Atom Heart Mother World Tour

Last updated
Atom Heart Mother World Tour
Tour by Pink Floyd
Associated album Atom Heart Mother
Start date27 June 1970 (1970-06-27)
End date11 October 1971
Legs6
No. of shows92 (103 scheduled)
Pink Floyd concert chronology

The Atom Heart Mother World Tour was an international concert tour by Pink Floyd. It commenced during September 1970 and ended during October 1971. It marked the first time the band visited countries such as Japan and Australia. Intended to promote their new album Atom Heart Mother , the band hired local orchestras and choirs on some dates to perform the title piece while performing it in a four-piece arrangement on other occasions.

Contents

History

Early in 1970, Pink Floyd performed at gigs a piece from the Zabriskie Point soundtrack referred to as "The Violent Sequence". This was the musical basis for "Us and Them", which would appear on The Dark Side of the Moon (1973). The song "Embryo" was also a part of the live repertoire around this time, but was never to appear on a studio album until the compilation album Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air (1970) as a demo only, the release of which the band were displeased. This demo was again released on the Pink Floyd compilation Works (1983). The 2016 box set The Early Years 1965–1972 contains various live performances of "Embryo" as well as the previously released demo.

On 17 January 1970, the band began performing a then untitled instrumental piece, which would eventually become the title track to their next album Atom Heart Mother . At this point, it had no orchestra or choir accompaniment. This is the first time they performed a song live in an unfinished form as a work in progress, something they continued to do until 1975. The song officially debuted at the Bath Festival, Somerset England on 27 June 1970 under the title "The Amazing Pudding" and for the first time with orchestra and choir accompaniment.

Announced as "The Atom Heart Mother" by legendary British broadcaster John Peel on his BBC Radio 1 show Peel's Sunday Concert on 16 July 1970, a name suggested by him to the band, [1] it was also announced as "The Atomic Heart Mother" two days later at the Hyde Park free concert. [2] Partly due to the difficulties of finding and hiring local orchestras and choirs, the band often played what is referred to as the "small band" version of the song when they performed it live. Various live performances and a studio demo of "Atom Heart Mother" are included in the box set The Early Years 1965–1972 (2016).

Pink Floyd also appeared at a free festival in Canterbury on August 31, which was filmed. This was the end leg of the Medicine Ball Caravan tour organised by Warner Brothers, which was later made into a film of the same name. It appears that the Pink Floyd footage was not included in the movie but spectators report that Atom Heart Mother was part of the set that was recorded. The audience must have been one of the smallest to see Pink Floyd at this era, only 1500 were present as the festival was not widely promoted.

In contrast, over 500,000 people witnessed their show at Fête de L'Humanité, Paris on 12 September 1970, their largest crowd ever. Filmed by French TV, the show was never broadcast. [3]

"Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" was performed at a few gigs in December 1970. "Breakfast" being made was part of the song. The first part of this lasted around four minutes. The second part of "breakfast" preparation was around a minute followed by a 3-minute tape of British DJ Jimmy Young. The song lasted a little over 24 minutes.

Tour band

Additional musicians:

Set list

A typical 1970 set list would include some of the following:

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
Europe
27 June 1970 Shepton Mallet England Bath Festival of Blues & Progressive Music at Bath and West Showground
28 June 1970 Rotterdam Netherlands Kralingen Music Festival, Kralingse Bos
12 July 1970 Aachen West Germany Aachen Open Air Pop Festival, Reiterstadion Soers
16 July 1970 London England Paris Theatre
18 July 1970 Hyde Park
26 July 1970 Antibes France La Pinède
8 August 1970 Saint-Tropez Saint-Tropez Festival de Musique

