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Pink Floyd who the *&*& are they?
Who are Pink Floyd?
An Introduction to Pink Floyd
While listening to music in the early teens, my music was influenced by my 'big brother'. He used to play a lot of progressive rock, particularly Rush. One of the bands he often spoke about was Pink Floyd - having never heard them I decided to go out and buy 'The Wall' - it became one of the most profound influences on my own personal music 'likes'.Pink Floyd, perhaps one of the best known groups in the world are a progressive rock band from Britain. They sound is unique, combining the best of progressive rock with mystical and philosophical lyrics. Their music is hard to define as it takes rock to a whole level, combining classic rock with experimental sounds, to produce something that defines an era.
Formed in the late 60s, with a sound that is now unrecognizable, they had limited success. Once their erratic leader, Syd Barret was replace with David Gilmour, the innovation and ability to adapt their music to the modern era led to not only worldwide success, but also acknowledgment as one of the most influential bands of all time. Sadly their success perhaps led to their downfall, disintegrating one of the best rock bands of the last 30 years.
Their early album, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) is perhaps one of the most profound and influential albums of all time as it introduced Pink Floyd to the world. The songs, some say, requires a certain 'mental' state to be appreciated, but the album itself seems to elevate your mind into a different 'place', with subtle music and strange lyrics that seem to come from the mind of a madman.
Wish You Were Here (1975), another amazing album soon followed, ensuring that Pink Floyd were no one hit wonders. The classic title song is still one of the most profound rock ballads of all time. This album, together with Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979) were huge commercial successes, but more than that were (and still are) regarded as masterpieces, with technical as well as creative nuances that still hold up today.
Sadly, in 1985, singer and bassist Roger Waters effectively killed off Pink Floyd, and although the remaining members continued touring and recording, the magic never seemed to be the same.
Featured Song
Shine on you Crazy Diamond
Firstly it should be noted that this is a very long song. It is split into several parts and each has a distinct style. (Apparently there are nine - I note that it is actually very difficult to differentiate between each of the parts but if you listen hard enough you will eventually 'get it' - for more information on the parts visit wikipedia
For me the song starts of very soothingly and gently, picking up the power and temple as it goes. The lyrics are often profound and the music is somewhat mystical and typical of early Floyd. The riff at the beginning is one of the most recognizable at all times, and even though it doesn't change, it seems to pick up intensity and power as it grows.
Roger Waters wrote this as a tribute to his former band member Syd Barret and somehow it portrays an amazing depth of feeling tinged with sadness and regret. It speaks of Barret's struggles and his enigmatic genius that somehow became almost too much to bear.
There are many great Floyd songs, but somehow this is perhaps the most emotive and powerful - many regard this as Pink Floyd's best song.
Pink Floyd "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" Syd Barrett Tribute
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Did you know?
Fact 1: It only took one take for the guitar solo in 'Time' - David Gilmour is truly a master!
Fact 2: There is apparently a lost Pink Floyd Album - "The Massed Gadgets of Auximenies" - hmmm, sounds like it should stay lost.
Fact 3: Pink Floyd once performed 'The Dark Side of the moon' for 65 minutes - it usually takes a mere 45 minutes.
Fact 4: David Gilmour discovered Kate Bush.
Stay tuned for more fun facts....
Trivia Question
The Band Members
Syd Barret (1964-1968)
Syd Barret sadly died on July 7, 2006. At the age of 60, he had a diverse career ranging from a brief music career to showing an interest in painting. Despite his short music career he had a large influence on modern rock and helped create one of the legends of progressive rock.
Being a founding member of Pink Floyd, he influenced their early drive towards progressive rock. His profound writing style would not only influence Pink Floyd for years, but also influenced many musician including David Bowie. His sudden drop from the music scene, due to personal and mental problems didn't diminish this influence.
His school and college days were perhaps his most informative - studying art, he met Roger Waters and David Gilmour. Moving to London, and eventually becoming disinterested in art he began to pursue a musical career, forming a band that would eventually clone into Pink Floyd.
Sadly his career was curtailed. Mental problems combined with pressure of having to write and perform led to missed performances and eventually he left Pink Floyd. He pursued a solo career for a while, but mostly lived as an eccentric and lonely recluse.
It is sad that such a masterful artist had his talent subdued by illness.
Bob Klose (1964-1965)
Bob Klose is perhaps more famous as a photographer and architect. He was part of the band that formed pre-Floyd, but left prior to Pink Floyd releasing their first single.
Nick Mason (1964-1994)
Nick Mason is perhaps the rock that is the foundation of Pink Floyd. He is the only member who has always been with the band. His drumming is subdued, but adds a certain mysticism to the sound that is Pink Floyd.
Mason, apart from being a superb drummer is also an accomplished car racing drive, competing in such illustrious events as the Le Mans.
