Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict

"Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict"
Song by Pink Floyd from the album Ummagumma
Released October 1969
Recorded June 1969
Genre Musique concrète
Length 4:59
Label Harvest Records
Writer Roger Waters
Producer Norman Smith
Ummagumma track listing
"Grantchester Meadows"
(5)
"Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict"
(6)
"The Narrow Way", Parts 1–3
(7–9)

"Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict" is a track written and performed by Roger Waters from the two-part 1969 Pink Floyd album, Ummagumma.[1][2]

The track consists of several minutes of noises resembling rodents and birds simulated by Waters' voice and other techniques, such as tapping the microphone played at different speeds, followed by Waters providing a few stanzas of spoken word in an exaggerated Scottish burr.

The Picts were the indigenous people of what is now Scotland who merged with the Scots.

There is a hidden message in the song at approximately 4:32. If played at half speed, Waters can be heard to say, "That was pretty avant-garde, wasn't it?"[3] (). Also, at the very end of the rant, Waters is heard to say, "Thank you."

Quotes

"It's not actually anything, it's a bit of concrete poetry. Those were sounds that I made, the voice and the hand slapping were all human generated - no musical instruments."
—Roger Waters ,  University of Regina Carillon Interview, October 1970[4]

The song in popular culture

The title of the Man or Astro-man? song "Many Pieces of Large Fuzzy Mammals Gathered Together at a Rave and Schmoozing with a Brick" is based on this song.

Several Species,[5] a Baltimore-based Pink Floyd tribute band founded in 1996, is named after the song.

John Joseph, singer of the Cro-Mags, claims this is the first song he ever heard on LSD and refers to it in his book.

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5. 
  2. ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X. 
  3. ^ From Abracadabra to Zombies, The Skeptic's Dictionary.
  4. ^ University of Regina Carillon Interview, Pink-Floyd.org.
  5. ^ Several Species.