at Plage

12 August 1970 Poitiers Les Arènes
31 August 1970 Kent EnglandCharlton Park
12 September 1970 Paris France Fête de l'Humanité at Bois de Vincennes
16 September 1970LondonEngland Playhouse Theatre
North America
26 September 1970 Philadelphia United States Electric Factory
27 September 1970 New York City Fillmore East
1 October 1970 Portland Memorial Coliseum
2 October 1970 Seattle Moore Theatre
3 October 1970
4 October 1970 Spokane Gonzaga University
6 October 1970 Ellensburg Central Washington University
7 October 1970 Vancouver Canada Garden Auditorium
8 October 1970 Calgary Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
9 October 1970 Edmonton Sales Pavilion Annex
10 October 1970 Saskatoon Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium
11 October 1970 Regina Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts
13 October 1970 Winnipeg Centennial Concert Hall
15 October 1970 Salt Lake City United States Terrace Ballroom
16 October 1970 San Rafael Pepperland Auditorium
17 October 1970
18 October 1970 San Diego Intercollegiate Baseball Facility
21 October 1970 San Francisco Fillmore West
23 October 1970 Santa Monica Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
25 October 1970 Boston The Tea Party
Europe
6 November 1970 Amsterdam Netherlands Concertgebouw
7 November 1970 Rotterdam De Doelen
11 November 1970 Gothenburg Sweden Stockholm Concert Hall
12 November 1970 Copenhagen Denmark Falkoner Center
13 November 1970 Aarhus Vejlby-Risskov Hallen
14 November 1970 Hamburg West Germany Ernst-Merck-Halle
21 November 1970 Montreux SwitzerlandAltes Casino
22 November 1970
25 November 1970 Ludwigshafen West Germany Friedrich-Ebert-Halle
26 November 1970 Stuttgart Killesberghalle
27 November 1970 Hanover Niedersachsenhalle
28 November 1970 Saarbrücken Saarlandhalle
29 November 1970 Munich Circus Krone
4 December 1970 Paris FranceORTF TV Studios
5 December 1970
11 December 1970 Brighton England Brighton Dome
12 December 1970 Dagenham Dagenham Roundhouse
18 December 1970 Birmingham Birmingham Town Hall
20 December 1970 Bristol Colston Hall
21 December 1970 Manchester Free Trade Hall
22 December 1970 Sheffield Sheffield City Hall
17 January 1971 London Roundhouse, Chalk Farm
23 January 1971 Leeds University of Leeds Refectory
3 February 1971 Devon Devon Great Hall
12 February 1971 Colchester Lecture Theater
13 February 1971 Farnborough Students Union Bar
20 February 1971 London Student Union
24 February 1971 Münster West GermanyMünsterlandhalle
25 February 1971 Hamburg Musikhalle Hamburg
26 February 1971 Offenbach Stadthalle Offenbach
27 February 1971ParisFranceORTF TV Studios
3 April 1971 Rotterdam Netherlands Sportpaleis (2 shows)
12 April 1971 Sunderland EnglandLocarno
16 April 1971 Doncaster Top Rank Suite
22 April 1971 Norwich Norwich Lads Club
7 May 1971 Lancaster Central Hall
15 May 1971LondonCrystal Palace Bowl
18 May 1971 Stirling Scotland Stirling University
19 May 1971 Edinburgh Caledonian Cinema
20 May 1971 Glasgow The Ballroom
21 May 1971 Nottingham EnglandTrent Polytechnic
2 June 1971 Edinburgh ScotlandStudent Health Centre & Refectory
4 June 1971 Düsseldorf West Germany Philips Halle
5 June 1971 West Berlin Deutschlandhalle
12 June 1971 Lyon France Palais des Sports de Gerland
15 June 1971 Royaumont Abbaye de Royaumont
19 June 1971 Brescia Italy Palazzo dello Mostra
20 June 1971 Rome Palazzo dello Sport EUR
23 June 1971 Hatfield EnglandHatfield Main Hall
26 June 1971 Amsterdam Netherlands Amsterdamse Bos (free concert)
1 July 1971 Ossiach Austria Ossiach Festival at Stiftshoff
Japan
6 August 1971 Hakone Japan Hakone Aphrodite Open Air Festival

at Seikei Gakuen Jofudai

7 August 1971
9 August 1971 Osaka Festival Hall
Australia
13 August 1971 Melbourne Australia Festival Hall
15 August 1971 Sydney Randwick Racecourse
Europe
18 September 1971 Montreux SwitzerlandFestival de Musique Classique

at Pavillon de Montreux

19 September 1971
22 September 1971 Stockholm Sweden Kungliga tennishallen
23 September 1971 Copenhagen Denmark K.B. Hallen
28 September 1971 Stockholm SwedenKungliga Tennishallen
30 September 1971LondonEnglandParis Theatre
4 October 1971 Pompeii Italy Amphitheatre of Pompeii
(Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii)
5 October 1971
6 October 1971
7 October 1971
10 October 1971 Bradford EnglandBradford Great Hall
11 October 1971 Birmingham Birmingham Town Hall

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Waters</span> English musician, co-founder of Pink Floyd (born 1943)

George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-songwriter Syd Barrett in 1968, he also became their lyricist, co-lead vocalist and conceptual leader until his departure in 1983.

<i>Atom Heart Mother</i> 1970 studio album by Pink Floyd

Atom Heart Mother is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It was released by Harvest on 2 October 1970 in the UK, and by Capitol on 10 October 1970 in the US. It was recorded at EMI Studios in London, England, and was the band's first album to reach number 1 in the UK, while it reached number 55 in the US, eventually going gold there.

<i>Meddle</i> 1971 studio album by Pink Floyd

Meddle is the sixth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released by Harvest Records. The album was produced between the band's touring commitments, from January to August 1971 at a series of locations around London, including EMI Studios and Morgan Studios.

<i>Ummagumma</i> 1969 live/studio double album by Pink Floyd

Ummagumma is the fourth album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It is a double album and it was released on 7 November 1969 by Harvest Records. The first disc consists of live recordings from concerts at Mothers Club in Birmingham and the College of Commerce in Manchester that contained part of their normal set list of the time, while the second contains solo compositions by each member of the band recorded at EMI Studios. The artwork was designed by regular Floyd collaborators Hipgnosis and features a number of pictures of the band combined to give a Droste effect. It was the last album cover to feature the band.

