who had a car accident and was comatose had been taken in life by an artificial heart alimented by atomic energy until the delivery. This can be intended as an evolution of the song "Embrio" which Pink Floyd were playing live in the same period, and probably the reason why that very good song has never been officially released. Maybe they have considered the concept as redundant. However the whole suite is about the life of the embrio kept alive by the atomic heart of the mother.

Symphonic parts are alternated with bluesy guitar riffs but what is really impressive is the arrangement for orchestra and choir. A great work by Ron Geesin.

Side B is made of songs. It's opened by "If", an acoustic ballad on which Waters uses the same structure of a poetry of the XIII Century by Cecco Angioleri. The poetry says "If I were fire I'd burn the world, if I were wind I'd storm on it". The structure is similar but the concept is different. While the first is saying "The world is bad but I want to enjoy its goods" Waters says "I'm not a good man. If I were I'd understand the spaces between friends".

The Orchestra is back on "Summer 68". It's a song written by Rick Wright and is about groupies and the loneliness of the life on the road. It's the theme that will be reprised in The Wall with Young Lust. It looks like it's speaking of a real event. Rick had sex with a groupies and nothing remained after. "Would you like to say something before you leave?" He asks.

Another little masterpiece and probably one of the best songs ever written by David Gilmour is "Fat Old Sun". The original title was "Sing to Me" and there are several live versions available on bootlegs. It's another acoustic ballad with a great guitar solo in the coda that's unfortunately faded out.

The album is closed by "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". Before Atom Pink Floyd started working on a project that was early aborted: the plan to make an album using only tools and instruments of domestic use instead of musical instruments. It was too experimental and the first results weren't very good, but the idea survived in this track in three parts, the first of them full of sound of Alan, a roadie, cooking and eating his breakfast. The parts which follows are quiet instrumentals. I see an echo of this work in Nick Mason's album "Profiles".

This is the album which made me discover not only prog, but symphonic music too. It helped me to realize that violins, brasses and choirs are as good and somethime better than guitar, bass and drums. I have also discovered Ron Geesin and his experimentalisms.

This album is a milestone and deserves all the 5 stars that I can give it.

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