History of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett, Bob Klose. Pink Floyd: the dark side of music

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Biography, life story of Pink Floyd

Type of musician: Band
Formed (year): 1966
Country: UK
City: London
Genre: Rock, Alternative, Electronica

This outstanding English rock band, whose complex and long history, in general, has no analogues in rock music, was formed in 1966. It initially included Cambridge College graduates Syd Barrett and Roger Waters. A graduate of the London School of Art, Syd Barrett by that time was already the author of many poems and songs, and his friend Roger Waters, who studied architecture at London's Regent Street Polytechnic along with Nick Mason and Richard Wright, performed popular songs in various cafes and clubs. rhythm and blues song time. Waters introduced his architect friends Richard Wright and Nick Mason, who had played with him in the band SIGMA-6 since 1965, to Syd Barrett. The group "SIGMA-6" was formed in college and changed a number of names: "T-Set", "The Meggadeaths", "The Abdabs". The original composition of the group "SIGMA-6" was as follows: Clive Metcalf - bass guitar, vocals; Roger Waters - guitar, vocals; Nick Mason - drums; Richard Wright - keyboards; Kate Noble and Juliette Gale - vocals (by the way, Juliette Gale soon married Rick Wright, and Kate Noble and Clive Metcalfe left the stage). They were struck by Barrett's unusual poetry, full of surreal images, which was perfectly combined with Waters' equally original music and the so-called “psychedelic effects” that were then beginning to come into fashion. The foursome, along with jazz guitarist Bob Close, formed a group that was initially called the Screameing Abdabs, but was soon renamed the Pink Floyd Sound. This name was taken in honor of the then famous bluesmen from Georgia Pink Anderson and Floyd Council (this name was suggested by Syd Barrett, who had an album by Anderson and Council). It must be said that due to ignorance of the latter circumstance, rock music historians in our country have repeatedly tried to translate the name "Pink Floyd". For example, the translation of the name “Pink Flamingo” is known. In a word, it is known what the lack of reliable information can lead to, what distinguished our country for many decades... Soon after the formation of the group, guitarist Bob Close left it, since the psychedelic blues combined with Barrett’s surreal poetry did not suit the jazzman’s taste.

