By: Brooke Johnpier
Pink Floyd is an English rock band that formed in London in 1965. They were one of Britain’s first psychedelic rock groups and earned a following because of that. They were very experimental with their music sounds, lyrics, and compositions, earning them the title of greatest psychedelic rock band of all time.
Two years after their formation, Pink Floyd was starting to attract the attention of record labels. Before they knew it, they were signed with EMI. On August 4, 1967, Pink Floyd released their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. The only album with founding member Syd Barrett, the album received great success, landing number six on the UK albums chart, and number 131 on the Billboard 200.
At this point in time, David Gilmour would come to replace Barrett and would be the guitarist for the band’s second album, A Saucerful of Secrets. This album didn’t do as well as their first and was actually deemed inferior to their first album. Although it peaked at number 9 on the UK albums chart, it didn’t even make it into the US ranks until April of 2019.
On June 13, 1969, Pink Floyd would release their third studio album, More, which was a soundtrack for the film with the same name. With more instrumentals than actual songs, the album did fairly well, placing once again at number nine on the UK albums chart, but hitting number 153 on the Billboard 200.
5 months later, they would release their fourth album, Ummagumma. Their first double album, the first part was all live recordings of shows they had done prior, and the second part was all individual recordings of each of the band members “jamming out.” Although it received great acclaim, the band speaks negatively about the album, and look down upon it.
October 2, 1970, saw the release of the band’s fifth album, Atom Heart Mother. The album cover (in my opinion) is one of the most iconic, with just a cow looking back. The band disagrees though, calling it an “embarrassing record.” The world didn’t think so though, as the album went commercial with it taking the number one spot on the UK albums chart, and landing number 55 on the Billboard 200.
October 30, 1971, saw the band’s sixth album, Meddle, be released. The album was a total experiment, as the band members had no idea what to do. That resulted in the B-side of the album being only one 23-minute song called “Echoes.” It would become one of their signature songs and resulted in commercial success once again.
June 2, 1972, saw the band’s seventh, and second soundtrack album, Obscured by Clouds, to be released. It serves as the soundtrack for the French movie, La Vallee. This album was different than their others, with it being shorter and focused more on the acoustic guitar. Reaching number six in the UK and number 46 in the US, the album did pretty well.
March 1, 1973, saw the band’s eighth, and one of their most successful albums, The Dark Side of the Moon, come out. Although the entire album was recorded in 60 days as another experiment, everyone knows at least the title of this album, if not at least the iconic album cover of the prism. Having not a bad song on the album (in my opinion), it would peak at number one everywhere. Although it only stayed at number one for one week in the US, it wouldn’t come off the Billboard 200 chart until the middle of 1988.
September 12, 1975, saw the band release their ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here. Once again, the band came out with an iconic album cover, with the man shaking hands with the other man who’s on fire. The album only had five songs on it, with two being hits: “Wish You Were Here,” and “Have A Cigar.” The latter is in my top 100 songs.
Their next album, Animals, which was their tenth, was released on January 21, 1977. This album also had only five songs, and most of the titles had to do with pigs. A very experimental album, the world thought it was great, as it hit number two on the UK albums chart, and number three on the Billboard 200.
Pink Floyd’s eleventh studio album, and arguably their best album, The Wall, was released on November 30, 1979. The album is a rock opera that focuses on how a lead singer’s father died during WWI, and how that affected him during his career. This album, for me, puts Pink Floyd at number three for my all-time favorite bands, and the world thought so as well, as this album peaked at number one in every country that has a chart. There is also not one bad song on the album, in my opinion. Also, if you haven’t seen the movie based off of this album, and that goes along with it, watch it. It’s SO good.
Floyd’s twelfth studio album, The Final Cut, was released on March 21, 1983. The last album to feature member Roger Waters (and the last album I’m going to feature in this article for lack of space) this album was about the military, and how the band was anti-war. Waters took a lot of inspiration from his dad who served during WWII.
Pink Floyd is one of the most successful rock bands to ever exist, and even produced a song last year, “Hey, Hey, Rise Up,” about the Ukranian War. I personally like that song. But Pink Floyd is so successful that they were listed four times in Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums, and three times in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. They were also listed as one of the 10 Best Rock Bands Ever by MSNBC. Pink Floyd were huge fans of the Monty Python comedy group, and helped fund their Holy Grail movie. They also were one of two bands (the Beatles being the other) to be featured on stamps over in the UK.
In conclusion, I love Pink Floyd. If you haven’t listened to them yet, do so. You won’t regret it. I promise.
Want a band/artist you like to potentially be written about? Email Brooke at johnpibl23@bonaventure.edu.
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