Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd in 1968 (from left to right): Nick Mason, Syd Barrett, David Gilmour (seated in front), Roger Waters, Richard Wright
Background information
Also known as	Sigma 6, The Megadeaths, The Architectural Abdabs, The Abdabs, The Tea Set, The Pink Floyd Sound, The Pink Floyd
Origin	London, England
Genres	Progressive rock, psychedelic rock
Years active	1965 (1965)–1996 Reunion: 2005
Labels	EMI, Harvest, Capitol, Tower, Columbia
Website	pinkfloyd.co.uk pinkfloyd.com
Past members
David Gilmour Nick Mason Roger Waters Richard Wright Syd Barrett

Pink Floyd were an English rock band who earned international recognition for their psychedelic rock music in the late 1960s, and for their progressive rock music from the 1970s onward. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. One of rock music's most critically acclaimed and commercially successful acts, the group have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 74.5 million certified units in the United States, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Pink Floyd were formed in 1965, and originally consisted of university students Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and Syd Barrett. The group were a popular fixture on London's underground music scene, and under Barrett's leadership released two charting singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play", and a successful debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. In 1968, guitarist and singer David Gilmour joined the line-up. Barrett was soon removed, due to his increasingly erratic behaviour. Following Barrett's departure, bass player and singer Roger Waters became the lyricist and dominant figure in the band, which went on to achieve worldwide critical and commercial success with the concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall.

Wright left the band in 1979, and Waters in 1985, but Gilmour and Mason (rejoined by Wright) continued recording and touring under the name Pink Floyd. Waters used legal means to try to keep them from using the name, declaring Pink Floyd a spent force, but the parties reached an out-of-court settlement allowing Gilmour, Mason and Wright to continue as Pink Floyd. The band again enjoyed worldwide successes with A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994), and Waters continued as a solo musician, releasing three studio albums. Although for some years relations between Waters and the remaining three members were sour, the band reformed in 2005 for a final one-off performance at Live 8.

History

Early years (1963–1967)

Formation

Nick Mason and Roger Waters first met while studying architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London.^[1] The pair first played together in a band formed by Keith Noble and Clive Metcalfe, with Noble's sister Sheilagh. Fellow student Richard Wright joined later, and the band became a sextet, taking the name Sigma 6.^[2] Waters initially played rhythm guitar before switching to bass, and Wright's girlfriend was a regular guest artist. The band performed initially during private functions, rehearsing in a tearoom in the basement of Regent Street Polytechnic. They played songs by The Searchers, and also material written by fellow student Ken Chapman, who became their manager and songwriter.^[2]

In September 1963 Mason and Waters moved into the lower flat of Stanhope Gardens, owned by Mike Leonard, a part-time tutor at the Regent Street Polytechnic. Leonard was a designer of light machines (perforated discs spun by electric motors to cast patterns of lights on the walls)^{[nb 1]} and for a time played keyboard alongside them, using the front room of the flat for rehearsals.^[3] Mason later moved out of the flat, while accomplished guitar player Bob Klose moved in. Sigma 6 changed their name on several occasions, from the Megadeaths, to the Architectural Abdabs, and then to The Tea Set.^[3][4]

Metcalfe and Noble left to form their own band,^[6] but in 1964 Klose and Waters were joined at Stanhope Gardens by Syd Barrett.^[6] Then aged 17,^[7] Barrett had arrived in London in late 1963, to study at Camberwell College of Art.^[5][8] Waters and Barrett were childhood friends; the bassist had often visited Barrett as he played guitar at his mother's house.^[9]

As The Pink Floyd Sound

With the Tea Set lacking Noble and Metcalfe's vocals, Klose introduced the band to Chris Dennis, a technician with the Royal Air Force.^[10] It was during Dennis's tenure that the band was first referred to as The Pink Floyd Sound,^{[nb 2]} created by Barrett on the spur of the moment when he discovered that another band, also named the Tea Set, were to perform at one of their gigs. The name is derived from the given names of two blues musicians whose records Barrett had in his collection, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.^[11][12] Dennis was posted to Bahrain, thrusting Barrett into the spotlight as frontman.^[10] They first performed in a recording studio in December 1964, minus the presence of Wright, who was taking a break from his studies. Through one of his friends, who let them use some "down time" for free, they managed to secure recording time at a studio in West Hampstead. This four-song session became the Tea Set's first demo tape, and included the R&B classic "I'm A King Bee", two Syd Barrett originals: "Butterfly" and "Lucy Leave", and "Double O Bo", a group-composition which—according to Mason—was "Bo Diddley meets the 007 theme."^[13]

The Pink Floyd Sound became the resident band at the Countdown Club near Kensington High Street in London, where from late night until early morning they played three sets of 90 minutes. According to Mason, this period "… was the beginning of a realisation that songs could be extended with lengthy solos."^[14] An audition for ITV's Ready Steady Go! soon followed (they were invited by the programme's producers to return the following week), as did another club, and two rock contests. At the behest of his father and college tutors, Bob Klose left in 1965,^[15] and Barrett took over on lead guitar.^[16] Playing mostly rhythm and blues songs, they began to receive paid bookings, including one for a performance at the Marquee Club in March 1966, where they were watched by Peter Jenner. A lecturer at the London School of Economics, Jenner was impressed by the acoustic effects Barrett and Wright created,^[12] and with his business partner and friend Andrew King became their manager.^[17] Although the pair had little experience of the music industry, they used inherited money to set up Blackhill Enterprises, and purchased new instruments and equipment for the band, including a Selmer PA system.^[18] Under their guidance, at venues including All Saints Hall and The Marquee, the band became part of London's underground music scene.^[19]

A Hapshash and the Coloured Coat poster for Pink Floyd at the UFO Club

While performing at the Countdown Club the band had experimented with long instrumental excursions, and they began to expand upon these with rudimentary but visually powerful light shows, projected by coloured slides and domestic lights.^[21][22] To celebrate the launch of the London Free School's magazine International Times, they performed in front of a 2,000-strong crowd at the opening of The Roundhouse, attended by celebrities including Alexander Trocchi, Paul McCartney, and Marianne Faithfull.^[23] Jenner and King's diverse array of social connections helped gain the band important coverage in The Financial Times and The Sunday Times.^[24]

Their relationship with Blackhill Enterprises was strengthened when they became full partners, each holding an unprecedented one-sixth share,^[18] and by October 1966 their set included more of their own material.^[22] They performed at venues such as the Commonwealth Institute,^[25] but were not universally popular; following a performance at a Catholic youth club the owner refused to pay, a stance which the magistrate agreed with, claiming that the band's performance "wasn't music".^[26] This was not the only occasion on which they encountered such opinions, but they were better received at the UFO Club in London.^[27] Barrett's performances were reportedly exuberant, "… leaping around and the madness, and the kind of improvisation he was doing … he was inspired. He would constantly manage to get past his limitations and into areas that were very, very interesting. Which none of the others could do."^[28] The often drug-addled audience was receptive to the music they played, but the band remained drug-free —"We were out of it, not on acid, but out of the loop, stuck in the dressing room at UFO."^[29]

Signing with EMI

According to Mason, the psychedelic movement had "taken place around us—not within us".^[30] Nevertheless The Pink Floyd Sound were present at the head of a wave of interest in psychedelic music, and began to attract the attention of the music industry.^[31] While in negotiations with record companies, Joe Boyd and booking agent Bryan Morrison arranged for and funded the recording of several songs at Sound Techniques in West Hampstead, including "Arnold Layne", and a version of "Interstellar Overdrive",^[31] and also for the production in Sussex of a short music film for "Arnold Layne". Despite early interest from Polydor, the band signed with EMI, with a £5,000 advance. Boyd was not included in the deal.^[32][33]

