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| Pink
Floyd |
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Pink
Floyd are an English rock band (formed
in 1965 in Cambridge, England) that
earned recognition for their psychedelic
rock music, and, as they evolved,
for their avant-garde progressive
rock music. Pink Floyd were known
for philosophical lyrics, sonic
experimentation, innovative cover
art, and elaborate live shows. One
of rock music's most successful
and influential acts, the group
has sold over 250 million albums
worldwide, and an estimated 73.5
million albums in the United States
alone. |
Pink
Floyd had moderate success in the late
1960s as a psychedelic band led by the
late Syd Barrett, however, Barrett's erratic
behaviour forced his colleagues to eventually
replace him with guitarist and singer
David Gilmour. After Barrett's departure,
singer and bass player Roger Waters gradually
became the band's leader and main songwriter.
Under Waters, the band recorded several
concept albums, achieving worldwide success
with The Dark Side of the Moon (1973),
Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977),
and The Wall (1979). In 1985, Waters declared
Pink Floyd defunct, but the remaining
members, led by Gilmour, continued recording
and touring under the name, enjoying commercial
success and eventually reaching a settlement
with Waters.
Waters
performed with the band for the first
time in 24 years, on July 2, 2005 at the
London Live 8 concert, playing to Pink
Floyd's biggest audience ever. In early
February 2006, Gilmour gave an interview
to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica,
indicating that the band would no longer
tour or produce any new material,although
various members still plan on producing
solo or collaborative material. The possibility
of an appearance similar to Live 8 has
not been ruled out by either Mason,Gilmour,or
Waters.
Pink
Floyd evolved from an earlier band,
formed in 1965, which was at various
times called Sigma 6, The Megga Deaths,
The Screaming Abdabs, and The Abdabs.
When this band split up, some members
— guitarists Rado "Bob" Klose
and Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason,
and wind instrument player Rick Wright
— formed a new band called 'Tea Set'.
After a brief stint with a lead vocalist
named Chris Dennis,guitarist and vocalist
Syd Barrett joined the band, with Waters
moving to bass.
When
'Tea Set' found themselves on the same
bill as another band with the same name,
Barrett came up with the alternative
name The Pink Floyd Sound, after two
blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd
Council.For a time after this they oscillated
between 'Tea Set' and 'The Pink Floyd
Sound', with the latter name eventually
winning out. The Sound was dropped fairly
quickly, but the definite article was
still used occasionally for several
years afterward; David Gilmour is known
to have referred to the group as "The
Pink Floyd" as late as 1984,though
they never released any recordings under
that name.
In
the early days, the band covered rhythm
and blues staples such as "Louie,
Louie", but by the time the Pink
Floyd name was entrenched, they had
gained notoriety for their psychedelic
interpretations, with extended improvised
sections and 'spaced out' solos.
The
heavily jazz-oriented Klose left the
band to become a photographer shortly
before Pink Floyd started recording,
leaving an otherwise stable lineup with
Barrett on guitar and lead vocals, Waters
on bass guitar and backing vocals, Mason
on drums and percussion, and Wright
switching to keyboards and backing vocals.
Barrett
soon started writing his own songs,
influenced by American and British psychedelic
rock with his own brand of whimsical
humour. Pink Floyd became a favourite
in the underground movement, playing
at such prominent venues as the UFO
club, the Marquee Club and the Roundhouse.
At
the end of 1966 the band were invited
to contribute music for Peter Whitehead's
film Tonite Let's All Make Love in London;
they were filmed recording two tracks
("Interstellar Overdrive"
and "Nick's Boogie") in January
1967. Although hardly any of this music
made it onto the film, the session was
eventually released as London 1966/1967
in 2005.
As
their popularity increased, the band
members formed Blackhill Enterprises
in October 1966, a six-way business
partnership with their managers, Peter
Jenner and Andrew King,issuing the singles
"Arnold Layne" (sample (help·info))
in March 1967 and "See Emily Play"
in June 1967. "Arnold Layne"
reached number 20 in the UK Singles
Chart, and "See Emily Play"
reached number 6,granting the band its
first TV appearance on Top of the Pops
in July 1967.
Released
in August 1967, the band's debut album,
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, is today
considered to be a prime example of
British psychedelic music,and was generally
well-received by critics at the time.
It is now viewed as one of the better
debut albums by many critics.The album's
tracks, predominantly written by Barrett,
showcase poetic lyrics and an eclectic
mixture of music, from the avant-garde
free-form piece "Interstellar Overdrive"
(sample (info)) to whimsical songs such
as "The Scarecrow", inspired
by the Fenlands, a rural region north
of Cambridge (Barrett, Gilmour and Waters's
home town). Lyrics were entirely surreal
and often referred to folklore, such
as "The Gnome" (sample (info)).
The music reflected newer technologies
in electronics through its prominent
use of stereo panning, tape editing,
echo effects and electric keyboards.
The album was a hit in the UK where
it peaked at #6, but did not get much
attention in North America, reaching
#131 in the U.S.,and that only after
it was reissued in the wake of the band's
stateside commercial breakthrough in
the 1970s. During this period, the band
toured with Jimi Hendrix, which helped
to increase its popularity.
All
This is Pink Floyd....
Discography:
The
Piper at the Gates of Dawn (August 5,
1967)
A Saucerful of Secrets (June 29, 1968)
Music from the Film More (July 27, 1969)
Ummagumma (October 25, 1969)
Atom Heart Mother (October 10, 1970)
Meddle (October 30, 1971)
Obscured by Clouds (June 3, 1972)
The Dark Side of the Moon (March 24, 1973)
Wish You Were Here (September 15, 1975)
Animals (January 23, 1977)
The Wall (November 30, 1979)
The Final Cut (March 23, 1983)
A Momentary Lapse of Reason (September
7, 1987)
The Division Bell (March 30, 1994)
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