Pink Floyd

[Brerg]

This team does not need to be introduced to anyone. However, for those who do not know the achievements of this band, below I present a short story of the gurpa (taken from the website devoted to PF).

First, however, my opinion about this band ... I honestly say that this is not the music that I meet on a daily basis ... I prefer a little "always" melodies ... But this band can turn into wonderful, epic songs in an amazing way. climates ... create such epochal works as "Dark side of the moon" or "The wall". You cannot deny them greatness and genius ... PF's concerts attracted millions of people around the world not only with their wonderful setting (whoever has not seen the Pulse from Berlin ... what is going on there) but most of all the brilliant music that PF gave us for long years ... Currently this band does not exist anymore ...

The story of Pink Floyd began in 1965, when three architecture students: Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright decided to play together. The beginnings did not mean that this band (initially named Sigma Six) would one day become the largest group in the history of music. Three friends performed at student parties in order to get away from the gray everyday life. The meeting of Syd Barret changed the course of history. It was he who gave the band the name Pink Floyd Sound, which was later shortened to Pink Floyd. During this period, Barret was the team's undisputed leader. He was once asked where the name of the group came from. Barret replied that he had reached onto the record shelf in the house and had picked at random two of them. Then, without hesitation, he combined the names of the artists (two American bluesmen: Pinek Anderson and Floyd Council) into an intriguing whole ... I'm not sure if such an explanation can be accepted - after all, how would young artists know the recordings of rare, hard-to-reach works by Anderson and Council? In fact, it is not known where the name of the band came from. The first major concert took place at the famous London club Marquee on March 13, 1966. There they were spotted by Peter Jenner, who later became the manager of the group (together with a gentleman named Andrew King). Pink Floyd members wanted to negotiate a £ 1,000 investment in new hardware. Managed to. Jenner and King's first success was to provide the band with regular touring activities. At that time, Pink Floyd's concerts began to turn into great psychedelic shows. One of them was a performance in an old locomotive shed - interest in it exceeded all expectations. This is how the Pink Floyd group became known. Only in London for now.

The next step was to sign a contract with a record company. After much reflection, it was decided to use EMI. Then the song Arnold Layne was released on a single, which after some time hit the charts. The band was able to go into the studio and start working on the first big album. This is how The Piper At The Gates of Dawn was born. Working on this album was a completely new experience for the band - so far they only played concerts. This album heralded the group's later style. A group that grew out of the blues and became a psychedelic phenomenon ... Everything was going smoothly. Well, maybe not entirely. Syd Barret had to be removed from the team. A man who made it possible to get out of small, smoky clubs to larger stages. It was not an easy decision for the other team members, but unfortunately a necessary one. For Barret was an undisciplined man, and he fell head over heels into drugs. Jenner and King wanted Barret to stay. However, at the end of 1967, the irrevocable decision was made: a second guitarist should be engaged with Pink Floyd. This is how David Gilmour joined the team. Back then, no one believed that without Barret they would be able to achieve anything. In particular, Jenner and King, who without hesitation relinquished their duties as Pink Floyd managers and handed them over to Bryan Morris, the group's current agent. They tried to pursue Syd's solo career. Unfortunately, nothing came of it. Syd's ability to compose because of drugs diminished to almost nothing. After joining the Glimoura group, A Saucerful of Secrets was released, the second studio album by Pink Floyd.