"Arnold Layne" became Pink Floyd's (the definite article seems to have been dropped at some point in 1967)^[34] first single, released on 11 March 1967.^[35] Its references to cross-dressing saw it banned by several radio stations, but some creative manipulation at the shops which supplied sales figures to the music industry meant that it peaked in the UK charts at number 20.^[36] All four members of the band had by then abandoned their studies or jobs, and they upgraded their ageing Bedford van to a Ford Transit,^[37] using it to travel to over 200 gigs in 1967 (a tenfold increase on the previous year). They were joined by road manager Peter Wynne Willson, with whom Barrett had previously shared a flat.^[38] Willson updated the band's lighting rig, with some innovative ideas including the use of polarisers, mirrors, and stretched condoms.^[39]

Their second release was "See Emily Play", on 16 June.^[40] It was premièred at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London earlier in May that year,^[41] where the band also used a device called an Azimuth co-ordinator. They performed on the BBC's Look of the Week, where an erudite and engaging Waters and Barrett faced rigorous questioning from Hans Keller.^[42] The single fared slightly better than "Arnold Layne", and after two weeks was at number 17 in the charts. It was mimed for the BBC's Top Of The Pops, to which they returned after the single climbed to number five, but a scheduled third appearance was cancelled when Barrett refused to perform.^[40] It was about this time the rest of the band first noticed changes in Barrett's behaviour.^[43] By early 1967 he was regularly using LSD,^[44] and at an earlier show in Holland Mason observed him to be "completely distanced from everything going on, whether simply tripping or suffering from a more organic neural disturbance I still have no idea."^[43]

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Pink Floyd's contract with EMI had been negotiated by their agent, Bryan Morrison, and EMI producer Norman Smith. They were obliged^[45] to record their first album at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London.^[46] There they experimented with musique concrète, and were at one point invited to watch The Beatles record "Lovely Rita". Although in his 2005 autobiography Mason recalled that the sessions were relatively trouble-free, Smith disagreed, stating that Barrett was unresponsive to his suggestions and constructive criticism.^[47] The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was released in August 1967, and Pink Floyd continued to draw huge crowds at the UFO Club, but Barrett's deterioration was by then giving them serious concern. The rest of the band initially hoped that his erratic behaviour would be a passing phase, but others, including Jenner and June Child,^{[nb 3]} were more realistic:

… I found him in the dressing room and he was so … gone. Roger Waters and I got him on his feet, we got him out to the stage … and of course the audience went spare because they loved him. The band started to play and Syd just stood there. He had his guitar around his neck and his arms just hanging down.

—June Child, ^[49]

To their consternation, the band were forced to cancel their appearance at the prestigious National Jazz and Blues Festival, and informed the music press that Barrett was suffering from nervous exhaustion. Jenner and Waters arranged for Barrett to see a psychiatrist, a meeting the frontman did not attend, and a stay in Formentera with Sam Hutt, a doctor well-established in the underground music scene, led to no visible improvement. A few dates in September were followed by the band's first tour of the United States.^[50] Blackhill's late application for work permits forced the band to cancel several dates,^[51][52] and Barrett's condition grew steadily worse.^[53] He detuned his guitar during a performance at the Winterland Ballroom, causing the strings to come off, and during a recording for The Pat Boone Show he confounded the director by miming the song perfectly during the rehearsal, and then standing motionless during the take. King quickly curtailed the band's US visit, sending them home on the next flight.^[54]

Shortly after their return from the US the band supported Jimi Hendrix's tour of England,^[54] but Barrett's depression worsened the longer the tour continued,^[55] and his absence on one occasion forced the band to book David O'List as his replacement.^[50] Barrett's position as frontman was becoming less secure. Wynne Willson left his role as lighting manager and allied himself with the guitarist.^[56] Pink Floyd released "Apples and Oranges", but for the rest of the band Barrett's condition had reached a crisis point, and they responded by adding a new member to their line-up.^[50]

Classic lineup (1968–1979)

Gilmour replaces Barrett

David Gilmour was already acquainted with Barrett, having in the early 1960s studied modern languages at Cambridge Tech, while the latter studied art.^[9] The two had performed at lunchtimes together with guitars and harmonicas, and later hitch-hiked and busked their way around the south of France.^[58] In 1965, while a member of Joker's Wild, Gilmour had watched The Tea Set,^[59] and two years later the band asked him to become the fifth member of Pink Floyd. Barrett had recently suggested adding four new members, in the words of Roger Waters, "… two freaks he'd met somewhere. One of them played the banjo, the other the saxophone … [and] a couple of chick singers".^[60] While Barrett reluctantly agreed to Gilmour's induction, Steve O'Rourke (an assistant to Bryan Morrison) gave Gilmour a room at his house, and a salary of £30 per week.^[61] Gilmour immediately went out and bought a custom-made yellow Fender Stratocaster, from a music shop in Cambridge (the instrument became one of Gilmour's favourite guitars throughout his career with Pink Floyd), and in January 1968 he was announced as the band's newest member.^[62] To the general public he was then the second guitarist, but as Barrett's performances continued to ebb, privately the rest of the band began to see him as a replacement. One of Gilmour's first duties was to pretend to play a guitar on an "Apples and Oranges" promotional film.^[62]

In a demonstration of his frustration at being effectively sidelined, Barrett tried to teach the band a new song, "Have You Got It Yet?", but changed the structure on each performance—making it impossible for them to learn. Matters came to a head on the way to a performance in Southampton. When somebody in the van asked if they should collect Barrett, the response was "No, fuck it, let's not bother".^[63]

Waters later admitted "He was our friend, but most of the time we now wanted to strangle him".^[64] For a short period Barrett still turned up to the occasional gig, apparently confused as to what was happening.^[64] As a result of his de facto removal, Pink Floyd's partnership with Peter Jenner and Andrew King was dissolved in March 1968, and Barrett's departure was officially announced on 6 April.^[65] Jenner and King, who believed that the creative spirit of Pink Floyd derived almost entirely from Barrett, decided to represent him, and ended their relationship with Pink Floyd. Bryan Morrison then agreed that Steve O'Rourke should become Pink Floyd's manager.^[66] Barrett had been their main songwriter, and Gilmour mimed to his voice on the group's European television appearances, but while playing on the university circuit Waters and Wright created their own new material, such as "It Would Be So Nice", and "Careful With That Axe, Eugene". They were joined by road manager Peter Watts before touring Europe in 1968.^[67]

A Saucerful of Secrets

For their second studio album, the band returned with Smith to Abbey Road Studios. Several songs featuring Barrett had already been laid down, including "Jugband Blues" (his final contribution to their discography). Waters contributed three songs, "Let There Be More Light", "Corporal Clegg", and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (which includes guitar work by Gilmour and Barrett), and Wright composed "See-Saw" and "Remember a Day". Encouraged by Smith, some of the new material was recorded at their homes, continuing the type of experimentation seen on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Smith remained unconvinced by their musical style, but when Mason struggled to perform on "Remember a Day", he stepped in as his replacement.^[68]

Neither Waters nor Mason could read music, so to create the album's title track, "A Saucerful of Secrets", they invented their own system of notation; Gilmour later described this as looking "… like an architectural diagram".^[70] A Saucerful of Secrets was released to mixed reviews in June that year; Record Mirror urged listeners to "forget it as background music to a party",^[70] and John Peel claimed that the album was "… like a religious experience …".^[70] NME, however, viewed the title track as "… long and boring, and has little to warrant its monotonous direction".^[70] The album cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis.^{[nb 4]} Upon the album's release Pink Floyd performed at the first free Hyde Park concert (organised by Blackhill Enterprises), alongside Roy Harper and Jethro Tull. The band considered Morrison's assistant, Steve O'Rourke, as a "great deal-maker", whose business acumen overshadowed his lack of interest in aesthetic matters, and when Morrison sold his business to NEMS Enterprises O'Rourke became the band's personal manager. This also enabled the band to take complete control of their artistic outlook. They returned to the US for their first major tour, accompanied by Soft Machine and The Who.^[72][73]