CONTINUED BELOW

Later, Bob Close tried himself as a vocalist, but did not achieve much success in this field. So, after Close left, the band's lineup looked like this: Syd Barrett - guitar, vocals; Roger Waters - bass guitar, vocals; Richard Wright - keyboards; Nick Mason - drums. Since February 1966, Pink Floyd has been giving concerts at the Marki club, which brought fame to many groups, including the famous Rolling Stones. During this year the group is working on creating a major show "Games for May". In December 1966, managers Andrew King and Peter Jenner began working with the band, under whose leadership Pink Floyd recorded their first single, “Arnold Layne.” This song by Barrett, which National Radio refused to broadcast, however, was broadcast on one of the radio stations and immediately entered the British hit parade, where it lasted 7 weeks and reached number 6. "Arnold Layne" is a story about a guy who steals women's underwear from a laundromat. This song had a real backstory: when Barrett and Waters' mothers were students at Cambridge, they took their laundry to the laundromat. One night it happened that someone stole laundry from there. Music critics, who took Barrett's metaphor literally, immediately attacked the group, accusing it of performing outright obscenity. This is the initially scandalous fame that the Pink Floyd group gained in 1966... ​​Meanwhile, an increasing number of listeners are beginning to become interested in the work of Pink Floyd, Barrett’s poetry, filled with images of the heroes of K. Graham and L. Carroll, in sharp contrast with lyrics from other bands replete with "yesterday-faraway" rhymes. Soon the group faced a serious problem - Syd Barrett's addiction to powerful drugs such as LSD, which caused hallucinations. After a series of scandals caused by this circumstance, Barrett promises his friends to “quit” LSD, and for some time he succeeds. Meanwhile, the band's first major work was completed - the "Games for May" show, which may have determined the further style of Pink Floyd's work and its scale. The song "See Emily Play" from this show is again in the top ten of the British charts, and the number of fans of the group is growing significantly, more and more articles and notes are being written about it in the music press. Pink Floyd begins to receive collaboration offers and orders from various recording studios. This was, according to many music critics and historians, the time of formation of the group, which later gave the world a completely new style of music performance. In Western (and subsequently in our) literature, this style was called “electronic pulsation,” although this term explains little. The music, which used both classical and jazz harmonies, as well as the ancient traditions of English and Scottish folk songs, hardly fits such a narrow definition as "pulsation". The band's first UK tour took place in August 1967. The first performances, which were brilliant, seemed to foreshadow great success in the future, but just three weeks after the start of the tour, a huge scandal involving Syd Barrett occurred. The fact is that Barrett, who again took up drugs, drove himself into a completely insane state, often fainted right on stage, and best case scenario stood, smiling mysteriously and looking into space, unable to either play or remember the lyrics of his own songs. No amount of persuasion from friends could make Barrett stop using drugs and bring him back to normal. The latter circumstance forced Roger Waters to invite his friend, guitarist Dave Gilmour, into the group as a replacement. During the tour, David Gilmour established himself very well, not only as a guitarist, but also as a singer. Waters also liked some of David Gilmour's stage and musical ideas. "The guy hit the ground running and came up with a lot of great ideas. None of us felt like he was the odd man out," Waters said in an interview after his first performance with Gilmour. Their relationship lasted for almost seven weeks. concert activity , Gilmore “fit into the team” more and more, but Barrett could not find himself and, unable to overcome his passion for drugs and quit them, was forced to leave the group. The twenty-two-year-old musician, whose talent had already attracted many fans to him, left the big stage forever. Without this, it is unknown what the future fate of the group would have been, and with it, perhaps, the whole direction of rock music. However, in 1970, Syd Barrett recorded two solo programs, which, however, were not particularly successful and attracted few people’s interest. In 1967, the group's first official disc was released, called "The piper at the gates of dawn", the name of which Barrett borrowed from K. Graham. Just like the single, this album stayed on the charts for 7 weeks and peaked at number 6. Listening to this disc, you begin to understand that Barrett's departure from music and poetry is a great loss. Fairy-tale characters, mysterious images and nature - all this is strongly reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's fairy tales and takes the listener away from the gray routine, melancholy and boredom of our days... The songs "Scarecrow" and "Bike", which conclude the disc, are somewhat different from the previous ones, both in music , and in poetry. The song "Bike" is no longer a fairy tale, but a simple, sad story from life. A borrowed bicycle, a homeless mouse Gerald - from the real world, which you want to make better, fill with music. After the release of the album "The piper at the gates of dawn" the group received great success, the interest in it of both ordinary listeners and critics increased greatly. Already in 1968, a new program “A saucerful of secrets” was released. Once again, a great success, in particular thanks to the song "Corporal Clegg" about a soldier returning from the war "with a wooden leg, which he acquired in 1944" and with a medal "which he received from Her Majesty the Queen"... This song, which caused a lot of noise, caused acute irritation to the authorities. Also in 1968, the group toured the USA, Japan and Australia, gaining increasing fame and increasing experience; Pink Floyd is becoming increasingly popular, record circulations, and with them the income of the musicians, are increasing. With the arrival of David Gilmour in the group, its performances increasingly demonstrate a desire to increase the scale of the show, the diversity of ideas and unexpected finds of Waters - with the departure of Barrett, the leader and main author of lyrics and music. The desire to create “the greatest, best and most comprehensive show” was expressed, for example, in the fact that one day the musicians set up a stage not just anywhere, but on the surface of a large lake, ending the show with fireworks and a series of explosions, after which an inflatable huge octopus and rubber fish (real ones, however, were not long in coming; the result was another scandal with the police and with the Green society). 1969 In June, work on the "More" program was completed, and in November the double album "Ummagumma" was released. These are completely different jobs. The first of them is several lyrical songs, designed in the usual style for the group, the second is endless electronic noise meditations. The second disc of the album "Ummagumma" consisted of concert songs recorded in June-August 1969 and earlier - in 1967 on the group's first disc. The disc "Atom heart mother", released in October 1970, is rightfully considered one of the best programs of the group. The song "If" sounds the pain of unfulfilled hopes and loneliness, a feeling of hopelessness... In 1971, the disc "Meddle" was released, the first song from which "One of these days" again makes it into the list of the best of the British hit parade, although its lyrics contain only a couple of lines, and the melody (“electronic noise meditation”) is quite monotonous. The rest of the songs from this record are written in a calmer rhythm and are quite melodic. In the same year, the group toured extensively in different countries with such programs as “Relics” - old songs and “Meddle”, recorded a number of concerts on film (for example, a concert in Pompeii); The level of Pink Floyd is already indicated by the fact that in 1970 the group was invited to collaborate by the outstanding Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni. As a result, the group recorded music for the film "Zabriskie Point", which received a number of international awards, including for music. Let's return to the disc "Meddle" released in 1971. Despite reproaches for repeating themselves, critics quite rightly said that “here we see a mature group that has achieved a convincing synthesis of two directions - “electronic noise” and song.” To illustrate this fact, it is enough to compare the first two songs of the disc - “One of these days” and “A pillow of winds” - with good poetry and acoustic guitar. In June 1972, the album "Obscured by clouds" was released, which was very coolly received by critics. None of the songs on this album entered the charts, and the record itself was sold out reluctantly; many even said that Pink Floyd had exhausted itself, but, as it turned out, this forecast was not destined to come true. The fact is that after the “Obscured by clouds” program, a completely new stage begins in the creative life of the Pink Floyd group. Having purchased new equipment after another tour, Roger Waters invited the famous sound engineer Alan Parsons, the excellent saxophonist Dick Parry, and a group of vocalists led by Claire Torry to collaborate. In June 1972, following the release of the album "Obscured by clouds", a long, almost seven-month work began at London's Abbey Road Studios, the result of which was the album "The dark side of the moon" - the best, according to many critics, what was created by the group. For seventeen years, this disc never left the list of the top two hundred on the Billboard hit parade, and by 1995 it had sold about 28 million (!) copies. After the release of this record in March 1973, Pink Floyd became one of the most popular rock bands in the world. Music critics called the release of this record “a revolution in the idea of ​​​​the possibilities of sound recording.” All kinds of stereo effects, original vocals by Claire Torrey, brilliantly performed saxophone parts by Dick Perry are truly admirable. Here we see a fully formed group with its own inimitable performing style and music. Roger Waters' poems are impressive in their sincerity, although they raise the same problems as old as the world: disappointment in life, fear of death, the desire to understand at least something and change for the better in our cruel world and the wild, crazy, loneliness of man. The desire to escape from vanity and fear, to “burrow into a hole” (“Breathe”) - in a word, to hide from everyone - is just one of the thoughts expressed by Roger Waters. Carelessly, thoughtlessly wasted time, passing youth - this is how the life of a modern person appears before us ("Time"). Rejection of the world of redneckness, selfishness, violence and “expensive” pleasures is so characteristic of Waters’s hero (“Money”, “Us and them”)... The vicious circle of life in modern society with all its filth and violence, the absence of the possibility of free choice is unacceptable for author. The result of all fruitless attempts to find any way out is “Brain damage”. Despite the despair and hopelessness evident in the poems, the hero nevertheless does not lose hope, trying to find himself in some unknown, surreal world - on the “other side of the moon”, which “in fact does not exist” ("Eclipse"). The synthesis of poetry and original music, masterfully performed and equipped with various stereo effects, allows the album “The dark side of the moon” to remain among the best that has been created in rock music for many years. In 1974-75, the