Richard Wright (1964-1981; 1987-1994)
The last couple of years have been sad for Pink Floyd fans; not only did Syd Barrett die, but also Richard Wright passed away in September 2008. Wright was a prolific pianist whose complex keyboard sounds added a subtle texture to Pink Floyd. The Floyd sound benefited not only from his keyboard prowess, but also from his vocals and occasional music writing skills. He was perhaps most influential on The Dark Side of the Moon.
Roger Waters (1964-1985)
Talk about Pink Floyd and you invariably think of Waters and Gilmour. While Waters left the group in 1985, his skills on the bass guitar combined with his writing skills will always link him to Pink Floyd - he was a huge influence on their development, and perhaps contributed to the best music that they produced.
He has had a moderately successful solo career, but nothing compared to the heady days with Floyd.
David Gilmour (1968 -1994)
David Gilmour, the guitarist and lead singer of the band is perhaps one of the best known members of Floyd. His distinctive style of vocals combined with his amazing skills with the guitar make him stand out as perhaps the most talented member of the band. IN addition to his huge success with Floyd, David Gilmour has had good solo success as well as success as a record producer.
(Note: All pictures are courtesy of Wikipedia - the bios I have provided are for background - if you want full Bios of the band members, please visit Wikipedia - Pink Floyd or the official Pink Floyd site.)
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What's your favorite Pink Floyd Album?
Dark Side Of The Moon
Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album co more...3 points
The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)
<i>The Wall</i> is less a collection o more...0 points
Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
No Description Available<br />No Track Infor more...0 points
Discography
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (40th Anniversary Edition)
Amazon Price: $22.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1967) Influenced by American and British psychedelic, Barrett added his own blend of humor to produce an interesting blend of music. Although not massively successful, the band had a couple of minor hits with "Arnold Layne" - no.20 in the UK, and "See Emily Play" - no. 6 in the UK. The album introduce the audience to the surreal, drawing many poetical lyrics from folklore. Perhaps a little aged now, it is still classed as a good debut album. While the early sound of Pink Floyd would not be carried through, it did set them on the road to the recognizable sounds of today, with a later album being dedicated to their early leader.
A Saucerful of Secrets
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1968) Barret's grip of the band now behind them, this album was a glimpse of what Pink Floyd would become. Although fairly successful in the UK, it was an experimental album that obviously influenced Floyd's future, but really didn't deliver on this promise. The psychedelic element remained, although Floyd's ability to experiment with different forms of electronic music and sound started to show through. Perhaps the biggest thing to come from this album was "A Saucerful of Secrets" - although not a classic by any means, this would be a hint of what would come, as the track was 12 minutes long.
This album was disjointed; with Barret leaving, Floyd were still trying to define who they were, and where they were going. It was obvious from the different songs on the album, that there were still many parts pulling the band in different directions not allowing a cohesive sound to fully develop.
Soundtrack From The Film 'More'
Amazon Price: $9.49 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1969) In a strange twist of fate, Pink Floyd produced a soundtrack for the film More. Again this was a very uneven album, more tailored to the movie than to true Pink Floyd principle. With many 'folk' songs, and acoustic songs this album was a let down for fans who had seen the early development of Pink Floyd. And while a couple of the songs from the album were heavy, this really doesn't represent Pink Floyd. The album has a bad studio album feel, that seemed almost like a sell out, but luckily was not going to become the norm.
Ummagumma
Amazon Price: $20.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1969) It is really amazing that Pink Floyd held together during the early years. This is a mix of live recordings and studio clippets, and was like a solo project fest. Each member of the band concentrated on part of the album. This epitomized the struggle for the band to find itself; the album is very disjointed. Some of the live psychedelic sets were very good though, and we begin to see some glimpses of what was to come. Commercially, this album was fairly successful, and Pink Floyd started to get noticed in the US as this entered the top 100 albums. This really is a strange cornucopia, and almost highlights the bands need to find its identity, as various parts seem destined to stay separate from the whole.
Atom Heart Mother
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1970) Although the early years of Pink Floyd weren't hugely successful, it must be noted that they were going through an experimental period, bringing together many different and often opposite styles of music. This album bought in collaboration with orchestral music. We start to hear the Pink Floyd that we know of today as sound effects starting appearing in this album. While transitional, and very successful, this album is strangely poor by Floyd's own high expectations. Yet again you feel a discord, somehow the parts of the band haven't come together yet - this experimental phase of the band, that had gone on for years, was forming the future, but very nearly ended the band at times.
Meddle
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1971) Meddle was perhaps the first album that introduced the true Pink Floyd. Abandoning psychedelic music, the sound was more approachable and consistent. With a 23-minute track, Echoes, we began to see the direction Floyd were heading. Perhaps the first truly progressive rock album produced by the band, the song introduces us to the skills of the artists of the band, with some amazing guitar and keyboard solos. In a similar vain to Rush,Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd started to bring in themes to their music. This really was the first break-through album. Even today this stands out as one of the better Floyd albums. While still a little raw, the roots of the band seemed to be firm, bringing together all the elements for the first time to produce a single entity for the first time.