Soundtracks

The band's next work was on the score for The Committee. Just before Christmas 1968 they released "Point Me At The Sky", which was no more successful than the two singles they had released since "See Emily Play", and which for several years remained the band's last single^[74] ("Apples and Oranges" was not released in the US).^[75] In 1969 they worked on the score for Barbet Schroeder's More. The soundtrack proved important; not only did it pay well, but along with A Saucerful of Secrets^[76] the material they created became part of their live shows for some time thereafter. A tour of the UK ended at the Royal Festival Hall in July 1969, during which an electric shock caused by poor earthing sent Gilmour flying across the stage.^[74] The performances, built around two long pieces called The Man and The Journey,^[77] were backed with performance art created by artist Peter Dockley, and some of the sound effects were later used on 1970's "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast".^[74]

While composing the soundtrack for Zabriskie Point (directed by Michelangelo Antonioni) the band spent almost a month at a luxury hotel in Rome. Waters has since claimed that but for Antonioni's continuous changes to the music, the work could have been completed in less than a week. Eventually he used only three of their recordings, in addition to material from the Grateful Dead, The Youngbloods, Patti Page, and the Rolling Stones. One of the pieces turned down by Antonioni, called "The Violent Sequence", later became "Us and Them", included on Pink Floyd's 1973 The Dark Side of the Moon. The band also worked on the soundtrack for a proposed cartoon series called Rollo, but a lack of funds meant that it was never produced. Waters also scored the soundtrack to the 1970 film The Body, with Ron Geesin.^[78]

Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother

Ummagumma presented a departure from their previous work, containing barely any new compositions. Released as a double-LP on EMI's Harvest label, the first two sides contained live performances, recorded at Manchester College of Commerce and at Mother's Club in Birmingham. The second LP contained a single experimental contribution from each band member. Ummagumma was released to positive reviews, in October 1969.^[79]

Roger Waters performing with Pink Floyd, at Leeds University in 1970

Ummagumma was quickly followed by 1970's Atom Heart Mother. The band's previous LPs were recorded using a four-track system, but Atom Heart Mother was their first eight-track album.^[80] An early version was premièred in France in January, but disagreements over its direction prompted the arrival of Ron Geesin. Geesin worked for about a month to improve the score, but with little creative input from the band production was troublesome; it was eventually completed with the aid of John Aldiss. Norman Smith was credited as an executive producer, and the album marked his final contribution to the band's discography.^[81] Gilmour is generally dismissive of Atom Heart Mother, once describing it as "a load of rubbish",^[82] although in 2001 he said it "was a good thing to have attempted, but I don't really think the attempt comes off that well".^[83] Waters was similarly critical, once claiming that he would not mind if it were "thrown into the dustbin and never listened to by anyone ever again."^[82] Atom Heart Mother was hugely successful in the UK,^[84] and was premièred at the Bath Festival on 27 June 1970.^[85]

In 1971 they took second place in a poll of readers by Melody Maker (behind Emerson, Lake and Palmer), and for the first time were making a profit. The theft in New Orleans of equipment worth about $40,000 almost crippled the band's finances, but although the local police were unhelpful, hours after the band notified the FBI the equipment was returned. Mason and Wright became fathers and bought homes in London while Gilmour, still single, moved to a 19th-century farm in Essex. Waters installed a home recording studio at his house in Islington, in a converted tool-shed at the bottom of his garden.^[86]

Meddle

Returning from touring Atom Heart Mother, at the start of 1971 the band began work on new material.^[87][88] Lacking a central theme they attempted several largely unproductive experiments;^[89] engineer John Leckie described the sessions as often beginning in the afternoon, and ending early the next morning, "during which time nothing would get done. There was no record company contact whatsoever, except when their label manager would show up now and again with a couple of bottles of wine and a couple of joints."^[90] The band spent long periods working on simple sounds, or a particular guitar riff. They also spent several days at Air Studios, attempting to create music using a variety of household objects, a project which would be revisited between The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.^[91]

Meddle's production was spread over a considerable period of time; the band recorded in the first half of April, but in the latter half played at Doncaster and Norwich before returning to record at the end of the month. In May they split their time between sessions at Abbey Road, and rehearsals and concerts across Great Britain, and June and July were spent mainly performing at venues across Europe. August was spent in the far east and Australia, and September in Europe.^[88][92]

Meddle was released on 30 October 1971 in the US, and 13 November in the UK,^{[nb 5]} while the band were touring in the US.^[88] Reviews were mixed. Rolling Stone's Jean-Charles Costa wrote "Meddle not only confirms lead guitarist David Gilmour's emergence as a real shaping force with the group, it states forcefully and accurately that the group is well into the growth track again",^[96] and NME called it "an exceptionally good album". Melody Maker were however more reserved, claiming the album was "...a soundtrack to a non-existent movie".^[97] Meddle is sometimes considered to be a transitional album between the Barrett-influenced band and the modern Pink Floyd.^[98][99]

The group's other releases around this period, More and Zabriskie Point, were soundtracks, and Atom Heart Mother was influenced as much by Ron Geesin and the session artists as it was by the band.^[100] The band again worked with Barbet Schroeder on the film La Vallée, for which a soundtrack album was released, called Obscured by Clouds. The material was composed in about a week, at the Château d'Hérouville near Paris, and upon its release was their first to break into the top 50 on the US Billboard chart.^[101] At about the same time the band also produced the compilation album Relics.^[102]

The Dark Side of the Moon

The band's next album, provisionally titled The Dark Side of the Moon (an allusion to lunacy, rather than astronomy),^[103] was recorded with EMI staff engineer Alan Parsons at Abbey Road, between May 1972 and January 1973.^[104][105] The band spent much of 1972 touring the new material, and filmed studio footage for Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii,^[106] before beginning a tour of Europe in 1973.^[107][108]

Parsons was assisted late in the album's production by producer Chris Thomas, who became responsible for significant changes such as the echo used on "Us and Them".^[109][110] The album's packaging was designed by Hipgnosis, and bore George Hardie's iconic refracting prism on the cover.^[111] Since Barrett's departure the burden of lyrical composition had fallen mostly on Waters' shoulders,^[112] and he is therefore credited as the author of the album's lyrics.^[113] The critical reaction was generally enthusiastic; Melody Maker's Roy Hollingworth described side one as: "… so utterly confused with itself it was difficult to follow", but praised side two, writing "The songs, the sounds, the rhythms were solid and sound, Saxophone hit the air, the band rocked and rolled, and then gushed and tripped away into the night."^[114] In his 1973 album review for Rolling Stone magazine, Lloyd Grossman wrote: "a fine album with a textural and conceptual richness that not only invites, but demands involvement."^[115]

A live performance The Dark Side of the Moon at Earls Court, shortly after its release in 1973. (l-r) David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Dick Parry, Roger Waters