group toured a lot and at the same time recorded the record “Wish you were here”, which was released in September 1975. This disc is dedicated to the untimely extinct talent of Syd Barrett. And again the group showed a brilliant synthesis of music and poetry, Dick Perry's saxophone again delighted the audience. Vocalists Roy Harper, Veneta Fields and Carlena Williams also enriched the sound of the record. In September 1975, immediately after the release of the record, the music world was shocked by a sensation: Syd Barrett himself appeared in the Pink Floyd studio and declared that he was completely “quit” with drugs, completely healthy and ready to work... Alas! It only lasted for a month, after which he completely disappeared from the horizons of rock music... Being at the zenith of their fame, the musicians do not rest on their laurels: the group still tours a lot and works in the studio on new programs. In 1977, a new record “Animals” appeared on store shelves, full of satire castigating the vices of modern society. The group also creates the show "Animals", in which society appears before the eyes of the audience as a world inhabited by sheep, which are controlled by the rulers - pigs - with the help of cruel and merciless dogs. The huge plastic pig from this show becomes the band's constant companion on all its subsequent tours. Again a stunning success, the record sold out in millions of copies, and the song “Pigs on the wing” entered the top ten of the British hit parade. Meanwhile, relations in the group worsen. David Gilmour demands that his ideas be more reflected in the band's performances; in 1978 he released the solo disc "David Gilmour". In the same 1978, Nick Mason released the disc "Fictitious sport", which, despite Mason's big name and the fame of Pink Floyd, was not in particular demand. In 1979, the group began work on a new show, "The Wall". Despite the escalating disagreements between Gilmour and Waters, the musicians still managed to complete the enormous work with a double album and the creation of a grandiose show with the same name. The performance was performed by the group 29 times in four cities - London, New York, Los Angeles and Dortmund. In 1980, Waters proposed collaboration with director Alan Parker. The result of this collaboration was the film "The Wall", based on the show based on the script by Waters (the film included almost all the songs from the album "The Wall"). This film is about life and death, about war and peace, about the terrible loneliness of a person in a society full of hypocrisy, hatred and malice. From a young age, the hero of the film is faced with a wall of misunderstanding and indifference, the bricks of which are the people around him. Left early without a father who died in the war, he seeks male support from the fathers of other children - and does not find it. He tries to express himself in poetry, but the school teacher mocks him by reading these poems - the most intimate thing the guy has - in class. The school is not a “temple of science and education,” but a vile conveyor belt along which children follow into the meat grinder of life. This is only part of the wall dividing people into “us” and “strangers”. The love that was supposed to come turns into betrayal, and again - loneliness. The hero rushes about again, not knowing what to do (“What shall we do now?”). It's worth mentioning here the brilliant animation created by Gerald Scarfe and Roger Waters. Terrible images of war and death haunt the viewer, and the wall continues to grow higher and wider. Destroying this wall, not being another brick in it - that's what is necessary! The lonely hero of the film does not find solace either in television films, or in drinking, or in other entertainment - he is sick of everything, he cannot find what he needs ("Young Lust"); So what now, leave this cruel world? After all, the gap in the wall is not visible, no matter how hard the hero looks for it. But there seems to be a way out: pull yourself together, put on a uniform, unite all sorts of scum around you and, reveling in your strength and youth, destroy everything and everyone around - “blacks, and Jews, and weaklings” - in a word, everyone! You just need to follow the worms, and all these “stupid” human feelings will go away, only strength and power over the minds and lives of people will remain (“In the flash”, “Run like hell”, “Waiting for the worms”)... But that’s enough , STOP! The hero does not want to take part in all this, he wants to return to himself, he wanted to destroy the wall, and not rampage along with the distraught guys in a uniform that strongly resembles a fascist one. And now - the Court, the Judgment, the Trial, which is presided over by the disgusting Worm. The world of worms, puppet teachers and “their fat psychopathic wives” is up in arms against him, whose guilt is obvious: he wanted to be human! The verdict has been passed, and the wall now surrounds the hero on all sides, with the disgusting Worm inexorably approaching from above... But suddenly the wall collapses with a monstrous roar, its fragments scattering into millions of bricks. When the noise subsides, the children who appeared on the action scene collect the fragments. They take these stones away so that nothing remains from the wall of hatred, indifference and vulgarity, greed and disgusting! Or maybe they are just collecting material to build a new wall? The album "The wall" sold 11 million (!) copies, songs from which are still popular and live on. Another of the group’s many advantages is the ability to create indivisible, indivisible works. However, among the songs on the album "The wall" there are those that can be considered as something completely independent. This is, for example, the song “Hey you” (by the way, not included in the film “The Wall”). The variety of musical forms in the film, complemented by the polished performance of Pink Floyd and the brilliant acting skills of Bob Geldof, allows the film to excite people's minds for more than a decade. Even before the recording of this album, Rick Wright left the group and went to Greece. Since 1981, Waters, Gilmour and Mason have been working on solo programs or assisting other musicians, including Kate Bush, Bryan Ferry and David Bowie. In 1983, Pink Floyd recorded the album “The Final Cut,” the songs from which “are directed against war and the resolution of regional conflicts through armed intervention” (as David Gilmour said in one of his interviews). Despite the fact that Western music critics greeted the album very coolly, it evoked good responses from listeners and was sold out in more than one and a half million copies, and the song “The gunners dream” entered a number of charts. A little later, in the same 1983, the group recorded the disc "Works", but without Mason, who quit music due to an irrepressible passion for motorcycle racing and cars. This is how the group “Pink Floyd” broke up and ceased to exist. In 1984, David Gilmour recorded his second solo disc, "About face", with the help of Steve Windwood, Roy Harper and Jeff Porcaro. From 1984 to 1985, Gilmour toured with these musicians, as well as rhythm guitarist Mick Ralphs. Meanwhile, Waters and his assistants create the program “The pros and cons of hitch hiking”, which, like Gilmour’s album, is not particularly successful. In 1986, Waters, together with a large group of musicians, including David Bowie, Hugh Cornwell and Paul Hardcastle, released the program "When the wind blows", and in 1987 Waters' album "Radio K.A.O.S." was released. Seeing the futility of creating something new, David Gilmour decides to return to the idea of ​​Pink Floyd, but without Waters. Having revived the group, Gilmour and Mason began work on the album "A momentary lapse of reason", which was released in 1987. Rick Wright took part in the recording of this disc only as a guest musician, because he was afraid that Roger Waters, having sued Gilmour for illegally appropriating the name of the group, would win the case. So, immediately after the release of the record “A momentary lapse of reason,” Waters began a lawsuit against Gilmour, not skimping on expenses (every day of the process costs Waters 5 thousand pounds sterling!). By calling the band's latest disc just a well-crafted knockoff of his music, Waters added fuel to the fire of the feud with Gilmour. Gilmour also fought bitterly against Waters. He didn’t stop at public insults and even finances a company that produces T-shirts with the words “Who is this Waters?” and similar to this one. Having described Waters' record "Radio K.A.O.S." with words such as "rare squalor" and "much ado about nothing," Gilmour began preparing for a tour the likes of which the world had never seen. This world tour of the group began on September 9, 1987 and lasted almost two years, and the group gave 45 concerts in Europe alone (and in Moscow too). Dave Gilmour himself calls this program “the largest show on the road,” and here it’s hard to disagree with him: 132 people are involved in the installation of equipment for one concert alone over 11 (!) days; The group's weekly costs are about $1.3 million, and 45 trucks transport three huge stages. On the stage, in addition to eleven musicians, there are two television scanners, the stage is illuminated by four light robots, about three hundred rotating lamps; eight varying systems, serviced by twenty operators... In short, group designer Paul Staples does not eat his bread in vain. Gilmour also recruited drummer Harry Wallis, who uses specially designed red and green fluorescent sticks, three female vocalists, bassist Tony Levin and saxophonist Scott Page. Pink Floyd gave about a hundred concerts during this almost two-year tour. In 1988, the album "Delicate sound of thunder" was released, recorded from a concert. More than half of the songs on this album are from the program "A momentary lapse of reason", the rest are hits of the group from past years. However, Waters was unable to substantiate the rights to the band's name, and Gilmour's group retained its name. After this grand tour there was a lull. The musicians took a break. As David Gilmour himself admitted in an interview: “After so many concerts, I simply could no longer hold the guitar in my hands.” The band's next album was released only in 1994. This album, entitled "The division bell", was a good success and took first place in many charts. Roger Waters, meanwhile, was also busy. In 1990, Waters gave a huge concert in Berlin. At this concert the band's old program - "The wall" - was performed. The performance was dedicated to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and this program was very opportune. Waters was helped by many famous artists, including: Brian Adams, Cyndi Lauper, Sinead O'Connor, "Scorpions". The concert was attended by: the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Choir, and even the military orchestra of the Soviet Army. The concert was recorded double album. In 1992, Roger Waters released a new program - “Amused to death”. The last work of “Pink Floyd” is the double album “Pulse”, which was recorded in the fall of 1994. The basis of the first disc of this album was the program “The division bell”. . The second disc presents old program group - "The dark side of the moon". The disc also features the group's old hits. The album was released in 1995 with magnificent and original design. The end of the album is decorated with a built-in LED flashing at the frequency of the human pulse. The concert turned out to be just as grandiose, for which the group received a Grammy award as the best concert of the year. At the end of 1996, Rick Wright's third solo album, Broken China, was released. Two songs on this album were sung by Sinead O'Connor. This is where the band's story ends. Let's hope for now. And we'll wait for new recordings by Pink Floyd and Roger Waters.

