PINK FLOYD – UMMAGUMMA LIVE ALBUM SIDE

●The reason why this original master work, which was excavated more than half a century ago before cutting,
　was called a miracle is because it exceeded the official standards in both length and sound quality. The first live album of “Umaguma” was “39 ​​minutes 36 seconds,” but this work is “54 minutes 2 seconds” even though it is the same live performance. Moreover, it is the world’s first live album to be written with an unknown upgrade sound.

　It’s like a dream story, as if it was picked by a fox. So why was the expanded version realized, and how could the unknown sound have been possible? The key to this was the newly excavated “FLAT TRANSFER MASTER”. It was a surprising original master that was brought from overseas by a unique route.

　To go into a bit more detail, the master was mixed down and mastered, and distributed for pressing in a certain country (let’s just say “a certain country in Europe”). It was discovered after half a century. What was recorded there was exactly the sound of the original master itself. In the collector’s world, people pursue cutting accuracy and Mato 1 in order to get even one step closer to the sound of the recording, but this time it is not on that level. After all, it was before pressing, let alone cutting. In other words, “sound that has never been converted into a physical groove” was preserved.

●A complete sound board that lets you experience the full show of 1969.
　This is the secret of the unknown sound that will be the highest peak update. However, that alone will not be the “complete version”. “FLAT TRANSFER MASTER” is a 100% complete sound that has been mixed down and mastered. In other words, the length is the same as the final official work. So how was the expansion possible?

　The second key is the “rough mix.” In fact, a rough mix take different from the main part was excavated from the “Umaguma” live, and we have also introduced it as part of “RARITIES (Oenone-001A/B)” in our shop. This is not just a different mix, but also includes a long recording before and after the performance part, and also includes “Interstellar Overdrive,” which was cut from the official work.

　This work makes full use of the two soundboards mentioned above. The four main songs, “Astromony Domine,” “Careful With That Axe, Eugene,” “Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun,” and “A Saucerful Of Secrets,” are spelled out with the highest peak sound of “FLAT TRANSFER MASTER,” and the intervals and “Starry Sky Drive” are complemented with rough mixes. Of course, the complementary parts are also meticulously and rigorously mastered to get as close as possible to “FLAT TRANSFER MASTER,” realizing a natural and seamless live album that you would not notice unless you were told (or even if you were told?).

　This work, which was born in this way, allows you to experience the “full show of 1969”. The live disc of “Umaguma” is edited from two types, “April 27, 1969 Birmingham performance” and “May 2, 1969 Manchester performance”, but in fact, the actual performance is almost entirely Manchester performance. Only about three minutes of “Mystery” (the fifth track “0:00-3:25” in this work) is a Birmingham performance. And only the same five songs as this work were performed in Manchester. In other words, this work is an extended version of the traditional masterpiece and at the same time a “complete sound board of the Manchester performance (only 3 and a half minutes are replaced)”.

●The “real Ummaguma” embodied in an unprecedented sound
　In order to accurately convey the contents, I have written in a somewhat bland tone, but the listening experience of this work was shocking. First of all, the sound is deep. It surpasses all official CDs that have been released so far. In fact, Ummaguma was already degraded when it was first released on CD in 1987, and the remastered versions since 1994 have been patched up with digital processing. However, this work is the original, but retains the master sound before it deteriorated.

　Each note is clear, and the sound is so natural that you can see the instrument itself. The sharpness of the rise makes you feel the vibration of the strings and skin, and the vibe of the disappearance of the sound is realistic, even in the peaks that draw beautiful mountains with each note. And while the music that is born from the succession of each note is extremely beautiful, it is also important that the darkness of the silent parts is deep at the same time. The hiss-free nothingness depicts the tension of the silent scene, and because it stands out from there, the melody shines and the beats and grooves are rich.

　One example is the beginning of “Mystery”. The rapid succession of cymbal work and keyboards create a different space, and the guitar spins a dissonant melody there. The performance itself was enjoyable in detail even on the conventional version, but with this work, you can even hear the vibrations emitted by the cymbals and keyboards “resonating”. Each note interacts with the actual space, making the drum kit’s support and the guitar’s body vibrate. I’ve been using “realism” as a keyword since earlier, and the reality of this work is at that level. Not only are each sound clear, but unlike studio recordings where the instruments are played and mixed separately, it reproduces all the vibrations that can occur on a stage where the instruments coexist.

　Moreover, since it is not an LP, there are no scratches, and the whole work is smooth and glossy. In fact, at the end of “Sun Hymn” (around 9:07), you can hear a momentary “puff” noise that is not present on the current CD, but this is actually “real”. It was caused by operating the keyboard (or guitar) changeover switch on the stage, and was part of the work recorded on both the original master and the initial CD (it seems that it was later removed during the remastering in 1994). This work is a press CD that permanently preserves the truth of such a master without any processing.

　The real master sound, fresh before LP cutting, had deteriorated when it was first released on CD. The full show of 1969 was revived by making the most of that miracle… This is nothing but a cultural heritage, and even this word feels frivolous. It is an eternal piece that will turn your collection shelf at home into a museum. If you missed out on buying it last time, or if you’re finding out about it for the first time, don’t miss the chance to get the 2nd press.

(54:02)
01. Astromony Domine
02. Careful With That Axe, Eugene
03. Interstellar Overdrive
04. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
05. A Saucerful Of Secrets

Mother’s Club, Birmingham, UK 27th April 1969

Manchester College of Commerce, Manchester, UK 2nd May 1969