The Dark Side of the Moon was released in March 1973, and became an instant chart success in Britain and throughout Western Europe.^[116] Throughout March 1973 it featured as part of their US tour, including a midnight performance at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on 17 March.^[117][118] The success of the album brought previously unknown wealth to all four members of the band; Richard Wright and Roger Waters bought large country houses, and Nick Mason became a collector of upmarket cars.^[119] Much of the album's early stateside success has been attributed to the efforts of Pink Floyd's US record company, Capitol Records. Newly appointed chairman Bhaskar Menon reversed the relatively poor performance of the band's previous US releases, but, disenchanted with Capitol, the band and manager O'Rourke negotiated a new contract with Columbia Records. The Dark Side of the Moon was the last album that Pink Floyd were obliged to release before formally signing a new contract.^[120] Menon's efforts to secure a contract renewal with Pink Floyd were in vain, and the band signed for Columbia with a reported advance fee of $1M ($4,942,149 today), while in Britain and Europe they continued to be represented by Harvest Records.^[121]

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd returned to the studio in the first week of 1975.^[122] Alan Parsons had declined the band's offer to continue working with them (instead becoming successful in his own right with The Alan Parsons Project),^[109] and so the band turned to Brian Humphries, with whom they had already worked on More.^[123] The group initially found it difficult to devise any new material, especially as the success of Dark Side of the Moon had left all four physically and emotionally drained. Richard Wright later described these early sessions as "falling within a difficult period", and Waters found them "torturous".^[124] Gilmour was more interested in improving the band's existing material, and Mason's marriage was failing, bringing on in him a general malaise and sense of apathy, which interfered with his drumming.^[124]

After several weeks, however, Waters began to visualise another concept.^[124] During 1974, they had sketched out three new compositions,^[126] and had performed them at a series of concerts in Europe.^[122] These new compositions became the starting point for a new album, whose opening four-note guitar phrase, composed entirely by accident by Gilmour,^[127] reminded Waters of the lingering ghost of former band-member Syd Barrett.^[128] The songs also contained barely veiled attacks on the music business, and provided an apt summary of the rise and fall of their former bandmate;^[129] "Because I wanted to get as close as possible to what I felt ... that sort of indefinable, inevitable melancholy about the disappearance of Syd."^[128] "Raving and Drooling" and "Gotta Be Crazy" had no place in the new concept, and were set aside.^[130]

Syd Barrett, visiting Abbey Road Studios on 5 June 1975

While the band were working on the album, Barrett made an impromptu visit to the studio,^{[127][131][132]} during which, Thorgerson recalled, he "sat round and talked for a bit but he wasn't really there."^[133] He had changed in appearance, and the band did not initially recognise him. Waters was reportedly deeply upset by the experience. Barrett eventually left without saying goodbye, and none of the band members ever saw him again.^[134]

Storm Thorgerson concealed the album artwork with a dark-coloured shrink-wrap. Inside, the cover image was inspired by the idea that people tend to conceal their true feelings, for fear of "getting burned", and thus two businessmen were pictured shaking hands, one man on fire.^{[135][136][137][138]} Much of Wish You Were Here was premièred on 5 July 1975 at an open-air music festival at Knebworth,^[139] before being released in September that year.^[140] It reached number one in Britain and the US,^[141][141] along with positive reviews; Robert Christgau wrote: "... the music is not only simple and attractive, with the synthesizer used mostly for texture and the guitar breaks for comment, but it actually achieves some of the symphonic dignity (and cross-referencing) that The Dark Side of the Moon simulated so ponderously."^[142]

Animals

Battersea Power Station was the subject for the cover image for the band's 1977 album, Animals.

Following the Knebworth concert, the band bought a three-storey block of church halls at 35 Britannia Row in Islington. Their deal with EMI for unlimited studio time in return for a reduced percentage of sales had expired, and they set about converting the building into a recording studio and storage facility. The studio would be on the ground floor, with the storage facility above, with a hoist to move the band's equipment in and out of the building. The top floor became an office, equipped with a pool table. The band also envisaged hiring their equipment out, but the hire business was unsuccessful and would later be taken over by Brian Grant and Robbie Williams.^[143] The studio was more successful. Its construction took up most of 1975, and in 1976 the band recorded their eighth studio album, Animals, at the new facility.^[144]

Animals was born from another Waters concept, borrowed from George Orwell's Animal Farm, where the human race was reduced to dogs, pigs, and sheep.^[145] Brian Humphries was again called upon to engineer the album,^[144] which was completed in December 1976. Hipgnosis took responsibility for the packaging, and offered three ideas, but unusually the final concept was designed by Waters. For the subject of the cover image, he chose Battersea Power Station, by then approaching the end of its useful life. The band commissioned a 30 feet (9.1 m) pig-shaped balloon (known as Algie), and photography began on 2 December, with a trained marksman ready to fire if the balloon escaped. Inclement weather delayed filming, and O'Rourke had neglected to book the marksman for a second day. Algie broke free of its moorings and ascended into the sky, eventually landing in Kent where it was recovered by a local farmer, reportedly furious that it had "apparently scared his cows."^[146] Shooting continued for a third day, but the image of the pig was later superimposed onto the cover photograph as the early photographs of the power station were considered to be better.^[146][147]

The division of royalties became a sore topic during production of the album. Royalties were accorded on a per-song basis, and although Gilmour was largely responsible for "Dogs"—which took up almost the entire first side of the album—he received less than Waters, who also contributed the two-part "Pigs on the Wing", which contains references to Waters' romantic involvement with Carolyne Anne Christie.^{[nb 6]} Gilmour was also distracted by the birth of his first child, and contributed little else toward the album. Similarly, neither Mason nor Wright contributed much toward Animals (the first Pink Floyd album not to contain a writing credit for Wright); Wright had marital problems, and his relationship with Waters was also suffering:^[149]

Animals was a slog. It wasn't a fun record to make, but this was when Roger really started to believe that he was the sole writer for the band. He believed that it was only because of him that the band was still going, and obviously, when he started to develop his ego trips, the person he would have his conflicts with would be me.

—Richard Wright, ^[150]

The Soldier Field stadium in Chicago. The band played here during their 1977 In the Flesh and their 1994 Division Bell tours.

Animals was released on 23 January 1977,^[146] and entered the UK charts at number two, and number three in the US.^[151] NME called the album "… one of the most extreme, relentless, harrowing and downright iconoclastic hunks of music to have been made available this side of the sun …",^[151] and Melody Maker's Karl Dallas wrote "… [an] uncomfortable taste of reality in a medium that has become in recent years, increasingly soporific …"^[151] The album became the subject material for the band's In the Flesh tour, during which early signs of discord became apparent. Waters began arriving at each venue alone, and departing immediately after the performance was complete, and Gilmour's wife Ginger did not get along with Waters' new girlfriend. On one occasion, Wright flew back to England threatening to leave the band. The size of the venues was also an issue,^[152] and the end of the tour was a low point for Gilmour, who felt that the band had by then achieved the success they sought, and that there was nothing else to look forward to.^[153]

The Wall

The In the Flesh tour was Pink Floyd's first playing in large stadiums, and at one venue a small group of noisy and excited fans in the front row of the audience irritated Waters so much that he spat at one of them. Waters was not the only person who felt depressed about playing in such large venues, as that same night Gilmour refused to perform the band's usual twelve-bar blues encore.^[154] About this time, Gilmour and Wright released their début solo albums, David Gilmour, and Wet Dream. Both albums sold poorly, a situation only exacerbated by the loss of much of the band's accumulated wealth. In 1976, the band had become involved with financial advisers Norton Warburg Group (NWG). NWG became the band's collecting agents and handled all financial planning, for an annual fee of about £300,000. Between £1.6 million and £3.3 million of the band's money was invested in high-risk venture capital schemes, primarily to reduce the band's exposure to high UK taxes. It soon became obvious that the band were still losing money. Not only did NWG invest in failing businesses, they also left the band liable for tax bills as high as 83% of their income. They eventually terminated their relationship with NWG, demanding the return of any cash not yet invested, which at that time amounted to £860,000 (they received £740,000).^{[155][nb 7]}

