The Legendary Band

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved international acclaim withtheir progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their use of philosoph-ical lyrics, sonic experimentation, and elaborate live shows, they are one of themost commercially successful and musically influential groups in the history ofpopular music.

Beginnings

The band was formed in 1965 by four students: Syd Barret, Roger Waters,Nick Mason and Richard Wright. They got popular as one of the best London’spsychodelic bands, but their leader was forced to leave the group in 1968 (dueto his severe mental health problems). He was replaced by David Gilmour.

This is the time when the best-known squad was established. The band con-sisting of a new leader and lyricist Roger Waters (bass guitar), David Gilmour(guitar), Nick Mason (drums) and Richard Wright (keyboard) was responsibleof creating its most famous albums (such as The Dark Side of the Moon, WishYou Were Here, The Animals and The Wall) and achieving huge commercialsuccess.

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Most Significant Albums

The Dark Side of the Moon

Released in 1973, the eight studio album, but the first one to conquer all theworld and introduce so called band’s classic era. It is thought to be one of themost influential an innovative albums in popular music.

Its success can be described not only in fans’ words and opinions, but also innumbers: It remained in the American Billboard 200 chart for 741 weeks (from1973 to 1988) which is still an unbeaten record. It was sold in impressive 50million copies, which is the second best score worldwide.

The album’s main topics are mental illness, conflict, money, greed and thepassage of time.

Track Listing:Title Length Writer(s)1. Speak to Me 1:30 Waters, Mason2. Breathe 2:43 Waters, Gilmour, Wright3. On the Run 3:36 Gilmour, Waters4. Time 7:01 Mason, Waters, Wright, Gilmour5. The Great Gig in the Sky 4:36 Waters, Wright, Clare Torry6. Money 6:22 Waters7. Us and Them 7:76 Waters, Wright8. Any Colour You Like 3:25 Waters, Gilmour, Wright, Mason9. Brain Damage 3:48 Waters10. Eclipse 2:03 Waters

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Wish You Were Here

Released in 1975, Wish You Were Here is the second Pink Floyd album to usea conceptual theme written entirely by Waters. It reflects his feeling that thecamaraderie that had served the band previously was, by then, largely absent.The album begins with a long instrumental preamble and segues into the lyricsfor ”Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, a tribute to former band member SydBarrett—whose mental breakdown had forced him to leave the band severalyears before. Barrett is fondly recalled with lines such as ”Remember when youwere young, you shone like the sun” and ”You reached for the secret too soon,you cried for the moon”.

Wish You Were Here is alsoa critique of the music business.”Shine On” crosses seamlessly into”Welcome to the Machine”, a songthat begins with an opening door(described by Waters as a symbolof musical discovery and progressbetrayed by a music industry moreinterested in greed and success)and ends with a party, the lat-ter epitomising ”the lack of con-tact and real feelings between peo-ple”. Similarly, ”Have a Cigar”scorns record industry ”fatcats”;its lyrics contain well-used clichessuch as ”can hardly count”, ”theycall it riding the gravy train”and ”by the way, which one’sPink?”—a question asked of the band on at least one occasion. ”Wish YouWere Here” contains lyrics which relate not only to Barrett’s condition, butalso to the dichotomy of Waters’ character, as an idealist, and a domineeringpersonality. The album closes with a reprise of ”Shine On” and further instru-mental excursions.

Track Listing:

1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (I-V)

2. Welcome to the Machine

3. Have a Cigar

4. Wish You Were here

5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (VI-IX)

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The Wall

The eleventh Pink Floyd’s studio album, released in 1979 and probably theonly album ever to be adapted into a film (Pink Floyd - The Wall, released in1982).

It was based on Roger Water’s auto-biographical threads and influenced by hisemotions during the tour in 1977. It tellsthe story of Pink, fictional rock star whobuilds a metaphorical wall and isolates him-self from the rest of the world (for some rea-sons, of course).

The Wall is one of the most complex andthe deepest concept albums in the world andfor these reasons it is often referred as a rockopera.

It was sold in about 30 million copies,and Roger Waters’ The Wall Tour is oneof the most popular tours even these days,more than 30 years after first The Wall’s re-lease.

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Last Years

The decade-long conflict growing between Waters and the other members re-sulted in a band’s paralysis in early 80. Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985, twoyears after release of a moderately successful album, The Final Cut. After thisincident a band led by David Gilmour released two more studio albums, A Mo-mentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994) and unofficiallydissolved in 1995.

References

[1] Wies law Weiss, O krowach, swiniach, robakach oraz wszystkich utworachPink Floyd, wydawnictwo In Rock, 2006

[2] en.wikipedia.org

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