Umma & Gumma

1. WHAT IS IT?
Revisiting UMMAGUMMA as if it was a band-album, including left-overs and alternate versions, plus some home-made edits. Giving it a brandnew concept. (So this could have been PF's first concept album!)
2. WHY?
The idea for this project came in mind when I considered it was a pity that "The Embryo" and "Biding my Time" were recorded for Ummagumma but left out in spite of the concept of making it a 'four-men-solo album'. My first thought was then to burn a copy of Ummagumma for myself, just including those songs at the end of the album. But then I thought: "Why not making it an extended alternate version?" Inspiration also came from Muabdib's studio remix of "The Man & The Journey" (which I recommand!) and the enhanced Wall version "Every Brick In The Wall".
It's obvious that the original concept of Ummagumma didn't work out like the band wished it to. Quotes from the band members are clear on this subject:
"We all believed it was going to be one of the best things we'd ever put onto record, which I think it was at that time, but the stuff on the album isn't half as good as we can play." -Rick
"For me, it was just an experiment. I think it was badly recorded, the studio side could have been done better. We're thinking of doing it again." -David
"This was absolutely not a band album. The live stuff sounds incredibly antiquated now [...]. We were looking for new ways of constructing an album, although I think what this demonstrates is that our sum is always better than the parts." -Nick
3. WHAT HAS BEEN DONE?
Well, I took the liberty to get rid of that solo-concept, and tried to mix what Ummagumma might have been if it was a real teamwork, giving it a different concept. I don't pretend I improved it, but I wished to include left-outs, unreleased material (principally from ZP, but which fits perfectly in the spirit of Ummagumma) and alternate versions. I had plenty of material (of different quality) to choose from, for 1969 was probably their most prolific year. Therefore I used as far as possible the best sources for those alternate versions, but except for the Zabriskie Point outtakes, quality failed in most of the cases. It's a pity even the audio rip of Grantchester Meadows from the Harvested's KQED DVD is only 19OKbps, hissy and had an annoying hum in the beginning. Other sources had less hiss but much more microphone noise! I tried the best I could to erase this hum and de-hiss it a bit withoput denaturating the audio spectrum with Noise Reduction.
Another thing I permitted myself is to rename some tracks in order to give it the mythological concept I conceived for the occasion. I took inspiration by the example of Sysyphus and Oenone and gave Greek mythological references to the whole album, hence Cronus instead of Eugene, Selene (goddess of the moon) for Moonhead, and a Grand Vizier's Garden party which became an authentic Roman orgie! I recommend you to read the liner notes while listening, for I tried to make it more or less conceptual with a storyline. In contrary, I left the original titles for the live set.
The choice of including 'Careful...' is less obvious, since this is a 68 song. But, I found it a shame that only the single version was available on official sources, and no version of this tune appears on the regular albums. This december 69 take of Careful for the ZP soundtrack is radically different and much closer to what we use to hear on live roio's. The sound effects aer from the film itself, only the stereo effects for the footsteps and the riding car are mine. Other things that could be considered as 'sins' to some purists: I messed a lot with Sysyphus, integrating 'The Riot Scene' from ZP (aka The Violent Sequence, early Us & Them), 'Several Species...' backwards and the Pict rant without animal noises in it. Hence 'Several Species..' has disappeared from the tracklist! But figure out in case of teamwork, Roger would maybe have done the same. Moreover you can clearly hear Roger rant more or less in the same part on the live version of Sysyphus (a fact I discovered AFTER mixing the studio album!!!) The same 'dammages' occured to Nick's piece.
Figure out Syd came to help him get this piece a little more attractive!
4. WHAT ABOUT THE LIVE SET?
The live set isn't a gathering of alternate takes of what was originally on the live set of Ummagumma, but more what it would have sounded like if the band had once played (my) Ummagumma live. So here is a REAL live Ummagumma album, assembled from the most "mythic" shows from 69-70 where the Floyd performed their strangest bits with an incredible energy. Especially on that night in Hamburg 70-11-14, Roger was in an incredibly talkative/rantic mood! Notice that powerful 'Embryo' including some jungle noises ŕ la 'Several Species...' and 'Pow R. Toc H.' Alas and again, the shows featuring the rarest tracks like 'Moonhead' or 'Sysyphus' were badly recorded, and most sources are hissy, muffed, etc. The huge quality difference between the different sources I used, forced me to use fades between some tracks, which I don't like but was the only way to make it sound acceptable. The SQ skips are more particulary noticeable in the 'meddley' I made.