In the midst of this, in July 1977, Waters presented the band with two new ideas. The first was a ninety-minute demo given the provisional title Bricks in the Wall, and the other what would later become his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking. Although both Mason and Gilmour were initially cautious, the former (inspired by the recent spitting incident) was chosen to be their next album.^[156] Bob Ezrin was brought in as co-producer, and he wrote a forty-page script for the new album.^[157] The story was based on the central character of Pink—a character inspired by Waters' childhood experiences—the most notable of which was the death of his father in World War II. This first 'brick in the wall' led to more problems, and Pink would become so drug-addled and worn down by the music industry that he would transform into a megalomaniac, a development inspired partly by the decline of Syd Barrett. At the end of the album, the increasingly fascist audience would watch as Pink 'tore down the wall', once again becoming a normal caring person.^[158]

To record The Wall, engineer Brian Humphries, emotionally drained by his five years with the band, was replaced by James Guthrie.^[160] In March 1979, however, the band's critical financial situation demanded that they leave the UK for a year or more, and recording was moved to the Super Bear Studios near Nice.^[161][162] The band were rarely in the studio together, but Waters' relationship with Wright broke down completely. Wright was given a trial period as a producer, but his working methods and lack of creative input caused considerable tension. Wright eventually stopped coming into the studio during the day, and worked only at nights.^[163][163] With a failing marriage and depression, he had his own problems, but matters came to a head when Columbia offered the band a better deal in exchange for a Christmas release of the album. Waters increased their workload accordingly, but Wright refused to cut short his family holiday in Rhodes.^[163]

What exactly happened next remains unclear. In Inside Out (2005), Mason says that Waters called O'Rourke, who was travelling to the US on the QE2, and told him to have Wright out of the band by the time Waters arrived in LA to mix the album.^[164] In Comfortably Numb (2008), however, the author states that Waters called O'Rourke and asked him to tell Wright about the new recording arrangements and that Wright's response was apparently "Tell Roger to fuck off …".^[159] Wright disagreed with this recollection, stating that the band had agreed to record only through the spring and early summer and that he had no idea they were so far behind schedule. Waters was stunned and felt that Wright was not doing enough to help complete the album.^[165] Gilmour was on holiday in Dublin when he learned what was happening, and tried to calm the situation. He later spoke with Wright and gave him his support, but he reminded him about his lack of input on the album. Waters was insisting that Wright leave, or else he would refuse to release The Wall. Several days later, worried about their financial situation and the failing interpersonal relationships within the band, Wright quit.^[166]

Rumours persisted that Wright had a cocaine addiction (something he always disputed), and although his name did not appear anywhere on the finished album,^[167][168] he was employed as a paid musician on the band's subsequent The Wall tour.^[169] Production of the album continued and by August 1979 the running order was largely complete. Wright completed his duties, aided by session musicians.^[170] Toward the end of The Wall sessions, Mason left the final mix to Waters, Gilmour, Ezrin and Guthrie, and travelled to New York to record his début solo album, Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports.^[171]

The album was promoted by a rare Pink Floyd single—"Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)", which topped the charts in the US and the UK.^[172] A National Endowment for the Arts and RIAA poll named "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" one of the 365 Songs of the Century in 2001.^[173] The Wall was released on 30 November 1979, and topped the Billboard charts for fifteen weeks.^[174] The Wall ranks #4 all time on RIAA's list of the Top 100 albums, with 23 million certified units sold in the US alone.^[175] It remains one of the band's best-selling albums.^[176][177] The cover is one of their most minimalist designs, with a simple white brick wall, and no logo or band name. It was also their first album cover since The Piper at the Gates of Dawn not designed by Hipgnosis.^[178] Gerald Scarfe was employed to produce a series of animations for the subsequent The Wall Tour, including a series of nightmarish visions of the future such as a dove of peace exploding to reveal an eagle. Large inflatable puppets were also created for the live shows.^[179] On tour, relationships within the band were at an all-time low. Their four Winnebagos were parked in a circle, with the doors facing away from the centre. Waters used his own vehicle to arrive at the venue, and stayed in separate hotels from the rest of the band. Wright returned as a paid musician, and was the only 'member' of the band to profit from the venture, which lost about $600,000.^[169]

The album also spawned a film. The original plan was for the film to be a mixture of live concert footage and animated scenes. However, the concert footage proved impractical to film. Alan Parker agreed to direct, and took a different approach. The animated sequences would remain, but scenes would be acted by professional actors, with no dialogue. Waters was screen-tested but quickly discarded, and Bob Geldof was asked to take the role of Pink. Geldof was initially disdainful, condemning The Wall's storyline as "bollocks".^[180] He was eventually won over by the prospect of being involved in a major film and receiving a large payment for his work. Waters took a six-week holiday during filming and returned to find that Parker had used his creative licence to change parts of the film to his liking. Waters was irate, the two fought, and Parker threatened to walk out. Gilmour pleaded with Waters to reconsider his stance, reminding the bassist that he and the other band members were shareholders and directors and could out-vote him on such decisions. A modified soundtrack was also created for some of the film's songs.^[181] The Wall was released in July 1982.^[182]

Waters-led era (1982–85)

The Final Cut

Spare Bricks was to have been the soundtrack album for Pink Floyd The Wall, but with the onset of the Falklands War, Waters changed direction, and began writing new material. Waters saw Margaret Thatcher's response to the invasion of the islands as jingoistic and unnecessary, and he dedicated the new album—provisionally titled Requiem for a Post-War Dream—to his dead father. Immediately, there were arguments between Waters and Gilmour, who felt that the album should contain all new material, rather than songs not considered good enough for The Wall. Waters felt that, lately, Gilmour had contributed little to the band's lyrical repertoire.^[183]

Michael Kamen (a contributor to the orchestral sections of The Wall) mediated between the two, and also performed the role traditionally occupied by the then absent Richard Wright. James Guthrie was the studio engineer, and Mason was aided by two session drummers. Recording took place in eight studios, including Gilmour's home studio at Hookend Manor and Waters' home studio at East Sheen. The tension within the band grew. Waters and Gilmour worked separately (itself not unusual) but Gilmour began to feel the strain, sometimes barely maintaining his composure. Waters lost his temper, ranting at Kamen, who in boredom during one recording session, had started writing "I Must Not Fuck Sheep"^[184][185] repeatedly on a notepad in the studio's control room. After a final confrontation, Gilmour's name as producer was removed from the credit list, reflecting what Waters felt was his lack of song writing contributions.^[184] Mason's contributions were minimal, as he busied himself recording sound effects for an experimental new Holophonic system to be used on the album. With marital problems of his own, he remained a distant figure.^[186]

Hipgnosis had by this time disbanded, but again Thorgerson was passed over for the cover design, Waters choosing to design it himself. His brother-in-law, Willie Christie, was commissioned to take pictures for the album.^[186] The Final Cut was released in March 1983, going straight to #1 in the UK, and #6 in the US. "Not Now John" was released as a single, with its chorus of "Fuck all that" bowdlerised to "Stuff all that". Despite its success, the album again received mixed reviews. Melody Maker declared it to be "… a milestone in the history of awfulness …", but Rolling Stone's Kurt Loder viewed it as "… essentially a Roger Waters solo album … a superlative achievement on several levels …"^[188][189]

"Spent force"

