Introduction
Formed in Cambridge, England, in 1966, Pink Floyd was
briefly an R&B band before ditching the rule book to
become the most innovative and experimental psychedelic
rock group of the swinging sixties. Their clever use of
gadgetry, imagery, stage lighting and quadrophonic
concerts conspired to create an awesome audio-visual
spectacle, which, compared to many other events,
towered like a pyramid among ant hills.
How it began
Syd Barret and Roger Waters, who knew each other
from school in Cambridge, shared a house owned by one
of their college lecturers. Waters, who was studying
arcitechure, had already been in several bands with his
fellow students Rick Wright and Nick Mason. They all
got together and started to jam. What they heard was
good, and Syd had just turned 20, in January 1966 when
the band started to do gigs.
The Name
When Pink Floyd began in 1966 they were known as a number of
different things. They started as Sigma 6, went to The T-set, and gradually
developed such names as, The Meggadeaths, The Architectural Abdabs, and The
Screaming Abdabs. When Syd Barret was introduced into the group he knew of
two American Blues Musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. This is how
the name Pink Floyd was developed.
Enter Gilmour
It was 2 years later when Syd left the group, and
the band called on Syd's old friend David Gilmour to
take his place. The next 15 years were to be the best
15 years in the history of Rock and Roll.
The Dark Side of the Moon
Selling almost 30 million copies, Pink Floyd's "Dark
Side of The Moon" is one of the most outstanding rock
events of the 20th century. Origianlly performed live
at their concert as A Piece For Assorted Lunatics, the
album dramactically opens and closes with a pulsating
heart. Roger Waters' theme captured a mood and spirit
of the time, and concerned every day topics like: work,
fear of death, religion, politics, and madness. The
linking themes worked brialliantly with Gilmour's
musical creativity. In the track Breathe, Waters expounded
on his frustration for pursuing "pointless goals" while
letting life slip by.
Exit Waters
In March of 1983, Roger Waters left the band due to
disputes with David Gilmour. Pink Floyd continued on
after Waters left, but the lyrical integrity was missing
and the "Pink Floyd Sound" was not the same.
Epilouge
Recorded in 1993, The Division Bell saw the return
of Rick Wright as a full member of Pink Floyd. (Waters
and Gilmour previously kicked him out because he wanted
to "experiment" with their music.) And before this they
released two sucessful albums called A Momnetary Lapse
of Reason, and The Delicate Sound of Thunder. In 1995,
Pink Floyd toured and recorded a live remake of the
Dark Side of The Moon and some of their greatest hits
from the past 10 years. They called their new album
PULSE and claimed it to be their final recording. We'll
just have to hope that it's not.
