Set the Controls

For almost 30 years, Pink Floyd has enjoyed overwhelming success. Since their first album, The Piper At the Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd has gone through many changes. Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd’s original front man was only on one album. After that album, Syd had to leave the band due to insanity. By the second album, Saucerful of Secrets, David Gilmour (previously only a studio guitarist for the band) became the new guitarist. With the addition of Gilmour, Roger Waters (the bassist) became the new front man and main songwriter. Thus beginning a new Pink Floyd, one that would change music forever. David Gilmour did not make an impact on the band’s music for quit a while. The first album that he made any sort of an impact on, was the 1971 release Meddle. The album was only the beginning of the trademark style which has always been associated with Pink Floyd. The style that Pink Floyd is known for is a dense, colourful sound mixture of highs and lows. Pink Floyd started to understand what they wanted in their music, so they went into the studio to produce a soundtrack for the movie La Vallee. After Pink Floyd produced the soundtrack, they went into the studio to start on the next album. An album that would surpass even their expectations. In June of 1972, Pink Floyd started recording. Pink Floyd had previously performed many of the songs from what was at the time only known as "Eclipse." This idea of playing songs before the songs where on any album, was an idea Pink Floyd used many more times. The reason was quit understandable. Pink Floyd was looking at how the crowds responded to the songs. So when Pink Floyd started recording they had some idea of which songs would be enjoyed. In this album, Pink Floyd also stuck to an idea that was found in Meddle. The members wanted to create an album that flowed, and was continuos. Another idea that was introduced was an album with a theme. The idea of themes for albums is something Pink Floyd would use for several more albums. The album grow out of a discussion of madness. Right before the album was set to be released, the album was renamed The Dark Side of The Moon. The album was finally released in march of 1973. The album was such a hit that it stayed on the billboard’s top 200 for a total of 723 weeks, a record that has never been broken. After the success of The Dark Side of the Moon, many critics thought that there was no way Pink Floyd could follow up on the album. So Pink Floyd went into the studio to start on the next album. The members also had many doubts of wheather they could follow up. The next album provided that Pink Floyd was here to stay. Wish You Were Here became immensely popular all over the world. It is in fact the most musical of all the Pink Floyd albums. The album gives sense of dreaming. "Shine on You Crazy Diamond," the first and last songs on the album (parts I-V at the beginning, and parts VI-IX at the end) slowly fades in, and starts with a guitar solo that shows Gilmour’s amazing talent to use the space around him in his music. That use of space allows your mind to relax, and wonder. With the massive success of two straight albums, Pink Floyd, with new found confidence, went into the studio to produce the next album. Animals came into stores in January of 1977. The album was based on comparing a dog, a sheep, and a Pig. The pig represents greedy big business, the dog represents the government who follows the commands of the big business. The sheep represent the followers of the pigs and the dogs. This album marked a change in the attitude of Pink Floyd. Waters, since Wish You Were Here had been slowly gaining almost complete control of the band. Animals was almost entirely written by Roger and showed how he was soon becoming the "dictator" of the band. Soon Roger’s dictatorship would show up more evident. In April of 1979 Pink Floyd went into the studio to work on their next album, The Wall. The Wall was a construction of many different types of music styles. It incorporated everything from Blues, Opera, to the classical Floydian style. This album showed that Waters was becoming the leader and the rest of the band members, only followers of him. The concept was Roger’s idea. The Wall was about a young boy that had lost his father in World War II, his stardom as a rock star, and his downfall. It is possible that the album was an autobiography of Roger’s life. The album is a brilliant work, as it displays a story and flows well musically. Most of the songs on the album where sung by Water’s, with Gilmour only singing on ten of the 26 songs on the album. The album was later made into a movie. Water’s wanted to do the part of "Pink Floyd"(the main character) but never did. During the recording of The Wall, Roger complained that Rick Wright (the keyboardist) was not doing anything to help the project. During a group meeting, Roger asked Wright to leave after the recording of The Wall, when Wright