Following the release of Ummagumma in 1969, Pink Floyd continued to work to construct a new album, maybe a little more pompous than the others and with some elements of what has been done from 1969. So on October 10 brought to light the album that would kick off the success story released as albums over the next 10 years: Atom Heart Mother.
Atom Heart Mother was the first album that reached to No. 1 in the discography of the band, which is a great feat for a job with innovative ideas and experimental.
Credit also the intervention of Ron Geesin on the album, adding level to the symphonic psychedelic effects that the band carried.
The album was so successful that Stanley Kubrick , the great director film , requested the use of Atom Heart Mother to his film “A Clockwork Orange” , but the band did not accept the request.
Within Atom Heart Mother, the main part of the same name was a suite where they had put all the effort of the album. the album would be completed by 3 issues of Waters, Gilmour and Wright respectively (If, Fat Old Sun and Summer 68), and also close the album, a song written jointly by all members: Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast.
The track was divided into 3 parts : Rise and Shine at the beginning, Sunny Side Up (from minute 4:22) and Morning Glory (from minute 8:17).
The sounds used for the track were recorded in a kitchen by Nick Mason.
The Alan mentioned at the track, and from who is listen their voices over it, is Alan Stiles, a roadie of the band then. A photo of Alan Stiles can be seen on the back cover of Ummagumma Live album which are accompanied by another roadie named Peter Watts, they in this picture appear in the Biggin Hill Airfield, an airfield, with all the instruments forming a figure.
Although the issue has many innovative elements, the band was never very pleased with the final product of the piece, reason which led them to play it live only a few times.
Live breakfast
The album was released in October 1970, all tracks had live performances , except Wright´s Summer 68 . Waters´s If was played only once this year . Fat Old Sun and Atom Heart Mother suite fared better, repeating their presentations until 1971.
In the case of Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast, the track scheduled presentations on December 1970, during the album tour.
Live, the breakfast was released at December 11 on Brighton and 12 on Essex, although there are no exact sources if actually was played in these two presentations. After was played at 18 on Birmingham, a fact that if it is safe according to the setlists that recorded this time. From the six presentations of the track, only four was confirmed, wich would be precisely the performance on Birmingham at 18 , 20 on Bristol, 21 on Manchester and December 22 on Sheffield.
Of these presentations there is a record only that recorded this track, which corresponds to the presentation on Sheffield, the last. This log can be found with various qualities in the RoIOs ( Record of Illegitimate/Indeterminate Origin )
12/22/1970 1st gen.
12/22/1970 A Psychedelic Night
12/22/1970 A Psychedelic Night I
12/22/1970 A Psychedelic Night II
12/22/1970 Alan’s Psychedelic Master Tape
12/22/1970 Alan’s Pychedelic Christmas Mas
12/22/1970 Allen’s Psychedelic Breakfast Sheffield
12/22/1970 Master (NRused) Sheffield
12/22/1970 Pink’s Psychedelic Last Night Sheffield
12/22/1970 Sheffield Master Tapes
Below you can find Alan’s Psychedelic Christmas
During live coverage of the track , the band served tea on stage.
On Alan’s Psychedelic Christmas RoIO , the track is divided into 5 parts, including one part between Rise and Shine – Sunny Side Up , called Kettle’s On, where basically can be perceived like they put the teapot to boil, and listen the band members ask sugar and tea and people laugh (some RoIOs has removed this part).
Also among the parties and Sunny Side Up – Morning Glory the band placed an AM radio station as an interlude between these parties.
In general, the sound of these records is quite poor, but are a curiousity as far as records made by the band live, with many improvisations and definitely this being one of my personal favorites. Merry Xtmas …
Pink Floyd – Alan’s Psychedelic Christmas (22-12-1970)
CD1:
Alan´s Psychedelic Breakfast
01.Intro (00:58)
02.Rise and Shine (06:02)
03.Kettl’s On (04:07)
04.Sunny Side Up (05:01)
05.AM Radio (03:59)
06.Morning Glory (05:05)
07.Tea and tuning (03:26)
08.The Embryo (12:26)
09.More tuning (02:27)
10.Fat Old Sun
11.Careful With That Axe, Eugene (14:51)
CD2:
01.Set The Controls For Heart Of The Sun (12:07)
02.A Saucerful Of Secrets (17:49)
03.Power failure (01:43)
04.Celestial Voices (06:03)
05.Atom Heart Mother Suite (31:46)
With Brass&Choir
06.Claps
07.Remergence Encore (1:02)
With Brass e Amp Choir
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