Obscured by Clouds
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1972) Another soundtrack album, but this time one that was true to the sound that Pink Floyd were developing. Although not their best album, it began to get Floyd more airplay in the US. It also introduced us to a more personal, retrospective band that pushed much of their own feelings and memories into their song writing. Water's "Free Four" was a profound testament to the sadness, starkness and shear inhumanity caused by war; it is a touching and deep song. (Water's drew on his pain regarding his father in many albums, and the sadness was very profounf). This album combined some classic progressive rock with some blues rock and soft rock to provide a sample of the talents of the band. A little disjointed at times this album proved how versatile Pink Floyd could be, and perhaps also showed how much feeling and emotion they could put into their music.
Dark Side Of The Moon
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1973) Arguably the best album from Floyd, this catapulted them to international fame and success. This album is massively played, and massively heard around the world with classic songs like "Money" and 'Time" providing examples of how a rock song should be made and played, and yet with some very profound and deep lyrics throughout the album. This was perhaps the first and best example of a concept album, produced a sound that defines who Pink Floyd are, and would influence many bands for years to come. For me this album seemed to deeply touch me, be it with their deep base lines, or their profound lyrics, that at times were perhaps strange and weird, but once you listened to them several times, seemed to make sense in this strange world of ours. The music seemed to be at times 'Sci-Fi' - they seemed to hold an out-of-this world feeling that is hard to describe, sort of transcending you to the stars, while still keeping you grounded on the crazy world. This oxy-moron epitomizes the sound and feel of the album.
Animals
Amazon Price: $14.49 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1977) Pink Floyd seemed to take a step back musically in this album, toying with a more basic and raw sound. With Punk Rock emerging as a force in the late 70s, many saw this as an attempt to fit in with the new style of Rock that was becoming popular. Again Floyd used a central theme (Animals) as a metaphor to complain about society. Using raw guitar and synths, this album lost some of the 'culture' felt in previous albums. I felt, when hearing this album that Pink Floyd were almost forced into producing an album to keep in the limelight - it felt that the music was rushed and flat, and a lot of the production quality that was expected from Pink Floyd had simply disappeared - after the previous album, this was a major disappointment for me.
The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)
Amazon Price: $22.49 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1979) This was my introduction to Pink Floyd, and was one of the most profound influences of my early life as it seemed to parallel my own teenage confusion and loneliness. The classic "Another Brick in the Wall (part 2)" became an anthem for me and my class mates as we struggled to deal with conformity in the classroom.
The film that was produced and incorporated the music of the Album helped cement the strangeness, and the commentary of the album (it also had the side-effect of introducing Bob Geldof to me). With Monty Python very prevalent at the time, the animation combined with the music to strike a chord within me, and led me to seeking out more of Floyd's music.
The music itself seemed very mystical, and the lyrics strange and almost 'out of this world', seemingly disconnected from society - this theme underlies the music, which in itself is classic rock, but seems deep routed in a pervasive, almost sinister rhythm that draws you into the music. A very profound album. After buying this album, I went back and bought all the previous albums. While some were amazing, I always refer back to this as being the album that persuaded me to listen to Pink Floyd.
The Final Cut
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1983) Perhaps one of the most personal and dark albums that Pink Floyd produced, this album was aimed at the political leaders of the time that led Britain into the Falklands war. Drawing parallels to WWII, and dedicated to Roger Waters's father who was lost in that war, it draws deeply on conflicting emotions, becoming a very dark deep and angry album.
Technically the album was excellent, but overall the songs and music were disappointing, and perhaps pointed to the discord within the band itself. In fact the band basically split after this album.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
(1987) Without Waters, the band lost some of its direction. Personally, the music after 1985 wasn't as inspiring or dark as previously and I felt that they weren't quite the same band. Legal issues seemed to dog the band, making the music seem watered down and rushed.
None of the songs of this album stand out for me, as too many outside influences seemed to change the sound, producing a more commercial sound that was not like the Pink Floyd I remembered.
The Division Bell
Amazon Price: $9.98 (as of 07/11/2009)
(1994) Another very successful album for Floyd, but yet again this seemed to be a watered don Floyd. The influence of Waters was sadly lacking and while this seemed a more rounded album, it still seemed flat and false. For me this was a sad ending to a great band, and for me the sound of Pink Floyd died in 1985.
And to conclude....
Listen to some 'snippets' from Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd stuff on eBay:
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Reader Feedback
Nice work! - love the Floyd!
Posted June 09, 2009
The_Party_Animal wrote...
I love Pink Floyd and of course back in my day this was the music to party to - lol
I will post this to my facebook for other fans to take a peek
Posted May 23, 2009
aj2008 wrote...
Ah Atom Heart Mother - I heard it played live at the local Technical College just after it was released. Those were the days! Blessings to you, not just because The Floyd are one of my favourite bands but because this is such a personal lens.
Posted April 21, 2009