Gilmour performing in Brussels in 1984, on his About Face tour

Gilmour recorded his second solo album About Face in 1984, and used it to express his feelings about a range of topics, from the murder of musician John Lennon, to his relationship with Waters. He later stated that he also used the album to distance himself from Pink Floyd. Soon after, Waters began touring his new solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking.^[190] Richard Wright meanwhile formed Zee with Dave Harris, and recorded Identity, which went almost unnoticed upon its release. Wright was also in the midst of a difficult divorce, and said later that it was "… made at a time in my life when I was lost."^[191] Mason released his second solo album Profiles in August 1985, which featured a contribution from Gilmour on "Lie for a Lie".^[192]

Waters believed that Pink Floyd was a spent force, and contacted O'Rourke with a view to settling future royalty payments. O'Rourke felt obliged to inform Mason and Gilmour, and as a result Waters tried to dismiss him. Waters then went to the High Court to prevent the Pink Floyd name from ever being used again.^[192] His lawyers discovered that the partnership had never been formally confirmed, and Waters returned to the High Court in an attempt to gain a veto over further use of the band's name. Gilmour's team responded by issuing a carefully worded press release affirming that Pink Floyd would continue to exist. However, Gilmour later told a Sunday Times reporter that "Roger is a dog in the manger and I'm going to fight him …".^[193]

Waters wrote to EMI and Columbia and declared his intention to leave the group, and asked them to release him from his contractual obligations. Gilmour believed that Waters left to hasten the demise of Pink Floyd, however, Waters later stated that by not making new albums, Pink Floyd would be in breach of contract—which would mean that royalty payments would be suspended—and that he was effectively forced from the band as the other members threatened to sue him. With the case still pending, Waters dispensed with O'Rourke's services and employed Peter Rudge to manage his affairs.^[192] He went on to record for the soundtrack for When the Wind Blows,^[194] as well as a second solo album, Radio K.A.O.S..^[195]

Gilmour-led era (1985–1994)

A Momentary Lapse of Reason

Astoria

Radio K.A.O.S. was released in June 1987,^[195] just as Gilmour was recruiting musicians for what would become Pink Floyd's first album without Waters —A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Artists such as Jon Carin and Phil Manzanera worked on the album, and they were also joined by Bob Ezrin.^[196] Gilmour was also contacted by Wright's new wife. She had heard that he was working on new material and asked if Wright could contribute. Gilmour considered the request; there were several legal obstacles to Wright's re-admittance to the band, but after a meeting in Hampstead he was brought back in.^[197] Gilmour later admitted in an interview with author Karl Dallas that Wright's presence "would make us stronger legally and musically". He was employed as a paid musician, on a weekly wage of $11,000.^[198][199]

The album was recorded along the River Thames, on Gilmour's houseboat Astoria. Andy Jackson (a colleague of Guthrie) was brought in as engineer. Gilmour experimented with various songwriters such as Eric Stewart and Roger McGough, but eventually settled on Anthony Moore as a lyricist.^[200] Gilmour would later admit that the new project was difficult without Waters' presence.^[201] Nick Mason was concerned that he was too out of practice to perform on the album, and was replaced on occasion by session musicians. He instead busied himself with the album's sound effects. In a change from previous Floyd albums, A Momentary Lapse was recorded onto a 32-channel Mitsubishi digital recorder, and used MIDI synchronisation with the aid of an Apple Macintosh computer.^[202][203]

Waters on one occasion visited Astoria to see Ezrin, along with Christie, by then his wife. As he was still a shareholder and director of Pink Floyd music, he was able to block any decisions made by his former bandmates. Recording moved to Mayfair and Audio International Studios, and then to Los Angeles—"It was fantastic because … the lawyers couldn't call in the middle of recording unless they were calling in the middle of the night."^[204] Waters tried to block a proposed Pink Floyd tour, by contacting every promoter in the US, threatening to sue if they used the Pink Floyd name. Gilmour and Mason funded the startup costs (Mason, separated from his wife, used his Ferrari 250 GTO as collateral). Some promoters were offended by Waters' threat, and several months later, tickets went on sale in Toronto (and were sold out within hours).^[205]

Storm Thorgerson, whose creative input was absent from The Wall and The Final Cut, was employed to design the cover.^[206] The album was released in September 1987, and in order to drive home the message that Waters had left the band, a group photograph was, for the first time since Meddle, included on the inside of the cover.^{[nb 8]} The album went straight to number three in the UK and US—held from the top spot by Michael Jackson's Bad, and Whitesnake's 1987. Although Gilmour initially viewed the album as a return to the band's best form, Wright would later disagree, stating "Roger's criticisms are fair. It's not a band album at all."^[207] Q Magazine's view was that the album was primarily a Gilmour solo effort.^[208]

Early rehearsals for the upcoming tour were chaotic, with Mason and Wright completely out of practice, and realising he'd taken on too much work Gilmour asked Bob Ezrin to take charge. As the new band toured throughout North America, Waters' Radio K.A.O.S. tour was, on occasion, close by. The bassist had forbidden any members of Pink Floyd from attending his concerts,^{[nb 9]} which were generally in smaller venues than those housing his former band's performances. Waters issued a writ for copyright fees for the band's use of the flying pig, and Pink Floyd responded by attaching a huge set of male genitalia to its underside to distinguish it from his design. However, by November 1987 Waters appeared to admit defeat, and on 23 December a legal settlement was finally reached. Mason and Gilmour were allowed use of the Pink Floyd name in perpetuity, and Waters would be granted, amongst other things, The Wall. The bickering continued, however, with Waters issuing the occasional slight against his former friends, and Gilmour and Mason responding by making light of Waters claims that they would fail without him.^[211] The Sun printed a story about Waters, who it claimed had paid an artist to create 150 toilet rolls with Gilmour's face on every sheet. Waters later denied this story.^[212]

The Division Bell

For several years thereafter the three members of Pink Floyd busied themselves with personal pursuits, such as filming and competing in the Carrera Panamericana (where Gilmour and O'Rourke crashed), and later recording a soundtrack for the film.^[213] Gilmour divorced Ginger, and Mason married actress Annette Lynton.^[214] In January 1993 the band began working on a new album. They returned to a then remodelled Britannia Row Studios, where for several days Gilmour, Mason and Wright worked collaboratively, ad-libbing new material. After about two weeks the band had enough ideas to start creating new songs.^{[nb 10]} Bob Ezrin returned to work on the album, and production moved to Astoria where from February to May 1993 the band worked on about twenty-five ideas.^[216] Contractually, Wright was still not a full member of the band: "It came very close to a point where I wasn't going to do the album",^[217] a situation which clearly upset the keyboardist. However, he was given his first songwriting credit on a Pink Floyd album since 1975's Wish You Were Here. Another songwriter credited on the album was Gilmour's new girlfriend, Polly Samson. She helped write "High Hopes" with Gilmour—along with several other tracks—a situation which, though initially tense, according to Ezrin "pulled the whole album together".^[218] She also helped Gilmour, who, following his divorce, had developed a cocaine habit.^[219] Michael Kamen was brought in to work on the album's various string arrangements,^[216] and Dick Parry and Chris Thomas also returned.^[220]

Keen to avoid competing against other album releases (as had happened with A Momentary Lapse) the band set a deadline of April 1994, at which point they would begin touring again. The album title was chosen by writer Douglas Adams, and Storm Thorgerson once again provided the cover artwork.^[221] Thorgerson also provided six new pieces of film for the upcoming tour.^[222] The band spent three weeks rehearsing in a hangar at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, California^[223] before opening on 29 March 1994 in Miami with an almost identical crew to that used for their Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. They played a mixture of Pink Floyd favourites, but later changed their setlist to include The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety.^[224] The band also renewed their acquaintance with Peter Wynne Willson.^[225]

