“Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun” seems to be the track with the most amount of studio overdubs on it. There are pieces of “The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party,” snips of “The Narrow Way,” then “Up the Khyber.” They intermingle parts from other songs such as snippets of “Work” from “The Man” suite from Nick. It is a very good version of the piece although there are better versions from the era (something that can be said for all of the songs), but this is still an excellent, spaced out track. But most likely it was for time constraints since the song would have had to be cut in half to fit onto the LP. Theories range from the band wanting to preserve the sound quality of the record to its being dropped because of publishing rights since Syd Barrett was listed as a writer. This thirteen minute version of the tracks was supposed to be included on the album, and indeed it was included on early acetates, but was omitted before the final pressing. “Interstellar Overdrive” is the center of most interest on this release. Dave’s low wailing and Roger’s trademark screams were overdubbed on the final product but it is not much different. The liner notes state that “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” has a longer introduction and no vocals in the mix. The instrumental is the same though and at the end of the song Roger is audible, telling the audience that the show is being “committed to posterity” on tape. It has different vocals, starting with the whisper on the left channel.
“Astronomy Domine” begins the disc and is listed as a different mix than the finished product. But this tape is the raw performance as it occurred before studio tinkering. The May 2nd tapes were cleaned up for official release and were given new vocal overdubs. The sound quality is on the whole outstanding stereo. M others Secrets on the Wright1 label is a one disc, fifty-six minute stereo soundboard recording out outtakes of the first disc of Ummagumma.
Part of ‘Saucer’ came form the Birmingham gig which we put together with the Manchester stuff but the stuff on the album isn’t half as good as we can play.” The second time, at Manchester College Of Commerce, was a really bad gig but as the recording equipment was working really well, we had to use it. The first time, at Mothers in Birmingham, we felt we’d played really well, but the equipment didn’t work so we couldn’t use nearly all of that one. The May 2nd show contributed most of the material to the album because, as Richard Wright was quoted, “ ‘The live part of the album we had to record twice. The first gig has never been mentioned and it isn’t known if tapes still exist, but the LP was composed of material from the second two gigs. The first was on April 26th at Bromley Technical College, April 27th at Mother’s in Birmingham, and finally on May 2nd at the College of Commerce in Manchester. The liner notes on the LP claim they were recorded in June, 1969, but in reality three gigs were recorded that spring. They also believed that the songs currently in their live act would be dropped forever and a live recording would be a good memento. While preparing for Ummagumma, Pink Floyd believed that their new material would be so radically different that, in order to actually sell the album, they would include a disc of live material.
(56:14): Astronomy Domine, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Interstellar Overdrive, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, A Saucerful Of Secrets (Mother’s, Birmingham, England – April 27th, 1969) Manchester College of Commerce, Manchester, England – May 2nd, 1969