Studio Album · No. 4
Atom Heart Mother Songwriting Credits by Pink Floyd
Produced by Pink Floyd · Engineered by Peter Bown, Alan Parsons
Holds writing credit on 5 of 5 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 5 / 5 documented
Scored across the 5 tracks with documented writers, by whether Pink Floyd carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 5 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
The 23-minute title suite that opens the album was co-composed by Pink Floyd with Scottish avant-garde musician Ron Geesin, who wrote the orchestral and choral arrangements layered over the band's backing tracks and worked out melodic lines and the middle section with David Gilmour and Richard Wright. The shorter songs split authorship across the band: Waters wrote 'If,' Wright wrote 'Summer '68,' and Gilmour wrote 'Fat Old Sun,' while the closing 'Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast' is credited to all four members. This is a transitional record where group composition and an outside collaborator still dominated, before Roger Waters consolidated lyrical control later in the decade.
"Atom Heart Mother" is the 1970 album by Pink Floyd, a progressive rock and experimental rock record that became the band's first album to reach number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The album reached number 55 in the United States and was later certified gold, with David Gilmour on guitars, Roger Waters on bass, Richard Wright on keyboards, and Nick Mason on drums. Side one is dominated by a 23-minute orchestral title suite that Ron Geesin co-composed and arranged, performed with the John Alldis Choir and the EMI Pops Orchestra. Side two contains three songs from the band's main writers plus "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast," a sound collage built around roadie Alan Styles preparing breakfast. The Hipgnosis cover, a photograph of a Holstein cow near Potters Bar, marked the first Pink Floyd album to omit the band's name and image, though members including Gilmour later dismissed the record.
Track Listing & Credits 5 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Atom Heart Mother
|
Not documented | Roger WatersDavid GilmourRichard WrightNick MasonRon Geesin | Pink Floyd | - |
| 2 |
If
|
Roger Waters | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | Roger Waters (Lead Vocals)David Gilmour (Lead Vocals) |
| 3 |
Summer '68
|
Richard Wright | Richard Wright | Pink Floyd | Roger Waters (Lead Vocals)David Gilmour (Lead Vocals) |
| 4 |
Fat Old Sun
|
David Gilmour | David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | Roger Waters (Lead Vocals)David Gilmour (Lead Vocals) |
| 5 |
Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast
|
Not documented | Roger WatersDavid GilmourRichard WrightNick Mason | Pink Floyd | - |