"Ummagumma" is the fourth album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 7 November 1969 by Harvest Records. The album is a double LP with a unique structure, comprising both live recordings and solo compositions by each band member. It is an experimental release, featuring a mix of early live Pink Floyd performances and the band's individual explorations of music and sound in the studio.
The first disc consists of live recordings from concerts in 1969, specifically from Mothers Club in Birmingham and Manchester College of Commerce. The performances were part of The Man and The Journey tour, showcasing the band’s early psychedelic music, which included staples like "Astronomy Domine" and "A Saucerful of Secrets." This live recording was the band's first substantial release in the U.S. and Canada, reaching number 74 in the U.S. charts. Notably, Ummagumma marked the first time the band had reached the top 100 in the U.S.
The second disc features each member of the band contributing a solo work, with each member given half a side of the album for their composition, making this the first Pink Floyd album to showcase individual band member creativity apart from the group dynamic. Richard Wright contributed "Sysyphus," a multi-part keyboard composition. Roger Waters offered "Grantchester Meadows," a pastoral acoustic piece, and "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict," an experimental track filled with vocal and percussion effects. David Gilmour provided "The Narrow Way," a three-part composition filled with complex guitar work and evolving soundscapes. Nick Mason created "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party," which combined flute, percussion, and tape effects.
The album's cover was designed by Hipgnosis, the band’s regular collaborators, featuring the Droste effect, a recursive visual pattern that depicts the band in an endless loop of repetition. The original sleeve also included a controversial "Gigi" soundtrack album cover (which was removed in later editions), further fueling curiosity about the album's artwork.
Upon release, Ummagumma was well received and reached number 5 on the UK charts, but it was more of a niche success in the U.S., peaking at number 74. Though the album initially had a positive reception, it later became less favored by both critics and the band. The live recordings were often seen as inconsistent and the solo tracks were labeled as pretentious by some band members, including Richard Wright, who later regretted his solo contribution.
Despite mixed reviews, Ummagumma remains an important experimental work in the band's catalog, helping to shape the direction of their future albums. Notably, the album showcases Pink Floyd’s shift toward more abstract, avant-garde compositions and a greater emphasis on personal creativity.
The album title "Ummagumma" was likely inspired by a Cambridge slang term meaning "sex," coined by Iain "Emo" Moore, a friend and roadie of the band. The album's live recordings were intended to feature the band's most popular songs at the time, but also include new tracks that would eventually be dropped from their set. "Several Species of Small Furry Animals" remains one of Pink Floyd’s most experimental tracks, composed using sped-up, reversed, and spliced vocal and percussion effects.
Ummagumma was remastered and reissued several times, including a two-CD set in 1987, a digitally remastered version in 1994, and a 40th Anniversary Edition in 2009, where a limited number of lithographs of the album's artwork were sold. The 2011 re-release, as part of the Why Pink Floyd...? campaign, featured a remastered studio disc, but the live disc retained its previous remaster from 1994. The album was reissued again in 2016 under the Pink Floyd Records label.
Overall, Ummagumma stands as a testament to Pink Floyd’s early experimental phase, offering insight into the band's evolving creative process, even if it remains one of their more divisive albums.
