The songs that pulled Pink Floyd out of their “lowest point artistically”
Despite his rather gentile and affable nature, David Gilmour isn’t afraid to speak his mind. But not necessarily in the provocative way his Pink Floyd counterpart Roger Waters does. Instead, Gilmour’s honesty feels more rooted in the sense of everyday normality that’s concerned with the sort of ethereal and elusive descriptions of art so many classic rock stars get caught up in.
Which is impressive given his role as a key member of the Floyd. The prog-rock legends have built an unwavering legacy of pushing musical envelopes, often straddling the line between genius and outright incoherence. A key cog in that artistic wheel, Gilmour’s role as the guitarist was essential for the band’s pursuit of redefining the surreal. Yet, he appraises most of their work with a common sense of normality that has almost quietly pushed him forward as a non-nonsense scathing critic.
But naturally, to burn as brightly as they did on Dark Side Of The Moon, they had to shoot a couple of misfires. When Syd Barrett departed the band in 1968, the abstract remnants he left on the band flourished outside the lines of structure to a point where the band’s experimentalism bordered on incoherence. And while the free-spirited crowds of the late 1960s could more than happily get on board, it wasn’t translating to the studio.
“We didn’t know where we were going in terms of recording, but we were pretty good live,” Gilmour explained to Mojo in 2001. He continued: “We were very good at jamming, but we couldn’t translate that onto record. Gradually, a direction revealed itself to us, a line that began with the ‘Saucerful of Secrets’ track all the way to ‘Echoes’, via the long piece Atom Heart Mother.
He added: “That 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”.
Sonically, it tracked the growing pains of a band understanding their new formation. Within the expanse sit pockets of beauty that can be traced to the greatness they achieved with records soon after. For many Floyd fans, it’s a record that perhaps summarises their appeal; tender, abstract and intellectual, it pushes listening beyond active engagement with nice melodies.
Even though they might deny it, Gilmour is a bit more salt of the earth than your average Floyd fan and less inclined to lean into abstract descriptions. Conversely, he’s firmly backed Dark Side Of The Moon when given the opportunity, expressing his admiration for abstract ideas executed concisely. Regardless, Atom Heart Mother is an essential record in the Pink Floyd journey, but if you see Gilmour in the crowd of your next open mic night, steer clear of performing a cover of ‘Fat Old Sun’ if you want to avoid an eye roll.
