Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast
"Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" | |
---|---|
Instrumental by Pink Floyd | |
from the album Atom Heart Mother | |
Published | World Copyrights |
Released | 2 October 1970 (UK) 10 October 1970 (US) |
Recorded | 18 June, 10–21 July 1970[1] |
Studio | Abbey Road, London |
Genre | |
Length | 13:00 |
Label | Harvest |
Songwriter(s) | Nick Mason, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright |
Producer(s) | Pink Floyd, Norman Smith (executive producer) |
"Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" is the fifth and final track from the 1970 Pink Floyd album Atom Heart Mother, credited to the whole group. It is a three-part instrumental.[3][4]
Recording and sounds
The track features Pink Floyd playing in the background as Pink Floyd
In addition to the talking, the sounds of Alan making breakfast—such as lighting the stove, cooking bacon, pouring milk and cereal (which makes a popping sound associated with Kellogg's Rice Krispies), loudly gulping and drinking, and loudly and vigorously eating cereal—are clearly audible in the background,[4] which adds a conceptual feel to the track. Alan can be heard entering the kitchen and gathering supplies at the start of the track, and washing up and exiting the kitchen at the end; a dripping tap can be heard during both of these instances.[4] On some copies of the vinyl version, the dripping tap at the end of the song is cut into the run-off groove, so it plays on infinitely until the listener removes the stylus from the album.[4][7] On the CD and digital release, the dripping continues for approximately 17 seconds after all other sounds have ceased.
Sections
Rise and Shine (0:00-3:33)
This piece consists of two pianos, bass, Hammond organ, a steel guitar fed through a Leslie speaker and hi-hats.
During the opening of this section, Alan can be heard muttering to himself, deciding what to have as he begins to prepare his breakfast. He can be heard saying the following: "Oh... Er... Me flakes... Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, toast, coffee... Marmalade, I like marmalade... Yes, porridge is nice, any cereal... I like all cereals... Oh, God. Kickoff is 10am." At the end of this section, the sound of a whistling kettle can be heard as the music stops.
Sunny Side Up (3:33-7:45)
This piece takes the form of a modified fugue[citation needed], and was written and performed entirely by David Gilmour on two acoustic guitars and a steel guitar.
Morning Glory (7:45-13:00)
This piece was performed by the entire band. The main instrument is Richard Wright's piano, which was overdubbed three different times (one in the left channel, one in the centre, and one in the right channel). The piece also features very prominent bass, electric guitar, ADTed drums, and Hammond organ. At the end, after saying "My head's a blank", Alan picks up his car keys and leaves via the door. Faintly, a car can be heard starting and driving away.
Reception
In a review for the Atom Heart Mother album, Alec Dubro of
In 2018,
Personnel
- acoustic and electric guitars
- Roger Waters – tape effects, tape collage, bass guitar
- Richard Wright – piano, Hammond organ
- Nick Mason – drums, percussion, tape edits, tape collage, additional engineering
with:
- Alan Styles – voice, sound effects
Cultural references
- The album The Dark Side of the Moog V (1996) by Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook is subtitled "Psychedelic Brunch".
- Jam band The Breakfast (founded as Psychedelic Breakfast in 1998) have taken their name from the song.[12][13]
References
- ISBN 9780316439237.
- ^ a b Wawzenek, Bryan (September 4, 2018). "All 167 Pink Floyd Songs Ranked Worst to Best". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
- ^ Prado, Mark (14 December 2011). "'English' Alan Styles dies at 75; his breakfast rant was recorded by Pink Floyd".
- ISBN 1-84353-575-0.
- ISBN 1-905139-09-8.
- ^ Dubro, Alec (10 December 1970). "Atom Heart Mother". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ Deusner, Stephen (6 October 2011). "Pink Floyd: Atom Heart Mother ("Why Pink Floyd?" Reissue)". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ a b Tan, Irving (18 September 2010). "Review: Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ Wyman, Bill (March 2023). "All 165 Pink Floyd Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ Seelig, Lee. "Backstage Pass - What's In A Name?". Archived from the original on 2006-07-24. Retrieved 2006-12-23.
- ^ Keirans, A. J. (February 28, 2004). "The Breakfast of Champions (Or What's In a Name?)". Archived from the original on 10 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-22.