#7 Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd emerged in the sixties as the premier psychedelic space rock band. They were founded by Syd Barrett who was at the cutting edge of the psychedelic movement. The Floyd were known for their experimentation and trippy shows. Unfortunately, their leader succumb to mental illness and became less dependable. At one show, he acted normal during warm ups and then just stood and stared at the audience during the show. The band brought in David Gilmour to pick up the slack. Eventually, they stopped picking Syd up for shows.

Eventually, songwriting duties fell to Roger Waters. His vision led to Dark Side of the Moon, Animals, Wish You Were Here and The Wall. Waters’ philosophical and political outlook shaped Floyd albums. Waters’ dominance did not occur overnight. It was gradual and eventually annoyed the band. By the time The Wall was released, they were one of the biggest artists on the planet. Waters’ head was the size of the Earth and he commandeered the band. He went as far as firing founding member Richard Wright. It had become a dictatorship. The band revolted and David Gilmour took over.

Roger Waters’ dissolved Pink Floyd and declared the group “a spent force.” However, Gilmour, Wright, and drummer Nick Mason decided otherwise. For the first time since the mid seventies, the whole band had input in Floyd. They recorded and toured without Waters. This led to a series of lawsuits and squabbles in the press. While Gilmour’s Floyd filled stadiums, Waters played to audiences of 1500. The band toured for the last time in support of 1994’s Division Bell album. They reunited in 2005 for Live 8. In 2006, Syd Barrett died and Richard Wright followed in 2008.

Rock n Roll Moment: David Gilmour and Roger Waters engaged in rock’s greatest feud.

Essential Floyd:
Pipers at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
Meddle (1971)
Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Wish You Were Here (1975)
The Wall (1979)

Floyd’s Top 10:
Arnold Layne
Astronomy Domine
Echoes
Time
Money
Us and Them
Wish You Were Here
Another Brick in the Wall
Comfortably Numb
Run Like Hell