The album that confirmed the genius of musicians in manipulating the mood. For example, the title track, which has something of cosmic music in it, is proof of this. Some of the compositions are regular songs, such as Jugband Blues, written by Barret. I advise you to listen carefully to A Saucerful of Secrets. It's worth it. This cannot be said about the next release, Pink Floyd's weakest album - More. This is music to a gloomy film about the adventures of a young French woman plunging into a drug addiction. More was recorded in a very short time, it was a contract job. And as such she is just weak. Ummagumma. This word is not in any dictionary of the world. Which means no one knows. This is the name of Pink Floyd's fourth achievement. This album cannot be called rock for any treasures of the world. If not rock, then what? I do not know. Ummagumma (or rather its studio part, as the release also includes a concert album with already known songs) is strange. It is not a team work - every song was composed by someone else. These various, bizarre compositions seem to make no sense after the first listen. Only after the first listen ... For me it is the best Pink Floyd album of this period. I advise you to listen and not be discouraged at the beginning. It's a really great album, although Mason in 1994 claimed it was unsuccessful to say the least. Another fruit of wandering in the dark, Waters says, was the otherwise great Atom Heart Mother. The title track was previously played as The Amazing Pudding. The instrumental composition with an orchestral arrangement makes a great impression. The person who shaped the piece was Ron Geesin, a pianist, a man outside of Pink Floyd. The entire album is actually a symphonic poem. The genesis of the title is interesting. Well, one of the musicians opened a random newspaper. There was just such a title there ... Song titles are not important. We might as well number them, 'Wright had said once. Atom Heart Mother gave Pink Floyd star status. The following releases only strengthened this position. The place of the best team of all time.

After a while, EMI's bosses began demanding a new album. Pink Floyd's musicians, however, had no ideas for anything new. They holed up at the Abbey Road studio, hoping that the atmosphere would mobilize them to work. This is how the song Echoes was created from small remains, one of the most brilliant in the history of the group. This over twenty-four-minute composition captivates with its sound, atmosphere - everything. One of the group's masterpieces, a starting point for the ensemble's later compositions. Another fascinating track from Meddle is One of These Days - one of the few played with almost hard rock fury. The whole album is a piece of work that is worth starting with listening to this kind of music. The year 1972 brought another "fast" album, Obscured by Clouds. Like More, it's music for the movie. Equally weak, several days of work. The band was currently working on their greatest work, Dark Side of The Moon. Obscured by Clouds was made of rejects. It is worth mentioning the amazing concert that took place during this period. The group played in the ancient amphitheater in Pompeii. Pink Floyd in Pompeii, because this is what the recording of this event is called, must be watched - there is nothing to write about it. Dark Side of The Moon is undoubtedly not only Pink Floyd's greatest work, but one of the greatest achievements in the history of music. It is the fruit of many months of exhausting work. This suite is a statement about the meaning or nonsense of existence. You cannot write about the meaning of individual pieces, because everything forms one coherent whole. Despite the fact that, for example, Money has become almost a classic hit. In the first days of recordings, Waters offered everyone who happened to be in the Abbey Road studio a kind of psycho fun. Everyone - even the doorman or the cleaner - was asked what he thought about the dark side of the moon, death, and a few other things. These statements inspired the creation of the final version of the album. The main author of the texts, not devoid of autobiographical threads, was Roger Waters. While working on the album, he showed - not for the first time - proof of his morbid ambition, which will be fully visible only during the production of The Wall. The Dark Side of the Moon was created at a time when it seemed that quadraphony would replace stereophony - it reveals the secret of the perfect harmony of effects and music by Alan Parsons, sound engineer. This album is a great work, one of my loved ones, to which I return often and with great joy.

Interestingly, in 1972 (the premiere of Dark Side of The Moon), critics did not understand its size or significance. The album brought the band not only joy (by the way: to this day it has sold over 28 million copies, and remained on the US bestseller list until the end of the 1980s (sic)), but also doubts about their own abilities. The success of Dark Side Of The Moon exceeded all expectations and hence the musicians' fear that they will still be able to create something valuable. The long-delayed recording session was not organized until January 1975. The pressure for the success of the previous album was so overwhelming that none of the musicians wanted to work. Surprisingly, the result of this creative impotence was a wonderful, even outstanding album - Wish You Were Here. According to the musicians, the greatest album by Pink Floyd. The lyrics are an expression of confusion, helplessness and emotional emptiness. These lyrics, so depressing, irritated some listeners. Another interesting fact is that in the Have a Cigar recording we hear a man from outside Pink Floyd - Roy Harper, a friend of Gilmour. For Roger Waters was at the time voice indisposed, and Gilmour refused to sing a song he thought was too personal. The next chapter in the history of Pink Floyd opens with the album Animals. At that time, the music market was dominated by the punk revolt - many artists from the generation of Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour succumbed to it and ended their artistic activity. In the case of Pink Floyd that was fortunately not the case, however, the musicians were no longer as sure of success as they used to be. It was decided to attract the attention of the media. In Germany, a large pig-shaped balloon was made, the photo of which was later used on the album cover, and the balloon itself at concerts. On December 3, 1977, a flying pig was released into the air for a suitable photo to be taken. It aroused great interest, just like the album, which has a unique atmosphere. For example, I love to listen to it at night ... The songs are simpler than before and the lyrics are very long and even more depressing than on Wish You Were Here. Waters dressed people in animal skins to highlight all their faults and weaknesses. Another great album ... Two weeks before the release of Animals, the group began touring.

