Pink Floyd Band: Biography

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Roger Waters | David Gilmour | Nick Mason | Richard Wright | Syd Barett

Pink Floyd Band: Biography

In late 1969, Pink Floyd released a Double Album called Ummagumma. The first disc consisted of live tracks from various live performances in 1969. The second disc consisted of solo studio tracks by each member of the band.

In early 1970, Pink Floyd released their newest album Atom Heart Mother, with an orchestra playing on the 23-minute-plus title track. The band toured extensively with the orchestra supporting the album.

In early 1971, Pink Floyd's executive producer Joe Boyd, made a compilation album of both released and unreleased material from Pink Floyd's past. It was called Relics. While this was going on, Pink Floyd was in the middle of making their new album Meddle with another 23-minute-plus song called Echoes.

In early 1972, Pink Floyd was asked again to do another soundtrack for a movie called La Vallee or The Valley Obscured By Clouds, hence the name Obscured By Clouds came about.

After Obscured by Clouds was finshed, Pink Floyd took a plane to Rome, where they took a bus to Pompeii, one of the 2 cities destroyed by Mount Vesuvius 2000 years ago. There they filmed a private concert, playing some of their best material. The video was called Live At Pompeii, which also included footage behind the making of the album of their new opus.

During the time that Floyd was making Obscured By Clouds, they had written a 45-minute opus of songs that they played live. This opus was called Eclipse. It was mainly focused on society and how it alienates, controls, and destroys daily life. The original name for the opus was supposed to be Dark Side Of The Moon, but the British Blues band Medicine Head released an album the previous year of the same name. So they let the name go, until they heard that the Medicine Head album flopped on Billboard charts, so they revamped the name Dark Side Of The Moon and also wrote an end song for the opus which was called Eclipse. They turned their opus into an album in 1973, called Dark Side Of The Moon. It is the second highest selling rock record in history, compared to Michael Jackson's Thriller.

To follow up their success to Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd made Wish You Were

Here. The album was dedicated to original lyricist and guitar player Syd Barret. During late recording of the album, Syd actually showed up to congratulate them on their success with Dark Side Of The Moon, although at first they didn't recognize him because he had gained alot of weight. During that tour they wrote yet another opus, but this one was mostly instrumental. This opus turned out to be Shine On You Crazy Diamond. It was split into 2 halves because it was too long to fit on one side of the record. During this tour Pink Floyd performed Dark Side Of The Moon in it's entirety again.

After the success of Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd took off for a year and a half to make a new album. This album was based on the aristocratic and communist lifestyles in the world. Each type of person was loosely based on an animal. And this album became Animals. Dogs were the creepy rulers of industry, Pigs were the communist tyrants, Sheep were the common folk, always being brainlessly led by the Dogs and Pigs, and Pigs On The Wing was a love song that Roger wrote to his new wife, Carolyn, the niece of the Duke of York. For the tour the band recruited Dick Parry for saxophone and Snowy White on rhythm guitar. On July 6th, 1977 in Montreal, Quebec, the last show of the Animals tour, a fan was screaming relentlessy and climbing his way up towards the stage. Roger spit on him to show disgustment. After the show, Roger felt bad about this, and escaped back to his hotel room and started writing new music, about how much he and the audience have come apart.

In late 1978, Pink Floyd met together to discuss new projects, after David and Rick made solo albums. Roger presented 2 projects in demo form. The first project was rejected, that project turned out to be, Roger Waters' solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch-hiking. But the second project was taken, that project was The Wall. Roger had enough songs for 3 discs, but he had to get rid of a bunch of songs. November 30, 1979, The Wall is released in the UK, and the fans love it. December 5, 1979, The Wall is released in the US, and again, the fans love itt. For the tour they recruit Andy Bown on 2nd Bass Guitar, Snowy White on Rhythm Guitar in 1980, Andy Roberts on Rhythm Guitar in 1981, Peter Woods on Keyboards, Richard Wright on Keyboards, and Jon Joyce, Stan Farber, Jim Haas, & Joe Chemay on Backing Vocals.

February 26th, 1980, Pink Floyd premiers The Wall Tour in Nassau

Coliseum, on Long Island New York. October 1980, Pink Floyd premiers The Wall Tour in Earl's Court in London. January 1981, Pink Floyd plays The Wall in Los Angeles. April 1981, Pink Floyd Plays The Wall Show 4 times in Westfallenhall in Dortmund, Germany. August 1981, Pink Floyd plays The Wall at Earl's Court London again, and their tour is over by September.

In 1982, Rick Wright left the band for good. Pink Floyd recuited new Keyboard Players for a new project called, Spare Bricks, A Collection Of Unreleased Songs intended for The Wall but were scratched. The new Keyboard Players were Michael Kamen on Piano, and Harmonium, and Andy Bown on organ, and synthesizer.

Roger had plans to tour for the new album in November 1983, but because of tensions between each member, Roger cancelled those plans, and changed the name of the album to The Final Cut, which it probably would be if David and Nick left, but they didn't.

In 1984, the band went their own seperate ways, Rick Wright made a solo project with Dave Harris called Zee-Identity, David Gilmour made a new solo album called About Face, and Roger Waters made The Pros and Cons Of Hitch-hiking. In 1986, David Gilmour talked to Nick Mason about getting the band back together. This caused a major law suit. Roger Waters, sued David and Nick for the rights to the music, and the band name itself. Roger lost the case because Pink Floyd was never anything put into writing, but Roger was given the rights to perform Pink Floyd music at his concerts and was given ownership of The Wall and The Final Cut.

In later 1986, Dave and Nick set out to make the new album, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. They recruited an array of Musicians for the album like King Crimson's Bass Player Tony Levin, Roxy Music's Guitar Player Phil Manzenara, Vanilla Fudge's drummer Carmine Appice, Richard Wright on Keyboards and about 20 others. They took off for the road, in later 1987 under the name Pink Floyd. They recruited Gary Wallis for Drums and Percussion, Guy Pratt on bass guitar, Jon Carin on keyboards, Tim Renwick on Guitar, and the "cre`me de la cre`me" of the show, the return of Richard Wright. The 3-Year Tour concluded in August 1990, when Pink Floyd played at The Knebworth Festival.

The Band took a 3 year Hiatus from Touring and Recording in 1990.

Pink Floyd started recording in 1993 for their new album, The Division Bell. Richard Wright was finally back fully with the band. The band toured for 6 months. The Tour Ended after a series of 12 shows at Earl's Court London, and during their tour of Europe, David Gilmour married his girlfriend Polly Samson. For this tour they did something they hadn't done in about 20 years, they played Dark Side Of The Moon in it's entirety.

Pink Floyd released a live album and video on their Division Bell tour, both featured with live Dark Side Of The Moon. The band was successful once more.

In 1996, Pink Floyd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Gilmour, Wright, and Mason performed Wish You Were Here with Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins. Floyd has done no concerts since then, but made a new live album in 2000. The band made this live album from many different recordings from The Wall Shows of 1980 and 1981 in London's Earls Court and Los Angeles, with Roger Waters. Roger Waters toured in 1999 & 2000, he made a new live album called In The Flesh.

In Late 2001, Pink Floyd including Roger Waters and Syd Barrett, with producer James Guthrie, made a new compilation album called Echoes. Although Floyd never did well with Compilations or greatest hits albums, this album was remastered as one continuous song like Dark Side Of The Moon, and did well in the charts.

Roger Waters | David Gilmour | Nick Mason | Richard Wright | Syd Barett