Music from The Body

Music from The Body is the soundtrack album to Roy Battersby's 1970 documentary film The Body,^[1] about human biology, narrated by Vanessa Redgrave and Frank Finlay. The music was composed in collaboration between Pink Floyd member Roger Waters and Ron Geesin,^[1] and employs biomusic, including sounds made by the human body (slaps, breathing, laughing, whispering, flatulence, etc.),^[1] in addition to more traditional guitar, piano and stringed instruments. The date of this album places it between Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother,^[1] the latter also featuring Geesin as a collaborator.^[1] The album's final track, "Give Birth to a Smile", features all four members of Pink Floyd, plus Geesin on piano, although David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright are uncredited.^[1] The LP features a different track listing to the original film soundtrack, and a 3 sided acetate does exist of the full version. The cover of the album features a Transparent Anatomical Manikin (TAM).^[2]

Waters would not release another solo album until 1984's The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking.^[1]

Track listing

All songs written by Ron Geesin, except where noted^[1]:

1. "Our Song" (Geesin/Waters) – 1:24
2. "Sea Shell and Stone" (Waters) – 2:17
3. "Red Stuff Writhe" – 1:11
4. "A Gentle Breeze Blew Through Life" – 1:19
5. "Lick Your Partners" – 0:35
6. "Bridge Passage for Three Plastic Teeth" – 0:35
7. "Chain of Life" (Waters) – 3:59
8. "The Womb Bit" (Geesin/Waters) – 2:06
9. "Embryo Thought" – 0:39
10. "March Past of the Embryos" – 1:08
11. "More Than Seven Dwarfs in Penis-Land" – 2:03
12. "Dance of the Red Corpuscles" – 2:04
13. "Body Transport" (Geesin/Waters) – 3:16
14. "Hand Dance — Full Evening Dress" – 1:01
15. "Breathe" (Waters) – 2:53
16. "Old Folks Ascension" – 3:47
17. "Bed-Time-Dream-Clime" – 2:02
18. "Piddle in Perspex" – 0:57
19. "Embryonic Womb-Walk" – 1:14
20. "Mrs. Throat Goes Walking" – 2:05
21. "Sea Shell and Soft Stone" (Geesin/Waters) – 2:05
22. "Give Birth to a Smile" (Waters) – 2:49

Personnel

• Roger Waters: Bass Guitar, Vocals, Guitar, Vocalizations
• Ron Geesin: Guitar, Cello, Hammond Organ, Harmonium, Piano, Banjo, Mandolin, Various Stringed Instruments, Vocalizations

• David Gilmour: Electric Guitar (On "Give Birth To A Smile")
• Nick Mason: Drums (On "Give Birth To A Smile")
• Richard Wright: Hammond Organ (On "Give Birth To A Smile")

"Give Birth to A Smile" also features a chorus of female singers, who sing in the background while Waters sings his verses but who then take over the refrain as the song continues. The album does not credit them, and neither Waters, Geesin, nor any books on the band have ever mentioned who they were.

It is not clear whether Waters played on any of the tracks that he did not co-write. Some sources indicate that he performed the bass guitar and vocalizations on "Mrs. Throat Goes Walking".

References

External links

• The Body at the Internet Movie Database