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List Price: $23.49 | | Label: EMI
Salesrank: 70953
Released: January 1, 1987 |
| Our Price: $18.32 |
| Used Price: $16.99 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Editorial Review:
Released in 1969, Ummagumma represents where the influence of departed founding songwriter Syd Barrett began to fade in favor of the rather less whimsical and pastoral visions of Roger Waters. Ummagumma is a double album, divided into live and studio halves. The live cuts--"Astronomy Domine," "Careful with That Axe, Eugene," "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," and "A Saucerful of Secrets"--established the Floyd's predilection for gloomily atmospheric and faintly preposterous sci-fi bombast that would turn them into such a successful stage act. The kindest that may be said of the studio compositions--by and large interminable avant-prog rambles in search of the lost chord--is that they haven't dated terribly well. --Andrew Mueller
Ummagumma Reviews:
Pink Floyd's worst album by far 
2009-12-10 - This is a review for the studio potion of the album, not the live portion.
I've always been a Pink Floyd fan. I've listened to all of their albums from Piper to the Division Bell and liked most of every one.
That being said, this is the last album of theirs I decided to check out. Mostly because of Gilmour himself saying it is a horrible album(although he did say the same about Atom Heart Mother which is one of my favorites).
A lot of it is mostly psychedelic noise. While I am a fan of psychedelic music it's just not done really well here. I'd say the only tracks on it worth listening to are Gilmour's part of it(The Narrow Way). I enjoyed that part but that's about it. I really do not understand why it is reviewed so highly here, it is not well done at all. It sounds as if they attempted an epic sound but failed miserably.
Unless you're a big Pink Floyd fan I don't recommend getting this album. It has it's good parts, but it is just overall a poorly put together album.
Something of a curiosity
2009-11-09 - Pink Floyd's 1969 release UMMAGUMMA is a curious pairing. Its first disc contains four live cuts by the band, giving listeners at home an opportunity to hear the vaster forms they created on stage. Its second disc, however, had each member of the band writing his own contribution, with bizarre results.
Of the live performances, three had already appeared on the band's albums to date and one was premiered here. "Astronomy Domine" comes from Pink Floyd's debut release THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN. Here it is nearly twice as long as the studio version, with the opening repeated twice. "Careful with that Axe, Eugene" is never-before-heard, a rolicking number propelled by an eery scream by the band members. "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and "A Saucer Full of Secrets" are from the band's second album. On the former track, Richard Wright works some synthesizer magic. The real weakness with this collection of live recordings is that the sound quality is flat, sounding more like a bootleg than what one expects from commercial releases.
The second disc feels completely pointless. What each of these band members came up with are ambient pieces with a feel of musique concrete. Richard Wright's "Sysyphus" almost suceeds. However, with the contributes of Waters, Gilmour and Mason, it almost seems as if they are trying to ape Lennon's "Revolution 9". Just as the band members generally disappointing solo albums prove, these four performers needed each other to produce greatness.
All in all, this album is something of a curiosity and can be left to Pink Floyd completists. Even if you dig the psychadelic sounds of their very first releases, you might not get much from the live performances here.
Careful with that Axe Eugene 
2009-10-17 - I have owned Ummagumma (on vinyl) since it's release (I was about 12 then) , and on all other mediums since. Ummagumma revealed the band's musical (including classical leaning) abilities, and whisked me to imaginary locales, while meditating with my headphones on. Prior to owning Ummagumma, I used my meager allowance to purchase Atom Heart Mother, and fell hard for Pink Floyd. Astronomy Domine was like a trip on a spaceship, Careful with that Axe Eugene is nightmare-chilling. The band used every musical instrument available, and had no qualms about experimenting with melds of longhair classics, improvised in their own personal psychadelic style. Awesome, just awesome. I have turned on many acquaintences to this music, who didn't know Pink Floyd pre-Dark Side of the Moon.
classic
2009-08-11 - It is always educational to hear a mega band before they hit big. Deep Purple applies, as does Pink Floyd. Marquee names at London's UFO club, Floyd was a experimental psych unit years before Dark Side Of The Moon put them on every kid's Maranz. Ummagumma shows Floyd in their lab; a great band testing sounds they don't know where to take yet.
Two discs: one live and one studio. On the concert disc, the band jams on tracks from their first two albums. "Astomonmy Domaine" is changed from a Barret tab to subtle art rock. "Careful With That Ax Eugene" rests on Water's spare bass framework, and is probably the first time in the band Gilmore opens up with his soloing. The other two tracks, from "Suacer Full Of Secrets" show Floyd's early snuggling with classical avant-garde. The crowd is mostly mixed out, adding the nuance this is a rock recital, not a party gig.
The studio disc furthers the modern classical ideas Flyod started on disc one. Each member has his own composition. Wright does a fright night keyboard suite. Water's plays with accustic guitar and tape loops. Gilmore plays with dissonce and melody, and Mason does a masterful percussion blowout.
The sound is great. Only the Beatles and Hendrix used stereo seperation, brand new in 1969, as effectively as Floyd does here. Listen to how the fly buzzes back and fourth on Water's animal piece, as the cymbals slice through your tweeters on Mason's.
Like this? Do something old fashioned. Ask mom and dad for their old headphones--ear-covering cans, not the micro peices they make now-turn out the lights and play the whole album. You'll understand why a good stereo was imporatent back in the stone age.
Ummagumma is a scrapbook of ideas Pink Floyd would later intagrate into their more streemlined, commercial albums. For me, the gambit testing here is edgey and exciting, emotionally driven and never accidemic.
Fantasticly mature psychadelia.
Underground Ummagumma
2009-06-26 - Hands down the very best thing that Pink Flyod has ever done!!! Many people don't even know that this LP exists & the few that do can't seem to appreciate its amazing music! Buy this before any other Pink Flyod stuff & for those who have other Pink Flyod stuff, buy this & find out what this band was like before they sold out and became just another $hitty pop rock band!!!