Roger Waters' megalomania then showed itself in all its glory. It was close to the break-up of the band - after the tour, the musicians parted ways. David Gilmour and Richard Wright began working on their solo albums. Waters then worked intensively on two cycles: The Wall and The Pros and Cons of Hitch-Hiking. Were it not for the financial frauds of the broker to whom the band entrusted almost all the savings and which put the musicians on the brink of bankruptcy, perhaps Animals would remain Pink Floyd's last album. Due to the difficult situation, a decision was made during the meeting of all four. The band resumes. However, Waters made it clear: he will be the creator of the entire repertoire. Well, he said that he had everything ready and introduced his friends to the two cycles he had created. The Wall was chosen because of its more universal pronunciation. At that time, the conflict between Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour turned into an open war, which is why Waters engaged Bob Ezrin in the production of the album, who had a significant impact on the final shape of the work (his idea is, among others, to use orchestral sounds). The relationship between Waters and Gilmour became so strained that two recording studios were rented so that the two gentlemen could work separately. At one point, Waters demanded Wright's departure, in his opinion not very creative. It was just another symptom of his obsession with governing. It happened. From then on, Rick Wright only played as a session musician, then he left for good. He did not return until 1987. Despite all the quarrels and disputes, the album was released on the date set by EMI. And it achieved incredible success - despite its dissimilarity. A success comparable only to Dark Side of The Moon, the album has sold over twenty million copies. The texts (I refer to the translations) are even more important than the music. They tell about a man - an artist, more sensitive than others, and thus not always understood. The protagonist, shocked by his father's death in the war (autobiographical plot - Waters' father actually died in this way), broken by the lack of contact with his mother and the situation at school, separates himself from society with the title Wall. She shares thoughts of suicide. The hero gradually plunges into the abyss of madness. The artist's visions turn into fascist rallies ...

Based on The Wall, a theater performance and a film were created. The show was the greatest show in the history of the group. It has been exhibited only 29 times and only in 4 places around the world, corresponding to the conditions of Roger Waters. The most important element of the performance was, of course, a high wall of cardboard bricks, growing on the stage. After Waters' hysterical scream Demolish the wall! the structure fell apart with a bang. The idea of ​​screen adaptation was born before the album was released. At first it was supposed to be just a report from the performance. The directing was undertaken, quite accidentally, by Alan Parker, who changed the concept of the work. He decided to make an acting film, but replaced dialogues with music. The main role - Pinek - was played by Bob Geldof. Waters could not imagine anyone taking the role away from him, but it turned out that he had no acting talent. You should have found someone else. It was Geldof who performed his task brilliantly. I will not write about the impressions from the film - I will not spoil the effect. You absolutely must see it, because it makes a great impression, it is remembered for a long time. I watched it a dozen times with more and more enthusiasm. He returned to The Wall Waters idea in 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He put on a performance, unfortunately without his friends from Pink Floyd. Their paths parted a few years earlier, after an album with a very significant title. The Final Cut. Waters' dominance became even more significant when recording The Final Cut than when recording The Wall. The album, compared to the previous ones, is quite weak (it was created out of rejections from The Wall sessions), but with flashes of genius. It was the last work of Waters - Gilmour - Mason. These three gentlemen never met in the studio or on stage again. After The Final Cut was released, all the musicians started working on their solo albums. Let's give the floor to Gilmour: Neither of us wants to work with the other two on any project, he said at the time. By the way, The Pros and Cons of Hitch-Hiking Waters and About Face by Gilmour are very good. Especially About Face, full of innovative ideas and colors, deserves attention. However, it did not sell well.