"Echoes" is a song by the rock band Pink Floyd, and the sixth and last track from their 1971 album Meddle. It is 23 and a half minutes long and takes up the entire second side of the original LP, making it the second longest song the band produced. The track evolved from variety of different musical themes and ideas, including instrumental passages and studio effects, resulting in the side-long piece. The music was written by the group, while Roger Waters' lyrics addressed themes of human communication and empathy, which he returned to in later work.

"Atom Heart Mother" is a six-part suite by the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, composed by all members of the band and Ron Geesin. It appeared on the Atom Heart Mother album in 1970, taking up the first side of the original vinyl record. At 23:38, it is Pink Floyd's longest uncut studio piece. Pink Floyd performed it live between 1970 and 1972, occasionally with a brass section and choir in 1970–71.

"Cymbaline" is a Pink Floyd song from the album Soundtrack from the Film More.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">See Emily Play</span> 1967 song by Pink Floyd

"See Emily Play" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, released as their second single in June 1967. Written by original frontman Syd Barrett, it was released as a non-album single, but appeared as the opening track of the U.S. edition of the band's debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967).

"Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" is the fifth and final track from the 1970 Pink Floyd album Atom Heart Mother, written primarily by Nick Mason but credited to the whole group. It is a three-part instrumental.

Careful with That Axe, Eugene 1968 single by Pink Floyd

"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is an instrumental piece by the British rock band Pink Floyd. It was recorded in November 1968 and released as the B-side to the single "Point Me at the Sky", and featured on the 1971 compilation album Relics. It was re-recorded for the 1970 film Zabriskie Point, retitling it "Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up"

"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, appearing on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets (1968). It was written by Roger Waters, taking lyrics from a Chinese poetry book, and features a drum part by Nick Mason played with timpani mallets. It is the only song recorded by Pink Floyd to feature material from all five band members, as there are several different guitar parts recorded by both David Gilmour and Syd Barrett.

Pink Floyd live performances

Pink Floyd were pioneers in the live music experience, renowned for their lavish stage shows that combine intense visual experiences with music to create a show in which the performers themselves are almost secondary. Pink Floyd's combination of music and visuals set the standard for rock musicians. As well as visuals, Pink Floyd set standards in sound quality with innovative use of sound effects and panning quadrophonic speaker systems.

"Fat Old Sun" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, written and sung by David Gilmour. It appears on their 1970 album Atom Heart Mother, and was performed live in a greatly expanded form, both before and after the album was released. Live performances of this song date back to 16 July 1970, but only Gilmour and keyboardist Richard Wright appear on the studio version.

"If" is a song by Pink Floyd on their 1970 album Atom Heart Mother. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Floyd</span> English rock band

Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows. They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time.

"Embryo" is a song by Pink Floyd. It was a concert staple in 1970–71, but a full band version was never released on any Pink Floyd studio album. A studio version did appear in 1970 on the rare multi-artist album Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air. Its next appearance was in 1983 on Pink Floyd's own compilation Works. It then appeared in 2007 on A Breath of Fresh Air – A Harvest Records Anthology 1969–1974. Multiple renditions of "Embryo" appeared on the band's 2016 box set The Early Years 1965–1972; two versions were also included on the smaller 2-disc compilation The Early Years 1967–1972: Cre/ation (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Wright (musician)</span> English musician, co-founder of Pink Floyd (1943–2008)

Richard William Wright was an English musician who was a co-founder of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He played keyboards and sang, appearing on almost every Pink Floyd album and performing on all their tours. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as a member of Pink Floyd.

Dark Side of the Moon Tour 1972–1973 concert tour by Pink Floyd

The Dark Side of the Moon Tour was a concert tour by British rock band Pink Floyd in 1972 and 1973 in support of their album The Dark Side of the Moon, covering the UK, US, Europe and Japan. There were two separate legs promoting the album, one in 1972 before the album's release and another in 1973 afterwards, together covering 128 shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One of These Days (instrumental)</span> Song by Pink Floyd

"One of These Days" is the opening track from Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle. The composition is instrumental except for the spoken line from drummer Nick Mason, "One of these days, I'm going to cut you into little pieces." It features double-tracked bass guitars played by David Gilmour and Roger Waters, with each bass hard panned into one channel of stereo, but one bass sound is quite muted and dull. According to Gilmour, this is because that particular instrument had old strings on it, and the roadie they had sent to get new strings for it wandered off to see his girlfriend instead.

<i>The Early Years 1965–1972</i> 2016 box set by Pink Floyd

The Early Years 1965–1972 is a box set that details the early work of the English rock band Pink Floyd released on 11 November 2016. It was released by Pink Floyd Records with distribution held by Warner Music for the UK and Europe and Sony Music for the rest of the world.

References

  1. Povey and Russell p 83 [ full citation needed ]
  2. Povey and Russell p. 95 [ full citation needed ]
  3. Povey and Russell p. 96 [ full citation needed ]