Pink Floyd, Iconic Rock Group of the 60’s

 

There were many rock bands that emerged in the 60’s but only a few of them stood the test of time. Pink Floyd is one such group that experimented with various sounds, new techniques and equipment and became one of the most sought after bands of the era. All members of the group had played in various other bands before getting together to form Pink Floyd who called themselves the ‘Tea Set” before settling on their present name.  Two blues and rhythm musicians of repute at that time going by the names of Pink Anderson and Floyd Council gave the boys the idea for their unique name.  Although they started off with blues and rhythm at the beginning, they changed it to psychedelic rock which they brought to life by making use of special effects and creative lighting to give their fans a different type of music that would become very popular later on.
 

A Talented Foursome

With Syd Barrett at the helm, they toured the London underground scene playing the type of rock music that had their fans screaming and asking for more. Their first taste of success was when two singles released by them reached the number twenty and number six positions in the British music charts in 1967.  All members of the band were so talented that they were able to improvise on the spot and play the type of music their fans wanted and this made them stand out from the hundreds of other bands emerging on the scene at that time.  
 

Problems with Drugs

The 60’s however was the era when drugs such as LSD took a hold of the young hippy generation and Syd Barrett was one such youngster who succumbed to its evils. He was taking too much LSD which affected his performance on stage as well as his personal life and many were the times the band had to do without his presence. When Syd’s drug problem went beyond control a new member joined the band to take Syd’s place whenever he was not able to play and eventually he had to quit the band completely because he was in such a bad state. 
 

Arrival of David Gilmore

With The Arrival of David Gilmore the new member who became the vocalist and guitarist, the direction of the band took a different turn by gradually moving away from the old psychedelic sounds to playing more blues and rock and performing their own style of music rather than do what everyone else was doing.  The other members consisted of Roger Waters the leader and the lyricist, Richard Wright who was the keyboardist and Nick Mason who continued to be their drummer.  With a different look and sounds, Pink Floyd released four albums called “A Saucerful of Secrets”, “More”, “Umma Gumma”, and “Atom Heart Mother” during the 1968-1970 period.
 

Pink Floyd becomes an Overnight Sensation

 Although quite popular, they had still not reached the heights they were aiming for until in 1971 they came out with their spectacular “The Dark Side of the Moon” which totally lifted them up from mediocrity to superstar status overnight. The album raced to the number 1 spot in the USA charts and couldn’t be budged for a record 741 weeks. The album also sold 35 million copies skyrocketing Pink Floyd into fame in a way even they did not think was possible. Their tribute to their friend Syd Barrett with the album “Wish you were Here” which was released next, once again went right to the top cementing their success.

 

Falling Apart

As it always happen, someone or other wants to take control of the band and with Pink Floyd it was Roger Waters that wanted only his ideas implemented.  His attitude resulted in many arguments but in the end Waters always got what he wanted. In spite of their success with the next album called “the Wall” which was all about war, things were not alright with the band and very soon Waters sacked Rick Write and the band started to fall apart.  At this point Roger Waters wanted the band to break off after the release of their next album “the Final Cut” which was made by each member recording their part individually in the studio without any of them meeting. 
 

Final days of an Iconic Band

David Gilmour however did not want to disband and fought back with all he had by filing numerous law suits with which they managed to win back their rights for Pink Floyd and  Rick Write returned to them.   Pink Floyd kicked off once again with a world tour in 1988-1989 and a second tour called PULSE that became a fantastic success. That however proved to be their final tour although they did get together once for a live 8 performance. Having been around for more than 30 years, Pink Floyd can be called one of the most successful and iconic bands of their time.