224 chord selections

Biography

Pink Floyd (Pink Floyd) British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed in Cambridge. Famous for her psychedelic songs and grandiose shows. It is one of the most successful in rock and pop music, and is in seventh place in the world in terms of the number of albums sold (more than 300 million copies worldwide). Founded in 1965, the last album (The Division Bell) and tour took place in 1994. Last performance July 2005 (“Live8”).

Members of the group

Original composition:

* Syd Barrett guitarist, vocalist (19661968);
* Roger Waters (eng. Roger Waters) bass guitarist, vocalist (19661985);
* Richard Wright keyboardist, vocalist (19661981, from 1987 to September 15, 2008);
* Nick Mason drummer (1966 to present).

Joined later:

* David Gilmour vocalist, guitarist (1968 to present).

The name “Pink Floyd” is formed by a combination of the names of jazz, or rather rhythm and blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council (Floyd Council), of which Barrett was a fan; this name, according to Waters' story, appeared to Barrett in prophetic dream, and he insisted on renaming the group. Before this, the group changed many names: "Sigma 6", "T-Set", "Meggadeaths", "The Screaming Abdabs", "The Architectural Abdabs" and "The Abdabs". Moreover, at first the group was called “The Pink Floyd Sound”, then simply “The Pink Floyd” and only then the definite article “the” was discarded for the sake of “sonority”.

“Which one of you is Pink?”

The first line-up of Pink Floyd included London Architectural School classmates Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Nick Mason (drums) and their Cambridge friend Syd Barrett (vocals, guitar). At the beginning of their career, Pink Floyd were reworking rhythm and blues hits such as “Louie, Louie” (“Louie, Louie”). The group formed Blackhill Enterprises, a six-party business venture involving the four musicians and their managers, Peter Jenner and Andrew King.

The band's debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, released in August 1967, is considered the best example of English psychedelic music. The album's tracks showcase an eclectic mix of music, from the avant-garde "Interstellar Overdrive" to the whimsical "Scarecrow", a melancholic song inspired by the rural landscapes surrounding Cambridge. The album was successful and reached number six in the UK charts.

However, not all band members withstood the burden of success that fell on them. The use of psychedelics (as a result, an exacerbation of congenital schizophrenia) and constant performances broke the leader of the group, Syd Barrett. His behavior became more and more unbearable, nervous breakdowns and psychoses were repeated more and more often, infuriating the rest of the group (especially Roger). It happened more than once that Sid simply “switched off”, “withdrew into himself” (which was caused by catatonic attacks) right at the concert. In January 1968, Roger and Syd's longtime acquaintance, guitarist David Gilmour, joined the band to replace Barrett. However, it was planned that Sid, although not performing, would continue to write songs for the group. Unfortunately, nothing came of this venture.

