Quad LP/Tape Poll Pink Floyd: Atom Heart Mother [SQ/Q8]

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Rate "Atom Heart Mother"


  • Total voters
    36
Does it have to Immersion box??? They are lovely but costs too much, I managed to avoid DSOTM & WYWH because of the SACD versions and Wall because of no surround...

The quad mixes weren't issued on the SACD's :), but yes I'd be happy with a SACD (but I prefer Blu-ray :phones). I don't think we'll see a standalone quad (re)release.
 
I'd be surprised. More than 1 floyd has gone on record saying they don't like the music. Strange since, um, they wrote it and recorded it and all. I think they regard it now as being bombastic and pompous.

I was listening to the discrete Q8 conversion today and as much as I love PF, I've never been able to get into this one. When I looked it up I found some interesting quotes from the band:

Atom Heart Mother is a good case, I think, for being thrown into the dustbin and never listened to by anyone ever again!... It was pretty kind of pompous, it wasn't really about anything.

– Roger Waters — Rock Over London Radio Station, 15 March 1985, for broadcast 7 April/14 April 1985.

I think both [Atom Heart Mother and Electric Moo] are pretty horrible. Well, the live disc of Electric Moo might be all right, but even that isn't recorded well.

– David Gilmour — Der Spiegel No. 23, 5 June 1995

I didn't have anything, really, to do with the start of Atom Heart Mother, and when I asked them what it was about, they said they didn't know themselves. It's a conglomeration of pieces that weren't related, or didn't seem to be at the time. The picture isn't related either; in fact, it was an attempt to do a picture that was unrelated, consciously unrelated.

– Storm Thorgerson — Guitar World, February 1998

[Atom Heart Mother] was a good idea but it was dreadful. I listened to that album recently: God, it's shit, possibly our lowest point artistically. Atom Heart Mother sounds like we didn't have any idea between us, but we became much more prolific after it.

– David Gilmour — Mojo Magazine, October 2001[10]

I think Atom Heart Mother was a good thing to have attempted, but I don't really think the attempt comes off that well.

– David Gilmour — Rolling Stone, November 2001

I wouldn't dream of performing anything that embarrassed me. If somebody said to me now: "Right...here's a million pounds, go out and play 'Atom Heart Mother'", I'd say: "You must be fucking joking... I'm not playing that rubbish!". 'Cause then I really would be embarrassed.

– Roger Waters — interviewed by Richard Skinner on BBC Radio 1, originally broadcast: Saturday 9 June 1984

I like it.

– Richard Wright — interviewed by Richard Skinner on BBC Radio 1, originally broadcast: Saturday 9 June 1984

Seems like Richard Wright was the only one who liked it. While I wouldn't go as far as Gilmour and Waters, AHM is not one of my favorites.
 
Well, they're partly right: it is an album that is unfocused, with some interesting ideas and passages that work, others that pretty much seem self-indulgent and obtuse. Still, for a quad album, fun to listen to if you're in the right mood.

ED :)
 
Does it have to Immersion box??? They are lovely but costs too much, I managed to avoid DSOTM & WYWH because of the SACD versions and Wall because of no surround...

I'm with you regarding the sets. Not a really big PF fan, but like most of the stuff put out. I wanted the BD of DSOTM and WYWH but have no use or interest in the collectables. I got hit with DSOTM, keeping the BD selling off the rest took a while, hard to have money tied up. Got lucky with WYWH on ebay. Now I want the Tull BD and no one is breaking it up-yet anyway.
My opinion is they would sell more if just offering the BD alone. What use is a CD of the same music I have on HR. A choice is needed here. 2011 was the year of the box alright
 
This was always one of my favorite PF albums, I have never heard the A quad mix of it. If anyone has a DTS conversion ...

I've adored this album since I was a teenager. Had the Q8 back then, getting the conversion was a revelation. I agree with Richard Wright's view (don't know Nick's) I don't understand Roger's vitriol. I always thought More was more spotty.
 
I quite like this in Quad. This is by no means their best, but it has a few moments I really like. the Q8 mix is better than the stereo. The recording itself is fairly ham-handed.
 
I've adored this album since I was a teenager. Had the Q8 back then, getting the conversion was a revelation. I agree with Richard Wright's view (don't know Nick's)...

I voted an 8 on this. More on that in a minute. I did a little research tonight to try to tease out how Nick Mason feels about Atom Heart Mother. Here is what I found:

From: http://pfco.neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk/band/interviews/nbm/nbm_frame.html

"Q: But still, I'm under the impression that, after Atom Heart Mother, you said: "This isn't getting anywhere, we've got to change."

Nick Mason: No, all we did after Atom Heart Mother was realizing we would never record with a big orchestra again, that's it. We wanted to go back to being a band."

From: https://books.google.com/books?id=H...="and in my case slightly bemused by"&f=false

About Atom Heart Mother, Nick states "a composition that we remain fond of, proud of, and in my case slightly bemused by."


From: https://books.google.com/books?id=q...k mason interview "Atom Heart Mother"&f=false

Nick Mason: "There are various sections on Atom Heart Mother that I'm very happy with. I love the choir section, both the singing and the spoken choir section."