Perhaps then, discouraged by the failure, Gilmour decided to recruit Pink Floyd, whom he worked for twenty years to fame. He was helped - paradoxically - by Roger Waters. Officially, Pink Floyd has not been dissolved. Steve O'Roure's musicians and manager were united by a common company - Pink Floyd Music Limited. O'Rourke could theoretically get Waters to attend a recording session if the other two requested it. Waters could free himself from his obligations only by breaking the contract, that is, leaving Pink Floyd. He did so, as he did not expect Gilmour and Mason to be able to revive the band without him. However, it happened otherwise. The idea for the album was born in the mind of David Gilmour in the spring of 1986, as he looked through the sketches of songs that were once prepared. He hired Nick Mason and Rick Wright (as session musician so far) and as many as a dozen additional musicians. Despite Waters' departure to A Momentary Lapse of Reason, there is no shortage of atmosphere that can be called the magic of Pink Floyd ... Some people liked the release very much, few less. I am delighted with the album. There is a lot of Pink Floyd style known from Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here or Meddle. Upon news of the band's resumption of operations without him, Waters reacted immediately. He tried to regain the rights to the name Pink Floyd in court. One day he broke aboard Astoria, where A Momentary Lapse of Reason was being recorded, and demanded that Gilmour sign the album with his name. Of course, nothing happened. Waters failed to harm the team. At best, it was clear how much effort it took for Gilmour to reactivate the group. The tremendous success of the tour also contradicted the opinion that a band without Waters is worth nothing (by the way: there is still a "camp" of staunch followers of Waters' Pink Floyd, rejecting everything created after his departure). Several concerts have been recorded. This is how Delicate Sound of Thunder was created, an album summarizing the band's career and showing it in great shape. For the first time in a long time, there were no conflicts. But unexpectedly, the band fell silent. For several years.

He did not speak until 1994 with The Division Bell, which looks even more like older recordings than A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Gilmour realized that his appointment as the team's undisputed leader would lead to conflicts. Therefore, he did not make Waters' mistake. The music on The Division Bell was not created from ready-made material invented by one of the musicians, but as a result of a jam-session lasting several weeks. The album was created in an atmosphere of exceptional harmony, regained after years of conflicts. Despite this, the texts were dominated by the problem of people's inability to communicate, which is symbolized by the cover - next to the one from Animals, probably my favorite. The band went on another tour. This time he gave up rock theater, concentrating on the lights. He documented it with a film and a two-disc album PULSE. I recommend - even more interesting than Delicate Sound of Thunder presents the group's activities so far. Especially since Gilmour reached for the Barrett Astronomy Domine from the first LP. Unfortunately, the paths of Gilmour, Mason, and Wright parted again.

[Matsui]

Wow, you persuaded me to get to know this band better. So far I have only heard one CD and it was a long time ago. Now I'm about to get acquainted with The Division Bell

[Vataes]

A brilliant band, an amazing Gilmour play, I don't know if there is a guitarist who can play beautiful solos to subtle ballads ... and very good Waters lyrics

[Oneia]

I guess I'll have to read my dad's discography, as it's a shame to admit, but I don't know much of the Floyd songs ...

[Rincewind1]

I know only one song about PF (or so I think) - which has a clip with hammers walking (sorry - I don't write the title, but I don't want to cut it) - and the song is very good and one of the few that I would like to have on a compilation of music of all kinds.

[Supergirl]

Another brick in the wall ... I'm surprised you don't know, because it's the anthem of all the students ....

[Eredin]

Great song.

[Poison Ivy]

when I was shopping today, it flew in the store - this is probably one of the most common that is played on the radio ...

[Hawking]

I don't know a lot of the band's songs, but the most memorable ones are "another brick ....." and my favorite Pink Floyd's "High hopes" - these background bells are lovely .....

[fabulousfreesia]

Lynch me, but I don't like Another Brick In The Wall very much. But High Hopes is wonderful.