PINK FLOYD

      

If you can take the mysteries of the human mind and spirit, jam in a few parallel universes and twisted realities with a social sledge-hammer, you'd have Pink Floyd...If you can let emotion sear thru your spirit as you slouch on your couch in quiet contemplation and stare at your moving ceiling for hours; my friend, you'd have Pink Floyd. In my opinion, they are among the greatest people (if not aliens!) to have ever walked the Earth. Their music is not just plain old music, it's a STATE OF MIND! The things I feel when I listen to Pink Floyd are indescribable, and found nowhere else. You'd just sit gaping with awe at the perfection, the bottomless depth of it all...Pink Floyd freaks (people who must have Floyd 24/7) would know what I'm talking about...some people would just tell me: "This sucks, it's too damn long and boring, how could you listen to that crap? for hours!? Everyday!?" Then they pump 
up their favorite radio show, hosted by that famous English dude. 
They get excited and run to the phone. Fun. But they are the majority, 
I lose! ((gladly)) Pink Floyd began circa 1968 in Britain, when a bunch of engineering students got together and formed a band. This was the original lineup: Roger Waters: Bass, Syd Barett: Guitar, Nick Mason: Drums/percussion, Rick Wright: synthesizers. They kicked off with their extremely psychedelic "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" album. Then, Syd Barett's brain got fried on acid, and David Gilmour (the guitar god) replaced him. The band went thru several stages, beginning with their experimental & 
innovative psychedelic period. This period embraces such stunning masterpieces as "A Saucerful of Secrets", " Obscured by Clouds", "Umma Gumma", "Atom Heart Mother", "Meddle", to name a few. These albums convey a somewhat twisted view of reality, much in the eye of the acid  tripper. They are atmospheric and freaky (Echoes), seemingly ancient (Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun) and downright weird (Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and
Grooving With a Pict)! The period after began with "Dark Side of the Moon", a well-loved albumthat holds some of Floyd's greatest hits (Time, Money, Brain Damage, Breathe, Eclipse, etc.) which are still heard by a ginormous amount of people today. "Wish You Were Here" holds the orgasmic (!) "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", "wish you were here", and "Welcome To the Machine". Then Roger Waters started his social revolution with "Animals". With a hideously complex but delicious storyline, songs like "Dogs", "Pigs (three of them)", and "Sheep", thru great music reflect some of Waters' many views of society. Reminding me of George Orwell's "Animal Farm", Waters divides people into PIGS- the sleasy politicians and
leaders, DOGS- loyal people who just follow orders, and SHEEP- the guided and manipulated masses of brainless followers. THE WALL. This album was and will always be A BREAKTHROUGH. It was also made into a film, under Alan Parker's direction. This is perhaps one of history's most important works of art. It cannot be described in words, at least, not by me... All I could say is run to your nearest video store and ask for it (with fries on the side!), and watch it. Everybody interprets
it differently...enjoy. After all, you're just another brick in the wall, right? THE FINAL CUT followed in The Wall's footsteps, but after that, the band and Waters had a quarrel, which led to Waters leaving PF and pursuing a solo career. David Gilmour took the reigns, and led Pink Floyd thru its splendid final stage. The new Pink Floyd gave us "A Momentary Lapse of Reason", which showed the world PF's great command of adaptation and style (Signs of Life, One Slip, On the Turning Away, Learning to Fly, Sorrow...). Monumental concerts like "Delicate Sounds of Thunder", and "P.u.l.s.e" were an Eden to hundreds of thousands. I wish I was among them. The PULSE version of "Comfortably Numb" just kills me. Every time. To bring this LONG article to a close. I will talk about THE DIVISION BELL. I'm crazy about this album. To me, it is looking Beauty in her face and down her throat! Smooth, meditative, it includes such divinities as "Cluster One", "Marooned", "Poles Apart", "A Great Day for Freedom", and "High Hopes". Every single track on this album is just great. This was PF's final work. The members retired into old age and rediscovered their long-lost private lives.