Waters declined the band's invitation to join them as the tour reached Europe, later expressing his annoyance that some Floyd songs were again being performed in large venues. A 1,200 capacity stand collapsed at Earls Court, during the European leg of the tour, but with no serious injuries the performance was rescheduled. The tour ended on 29 October and apart from a one-off reunion in 2005 during Live 8, and their performances of "Fat Old Sun" and "The Great Gig in the Sky" at the funeral of their manager Steve O'Rourke (who died on 30 October 2003), was the group's final appearance.^[226][227] A live album of the tour, Pulse, and a concert video, also called Pulse, were released in 1995.^[228]

Post-breakup and Live 8 reunion (since 2005)

Roger Waters (seen on the right) rejoined his former bandmates at Live 8

On Saturday 2 July 2005 at the Live 8 concert, the classic lineup of Pink Floyd performed together on stage—for the first time in over 24 years.^[229][230] The reunion had been arranged by Live 8 organiser Bob Geldof, who had called Mason earlier in the year to discuss the band reuniting for Live 8. Geldof had already asked Gilmour, who had turned down the offer, and asked Mason to intercede on his behalf. Mason declined, but contacted Waters, who was immediately enthusiastic. Waters then called Geldof to discuss the event, which was at that time only a month away. About two weeks later, Waters called Gilmour—their first conversation for about two years—and the next day the latter agreed. Wright was contacted, and immediately agreed. Statements were issued to the press which stressed the unimportance of the band's problems, compared to the context of the Live 8 event. The setlist was planned at the Connaught Hotel in London, followed by three days of rehearsals at Black Island Studios. The sessions were troublesome, with minor disagreements over the style and pace of the songs they were practising. Waters wanted to use the occasion to expand the concepts he had designed, whereas Gilmour wanted to perform the songs in exactly the way the audience would expect. The final setlist and running order was decided on the eve of the concert.^[231][232] Gilmour and Waters shared lead vocals. On stage, at the start of "Wish You Were Here," Waters told the audience: "It's actually quite emotional, standing up here with these three guys after all these years, standing to be counted with the rest of you. Anyway, we're doing this for everyone who's not here, and particularly of course for Syd." At the end of their performance Gilmour thanked the audience, and started to walk off the stage, but Waters called him back and the band shared a group hug that became one of the more notable images from Live 8.^[233][234]

In the week following their performance there was a revival of interest in Pink Floyd. According to HMV, in the week following sales of Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd rose by 1343%, while Amazon.com reported a significant increase in sales of The Wall. Gilmour subsequently declared that he would donate his share of profits from this sales boom to charity, and urged other artists and record companies profiting from Live 8 to do the same.^[236]

After the show Gilmour confirmed that he and Waters were on "pretty amicable terms".^[237] The band turned down a £136 million (then about $250 million) deal for a final tour. Waters did not rule out further performances, but only for a special occasion.^{[238][239][240]} In a 2006 interview with La Repubblica, Gilmour stated that he wished to focus on solo projects, and his family, and that his appearance at Live 8 was to help reconcile his differences with Waters.^[241] In a 2006 interview, Mason stated that Pink Floyd would be willing to perform for a concert that would support peace between Israel and Palestine.^[242] Speaking of Pink Floyd's future, in 2006, Gilmour stated "who knows".^[243]

Gilmour in performance, Frankfurt 2006

David Gilmour released his third solo record, On an Island, on 6 March 2006—his 60th birthday. He began a tour of small concert venues in Europe, Canada and the US, with contributions from Wright and other musicians from the post-Waters Pink Floyd tours. Mason joined Gilmour and Wright for the final night of the tour, and played on selected dates on Waters' 2006 Europe/U.S. tour. Gilmour, Wright, and Mason's encore performances of "Wish You Were Here" and "Comfortably Numb" marked the first performance by Pink Floyd since Live 8.^[244]

Syd Barrett died on 7 July 2006, aged 60, at his home in Cambridgeshire.^[245] He was interred at Cambridge Crematorium on 18 July 2006. No Pink Floyd members attended. Although Barrett had faded into obscurity over the previous 35 years, he was lauded in the national press for his contributions to music.^[246] He left over £1.25M in his will, to be divided among his immediate family, and some of his possessions and artwork were auctioned.^[247]

In September 2005 Waters released his long-awaited Ça Ira, an opera in three acts to a French libretto, based on the historical subject of the French Revolution. Reviews were complimentary,^[248] Rolling Stone wrote "the opera does reflect some of the man's long-term obsessions with war and peace, love and loss".^[249] 2007 saw the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's signing to EMI, and the 40th anniversary of the release of their début album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. This was marked by the release of Oh, by the Way, a limited edition box set containing mono and stereo mixes of their albums, plus tracks from the singles and other rare recordings.^[250]

On 10 May 2007 Waters and Pink Floyd performed separately at the Syd Barrett tribute concert at the Barbican Centre in London. The band performed some of Barrett's hits, such as "Bike", and "Arnold Layne" at the event, which was organised by Joe Boyd and Nick Laird-Clowes.^[251] In a January 2007 interview Waters suggested he had become more open to a Pink Floyd reunion: “I would have no problem if the rest of them wanted to get together. It wouldn’t even have to be to save the world. It could be just because it would be fun. And people would love it.”^[252] Later that year Gilmour stated: "I can’t see why I would want to be going back to that old thing. It’s very retrogressive. I want to look forward, and looking back isn’t my joy."^[253] In a May 2008 interview for BBC 6Music, David Gilmour hinted that he would be in favour of another one-off show, but ruled out a full tour.^[254] Speaking to Associated Press to promote the release of his new live album, David Gilmour stated that a reunion would not happen. Gilmour said: "The rehearsals were less enjoyable. The rehearsals convinced me it wasn't something I wanted to be doing a lot of … There have been all sorts of farewell moments in people's lives and careers which they have then rescinded, but I think I can fairly categorically say that there won't be a tour or an album again that I take part in. It isn't to do with animosity or anything like that. It's just that I've done that. I've been there, I've done it."^[255]

On 15 September 2008 Richard Wright died of cancer, aged 65.^[256] He was praised by his surviving bandmates for his influence on the overall sound of Pink Floyd.^[257]

The band won a court case against EMI for an alleged failure to pay royalties in March 2010.^[258][259]

On 10 July 2010, Roger Waters and David Gilmour performed together at a charity event for the Hoping Foundation. The event took place at Kidlington in Oxfordshire, England. The pair played to an audience of approximately 200. The event raised money for Palestinian children in order to give them a better life. Gilmour played this event in 2009, when he performed alongside Kate Moss.^[260] In return for Waters' appearance at the event, Gilmour has agreed to perform "Comfortably Numb" at one of Waters' upcoming performances of The Wall.^[261]

Legacy

Pink Floyd's classic line-up. Clockwise (from top left): Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason

Pink Floyd have been nominated for and won several awards,^[262] including a Grammy in 1995 for "Rock Instrumental Performance" on "Marooned";^[263] inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (17 January 1996)^[264] and UK Music Hall of Fame (16 November 2005),^[265][266] and the Polar Music Prize for their contribution to contemporary music in 2008 when Waters and Mason received the prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.^[267] Technical awards include a "Best Engineered Non-Classical Album" Grammy in 1980 for The Wall;^[268] and a BAFTA for sound in 1982 for the film.^[269]

The group has sold over 200 million albums worldwide,^[270][271] including 74.5 million certified units in the United States.^[272] The Sunday Times Rich List 2009 ranks Waters at No. 657 with an estimated wealth of £85m, Gilmour at No. 742 with £78m, and Mason at No. 1077 with £50m.^[273]