A special note about 'The Narrow Way Part 3' though. The best recording is the one from the Amsterdam venue of 'The Man & The Journey' . Musically, however, Dave's vocals are probably the worst he ever did in his whole life! His voice fails on all live performance of 'The Narrow Way'. That's why I choose this recording from the London premiere of 'The Man & The Journey': it's not the best source, but at least the vocals are barely audible, which is not a real loss in this case! :-)
CONCLUSION
I still hope you'll enjoy listening as I enjoyed mixing and compiling this.

SYSYPHUS
PART I: Introduction
Sysyphus is sly and evil. He way-lays travelers and murders them. Once, by means of slyness, he discovers the secrets of the gods and betrays them. The vindictive god of Death, Thanatos, comes on earth to take him away to the kingdom of Hades, i.e. hell.
PART II: The Violent Sequence
Sysyphus knew Thanatos was coming and thus imagined a plan to escape from death. Thanatos is captured and chained, so the deceased can't reach the underworld and lose their way, haunting the world of the mortals.
PART III: Walking Backwards Down To The Underworld
Hades, the King of the Underworld himself, intervens and Thanatos is freed. Sisyphus must walk backwards the path down to the realm oF Death. On his way, he encounters several species of small furry animals; amongst which Cerberus, the terrible dog guardian of the gates of the realm of shades.
PART IV: Audition In The Court of Hades
Once he arrived before the court of Hades, Sysyphus advocates his cause to the jury of the gods of the Underworld. However energic, his speech is rather unclear and fails to convince the king of the Underworld. "Thank you," says Hades, and the jury retires.
PART V: The Sentence
Soon the jury is back, and Sysyphus is sentenced to roll a block of stone against a steep hill, which tumbles back down when he reaches the top. Then the whole process starts again, lasting all eternity.
OENONE & SELENE
Oenone was a Phrygian nymph who lived on Mount Ida. She was abducted by Paris and she became his first wife. But one day Paris went to Athenes. There, he fell in love with princess Helen and abducted her, abandoning his wife Oenone. This was the cause of the Troyan War. Oenone prophesied the disastrous consequence of Paris' voyage to Greece.
Paris summoned her when he was mortally wounded, since she possessed healing skills. Because of his infidelity, she refused to heal him, but when he died, she threw herself on his funeral pyre and was burned with him.
Selene (the moon) is a young woman with an extremely white face who travels on a silver chariot drawn by two horses. After her brother Helios (the sun) completes his journey across the sky, she begins hers. Before Selene's journey across the night sky she bathes in the sea. She is known for her countless love affairs, with godnesses as well as with humans.
She only met once true love, and here is that sad story. She fell in love with a shepard, Endymion, and seduced him while he lied sleeping in a cave. Since Selene was so deeply in love with Endymion she asked Zeus to allow him to decide his own fate. Zeus granted Selene's request, and Endymion chose never to grow old, so he could kiss Selene every night and forever. Zeus bestowed on him the gift of perpetual youth united with perpetual sleep. Since then, Selene visits Endymion every night and kisses him with her rays of light. It is said that Selene's moon rays fall upon sleeping mortals, and her kisses fall upon her eternal love, Endymion.
A DITHYRAMB FROM THE GRANTCHESTER MEADOWS
A dithyramb is a solemn ode or hymn sung to Dionysus at his festivals. Dionysus is the Greek god of wine, agriculture, fertility of nature, and most commonly of all earthly pleasures. He is also the patron god of the Greek stage.
This dithyramb was composed by Orpheus, thankful to Dionysus to allow him to spend his time laying in the meadows and enjoying life with his lover, the beautiful Eurydice.
