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PINK FLOYD
- 1965
COUNTRY:
UNITED KINGDOM
GENRE(S):
PROGRESSIVE ROCK, ROCK
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SIMILAR BANDS:
VOTUM, SATELLITE, SECRET MACHINES, ARCHIVE, FREEGH, DICE, MUGSTAR, DAYS BETWEEN STATIONS, INNERSPACE, QUORUM
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Pink Floyd are an iconic British rock band, pioneers of progressive rock, renowned for their experimental songwriting and grandiose live performances.
PASCALJ
- 01.02.2024
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It was in Cambridge in the mid-60s that the embryo of one of the greatest bands in the history of music was formed. A young schoolboy, Roger Keith (known as Syd) Barrett, guitarist and singer, organised afternoons for musicians. His childhood friend, guitarist-singer David Gilmour, was there, and soon a young student who had just moved to town, bassist-singer Roger Waters. Each of the three formed a band, but they were destined to become the leading lights of Pink Floyd. Roger Waters soon recruited his two flatmates into the band. One was Nick Mason, a drummer from a wealthy Manchester family. The other, the great Richard Wright, had the trombone as his favourite instrument. But this jazz-loving singer also knew how to play the saxophone, guitar, bass and the instrument that would make him famous in Pink Floyd: the piano. Syd Barrett joined the three young musicians.
The four Englishmen first turned their group into a UFO of the underground scene, one of the founders of the famous Notting Hill Carnival, and playing at the famous UFO Bar every week. Syd Barrett, with his eccentric imagination, dominated the band and wrote their first single, 'See Emily Play', and almost the entire first album, 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'. It was 1967, and the band was immediately recognised as one of the pillars of the psychedelic scene. Syd Barrett was the archetypal young man lost in the 'summer of love', mad about drugs and mystical experiences. This made him famous, but also his undoing. He went mad and put the band in danger: he stopped playing live, stopped answering interviews and shut himself away. The other three, refusing to see Pink Floyd disappear with its guitarist, chose to replace him with David Gilmour. This split, too quick and cruel for their friend, would later have harmful consequences for the band.
In the meantime, the four finished the album they had started with Barrett, "Saucerful of secrets" (1968) and the music for Barbet Schroeder's film "More" (1969). Progressive rock was beginning to make inroads, and Pink Floyd intended to be among the founders of the movement. They recorded a double album in the form of an assessment: "Ummagumma" (1969), Cambridgian slang for the act of love. The first disc featured a concert of the main songs from the Barrett era. On the second, each musician wrote a song.
This was the beginning of Pink Floyd's great collective era, the band's golden age. "Atom Earth Mother" (1970) was both a seminal piece for the whole of progressive music and far ahead of its time. "Meddle" (1971), in which Roger Waters began to assert himself as leader. In 1972, Pink Floyd recorded a new soundtrack for Barbet Schroeder's film "The Valley", entitled "Obscured by Clouds". Finally, the four Englishmen composed their most collective and accomplished work, "The dark side of the moon" (1973).
This was followed by a very long tour and a huge success for the band, who became one of the most famous and richest in rock history. This success weighed heavily on the members, especially Waters. Barrett's fate, the ungratefulness of success, the frustration of each member drowned in a band from which they felt increasingly different. Out of this fatigue and weariness comes the band's saddest and most beautiful album: "Wish you were here" (1975). It was the high point.
Later, Roger Water took over as leader of the band, and imposed his compositions on the others. Gilmour managed to slip in a few notes from time to time, but Wright, who had always had a major influence on Pink Floyd's music, suffered greatly from the situation. Waters directed the conception of "Animals" (1977), a very black and acid concept album. Pink Floyd could have stopped there, in that dark year when prog music was collapsing. Gilmour and Wright each released a solo album in 1978.
But their man of trust had ruined the band and the four Englishmen were forced to reunite. Waters had not been idle, and composed two albums. One became his first solo album, the other was accepted by the band to become their new album: "The Wall". Written almost entirely by Waters, it was a titanic album into which the bassist threw all his energy and soul. But this album of genius sounded the death knell for the band. A fatal argument between Waters and Wright finally led to the dismissal of the pianist. Pink Floyd recorded one last album: "The final cut" (1982), composed by Waters, who pasted together scraps from "The Wall". It was the band's worst album and Waters announced that Pink Floyd no longer existed: he was going solo.
Gilmour refused to accept such a tragic end. He called Wright and Mason back and wrote an album, "A momentary lapse of reason" (1987). The sound had changed, it was a bit reheated, but it was still pleasant. 1994 saw the release of Pink Floyd's last album to date, and probably their last for good: "The Division Bell", written by Gilmour and Wright. It's a serene, relaxed way of bringing the band's career to a close, gently lulling Pink Floyd to sleep and leaving it intact in our memories.
Pink Floyd's biography is incredibly rich and fascinating. Few bands have so many connections between their destiny and their music. For more details, read "Pink Floyd - High Tension" by Glenn Povey and Ian Russell. Of the many books written about the band, some of which are highly dubious, this is by far the best, for its thoroughness and deep love of the band.
More informations on https://www.pinkfloyd.com/
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DID YOU KNOW?
 Syd Barrett came up with the name Pink Floyd by merging the names of his favourite bands, Pinkney Anderson and Floyd Council.
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