Follow TV Tropes

Following

Music / Atom Heart Mother

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a71_6606.jpg
The sound of music in my ears.

"Silence in the studio!"
Nick Mason, "Atom Heart Mother"

Atom Heart Mother is the fifth studio album by Pink Floyd, released in 1970 through Harvest Records. The album has major contributions from Ron Geesin, who had previously worked with Roger Waters on the soundtrack for the documentary film The Body.

Preceded by Ummagumma. Proceeded by Meddle.


Tracklist:

Side One

  1. "Atom Heart Mother" (23:44)
    1. "Father's Shout" (2:50)
    2. "Breast Milky" (2:33)
    3. "Mother Fore" (4:50)
    4. "Funky Dung" (5:15)
    5. "Mind Your Throats Please" (2:28)
    6. "Remergence" (5:48)

Side Two

  1. "If" (4:31)
  2. "Summer '68" (5:29)
  3. "Fat Old Sun" (5:22)
  4. "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" (13:00?)note 
    1. "Rise and Shine"
    2. "Sunny Side Up"
    3. "Morning Glory"


Principal Members:

  • David Gilmour - lead vocals, guitar, bass, drums, percussion
  • Nick Mason - drums, percussion, tape effects
  • Roger Waters - lead vocals, bass, guitar, tape effects
  • Richard Wright - lead vocals, keyboard, organ, mellotron, piano


Atom Trope Mother:

  • Book Ends: While the album itself lacks them, "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" begins and ends with a drip tap, which is cut into the run-out groove on the original vinyl so it will repeat endlessly on turntables without an auto return.
  • Epic Rocking: The Title Track (23:44) and "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". (13:00)
  • Instrumental: "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast", "Atom Heart Mother".
  • Granola Girl: In "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast", Alan jokes about the macrobiotic food popular among hippies in Los Angeles at the time.
  • Intercourse with You: "Summer '68".
    From your bed I gained a day and lost a bloody year
  • Line-of-Sight Name: How the album and the suite got its title. Nick Mason spotted a newspaper headline about a pregnant woman who had been fitted with an atomic-powered pacemaker.
  • Longest Song Goes First: The album kicks off with the Title Track, which takes up the entire first side.
  • Non-Appearing Title: The album title doesn't appear in any of the lyrics.
  • Ominous Latin Chanting: At around 13 minutes into the title track.
  • Once an Episode: "If", "Summer '68", "Fat Old Sun".
  • One-Word Title: "If".
  • Psychedelic Rock: "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast".
  • Sampling: The gunnery and motorbike sounds on the album.
  • Scatting: The "Funky Dung" section in "Atom Heart Mother".
  • Shaped Like Itself: During the "Atom Heart Mother" sound collage, a loud announcement declaring "This is a loud announcement!" can be heard.
  • Spoken Word in Music: "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast".
  • Take That: Roger Waters said that the Hipgnosis album cover was meant as a Take That! against the Space Rock image they'd been associated with, and a desire to move beyond the psychedelic hippie culture of the period.
  • Train Song: One line from "If".
    If I were a train, I'd be late again
  • Weird Moon: Yet again, a line from "If".
    If I were the moon, I'd be cool

"My head's a blank."

Top