In April 1968, Barrett's "retirement" was formalized, but Jenner and King decided to stay with him. The six-party company Blackhill Enterprises has ceased operations.

Although Barrett wrote most of the material on the first album, on his second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, released in June 1968, he wrote only one song in its entirety, "Jugband Blues." Blues for noise orchestra"). "A Saucerful of Secrets" peaked at number nine in the UK.

Without Barrett

After the group wrote the soundtrack to the film More (directed by Barbet Schroeder) in 1969, the album Ummagumma was released in the same year, partly recorded in Birmingham, partly in Manchester. It was a double album, the first disc of which was the first (and for almost twenty years the only official) recording of the band's live performance, and the second was equally divided into four parts, according to the number of band members, and each of them recorded, in fact, their own mini-album. solo album The album became the band's highest achievement at that time. It peaked at number five in the UK chart and entered the US hit list at number seventy.

In 1970, the album “Atom Heart Mother” appeared and took first place in the UK. The group grew musically, and now they needed a choir and a symphony orchestra to implement their ideas. The complicated arrangement required the involvement of an outside specialist, who became Ron Geesin. He wrote the intro to the title track as well as the album's orchestration.

A year later, in 1971, “Meddle” (“Intervention”) was released - practically a twin of the previous one (in the form and length of the songs, but not in music; except that they did without an orchestra and choir). The second side of the disc was dedicated to a 23-minute "epic sound poem" (as Waters called it) called "Echoes", where the band used 16-track tape machines for the first time, replacing the four- and eight-track equipment used on "Atom". Heart Mother”, as well as the Zinoviev synthesizer VCS3. The album also included “One Of These Days,” a Pink Floyd concert classic in which drummer Nick Mason promised, in a horribly distorted voice, “One of these days, Im going to cut you into little pieces.” light and carefree “Fearless” and “San Tropez” and the mischievous and hooligan “Seamus” (Seamus is the name of the dog), where a Russian greyhound was invited to the vocal part. "Meddle" took third place in the British charts.

The band's lesser-known album was released in 1972 under the title Obscured By Clouds as the soundtrack to Barbet Schroeder's film La Vallee. The album is one of Nick Mason's favorites. Only 46th in the US Top 50 and sixth at home.

Peak of success

another side of the moon

The 1973 album "The Dark Side of the Moon" became the band's finest hour. It was a conceptual work, that is, not just a collection of songs on one disc, but a work imbued with a single, connecting idea of ​​pressure modern world on the human psyche. The idea was a powerful catalyst for the group's creativity, and together its members compiled a list of themes explored in the album: the composition "On The Run" was about paranoia; "Time" described the approach of old age and the senseless waste of life; "The Great Gig In The Sky" (originally titled "Mortality Sequence") and "Religious Theme" deal with death and religion; “Money” is about money that comes with fame and takes over a person; "Us And Them" talks about conflicts within society; "Brain Damage" is about madness and Syd Barrett. Thanks to the use of new 16-track recording equipment in the studio "Abbey Road", almost nine months (a fantastically long time for that time!), which went into recording, and the efforts of sound engineer Alan Parsons, the album turned out to be unprecedented and entered the treasury of sound recordings of all time.

The single "Money" reached the top 20 in the US, the album went to number 1 (only number 2 in the UK) and remained in the US Top 200 for 741 weeks, including 591 weeks from 1973 to 1988, consecutively, several times getting to first place. The album broke many records and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Wish You Were Here

"Wish You Were Here" was released in 1975, and its main theme was alienation. In addition to the Pink Floyd classic title track, the album includes the critically acclaimed track "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", a tribute to Syd Barrett and his mental breakdown. In addition, the album included “Welcome to the Machine” and “Have a Cigar,” dedicated to the soulless businessmen of show business. The album became number one in the UK and number two in America.

By the time Animals was released in January 1977, the band's music had become increasingly criticized by the emerging punk rock movement for being too "weak" and arrogant, a departure from the simplicity of early rock 'n' roll. The album contained three long main songs and two short ones that complemented their content. The concept of the album was close to the meaning of George Orwell's book Animal Farm. The album uses dogs, pigs and sheep as metaphors to describe or denounce members of modern society. The music on Animals is significantly more guitar-based than previous albums, possibly due to the increasing tension between Waters and Richard Wright, who did not contribute much to the album.

The Wall

The rock opera "The Wall" was created almost entirely by Roger Waters and again received an enthusiastic reception from fans. The single from this album, “Another Brick in the Wall, Part II,” which touches on pedagogy and education, reached number one on the UK Christmas singles chart. In addition to reaching number three in the UK, "The Wall" spent 15 weeks in the US chart during 1980. The album became very expensive during the writing process and incurred a lot of expenses due to large-scale shows, but record sales lifted the group out of the financial crisis they were in. During the work on the album, Waters expanded his influence and strengthened his leadership role in the group's activities, giving rise to constant conflicts within it. For example, Waters tried to persuade the band members to fire Richard Wright, who had virtually no participation in the work on the album. Wright eventually took part in several concerts for a fixed fee. Ironically, Richard was the only one who managed to earn any money from these concerts, since the rest of the group were forced to cover the exorbitant costs of the show "The Wall". "The Wall" was co-produced by Bob Ezrin, a friend of Roger Waters who co-wrote the lyrics for "The Trial." Waters later kicked him out of the Pink Floyd camp after Ezrin inadvertently talked to a journalist relative about the album. "The Wall" remained on the best-selling album list for 14 years.