Numerous musicians and bands from diverse genres have been influenced by Pink Floyd's music and multi-media shows. These include David Bowie,^[274] Supertramp,^[275] Hawkwind,^[276] Queen,^[277][278] Blur,^[279][280] Kasabian,^[281] Massive Attack,^[282]The Flaming Lips,^[283]Pineapple Thief,^[284]Tangerine Dream,^[285] The Alan Parsons Project,^[286] Kate Bush,^[287] Air,^[288] The Flower Kings,^[289] Nine Inch Nails,^[290] Jean-Michel Jarre,^[291] Dream Theater,^[292] Anathema,^[293] Tool,^[294][295] Opeth,^[296] My Chemical Romance,^[297] The Mars Volta, Phish,^[298] Coldplay,^[299][300]Radiohead,^[301][302] Porcupine Tree,^[303]The Orb^[304], Mostly Autumn,^[305]Pure Reason Revolution,^[306]Queensrÿche,^[307] Pearl Jam,^[308] and The Smashing Pumpkins.^[309][310] Italian composer and conductor Martino Traversa listened to the group as a teenager.^[311] U2's The Edge, well known for his use of guitar effects, especially delay, bought his first delay pedal as a teenager after hearing the opening to Animals.^[312] The Pet Shop Boys paid homage to The Wall during a performance in Boston.^[313] Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery has cited Pink Floyd as "a major inspiration".^[314]

Live performances

Pink Floyd are regarded as pioneers in the live music experience, and were renowned for their lavish stage shows, in which the performers themselves were almost secondary. Pink Floyd also set high standards in sound quality, and made use of innovative sound effects and quadraphonic speaker systems.^[315] From their earliest days they were well known for their use of visual effects, which accompanied the psychedelic rock pieces performed at venues such as the UFO Club in London.^[27]

The quality of their live performances, even when pre-recorded, was considered by the band to be extremely important; they boycotted the press release of The Dark Side of the Moon as they felt presenting the album through a poor-quality PA system was not good enough.^[116][316] The album had been composed and refined mostly while the band toured the UK, Japan, North America, and Europe.^[317] Animals was the centrepiece for their In the Flesh tour, which began in Dortmund, and continued through Europe to the UK, and then the US. A inflatable floating pig named Algie became the inspiration for a number of pig themes used throughout the tour.^[318]

Although Pink Floyd were experienced live performers, the behaviour of the audience on their In the Flesh tour, and the sizes of the venues they played, were a powerful influence on their concept album, The Wall. The subsequent The Wall Tour featured a 40 feet (12 m) high wall, built from cardboard bricks, constructed between the band and the audience. Animations were projected onto the wall, and gaps allowed the audience to view various scenes in the story. Several characters from the story were realised as giant inflatables.^[319] One of the more notable elements of the tour was the performance of "Comfortably Numb". While Waters sang his opening verse, Gilmour waited in darkness, for his cue, on top of the wall. When it came, bright blue and white lights would suddenly illuminate him. Gilmour stood on a flight case on castors, a dangerous set-up supported from behind by a technician, both supported by a tall hydraulic platform.^[320]

Two years after the departure of Waters the band embarked on their A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour. Starting in Ottawa on 9 September they spent about two years touring the US, Japan, Europe, and Central Asia. In Venice, the band played to an audience of 200,000 fans at the Piazza San Marco. The resulting storm of protest over the city's lack of toilet provision, first aid, and accommodation, resulted in the resignation of Mayor Antonio Casellati and his government. At the end of the tour Pink Floyd released Delicate Sound of Thunder,^[321] and in 1989 a concert video—Delicate Sound of Thunder.^[322]

During the band's Division Bell tour, an unidentified person using the name Publius posted a message on an internet newsgroup, inviting fans to solve a riddle supposedly concealed in the new album. The veracity of the user was demonstrated when white lights in front of the stage at the Pink Floyd concert in East Rutherford spelled out the words Enigma Publius. During a televised concert at Earls Court in October 1994, the word enigma was projected in large letters on to the backdrop of the stage. Mason later acknowledged that the Publius Enigma did exist, and that it had been instigated by the record company rather than the band. As of 2011 the puzzle remains unsolved.^[224]

Discography

• The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
• A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
• Soundtrack from the Film More (1969)
• Ummagumma (1969)
• Atom Heart Mother (1970)
• Meddle (1971)
• Obscured by Clouds (1972)
• The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
• Wish You Were Here (1975)
• Animals (1977)
• The Wall (1979)
• The Final Cut (1983)
• A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
• The Division Bell (1994)

Band members

• Syd Barrett (1946–2006) – lead vocals, lead guitars (1965–1968)
• David Gilmour (b. 1946) – lead vocals, lead guitars, bass guitar, special effects (1968–1996, 2005)
• Bob Klose (b. 1945) – bass guitar, guitars (1965)
• Nick Mason (b. 1944) – drums, percussion, programming (1965–1996, 2005)
• Roger Waters (b. 1943) – lead vocals, bass guitar, guitars, percussion, programming (1965–1985, 2005)
• Richard Wright (1943–2008) – keyboards, vocals organ, piano, synthesizers, Mellotron. (1965–1979, 1993–1996, 2005)

Notes

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

• Pink Floyd's UK site
• Pink Floyd's US site
• David Gilmour Official Site
• Roger Waters Official Site
• Syd Barrett Official Site
• Pink Floyd at the Open Directory Project

Pink Floyd Syd Barrett · David Gilmour · Nick Mason · Roger Waters · Richard Wright Studio albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn · A Saucerful of Secrets · More · Ummagumma · Atom Heart Mother · Meddle · Obscured by Clouds  · The Dark Side of the Moon · Wish You Were Here · Animals · The Wall · The Final Cut · A Momentary Lapse of Reason · The Division Bell Soundtracks The Committee · Tonite Lets All Make Love in London · Soundtrack from the Film More · Zabriskie Point · Obscured by Clouds Live albums Ummagumma · Delicate Sound of Thunder · Pulse · Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81 Compilations The Best of the Pink Floyd / Masters of Rock · Relics · A Nice Pair · A Collection of Great Dance Songs · Works · Shine On · 1967: The First Three Singles · Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd · Oh, by the Way Films Live at Pompeii · The Wall · The Final Cut Video EP · Delicate Sound of Thunder · La Carrera Panamericana · Pulse · The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story · The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon · London '66–'67 Singles "Arnold Layne" · "See Emily Play" · "Flaming" · "Apples and Oranges" · "It Would Be So Nice" · "Let There Be More Light" · "Point Me at the Sky" · "The Nile Song" · "One of These Days" · "Free Four" · "Money" · "Us and Them" / "Time" · "Have a Cigar" · "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" · "Comfortably Numb" · "Run Like Hell" · "When the Tigers Broke Free" · "Not Now John" · "Learning to Fly" · "On the Turning Away" · "One Slip" · "Take It Back" · "High Hopes" · "Wish You Were Here" (live) Tours Pink Floyd European Tour 1968 · The Man and the Journey Tour · Atom Heart Mother World Tour · Meddle Tour · Dark Side of the Moon Tour · 1974 French Summer Tour · British Winter Tour 1974 · Wish You Were Here Tour · In the Flesh Tour · The Wall Tour · A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour · The Division Bell Tour Related articles Discography · Videography · Song List · Backing musicians · Bob Klose · Blackhill Enterprises · Steve O'Rourke · Ian Emes · Azimuth Co-ordinator · Pigs · Dark Side of the Rainbow · "The Man and the Journey" · Unreleased material · Music from The Body · Publius Enigma · 19367 Pink Floyd · Roy Harper Book · Category · Portal · WikiProject

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