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Pink Floyd

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Pink Floyd was formed in London in 1965 by Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. The name came from two blues musicians whose records Barrett owned: Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. The group began as a psychedelic band in the London underground and then became one of the most important names in progressive rock, in which the album became a continuous whole.

Music and breakthrough

In clubs such as the UFO Club, Pink Floyd played under light shows projected onto the band. The debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) opens with Barrett's Astronomy Domine. At the end of 1967 or the beginning of 1968 the guitarist David Gilmour joined, and in 1968 Barrett, whose mental health was deteriorating, left. Waters became the main lyricist. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) is one continuous work about time, money, pressure and madness, with songs that flow into one another. The prism on the sleeve came from the design studio Hipgnosis. The album stayed in the American album chart for more than fourteen years. Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979), with the hit Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), followed.

Influence

In 1985 Waters left; Gilmour and Mason carried on under the name Pink Floyd. Barrett died in 2006, Wright in 2008. In 2005 Gilmour, Waters, Mason and Wright stood on stage together one last time, at Live 8 in London. The band showed that a rock album could be a composition, with studio sounds and effects as part of the music.

Line-up

Core members only; touring and session musicians are not listed.

Barrett era 1965–1968
Classic line-up 1968–1979
Trio era 1979–1985
Gilmour era 1987–2014

Listening

Listening tip. Money is largely in 7/4 time. The rhythm begins with a tape loop of coins, a cash register and tearing paper. Count along: after seven beats the loop starts again. At the guitar solo the band switches to an ordinary four.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (en): Pink Floyd
  2. Wikipedia (en): The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
  3. Wikipedia (en): The Dark Side of the Moon
  4. Wikipedia (en): Money (Pink Floyd song
Categories: ArtistsPsychedelic rockProgressive rock