From: http://sparebricks.fika.org/sbzine23/speaktome.html

"SB: In recording "Atom Heart Mother", you and Roger laid out the basic drum and bass track, and because of its length gave it a "human touch" through the varying tempo. Do you feel that is part of the reason fans love this track, specifically because of that variance, and that with today's technology, such tracks generally wouldn't have that 'feel' to them?

Nick Mason: Personally, I regret we didn't have access to that modern technology. It's too human in my view!"

OK, back to my opinions. I voted an 8. I am an avid and unapologetic Pink Floyd fan. From their entire pre-1984 repertoire there is only one song I really don't like, which ironically appears on Atom Heart Mother. Some of the solo bits on Electric Moo are also a bit tedious, but otherwise I love the lot!

Previously I have not found myself so enamored of the 8 track quad mix of AHM, but I pulled out the Tab conversion for this post. I ran it through once in quad, and once with fronts only. I must say I have underestimated this. I really like the mix. It is mostly very discrete. As is said earlier in the thread, Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast is probably the weakest mix of the tracks, although I do like the pastoral music of the composition, even though on further examination it is mostly just 1-4-5 musical structure. The title track is well spread out and very enjoyable. Summer 68 is the track I do not prefer musically, although the quad version bumps it up a little for me for some reason. Not sure why yet - just an impression.

I guess my lingering issue and the reason for an 8 from me is the sound quality - not so bad for an 8 track tape, but not great for this album. Certainly clearer stereo versions exist. I can go back to the SQ decodes but they will almost certainly not be as discrete as the tape. I would love to have this mix as an official release. I would also be curious to hear a modern 5.1 treatment. You can bet they won't be swirling Gilmour around the room with the (elsewhere) dreaded "rotational panning."

Having been reminded of the Gilmour comments about the piece, it is interesting to note that he performed it with Ron Geesin in London on 6/15/08. I shoulda gone, but it seemed like a long way for a single song. Still, you only live once (as far as I can tell).

Excuse me sir... may I have some more....
 
I had the UK Q8 and I think I once sent the files to Bob Romano once to check out. Of course, I may have forgot! :)

The UK Q8 of course blows away the US Capitol and the UK SQ.
 
I listened to this again tonight, for the first time in a few years. The Q8 version really improves on the original release, and I'd forgotten how fond I am of this flawed epic. It's like a made-for-tv movie that transcends the medium. Not life changing, but unique and neat in its own way.
 
I should add that there are some excellent performances of this piece from Pink Floyd sans brass & choir in the unofficial realm. The 4/29/70 video is quite nice and circulates widely, and the 5/1/70 audience tape is a favorite of mine for this and many pieces. It occurs to me that most people would have never heard (or possibly known about) the four man renditions of the title composition, even though the majority of live performances were just the four piece Floyd.
 
With all this chatter about this one, I just pulled it our for the first time in years. I have to say that I can find very little fault with this one. I love the mix, especially on the title suite. Nice and discrete. I gave it a 9. It would get a 10 but "Psychedelic Breakfast" is my least favorite Waters-era Floyd tune. Also, surprisingly, the mix on that track isn't as satisfying.

The fidelity of the Q8 is of course not ideal, but I prefer it to the version I have of the vinyl decode which isn't nearly as discrete. Would really love to see this mix find its way to SACD or Blu Ray. Maybe someone should suggest it to Analogue Productions as they've already had a relationship with the Floyd.
 
I really love this album. Like some, it ( to me ) sounds congested in Stereo. Hearing it's quad mix, four windows are opened up, to make it an absolute classic. What no-one that I can see has mentioned, and I can't believe I'm the only one that hears it, about 5.30, during Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast, in all of the Stereo versions I've heard, is a very resonant / distorted lower acoustic bass string sound. I am not a muso so can't give it it's proper name. However on the quad mix, the notes and all that follow are as clear as a bell. Doesn't sound like a different take, so what gives ? The sounds that aggravated me on the Stereo mix are fixed in the Quad, but I can find no reference. Doesn't stop me and the hairs on my arms enjoying it :)
Jem.
 
I have an SQ LP decode of this, and I was surprised at how weak the surround is on 'Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast'. Seems from this thread that it's maybe better on the Q8s.....in any case, I'm looking forward to the upcoming Early box release of the 4.0 from the master tapes.
 
I have an SQ LP decode of this, and I was surprised at how weak the surround is on 'Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast'. Seems from this thread that it's maybe better on the Q8s.....in any case, I'm looking forward to the upcoming Early box release of the 4.0 from the master tapes.

UK Q8, not the US Q8. It's the same deal as the DSOTM Q8's: UK "Good" - US "Bad"

Thanks Capitol! (n)

us_ds.jpg
uk_ds.jpg


https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/QQ-PFQ.htm
 
Yep, the UK quad is the real deal, But it still chops one song for the side break just like the US tape. It will be great to finally hear a discreet version without the break.
 
I like this album, but I've never heard a quad mix......so if I can't vote until I run across a copy.....lil' help here.....lol.....
 
I like this album, but I've never heard a quad mix......so if I can't vote until I run across a copy.....lil' help here.....lol.....

Your're not the only one who wants to hear this one. Your wait will soon be over as it will be included in the upcoming Pink Floyd box set and early in 2017 in a smaller set.
 
I have never heard this album...maybe my friend Rafi played the LP in a smoke induced haze about 35 years ago...and if he did , I obviously did not find it very memorable....
 
Back
Top