In 1982, a full-length film was made based on the album “Pink Floyd The Wall”. IN leading role The rock star “Pink” stars the founder of the group “Boomtown Rats” and the future organizer of the festivals “Live Aid” and “Live 8” Bob Geldof. The film's script was written by Waters, directed by Alan Parker, and animated by renowned animator Gerald Scarfe. The film can be called provocative, since one of the main ideas was a protest against established ideals and the English passion for order. The film was also a definite manifesto in defense of rockers. After all, as you know, in the 1970s a person could be arrested only for wearing ripped jeans or for having a mohawk on his head. The movie "The Wall" doesn't show any of the problems directly. The entire film is woven from allegories and symbols, for example, faceless teenagers who, one after another, fall into a meat grinder and turn into a homogeneous mass.

The making of the film was accompanied by a further deterioration in the relationship between the group's two strongest personalities: Waters and Gilmour.

Latest albums and breakup of the group

In 1983, the album "The Final Cut" appeared, subtitled "Requiem for Roger Waters' Post-War Dream, Performed by Pink Floyd." Darker than The Wall, this album revisits many of its themes, while also addressing issues that were and are still relevant today. This included Waters' dissatisfaction and anger at Britain's involvement in the Falklands conflict with the composition "The Fletcher Memorial Home", where Fletcher is Waters' father Eric Fletcher. The theme of the track “Two Suns in the Sunset” is the fear of nuclear war. Wright's absence from recording the album resulted in some lack of the keyboard effects found on Pink Floyd's previous work, although guest musicians Michael Kamen (piano and harmonium) and Andy Bown made some contributions as keyboardists. Among the musicians who took part in the recording of “The Final Cut” was tenor saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft. Despite the album's mixed reviews, The Final Cut was a success (No. 1 in the UK and No. 6 in the US) and was certified platinum shortly after its release. The most hit compositions, according to radio stations, were “Gunner's Dream” (“Artilleryman’s Dream”) and “Not Now John.” Friction between Waters and Gilmour during the recording of the album was so strong that they never appeared in the recording studio at the same time, and the group did not tour with this album. Soon after, Waters officially announced his departure from the group.

After The Final Cut, the band members went their own ways, releasing solo albums until 1987, when Gilmour and Mason began reforming Pink Floyd. This gave rise to heated legal disputes with Roger Waters, who, after leaving the group in 1985, decided that the group could not exist without him anyway. However, Gilmour and Mason were able to prove that they had the right to continue their musical activities as Pink Floyd. Waters, however, retained some of the band's traditional imagery, including most of the props and characters from The Wall and all rights to The Final Cut. As a result, the group, led by David Gilmour, returned to the studio with producer Bob Ezrin. While working on the band's new album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason (No. 3 in both the UK and US), Richard Wright joined the band, first as a session musician with a weekly payment for his work, then as a full-fledged participant until 1994, when the Floyd's last work, The Division Bell, was released and the subsequent tour, which became the most profitable in the history of rock music to date.

All members of the group have released solo albums, achieving varying levels of popularity and commercial success. "Amused to Death" by Roger Waters was received most warmly by the public, but was still met with mixed reviews from critics.

Later activities of the group

Pink Floyd haven't released studio material since 1994's The Division Bell, and there aren't any plans to do so anytime soon. The only results of the group's work were the 1995 live album "P*U*L*S*E" ("Pulse"), a live recording of "The Wall", compiled from concerts in 1980 and 1981 "Is There Anybody Out There?" The Wall Live 1980-81" ("Is There Anyone Outside? The Wall Live, 198081") in 2000; a two-disc set containing the band's biggest hits, "Echoes" in 2001; a 30th anniversary reissue of "Dark Side of the Moon" in 2003 (remixed on SACD by James Guthrie); A re-release of 2004's The Final Cut with the added single "When The Tigers Broke Free". Echoes has been the subject of much controversy due to the fact that the songs flow into each other in a different order than on the original albums, significant portions of some have been torn out, and the song sequence itself, which, according to fans, should not be logic.

David Gilmour released a DVD of his solo concert "David Gilmour in Concert" in November 2002. It was compiled from recordings of shows from 22 June 2001 to 17 January 2002 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Richard Wright and Bob Geldof were invited on stage as guests.

Due to the fact that the band members are mostly involved in their own projects - for example, Mason wrote the book "Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd" due to the death of Steve O'Rourke (Steve ORourke) October 30, 2003 band manager for many years, due to David Gilmour's solo project (On an Island album and concert tour of the same name) and due to the death of Rick Wright on September 15, 2008, the band's future is uncertain.

Although on July 2, 2005, putting past differences aside for one evening, Pink Floyd performed with their classic line-up (Waters, Gilmour, Mason, Wright) at the worldwide show “Live 8”, dedicated to the fight against poverty.

On July 7, 2006, one of the group's founders, Syd Barrett, died due to complications of diabetes in Cambridge. Barrett's few surviving paintings were auctioned over the summer, as were his furniture and some manuscripts. On May 10, 2007, the Madcap's Last Laugh concert took place in his memory, but Roger Waters performed separately from Pink Floyd.

On September 3, 2007, Pink Floyd's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, was re-released in honor of its fortieth anniversary. The edition includes 3 discs: a mono version of the album, a stereo version, early tracks, as well as several scanned sheets from Syd Barrett's notebooks.

Pink Floyd show

Pink Floyd are known, among other things, for their incredible performances, combining visuals and music to create a show in which the musicians themselves almost fade into the background. In the early period of their creativity, Pink Floyd were practically the first group to use special equipment for light show in their presentations slides and video clips projected on a large circular screen. Later, lasers, pyrotechnics, balloons and figures were used (most notably the huge inflatable pig that first appeared on the Animals album).

The biggest stage performance was for the album "The Wall", where several session musicians played the first song wearing rubber masks (showing that the band members were unknown as individuals); Then, during the first part of the show, workers gradually built a huge wall of cardboard boxes between the audience and the band, onto which Gerald Scarfe's cartoons were then projected, and at the end of the performance the wall collapsed. This show was later recreated by Waters with the help of many guest musicians, including Bryan Adams, the Scorpions and Van Morison, in 1990 among the ruins of the Berlin Wall.

