If you haven’t heard of Pink Floyd then you’ve probably been sitting under a rock on the Dark Side of the Moon for the last 30 years. Pink Floyd are one of the legends of progressive rock, their sound combining the best of the progressive sound with mystical, philosophy and often downright strange lyrics.

Their legendary sound is hard to define as it crosses several genres, and even today continues to influence the sounds of modern rock – they experimented with music, producing rock that crossed many barriers, creating sounds that simply were unheard of, or simply were twisted versions of different genres – their skill at manipulating their instruments was incredible, and this combined with the amazing showmanship made them spectacular to watch and listen to.

They were formed at a time when British Rock was transforming the musical world; bands like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles were stamping their own ‘legendary’ sounds into the world changing rock music for good. Initially led by the erratic Syd Barret (RIP), they eventually teamed up with David Gilmour and moved away from the psychedelic sound into a more innovative and adaptive music that was new and modern. Their success knew no bounds, and in part, this led to their demise.

The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) really set the tone for Pink Floyd, and probably is one of the greatest albums of all time, and certainly one of the most influential; it wasn’t their first album, but it was the one that caught the attention of people around the world and catapulted them to stardom. The album was unique and actually fairly difficult to follow; written in a style that perhaps is ‘crazy’ it explores many different facets of the human mind, and the frailty of sanity – the music was also profound; very deep and dark, it has subtleties that take a while to surface.

They followed this up with Wish You Were Here (1975) that ensured that Pink Floyd were here to stay. This album proved beyond doubt that Pink Floyd had amazing talent, and the ability to change their styles. Commercially it was huge, but it showed that Pink Floyd could put out hits, such as the amazing title song, that still remains as one of the best ballads by a rock band ever.

In 1985, Roger Waters effectively killed Pink Floyd, and even though some of the band members have recorded and toured as Pink Floyd the magic didn’t quite seem to be the same.

As a young boy my musical tastes were diverse, ranging from ‘The Carpenters’ to heavy metal stalwarts ‘Saxon’. However, my brother was into a lot of the classic and progressive rock that was prevalent in the 70s and 80s. A couple of the bands he listened to have influenced (and still do) my musical choices as I have grown older.

One of these bands that my brother listened to was Pink Floyd; their music always intrigued me, seeming to be dark and strange, but somehow compelling – I therefore took the first step and purchased ‘The Wall’ – I haven’t looked back since.

This song is constantly in the top two or three ‘100 top rock songs ever’ list – like Stairway to Heaven, it is a classic song, that almost everyone who likes rock has heard.

Like many progressive rock songs from the 70s and 80s it is a very long song that is split into many different and distinct parts (See Wikipedia link below for a more detailed explanation of each part!). While I’m not clever enough to spot the differences throughout I do note there is a change in tempo and style as the song progresses.

The start of the songs is instantly recognizable and very gentle – it really doesn’t hint at what is to come. With profound lyrics, and an upbeat melody, typical of early Pink Floyd, it builds up steam as it moves along, adding subtleties along the way. It combines a lot of early progressive rock, similar to some Led Zeppelin and Rush, tells a story and yet encapsulates the entirety of Pink Floyd’s style.

It was written by Roger Waters and is a lose tribute to the formed leader Syd Barret, portraying his enigmatic way very well, moving us between genius and madness. It is a very deep song that is touched with regret and is very reflective. For me this is their best song, demonstrating their skill in ‘making music’ but also in writing a touching and deep story.

 Syd Barret (1964-1968)

I was extremely sad to hear of Syd’s death on July 7, 2006 at the age of 60. His career was diverse, mostly involving music, but also including art. His very short career in music was very influential – he helped create and lead one of the predominant rock bands of the ages, and had a profound influence on their early music.

He drove Pink Floyd’s early sound, with profound writing an psychedelic undertones; his influence extended beyond Pink Floyd as artist like David Bowie were heavily influenced by his style. Sadly, his personal and mental problems led to him leaving Pink Floyd, but he was never forgotten by the band he helped create.

Bob Klose (1964-1965)

Strangely enough, many know Bob Klose more for his architecture and photography, not realizing that he was a member of the band that formed pre-Floyd – he left prior to Pink Floyd releasing their first album.

Nick Mason (1964-1994)

Nick Mason is like the heart of Pink Floyd – he is the only permanent fixture of the band. His drumming is incredible, somehow subdued yet subtle, his rhythm adds a mythical feel to the band at times, and is definitely distinctive.

Mason is also a pretty accomplished racing driver and has competed at events all over the world, including Le Mans.

Richard Wright (1964-1981; 1987-1994)

Richard Wright, who sadly passed away in 2008, was a pianist whose excellence added to the whole Pink Floyd experience. Pink Floyd’s sound would not be the same without Wright, and this is particularly obvious in the stellar keyboards in The Dark Side of the Moon.

Roger Waters (1964-1985)

Pink Floyd with out Waters were definitely watered down (excuse the pun) – his talents were vast, and influential – his bass guitar was incredible, as was his writing – there’s something indefinable about a Pink Floyd song that included all of Water’s talents.

It was a sad day when he left Pink Floyd for good, and they have never really been the same without them.

David Gilmour (1968 -1994)

David Gilmour, it could be argued, is Pink Floyd – his distinctive voice, combined with his superlative guitar playing make him perhaps the most influential and important member of the band. His talent is incredible and even today a lot of his solo work has a Pink Floyd feel to it. He’s perhaps the only member of the band who really succeeded outside of Pink Floyd, his talents not limited to playing, but also including discovering talent and producing records.

• 1967 - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (40th Anniversary Edition)
• 1968 - A Saucerful of Secrets
• 1969 - Soundtrack From The Film 'More'
• 1969 - Ummagumma
• 1970 - Atom Heart Mother
• 1971 - Meddle
• 1972 - Obscured by Clouds
• 1973 - Dark Side Of The Moon
• 1977 - Animals
• 1979 - The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)
• 1983 - The Final Cut
• 1987 - A Momentary Lapse of Reason
• 1994 - The Division Bell

For reviews and notes on these albums, see my sister site: