A Perspective on Pink Floyd
Essay Three - A.
By Thane Zander
October 24th 2008
Before
looking into the history of this supergroup, it is important to
categorise Pink Floyd. With Pink Floyd, one needs to highlight the
make up of the group, the influences musically and lyrically, and the
climate of the world during their lifetimes. It is easy to start
with a bold brush, but much harder to actually pinhole the exact
truth of what they are and what they have been through. Even harder
is actually stating a definitive genre Pink Floyd fits in.
From
the before the start, experimentalist group The Abdabs gave birth to
a certain sound, a unique sound, that would carry into the Syd
Barrett era. This sound was experimental as one would expect from a
bunch of young lads. The actual make up of this band is the key to
where it would go, primarily Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick
Mason, the nucleus of the band through to 1985 and Waters departure.
The fact the band known as The Pink Floyd Sound would emerge to
create mayhem on the London Club scene is widely reported and with
the inclusion of Syd, they found a songwriter that would take them in
more than one direction. Though largely a sound experimental group
(Interstellar Overdrive and Astronomy Domine) it was Syd’s quirky
pop tunes that actually gave The Pink Floyd Sound impetus in their
new career. Those pop singles today are not avid collectors with
modern day Floyd fans, but the enduring quality of the two longer
pieces indicates where most fans place the music.
The
genre to this point, and also on the follow up Saucerful of Secrets
(where they dropped the “Sound” from the bands name), had been
catchy pop songs coupled with power experimentalist rock ballads.
(“Set the Control for the Heart of the Sun” and “A Saucerful of
Secrets") clearly showed that even without Syd, the band could
play longish songs and still sound experimental in the process. It
also clearly evident that even without Syd, they had enough
songwriting firepower to continue on. Most bands that lose their key
songwriter would fold, but it showed then that there was more to the
soon to be supergroup than met the eye. This could be verified by
the fact that the then management of the group left and stuck with
Syd on his departure seeing him as the future, making way for Steve
O’Rourke, who would stay with Pink Floyd through to his death in
2000.(Wikipedia)
The
group’s decision to follow a whim and record a soundtrack for a
film (More) paid dividends in that they showed a burgeoning ability
to write to more than one genre. This would count for much when the
analysis of their latter years unfolds. With Waters writing both
Rock and Folk songs, and the start of a smoothness in their playing,
The Pink Floyd were about to hit their straps and start into a new
genre, Progressive Rock. The album More was closely followed up by
the double album Ummagumma. There are both studio tracks and live
tracks to be sampled. The Live tracks are largely reworks of
favourites from the first two albums, and amount to a good dose of
what it was like to see Pink Floyd live in the late 1960’s. But of
more interest, especially to Pink Floyd aficionados, is the studio
set, often derided as utter rubbish or sheer brilliance.
On
the studio version of Ummagumma is an indication that Pink Floyd were
headed in a new direction and largely uncharted waters for the time
by any group. A wide arrangement of sound of all varieties explodes
from the record and gives the listener either a headache, or an
indication that a record such as The Dark Side of the Moon was
possible. This experimentation continued through the early 1970’s
with Atom Heart Mother (I still claim it as an important piece though
David Gilmour and Roger Waters beg to differ)(Wikipedia) Musically
Atom Heart Mother (the title track) is ethereal and shows a promise
to be kept in the much acclaimed Echoes. Some deride the use of
horns but as can be seen later in Dark Side of the Moon (saxophone)
and other monumental tracks in the future, horns do work in Pink
Floyd material. There is also a new facet to the Floyd sound in the
use of backing singers, which would become integral in almost all
later Pink Floyd works.
It is also important to remember that three other songs off this
album also produced similar results later in their careers as
musicians, If (Acoustic Guitar – Wish You Were Here), Summer of 68
(Piano -The Great Gig in the Sky), and Fat Old Sun (Gilmour’s song
– loosely reworked in Comfortably Numb). All in all Atom Heart
Mother, though not a favourite of many fans, still is important
enough to include as a watershed album for where Pink Floyd were
going.
This
was reinforced with the ground breaking Meddle. One of these Days is
still one of my all time favourite Pink Floyd songs, a driving beat,
soaring keyboards, angry lead guitar and a very strong driving beat
from the rhythm section of Bass and Drums. It is a follow on from
The Nile Song, the anger and drive born out of the past. It also
heralded to the world that a new force was in place, and its name was
Progressive Rock. But the album also plays to the whimsical, and the
folk feel pervades, as well as Water’s humour (Seamus), which would
surface, too, in later albums although in a differing vein. Of
course the real highlight on this album is Echoes, a clear indication
that a break through album was imminent. Like a lot of previously
lengthy Pink Floyd tracks, this offers a lot. It also shows the
group was really mastering their instruments and playing with
consummate ease, even if still prone to experimentalism. That would
never stop, more so as Waters wrestled the writing reins from the
others. Even at this early stage, the power of his persona over the
rest, creativity wise, was daunting.