Album illustrations

An integral part of the band's creativity for fans is album illustrations. Album covers and record sleeves provide an emotional boost to music through vibrant, meaningful visuals. Throughout the band's career, this aspect was primarily supported by the talent of photographer and designer Storm Thorgerson and his studio Hipgnosis. Suffice it to mention famous images a man shaking hands with his burning counterpart (“Wish You Were Here”) and a prism with light passing through it (“Dark Side of the Moon”). Torgeson was involved in the design of all the albums except The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (which was photographed by photographer Vic Singh and featured a back cover art by Syd Barrett), and The Wall (which featured art by Syd Barrett). the band hired Gerald Scarfe) and "The Final Cut" (the cover was designed by Waters himself, using a photograph taken by his son-in-law Willie Christie).

Discography
Studio and live albums

* The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (LP; EMI; August 5, 1967; Barrett/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* A Saucerful of Secrets (LP; EMI; June 29, 1968; Barrett/Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* More (LP; EMI; July 27, 1969; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* Ummagumma (2 LP; EMI; 25 October 1969, studio and live recordings; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* Atom Heart Mother (LP; EMI; October 10, 1970; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* Meddle (LP; EMI; October 30, 1971; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* Obscured by Clouds (LP; EMI; June 3, 1972; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* The Dark Side of the Moon (LP; EMI; March 24, 1973; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* Wish You Were Here (LP; EMI; 15 September 1975; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* Animals (LP; EMI; January 23, 1977; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* The Wall (2 LP; EMI; November 30, 1979, 2 LP; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)
* The Final Cut (LP; EMI; March 21, 1983; Gilmour/Waters/Mason)
* A Momentary Lapse of Reason (LP; EMI; September 7, 1987; Gilmour/Mason)
* Delicate Sound of Thunder (LP, live; EMI; November 22, 1988; Gilmour/Wright/Mason)
* The Division Bell (LP; EMI; March 30, 1994; Gilmour/Wright/Mason)
* P*U*L*S*E (2 CDs, live; EMI; June 5, 1995; Gilmour/Wright/Mason)
* Is There Anybody out There? The Wall Live 198081 (CD, live; March 27, 2000; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason)

Compilations

* Relics (1971) compilation of some scrapped material and songs from the B-sides of early singles
* Masters of Rock issue 1 (1974) compilation; The collection was originally released under the title “The Best Of Pink Floyd”
* A Nice Pair (1973) compilation combining the first two discs of the group in one album “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” and “A Saucerful Of Secrets”
* A Collection of Great Dance Songs (1981) compilation includes several alternative versions of famous songs, especially interesting is the new recording of Money, in which David Gilmour performed all the parts except the saxophone.
* Works (1983) compilation, including the unreleased composition “Embryo” and two alternative versions of “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse”
* Shine on (CD Box Set, 1992) luxuriously packaged CD set including remastered "A Saucerful Of Secrets", "Meddle", "Dark Side Of The Moon", "Wish You Were Here", "Animals", “The Wall”, “A Momentary Lapse Of Reason”, as well as a collection of the group’s first singles
* 1967: The First Three Singles (1997) compilation of the group's first three singles
* Echoes (2 CD, 2001) compilation of the best compositions of the group

* “Live at Pompeii” (1973, concert, director Adrian Maben; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason) recording of the band performing ten songs against the backdrop of the ancient ruins of Pompeii (Italy)
* “Pink Floyd The Wall” (1982, MGM, directed by Alan Parker; Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason) film based on the 1979 album The Wall
* "The Final Cut" 1983, short film
* “Delicate Sound of Thunder” (1988, concert, director Wayne Isham; Gilmour/Wright/Mason) recording of a concert at Nassau Coliseum (USA)
* “Pulse” 2006, concert

Soundtracks

* “Tonite Lets All Make Love In London” (Let's all make love in London tonight) (1967, directed by Peter Whitehead, UK) only two short parts of the composition “Interstellar Overdrive” were used, but the film allowed the band's first studio recording of four songs.
* "The Committee" (1968, directed by Peter Sykes, UK) used, in particular, an early version of "Careful With That Axe, Eugene".
* “More” (1969, directed by Barbet Schroeder, France) film about the adventures of hippies in Ibiza. Not very famous in the world, but has become very popular in France. The soundtrack used modified old and several new songs of the group.
* “Zabriskie Point” (Zabriskie Height) (1970, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, USA) four fragments of the group’s songs were used.
* "La Vallee" (1972, directed by Barbette Schroeder, France) this film is also known as "Obscured by Clouds" (Hidden by Clouds). It tells the story of hippies who travel to New Guinea in search of a lost valley. The band's music used in the film differs from that heard on the Obscured by Clouds album.
* “La Carrera Panamericana” (Pan American Highway) (April 13, 1992, director and producer Ian MacArthur, UK) documentary about the 2,500-mile auto race in Mexico. David Gilmour and Nick Mason took part in these competitions and were one of the sponsors. Pink Floyd provided the soundtrack for the film. In addition to several tracks from the album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason", several new tunes were recorded for the film, which were never included in the band's next studio album, although they surfaced on several pirated discs.

The British rock band Pink Floyd was founded in 1965 by fellow architecture students at the Polytechnic in London. The founders of the group: Richard Wright (keyboardist, vocalist), Roger Waters (bass guitarist, vocalist, Nick Mason (drummer) and their friend from Cambridge - Syd Barrett (guitarist). At first the group was called “The Pink Floyd Sound”, after which shortened the name in honor of blues musicians: Pink Anderson and Floyd Cancil. The article “The” was discarded only after the 70s, the group was assembled into the “Golden Line-up” with lead guitarist David Gilmour. clubs, where they played songs in the style of rhythm and blues. In 1966, the lecturer of the London school, Peter Jenner, who was delighted with the use of acoustic effects in the songs, became the group’s managers. at the moment it is one of the most influential and successful groups in rock music. In 1994, she held her last tour and quietly disbanded. Despite the collapse of the team, each member made a successful career for himself.