CAREFUL WITH THAT SICKLE, CRONUS
It is written that Uranus (the Sky) hid his children away in the bowels of the earth, a place called the Tartarus, as he was fearful of their great strength and power. His wife Gaia (Mother Earth) found her offspring uncomfortable and also painful and when she found the discomfort too much to bear she hatched a plan, which was to end the passions of Uranus, so no more offspring could be produced and that would be the ending of her hurt. To achieve this she required the help from her youngest son, the Titan Cronus. To help Cronus accomplish his task Gaia gave him a adamantine sickle to serve as his weapon.
Cronus laid in wait hidden from view, and when Uranus came to lay with Gaia Cronus struck. With one mighty blow from the sickle Cronus severed the genitals from Uranus' body and threw them into the sea; and from the drops of the flowing blood were born the Erinyes (Furies), to wit, Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera, and also the Giants and the Meliae (Nymphs). Aphrodite was born from seafoam created from those genitals.
ORPHEUS' NARROW WAY
PART I: Young Lust
Orpheus was the son of the great Olympian god Apollo. In many ways Apollo was the god of Music and Orpheus was blessed with musical talents. Eurydice and Orpheus were young and in love. So deep was their love that they were practically inseparable. So dependent was their love that each felt they could not live without the other. These young lovers were very happy and spent their time frolicking through the meadows. One day Eurydice was gaily running through a meadow with Orpheus when she was bitten by a serpent. The poison of the sting killed her and she descended to Hades immediately.
PART II: Coming Back To Life
He was so desperate and found so little else meaningful, that he decided address Hades. As the overseer of the underworld, Hades heart had to be hard as steel, and so it was. Many approached Hades to beg for loved ones back and as many times were refused. But Orpheus' music was so sweet and so moving that it softened the steel hearted heart of Hades himself. Hades gave permission to Orpheus to bring Eurydice back to the surface of the earth to enjoy the light of day. There was only one condition--Orpheus was not to look back as he ascended. He was to trust that Eurydice was immediately behind him.
PART III: Following the Path
It was a long way back up and the lovers were talking to eachother. Just as Orpheus had almost finished that last part of the trek, Eurydice stopped talking and Orpheus looked behind him to make sure she was still with him. At that very moment, she was snatched back because he did not trust that she was there.
Orpheus was so sad about the loss of his love that he composed 'The Narrow Way' to express the terrible emptiness which pervaded his every breath and movement. When you hear music which mourns lost love, it is Orpheus' spirit who guides the hand of the musicians who play it.
THE EMBRYO
According to one myth, Dionysus is the son of the god Zeus and the mortal woman, Semele (daughter of Cadmus of Thebes). Semele is killed by Zeus' lightning bolts while Dionysus is still in her womb. Dionysus is rescued and from Zeus after developing in his thigh.
Because Zeus slept with a mortal woman called Semele secretly, his wife Hera only found out about the affair after the girl was pregnant. Bent on revenge, Hera disguised herself and persuaded Semele to demand that Zeus come to her in all the splendor with which he visited Hera. As a result, Semele asked Zeus to grant an unspecified favor, and got him to swear by the river Styx that he would grant it. Unable to break his oath, Zeus came to her armed in his thunder and lightning, and Semele is killed by Zeus' lightning bolts while Dionysus is still in her womb. However, Zeus rescued the unborn child from the mother's ashes and sewed it in his thigh until it was ready to be born, so Dionysus undergoes a second birth. Thus Dionysus means "the twice-born."
DIONYSUS' BACCHANALIA
PART I: Entrance
The Bacchanalia, orgies in honor of Dionysus and his Roman equivalent Bacchus, were introduced in Rome around 200 BCE.
Part II: Heart Beat, Pig Meat
These infamous celebrations are notorious for their sexual and criminal character. In this orgie, a pig is ritually sacrified, and its bloody, warm and still beating heart is eaten by the dinner guests.
PART III: Folkloric Dance / Ummagumma (Doing It!)
After the meal, the guests are invited to dance on a syncopated pandemonium (i.e. a very noisy and arythmic percussion and lyra duet) which provoces a state of trance to the dancers. Then they fully abondon themselves into the most forbidden and delectable pleasures of the flesh. This final stage is commonly named Ummagumma.
PART IV: Exit
The orgies got so out of hand that they were forbidden by the Roman Senate in 186 BCE.
BIDING MY TIME
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Added:  21.05.2006