I
think what really helped the group up to this stage was their
constant live shows and presenting new songs long before they were
placed on an album, choosing what worked and what didn’t as they
saw fit. That coupled with the ability to write and record a new
album every year through to Dark Side of the Moon meant they were
honing their craft quite quickly. I have seen in research material
that other bands of this time were starting to mimic what Pink Floyd
(Yes, Genesis) were offering but having listened to both bands I can
safely say that Pink Floyd were beyond the both of them, musically
and in the quality of songs they wrote.
Then
there was another foray into writing a soundtrack for a film (La
Vallee). This is the only album of Pink Floyd I don’t have, and I
missed it when sourcing research material. There is material
(Wikipedia) to suggest that the album was another foray into
practised sound. I don’t see anywhere to say what the sound was
like, or the effects, or for that matter the overall outcome of the
soundtrack. It was during the scoring of this movie that Pink Floyd
was also working on their soon to be popular opus, The Dark Side of
the Moon.
The
Dark Side of the Moon - one could linger here. From the opening bar
on this record, to the closing, one is drawn in and as a washing
machine would, spin around and spat out feeling a lot better than
when you first started. It’s widely known this album is one of the
all time greatest albums of all time, and let’s say the progressive
rock market is somewhat small. You can almost be assured that at
least one of your friends has a copy, be it vinyl or CD (or both in a
lot of cases). BUT! Let’s not forget, that Dark Side was born out
of a number of factors. The previous albums, education and the
willingness to try new things, or rehash old ones. Yes there are no
forerunners to this album, song wise, but there is plenty to indicate
that this album just had to happen. One of the key points is the
groups own collaboration, their willingness to work together to try
and improve the material to a state that it would make a good song.
I
think at this point, the dynamics of Pink Floyd shifted a little,
too. The money they were making from the album made them very
wealthy, which would also both be augmented from reissues of their
earlier works and with the coming albums. They had not only tapped
the genre of Progressive Rock (probably invented it actually), but
they were also spilling over into the Rock categories as more radio
stations played Money and other songs from the album. I think this
might have had an adverse effect on the group, which would surface
later on, especially with Animals.
For
the first time in their career, they wouldn’t put out an album in a
year. Wish You Were Here was released two years after Dark Side of
the Moon, but it was also a watershed album in that it explored Syd
Barrett. A fitting tribute too made even more fitting by his arrival
during recording,(Schaffer and Mason) much to bemusement of the
members of the band (yes some still say Syd’s Band). This album is
not a Dark Side of the Moon and returns the band to longish songs
that had become their forte. Shine on You Crazy Diamond benefits
from its predecessors (Echoes, A Saucerful of Secrets, and Atom Heart
Mother) and then some. The whole suite is a great tribute to a band
that has become very familiar with their craft, and is totally
different to Dark Side of the Moon. And it had to be different, to
be Pink Floyd material.
Welcome
to the Machine is a song that could almost fit in The Wall, but the
other two songs, too, make their mark. Wish You Were Here is now an
acoustic favourite, from budding guitarists to professional ones. To
offer up the fare on this record Pink Floyd must have been well and
truly on song. I’m not a huge fan of the album, but I do recognise
that it deserves to be in the top five albums from the Floyd
catalogue.
Then
along comes another album (once again two years between releases)
that starts the Roger Waters takeover of the creative element of the
band. Animals is purely driven from one man’s perspective, and the
band has to go along with it. Before you wonder, I rate Animals as
my second most favourite album from the catalogue. And I’m a huge
Waters fan. But having read a lot of material on the group, it’s
widely known that this is when the cracks started to appear. Though
it’s not recorded, but widely supposed, Rick was starting to drop
off the radar as far as input to the writing and recording process,
David and Roger weren’t talking (made even more evident with The
Final Cut) and the whole parcel that is Animals was a Waters driven
project.
Sure
the band played on this album, and played probably the best they ever
had (or ever would?), but the emphasis in the groups’ dynamics had
changed. Was it the wealth they were now accumulating off the
previous two albums, was it recording contract schedules, or was it
plain and simple that members of the band had pretty much had enough
of each other? It’s clear all the members of the group were
committed to record, and as Roger seemed to be the only one providing
creativity, it came down to him to produce the bands footprint for
the ensuing years. This came at a cost, and from my own assertion on
the Sysyphus essay, Rick was needed to tighten the songs and offered
arrangements that the group might be able to use.
This
became evident when The Wall was released. A lot of good songs, but
no lengthy pieces, very little keyboards, and mostly no Rick. It was
clear the dynamics of the group were changing, and for the worse.