In August 1967, their debut album entitled “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” was released. The album's tracks carry a mixture of avant-garde and whimsical music. Not all participants could withstand the success that fell on the group. Due to excessive drug use, the leader, Syd Barrett, leaves the group. At that time, the second album was almost ready, but the group reviewed all the material and began creating it from scratch. Only one of Sid’s songs was included on the second album, “A Saucerful of Secrets,” “Jugband Blues.” After the release of the album “The Dark Side of the Moon”, the band was in its finest hour. The main idea of ​​the album is the pressure of the modern world on the human psyche. The album “The Wall” was also conceptual, and was in rotation for a whole year on all the world charts. It became very expensive and brought enormous popularity to the team. The group's last performance took place in 2005 at the Live 8 concert, where they showed a grandiose show that will forever remain in the memory of listeners. In total, the team sold about 74.5 million albums in the USA and about 300 million records worldwide. All the group's written albums contained elements of innovation, and the concert performances were thought out as a grandiose show.

Waters was the author of almost all of the group's songs, which is why he secured his status as the permanent leader. The group is famous for its philosophical texts and acoustic experiments. The first recordings were made in 1967 at Polydor, when the compositions “Arnold Layne” and “Interstellar Overdrive” were written. The first song was banned from the radio because it was about a transvestite who stole women's underwear from the clothesline at night. The most famous songs bands: “Time”, “Money”, “Wish You Where Here” and “Another Brick in the Wall”.

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In 1965, a new group appeared on the world musical horizon - Pink Floyd. It was founded by architecture students at the London Polytechnic, four rock enthusiasts: Roger Waters (vocals and bass guitar), Richard Wright (vocals and keyboards), Nick Mason (drums) and Syd Barrett (vocals and slide guitar). In 1968, when Barrett left the group, he was replaced by David Gilmour, a well-trained guitarist who also had vocal abilities.

From inception to collapse

The recognized head of the group, musically and administratively, was Roger Waters, a natural leader and talented poet. From 1973 to 1984, he single-handedly wrote the lyrics and was the main writer of the most acclaimed album, The Wall. Three significant events occurred for Pink Floyd in 1994, when the penultimate disc The Division Bell was released, the last tour took place and the unofficial breakup of the group. In its classic lineup, the Pink Floyd group took to the stage in the summer of 2005, at the Live 8 concert, for the last time.

A little history

And they met at the architecture department of the University of Westminster in London. There was already a group there, organized by students Cleve Metcalfe and Keith Nomble. We started playing with four of us, and it worked out well. Richard Wright then joined the quartet. The group was called Sigma 6 and played compositions by student Ken Chapman, who later became the band's impresario and songwriter.

In September 1963, Waters and Mason moved into an apartment that was rented out by one of the university teachers, Mike Leonard. The musicians began to gather there. As usual, some began to leave the group, and others began to come. In October, Roger's friend arrived and joined the band as a guitarist.

After Metcalfe and Nobel left in 1964, the group was left virtually without vocalists. They began to look for singers. Close soon introduced the musicians to Chris Dennis, who had a good blues timbre and could perform any composition with virtually no accompaniment. The renewed band changed its name to The Pink Floyd Sound. The musicians were satisfied, and Barrett was simply happy. He constantly reminded that the Pink Floyd group took its name from the names of bluesmen Floyd Council and Pink Anderson.

Swing intonations

Thanks to Chris Dennis, the repertoire could now include spirituals, gospel, and even soul. In the early sixties of the last century, blues was held in special esteem, and musicians took advantage of this circumstance. However, the Pink Floyd group (its members) decided not to play pure blues, so as not to become another performer of “black” music. They only inserted a blues rhythmic pattern into the composition, but nevertheless it turned out very beautiful.

The concerts of the Pink Floyd group went on in a continuous series, the public liked the young musicians who tried to create something unusual. Thus, the group quickly became popular, first in London and then outside the UK.

Timbre and its meaning

When performing in clubs, the musicians played mainly rhythm and blues hits, which were well known to everyone. This technique was fully justified, and one day a certain Peter Jenner drew attention to them. This man was not a professional musician; he taught economics at one of the London schools. But he was struck by the rare purity of timbre of the acoustics that Wright managed to create together with Barrett.

Jenner became a friend of the musicians and began promoting them. By the fall of 1966, the Pink Floyd group had become one of the most popular and successful.

First recordings

In January, two recordings were made at Polydor studio: Interstellar Overdrive and Arnold Layne. Then the musicians entered into a contract with another studio - EMI, and the recordings, which were made on good equipment, were now successfully replicated and went on sale. Thus began a commercial era, quite successful if you consider album sales in the millions.

Not all participants withstood the burden of success; the first to be “retired” was Syd Barrett, who abused drugs. The guitarist went to live with his mother and began to lead the life of a hermit until he died of cancer.

In 1973, the stellar album "The Dark Side of the Moon" was released, which became the quintessence of the group's creativity and a powerful catalyst for the future.

In the early eighties of the last century, the Pink Floyd group began to stage incredible performances on stage, with many special noise and visual effects. A show was created in which the music could no longer be heard. Lasers, balls and figures, pyrotechnics - all this destroyed the group that rock music fans had known for many years.

"Pink Floyd", group composition

At the time of the collapse, the musicians worked in the following composition:

• Roger Waters - vocals, bass guitar.
• Wright Richard - keyboards, vocals.
• Nick Mason - percussion instruments.
• - vocalist, guitar.

Most famous albums

• "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967).
• "Music from the Film" (1969).
• "Mother's Heart" (1970).
• "Cloudy Weather" (1972).
• "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1973).
• "Animals" (1977).
• "The Wall" (1979).
• "Endless River" (2014).

Pink Floyd's albums sold 74.5 million copies in America, which is a kind of record, considering the very short term sales In the world, excluding solo compositions, the albums sold almost 300 million.