refused, Roger threatened him by saying that he would walk then. Waters leaving would leave Wright, Gilmour, and Nick Mason (the drummer) without a bassist and an album, and a huge doubt. Wright decided that he would leave. After the production of the album he did. Leaving Pink Floyd only as a trio with Waters in firm command of the group. Wright’s departure marked the decline of the Waters era with Pink Floyd. In July of 1982, Waters with Gilmour and Mason (now merely studio musicians) entered the studio for another album. The Final Cut, as it was called was an album of songs left over from what had not been put on The Wall. The Final Cut was like a sequel to The Wall. It stayed with the same theme, Anti-war, Margret Thacher, and abuses of power. This album was basically the start of a Waters solo career. The print on the inside of the album read, "Roger Water with Pink Floyd." Rogers had truly now become a separate part of Pink Floyd but still held much of the title, and still received royalties from it. After the making The Final Cut was released, Roger Waters the disbanded Pink Floyd (in 1985) citing that it was dead, and dried out. It was not until two years later that Gilmour called up Nick Mason about bring Pink Floyd back to life. Nick Mason agreed and they started working on material. After much legal trouble with Waters concerning the name Pink Floyd, Gilmour was finally about to get underway. A Momentary Lapse in Reason was almost a solo album for Gilmour. Waters had almost literally drained the life out of Mason and Wright (who appeared as a studio artist). Gilmour, with the help of Mason and studio artist put the album out, and worked on a tour. A Momentary Lapse in Reason, had a unique song. It was clearly a Gilmour influenced album. The album still held with the old Pink Floyd tradition of a dense, colourful mixture of sound, but was different in that some of the songs did not flow together. All in all the album is a good album, but obviously not Pink Floyd’s greatest work. After seven years without any new material, fans wondered if A Momentary Lapse in Reason was the last they would hear of Pink Floyd. Like the Phoenix, Pink Floyd again arose from the ashes to bring the world another album. This album introduces Wright back where he should be, at the keyboard. Wright was now back with Pink Floyd, as a member. The Division Bell was a complication of writing by Gilmour, Wright, Polly Samson (Gilmour’s girlfriend), and Bob Ezrin (the producer). It reverts back to the old Floydian style of a central theme. The album also features a new bassist Guy Pratt, whom some Pink Floyd fans believe is the predecessor to Waters, as far being the new bassist for them. The Division Bell is the first attempt to move back to what made Pink Floyd successful. Gilmour was now able to use the help of fellow bandmates to create it. The coming back of Wright gave Pink Floyd it’s former dimensions back. After all that Pink Floyd had gone through under the leadership of Waters, the basis of the band was still there. The Division Bell was so popular that Pink Floyd decided to put out a live album. It was only the third live album Pink Floyd has ever produced. P.U.L.S.E was a 2 CD album with one disc being a mixture of songs performed in England. The second CD was the first performance of The Dark Side of the Moon, since it was originally back in 1973. Second CD also included "Comfortably Numb,"" Wish You Were Here," and "Run Like Hell." In the live album, you can here the great guitar work of David Gilmour. His tone on the album is unbelievable. With each note, he twirls you into another Floydian daydream. Many people who have witnessed a Pink Floyd concert have said that it is "an experience like no other." The Floyd stage show is amazing and almost hypnotic. Pink Floyd uses laser, large inflatable figures, and lights to control the mood of the shows. I once talked to someone who had been to a Pink Floyd show. I asked him, "What did you think of the show?", he only sighed and said "Wow." From the P.U.L.S.E video, the show can be seen and felt. Even on video the Pink Floyd is truly amazing. Very few times in a person's life will something family or friend related greatly effect that person. Pink Floyd has affected many people’s lives merely by the words they sing and have sung. The members of Pink Floyd endured a lot over the years, and have still managed to stay together. For almost 30 years now, Pink Floyd has remained one of the most popular bands. The members have stood the test of time, and are still largely popular among all age groups. After Waters left many people worldwide thought Pink Floyd would never be again, but the legacy continued. Pink Floyd proved punkrockers wrong when they said Pink Floyd was "washed up," and "sold out." They proved the world wrong when Nick Mason, David Gilmour, and Richard Wright reformed Pink Floyd. Most of all they proved Roger Waters wrong when he said that Pink Floyd would be no more, and was dead, and dried up.