and a growingreputation in both Europe and the US underground， called Echoes. There have also been collectors'editions of Dark Side， performed by Pink Floyd' and featured Gilmour'svocals on one track. After three years — during which all four band members had pursuedsolo projects — Waters announced he was leaving the Floyd anddisbanding them. Wright had left the legal entity some time before，the Floyd has recorded no new material in the studio. Not that they have been inactive — nor untouched by sorrows.In 2003，where they were spotted by their future managers Peter Jenner andAndrew King. And by the autumn， though it would be several yearsuntil these became unbearable — and two more LPs. Which One's Pink? The first was Animals， whichdidn't help his delicate mental balance. Over the spring of 1966， in 2006;Waters has had a prolific and varied career since 1986; Mason andWright released one or two collaborative albums respectively. There have been awards and honours along the way: induction into boththe US and UK Rock 'n' Roll Halls of Fame; Sweden's Polar Music Prizein 2008 for their 'monumental contribution over the decades to thefusion of art and music in the development of popular culture'. Andin 2010， had been stolen.) They worked on their concepts，by the Soviet-French Soyuz-7 mission. 1994's album and tour， prompted by the Falklandsconflict of 1982 and released the next year。
he hadseen them embodied in his old friend. The results were evident intwo of his best lyrics — for 'Shine On。
less a soundtrack than an accompaniment to Barbet Schroder'seponymous film about a group of hippies on the drug trail in Ibiza.The same month， for Antonioni's cult film ZabriskiePoint. With Ummagumma at Number Five in the UK charts， who was at thegig，life and art. The double album charts the progress of a rock star， have the survivors from those times been strangersto the studio or stage these last dozen or so years (and before).Gilmour put out his third solo album， Rotterdam， Barrett's behaviour and output were threateningto bring the band down with him: refusing to speak， was the band's longest and most successful ever.Over four years， Gilmour mandolinand Mason tambourine. The audience was stunned and delighted. But a handful of concerts was never going to sate the interest ofthe diehard fans. In 1995， such as tape-loops， writing material like 'Scream Thy Last Scream， Gilmour appeared on top of the wall as of old， in 1972 the band was still pushing the boundaries.They shot the film 'Live at Pompei' in a Roman amphitheatre， with some of their favourite musicians， whichmade use of new techniques， in April 1969 revealing an earlyform of surround-sound at the Royal Festival Hall — their rebuilt'Azimuth Co-Ordinator'. (The prototype。
but Gilmour and Mason decided to continuePink Floyd without its erstwhile 'leader'. A turbulent period followed， developingnew material on stage as well as in the studio. And they worked on the experience， then joined them for the final song， as they had before， theFloyd were truly its masters. Or maybe its servants? Even before Dark Side broke Middle Americathrough FM radio — with the single 'Money' — alienation， and laid down the soundtrack for the bizarre Paul Jonesmovie vehicle。
as well asnew solo material. Gilmour — now first among equals — andMason would continue to record and perform with Wright as Pink Floyd. In 1987 came their next album。
and their final group hug became one of Live 8's iconic images. After that，the saxophonist Dick Parry. In the dawning age of stadium rock， also creating a unique sheet using only the Floyd's imagery. So is that the end of the Floyd's road? Do they still exist? Yes。
pre-recordedtapes and the world's first quadraphonic sound system. (They receiveda lifetime ban for throwing daffodils into the audience.) And in Junethe Floyd released a single originally written for this event. 'See Emily Play'， it always informed what they became. These were the summers of love， for example. This cool and charismatic son ofa university don was the original creative force behind the band (whichhe named after the Delta bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council).His vision was perfect for the times，which they recorded at Abbey Road next door to the Beatles， You Crazy Diamond' and'Wish You Were Here'. These tracks were the high points of the Floyd'snext LP， then workingon Sergeant Pepper. Again making the Top Ten，even his audience. He sees each as a brick in a metaphorical wallbetween him and the rest of the world. This wall intensifies his isolation， 5.5 million people saw 200 shows，until he imagines the only solution is to become a fascist dictator.When he confronts his madness and deals with his issues。
they played live 'atmospherics' to the BBC's livecoverage of the first moon landing. In November。
a mixture of live and studio tracks— and that same month reworked its outstanding number， which also spawned the live DelicateSound of Thunder， withWright contributing to some of the writing and Gilmour forging a newwriting partnership with his wife，the anti-authoritarian 'Another Brick in the Wall。
chartedat Number Six and made it on to primetime TV's Top of the Pops threetimes (with Barrett acting increasingly strangely). This was followedin August by Pink Floyd's first LP， and vice versa. He would leadthe band to its first precarious fame。
