“The Floyd”—one of London’s seminal psychedelic art-rock pioneers from the 1960s.
Pink Floyd was formed in London in 1966 from the remains of several beat groups. The blues-influenced band consisted of Syd Barrett (guitar and vocals), Roger Waters (bass), Nick Mason (drums), and Rick Wright (keyboards). As Barrett gradually became involved with psychedelic drugs, the music tended to expand in length to include extended improvisations, and incorporated more electronic effects.
In early 1967, he band released two singles composed by Barrett, “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play.” That summer they released their first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), most of the songs being by Barrett. They are full of childlike images that combine innocence with anxiety or danger. Barrett’s guitar work, complemented by Wright’s keyboard, is innovative, expressive, and unpredictable, moving from lyrical melodic solos to harshly dissonant sections to jazz-like improvisations.
While recording their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets (1968), Barrett’s behaviour became more erratic, probably due to drug use. He was replaced by guitarist David Gilmour in February 1968. The Secrets album continued the practice of extended improvisations and electronic effects—particularly with Gilmour’s use of substantial echo while playing electric slide guitar, which became his trademark, although it has been claimed that Barrett originated the technique.
From Secrets, Pink Floyd’s music is characterised by intricate polyphonic textures, extended harmonic progressions, and lyrics reflecting the pessimistic outlook of principal composer Waters. The title track is a lengthy instrumental suite of several interconnected songs, the first in a long line of extended Pink Floyd compositions. Subsequent works such as “Atom Heart Mother Suite” (Atom Heart Mother, 1970) and “Echoes” (Meddle, 1971) progress naturally to the albums Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and ultimately The Wall (1979). The group also attracted the attention of various film directors and producers who used their music in soundtracks such as The Committee (1969), The Body (1970), La Vallée (1972), and Zabriskie Point (1979).
“The Floyd”—one of London’s seminal psychedelic art-rock pioneers from the 1960s.
Through the 1970s, Pink Floyd recorded and toured sporadically, with stadium-based live shows that were increasingly large, theatrical, and spectacular. A film version of The Wall made in 1982 starred Bob Geldof, with animation by Gerald Scarfe. The last release by the complete band was The Final Cut (1983).
In 1987, Wright, Gilmour, and Mason began touring and recording again as Pink Floyd, causing ex-band member Waters to sue, believing himself to have been the main creative force behind the band. Waters lost and Pink Floyd (Wright, Gilmour, and Mason) subsequently released the albums A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), The Delicate Sound of Thunder (1988), and The Division Bell (1994).
Stephen Valdez
SEE ALSO:
PROGRESSIVE ROCK; ROCK FESTIVALS; ROCK MUSIC.
FURTHER READING
MacDonald, Bruno. Pink Floyd: Through the Eyes of the Band, Its Fans, Friends, and Foes (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1996);
Watkinson, Mike, and Pete Anderson. Crazy Diamond: Syd Barrett and the Dawn of Pink Floyd (New York: Omnibus Press, 1993).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
Animals; Dark Side of the Moon; Meddle; The Piper at the Gates of Dawn; A Saucerful of Secrets; The Wall; Wish You Were Here; Works.