Syd Barrett-led era: 1965–1968

Pink Floyd evolved from an earlier band, formed in 1964, which was at various times called Sigma 6, The Megga Deaths, The Screaming Abdabs, and The Abdabs. When this band split up, some members — guitarists Bob Klose and Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason, and wind instrument player Rick Wright — formed a new band called Tea Set, and were joined shortly thereafter by guitarist Syd Barrett, who became the band's primary vocalist as well.^[7] When Tea Set found themselves on the same bill as another band with the same name, Barrett came up with an alternative name on the spur of the moment, choosing The Pink Floyd Sounds (after two blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council).^[8] For a time after this they oscillated between 'Tea Set' and 'The Pink Floyd Sound', with the latter name eventually winning out. The word Sound was dropped fairly quickly, but the definite article ('the') was still used occasionally for several years afterward, up to about the time of the More soundtrack. In the early days, the band covered rhythm and blues staples such as "Louie, Louie," but gained notoriety for psychedelic interpretations, with extended improvised sections and 'spaced out' solos.

Barrett's decline

As the band became more and more popular, the stresses of life on the road and a significant intake of psychedelic drugs took their toll on Barrett, whose mental health had been deteriorating for several months. Barrett's strange behaviour has often been attributed to his drug use^[14]. In January 1968, guitarist David Gilmour joined the band to carry out Barrett's playing and singing duties.

Finding their feet: 1968–1970

Musically, this period was one of experimentation for the band. Gilmour, Waters and Wright each contributed material that had its own voice and sound, giving this material less consistency than the Barrett-dominated early years or the more polished, collaborative sound of later years. Waters mostly wrote low-key, jazzy melodies with dominant bass lines and complex, symbolic lyrics, Gilmour focused on guitar-driven blues jams, and Wright preferred melodic psychedelic keyboard-heavy numbers. Unlike Waters, Gilmour and Wright preferred tracks that had simple lyrics or that were purely instrumental. Some of the band's most experimental music is from this period, such as "A Saucerful of Secrets," consisting largely of noises, feedback, percussions, oscillators and tape loops, "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict" (sample (help·info)), which is a series of sped-up voice tape-samples resembling rodents and birds chattering that reaches its climax in a Scottish dialect monologue (largely difficult to understand apart from its final words: "And the wind cried, 'Mary.' Thank you."), and "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (performed under different names during this period), a very Waters-driven song with a bass and keyboard-heavy jam culminating in crashing drums and Waters' primal screams.

Breakthrough era: 1971–1975

Roger Waters-led era: 1976–1985

During this era, Waters asserted more and more control over Pink Floyd's output. Wright's influence became largely inconsequential, and he was fired from the band during the recording of The Wall. Much of the music from this period is considered secondary to the lyrics, which explore Waters' feelings about his father's death in World War II and his increasingly cynical attitude towards political figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Mary Whitehouse. Although still finely nuanced, the music grew more guitar-based at the expense of keyboards and saxophone, both of which became (at best) part of the music's background texture along with the obligatory sound effects. A full orchestra (even larger than the brass ensemble from Atom Heart Mother) plays a significant role on The Wall and especially The Final Cut.

David Gilmour-led era: 1987–1995

Waters announced in December of 1985 that he was departing Pink Floyd, describing the band as "a spent force creatively," but in 1986 Gilmour and Mason began recording a new Pink Floyd album. At the same time, Roger Waters was working on his second solo album, entitled Radio K.A.O.S. (1987). A bitter legal dispute ensued with Waters claiming that the name "Pink Floyd" should have been put to rest, but Gilmour and Mason upheld their conviction that they had the legal right to continue as "Pink Floyd." The suit was eventually settled out of court.^[45]

Solo work and more: 1995–present

Future directions

Many fans expressed hope that the band's Live 8 appearance would lead to a reunion tour, and a record-breaking US$250 million deal for a world tour was offered,^[4] but the band have made it clear that there are no such plans. In the weeks after the show, the rifts that separated the members during the breakup seem to have mostly healed. Gilmour confirmed that he and Waters are on "pretty amicable terms" and that they communicated via e-mail after the concert.^[57] Waters has offered conflicting comments on the issue, with statements as varied as "I couldn't roll over for a whole fucking tour"^[58] and "I hope we do it again,"^[59] although most recent comments seem to indicate his desire to play together again, but not for a whole tour, but an event similar to Live 8.^[60][61]

The Images of Pink Floyd

Live performances

Main article: Pink Floyd live performances

Pink Floyd are renowned for their lavish stage shows, combining over-the-top visual experiences with music to create a show in which the performers themselves are almost secondary. They have always resisted the temptation of a large screen portraying band members owing to the fact that they "don't really do very much," preferring instead to show music videos to run alongside the songs.

Notes