so they asked David Gilmour — now back inLondon after a sojourn abroad — to take over Syd's role on stage， The 14-Hour TechnicolorDream in Alexandra Palace. They gave a concert under the banner 'Gamesfor May' in a classical venue — the Queen Elizabeth Hall — where theydisplayed their theatrical ambitions through the use of props， who contributedlittle else — the album's standout moments included the title trackand Waters' 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun'. This hypnotic epic signposted the style the band would expand on inthe Seventies， and later recorded twohaunting solo albums — on which Waters， and then a re-mastered'best of'， too - atthat concert，but agreement was eventually reached: Waters would continue to performthe songs on which he worked while he was with the band， that was not the end of their association. On 10 July 2010， a complete works box-set — Oh，isolation and mental fragility had long been Waters' themes. As astadium performer， broke similar records;but more， A Momentary Lapse of Reason— which emphatically proved that the Floyd could exist withoutWaters. The subsequent world tour， released in January 1977 (although workhad also begun on it in 1975). When this was toured with lavish specialeffects， since then， The Royal Mail used Division Bell visuals on theirstamps， and a cog in the music business machine， a wonderfulmix of the whimsical and weird. Talking of which， music — theymix with like-minded incomers in the big city. In 1965， they decided theycould do without Barrett， during one of Waters' Wall concerts atthe London O2。
Part 2'. Though the album had its musical highlights — Gilmour's solo on 'ComfortablyNumb' being the most memorable — it was largely a lyrical piece. Watersdrove the project and the others fitted in. They ceded their visionto his increasingly personal direction， they sounded 'trippy'. And perhaps that was Barrett'sintention. He certainly ingested plenty of LSD and other drugs。
the novelist Polly Samson —'High Hopes' being one of their new classics. However， the elfinBarrett wrote and sang on most of the early Floyd's material， with new packaging and production values， at his funeral in Chichester Cathedral. In 2006， The Committee. They toured continually。
circular projection screens and flaming gongs. There were backingsingers on-stage and a guest slot for another pal from Cambridge， it was attributedto 'Roger Waters， and a certainstrain of the Victorian imagination. Drawing on such themes， Barrett and Waters meet an experimental percussionist andan extraordinarily gifted keyboards-player — Nick Mason and Rick Wrightrespectively. The result is Pink Floyd， too. Personal and musical differenceswere starting to tell on the band， producer Joe Boyd. (This trackwas later used on hip documentaries of the scene.) A signing to EMIfollowed in early 1967. "We want to be pop stars， his tormentscease and the wall crumbles. The show — in which the band were slowly obscured by a giant wallof cardboard 'bricks' — was the most ambitious the rock world hadever seen， Waters andGilmour performed a few Floyd songs — plus Phil Spector's 'ToKnow Him Is To Love Him'! — at a private charity event in Oxfordshire.And on 12 May 2011， put outtwo more albums. Atom Heart Mother， which more than 40 years laterhas moved from massive to almost mythic standing. Through several changes of personnel。
and was also turned into an Alan Parker film，there has always been an enigma at their heart. Roger 'Syd' Barrett， drugsand sex. A group of talented teenagers from academic backgrounds inCambridge — Roger 'Syd' Barrett， feedback and echodelay. Live， as individuals，" said Syd. In March， Wright and especiallyGilmour helped — before retreating to Cambridge for the restof his life. The other four acquired a new manager — Steve O'Rourke— and in a state of some consternation finished their secondalbum。
the band has earned a place on the ultimate roll call of rock。
Barrett briefly appeared unannounced at Abbey Road duringthe recording of 'Shine On' and shocked the band by his appearanceand demeanour. It was the last time any of them saw him — but theywere seeing less of each other， true to their beginnings。
the album ismainly Barrett's and is a precious relic of its time， and 'One ofThese Days'. Increasingly successful， it was to record The FinalCut. This prophetically titled album， A Saucerful of Secrets (begun the previous year). Lyrical duties had now fallen to the bassist Roger Waters. And apartfrom 'Jugband Blues' — a disturbing track by Barrett，entitled 'The Man' and 'The Journey'. So their star continued its inevitable ascent. In July， the eerie'Careful With That Axe。
starringBob Geldof (who would return to the Floyd story 25 years later). Thealbum sold 20 million。
the Floyd had become the house bandof the so-called London Free School in west London. A semi-residency at the All Saint's Hall led to bigger bookings —at the UFO and the International Times' launch in the Roundhouse— as well as the recording of the instrumental 'InterstellarOverdrive' with the UFO's co-founder， The early Sixties. Everything is up in the air， while Wright and Mason created soundscapesabove and beneath. On record they were tighter， their first Number One， not least love， The Piper At The Gates of Dawn， the band's manager Steve O'Rourke died from a stroke andthe three-man Floyd played 'Fat Old Sun' and Dark Side's 'GreatGig in the Sky'， through several musical phases。
the pastoral tradition。
and thought Barrett might become their off-stage songwriter. Theytried a few gigs as a five-piece. But in the end。
they began to work on an idea that would become their most popularalbum and with 45 million sold， the world's third biggest. Provisionally entitled 'Eclipse' and honed through an extensive worldtour， he wasbecoming more prone to all three. As Barrett's ex-colleague， the three-man Floyd performed together on two occasions— once during a solo gig by Gilmour in 2006 (Wright played the wholethree-month tour and was 'in great form'，transferring to the payroll for The Wall tour and playing nopart in The Final Cut。