The Wall tours were few and one almost gets the impression when
listening to the group members that The Wall was a tiring episode and
one that failed to reignite the groups’ ability to play well with
each other. It was clear there would be defections, and when The
Final Cut came along, Rick was gone, and Dave and Nick pandered to
Roger’s whim and produced as studio musicians to Rogers’s
directions. This was down to Dave saying contractual obligations
meant they had to do the record (Wikipedia), and then finally drop
the axe and split the group. But it didn’t quite work that way.
Roger went his own way, David went his own way, Nick drove his cars,
and Rick sunned it up in the Mediterranean.
Despite
Rogers protestations, David, Nick, and Rick reformed the group,
produced an album (The Momentary Lapse of Reason) and toured as Pink
Floyd. Of course Roger sued and failed, but Pink Floyd went on to
record another album (The Division Bell). Although some songs on
both albums have a Floyd feel, they generally underwhelm me and I
think Roger’s fans might have had it right, He’s Pink.
Where
does Pink Floyd sit in the history of rock? Well to start with, they
were pop artists (Top of the Pops) with “Arnold Layne” and “See
Emily Play”. However, this pop stardom was short-lived (Syd’s
departure). Then they were Space Rockers (Interstellar Overdrive,
Astronomy Domine, to name a few), then they were Progressive Rockers
(Meddle onwards) until they rediscovered radio playable music again
(The Wall) By this stage they were and are solid rock stars.
They wrote primarily to appease themselves, to compliment their
ranges of style and panache, and they did it as a team, which a lot
of rock bands fail to achieve. Let’s not forget, up till Rick’s
death, the band members had been in the music business for forty
years, a feat only matched by The Rolling Stones, for longevity and
continued creativity (although the group failed to put out any new
material after The Division Bell.).
A
mark of how popular Pink Floyd is the numerous groups out there doing
tribute shows across the world. Plus add to that, album sales are
still strong and steady. I’ve just turned fifty and have been
along for the ride since 1975, yet there is a cleaner where I stay
who is only nineteen and she is a total Pink Floyd fan. Yes, they
reach across the ages, and will do for years to come.
Where
else did Pink Floyd make a mark? Simple answer really, their sound
and lighting experimentations and subsequent innovative set ups for
their live concerts. They were the forerunner of stadium Rock shows
with all the lights, sound, and dry ice, and many bands today work
off the Pink Floyd module.
Finally the line ups of the various formations of Pink Floyd. To
start with, there was Roger, Nick and Rick (and Bob Klose) as the
Abdabs, then they invited Syd Barrett in as guitarist and songwriter,
forming the group The Pink Floyd Sound (widely known to have come
from artists on Syd’s blues albums). It’s widely known about
Syd’s problems with drugs, so the group became a fivesome with the
introduction of David Gilmour to cover Syd’s guitar and vocals
during the live shows. The “Sound" was dropped off the groups
name and The Pink Floyd sailed on, once again as a four piece, this
time Syd was gone and David was a full time member. At a stage in
the late 1960’s and early 1970’s “The” was dropped.
This line up stood firm through ten years of solid creativity and
work (tours) until Pink Floyd decided (well Roger decided really)
that Rick wasn’t required anymore, so the new threesome (Roger,
David and Nick) completed The Wall and The Final Cut together, before
the final culling happened when Roger went solo and the last
incarnation of the group reformed as Pink Floyd again, this time with
Rick and no Roger. There are a lot of people out there that
supported Roger when he filed suit against his former band members.
But that’s water under the bridge now. I’m not a great fan of
either of the last two albums; they lack certain panache only Roger
could have given.
It’s
fair to say now what does and doesn’t work for me. Nothing out of
the Floyd catalogue disappoints me greatly. I love all their music,
feel at home with the lyrics as if they were written for me (a reason
for their success – availability) and just love everything they
have done as a group. The books written about them give gorgeous
insight, and the internet is just flooded with Pink Floyd material
(30,200,000 hits on Google) that is so hard to keep up with. In
August this year as a tribute, I created eight videos, three from the
Pink Floyd catalogue, and five from Roger Waters’s solo material.
My legacy to a great group that will never reform and will remain a
big part of the music scene for years to come. Each surviving member
is lighting a candle for Rick, but also lighting the way for their
retiring futures.
And that hanging question – the genre, the true genre they fit
into. Yes they were psychedelic rock, yes they were pop rock and
folk, yes they were Space rock, and yes they were Progressive rock
(or even alternative). But I think for me, the original name of the
group all those years ago, The Pink Floyd Sound, stands testament to
where they actually fit in. They stand alone outside all genres as
the Pink Floyd sound, a unique and never to be matched
accomplishment.
Bibliography
Mason
N. Inside Out
Schaffer
N. Saucerful of Secrets – The Pink Floyd Odyssey
Wikipedia
– Pink Floyd retrieved 19th October 2008 from
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