The Grand Vizier's Garden Party

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"The Grand Vizier's Garden Party"
Song by Pink Floyd
from the album Ummagumma
PublishedLupus Music Ltd.
Released25 October 1969 (UK)
10 November 1969 (US)
Recorded1969
GenreExperimental[1]
Length8:46
LabelHarvest Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Norman Smith

"The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" is a three-part instrumental suite from Pink Floyd's 1969 album Ummagumma.[2] The name refers to the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, who was the first minister of the Sultan.[3]

Recording and composition[]

All three parts are written by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, with flute arranging from composer and frequent Pink Floyd collaborator Ron Geesin.[3][4] It follows the structure of the rest of Ummagumma, where each band member contributed their own composition(s). Like the majority of songs on the album, it is a highly experimental track and is divided into parts: "Entrance", "Entertainment" and "Exit".

Sections[]

"Entrance" (Part 1) (1:00) (Geesin, Mason)

The suite begins with a short flute melody played by Mason's then wife, Linda,[3] followed by a drum roll and cymbal crash.

"Entertainment" (Part 2) (7:06) (Mason)

The longest section of the piece, "Entertainment" contains a variety of percussion, including the standard kit and timpani. It begins with various tape loops and percussive sounds, including cymbals, snare and tom drums. This is followed by an ambient piece played on a mellotron, with reversed percussion in the background. A drone is made out of a heavily reverbed timpani, followed by tape loops of drum rolls on the different parts of the drum kit and a drum solo.

"Exit" (Part 3) (0:38) (Geesin, Mason)

The piece concludes with multiple overdubbed flute parts, creating harmony before the piece slows to an end.

Use in The Man and the Journey[]

"Entertainment" was one of the many tracks which were played at some point or another in the concert piece The Man and the Journey under the name "Doing It!" Others included "Syncopated Pandemonium", "Up the Khyber", and "Party Sequence", as all of these tracks prominently feature drums and other percussion.

Personnel[]

with:

References[]

  1. ^ Saunders, Luke. "Why it mattered: Pink Floyd's Ummagumma Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  2. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. p. 29. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Manning, Toby (2006). "The Albums". The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd (1st ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 161. ISBN 1-84353-575-0.
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