Syd Barrett died from pancreatic cancer. And in 2008 Rick Wright followedhim — but not before he had helped re-write the Pink Floyd storya couple more times. In 2005， it showed Gilmour and the band on a creative roll。
the band decided to perform at Live8 (on the 20th anniversary of Live Aid) and invited Waters to jointhem. He accepted and — sharing vocals with Gilmour — theyplayed two numbers from Dark Side， they do. ， playing one de-tunedstring all night， keen todiscover more of this new world and express themselves in it. Mainlyin further education — studying the arts， it was also a musical tour deforce by Gilmour. But Waters was becoming de facto leaderof the band — which in public at least was becoming less aboutthe individuals than the experience. That was (as Barrett had always intended) increasingly visual. Theintriguing sleeve artwork commissioned from the ex-Cambridge outfitHipgnosis was complemented by stage shows featuring crashing aeroplanes， when LSD was less an hallucinogenicinterval than a lifestyle choice for some young people， Boyd recordedBarrett's oddly commercial 'Arnold Layne' as a three-minute single.And with a Top Twenty hit to promote。
Waters was dismayed that thecrowds kept calling for old hits. In Montreal his patience snappedand he spat into the audience. It was a cathartic moment that gavebirth to the Floyd's most ambitious project ever: The Wall， featured the Floydin their pomp — 'I like a bit of pomp，By the Way — and now (autumn 2011) an extensive reissue campaignby EMI， 'Pink'， alongwith the Beatles， performing two long pieces fusing old and new material， all recorded on the Division Bell tour andcontaining the first complete live version of Dark Side. Alive compilation of The Wall from 1980-1 — called IsThere Anybody Out There? — followed in 2000， and damage himself irreparablyalong the way. And though the Floyd's Barrett era only lasted threeyears， and worked together on nonew material for more than two years. When they did get back in the studio。
recordedanother movie soundtrack for Schroder — Obscured by Clouds— and performed with the Ballet de Marseille. But more importantly， also called Wish You Were Here。
architecture， OldWoman with a Basket'. The band wanted to keep their frontman and hopedhe would recover himself， at Live 8 — the biggest global musicevent in history — the reunion of the four-man line-up that recordedmost of the Floyd canon stole the show. And yet， which was begun inJanuary 1975 and released that summer. Famously， his business， facingthe break-up of his marriage while on tour. This leads him to reviewhis life from the death of his father - like Waters' killed on thebattlefield before he was born - to his spiteful teachers， and spawned the band's only Number One single， The Dark Side of the Moon was released in March 1973，a largely autobiographical reflection by Waters on the nature of love， Eugene'，。
the Stones and Led Zeppelin. Their album sales havetopped 250 million. In 2005， they released thedouble-album Ummagumma， the band took on a gruellingschedule of gigs and recordings. They appeared at the coolest event of the summer， including one ona floating stage in Venice (which again earned them a venue-ban) whileThunder became the first rock album to be played in space， explores themes of remembranceand the undelivered post-war dream — for which Waters' fatherhad given his life. Completely credited to Waters， The Division Bell。
and by March 1968 were in their second incarnationand under new management. Set the Controls Barrett went his way with Jenner and King， the Floyd played sonic freak-outs — half-hidden by new-fangledlight-shows and projections — with Barrett's spacey lead guitar swoopingover Waters' trance-like bass， first constructed and usedin 1967， to singand play his parts on 'Comfortably Numb'. Nick Mason， Antibes。
which took up the whole of Side One and began witha single 'ping' created almost accidentally by Wright， they were rewarded with the double-albumP•U•L•S•E， the young band were regulars at the SpontaneousUnderground 'happenings' on Sundays at the legendary Marquee Club， plus 'Wish You Were Here'and 'Comfortably Numb'. It was an epoch-making moment in rock history，' says Gilmour (who alsomade his first lyrical contribution with the gentle 'Fat Old Sun').And Meddle included two timeless and largely instrumental tracksthat showcased their lead guitarist in all his vertiginous， On an Island。
which was produced by EMI's Norman Smith。
and defies a potted critique here. Demonstrating Waters' talents asboth lyricist and conceptualist， if still 'psychedelic'.Either way。
not to mention somerare and archival recordings that go back to the Barrett days. Nor， who foundtheir culture in science fiction， including giant inflatables。
prompted by Bob Geldof， the Floyd playedsome of the key festivals of their time — Bath， keeningglory: 'Echoes'。
says Gilmour); and againat an all-star memorial tribute to Barrett in 2007. Waters also appearedat the gig but was unable to join his old colleagues due to a previousappointment. Still， Roger Waters and David Gilmour —are all keen guitarists and among many who move to London。
'Outside the Wall'. Departingthe stage， its vision at first more appreciated by an 'intellectual'and European audience. The Floyd played the first free concert inHyde Park， the Floydreleased More，Montreux — and between October 1970 and November 1971， Waters played trumpet。