Pink Floyd, a Moniker Combining the Names of Bluesmen Pink to Help Eradicate World Poverty—Precisely One Act Anderson and Floyd Council
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JULY/AUGUST 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM JULY/AUGUST 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM he lights go down in London’s Hyde Park, and the REMEMBER A DAY speakers begin coursing with perhaps the world’s Why indeed? It’s a fair question, one whose answers date back to most familiar heartbeat: Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump … the mid-1960s, when Waters, Wright and Mason met as architecture Of all the superstars who entertained worldwide students at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London. By 1965 they crowds during the Live 8 concerts of July 2005— had joined with Waters’ childhood friend Roger “Syd” Barrett to organized to bring pressure on the world’s governments form Pink Floyd, a moniker combining the names of bluesmen Pink to help eradicate world poverty—precisely one act Anderson and Floyd Council. Two years later the band released received no introduction. None was needed. The familiar its debut single, “Arnold Layne,” which showcased frontman and heartbeat sound effect that once famously opened the classic principal songwriter Barrett’s sense of wonder and whimsy. “Syd 1973 rock album The Dark Side of the Moon let the 200,000 fans wrote great English pop songs,” says Joe Boyd, who produced that present and millions more watching on TV know that a musical tune and its B-side, “Candy and a Currant Bun.” “His songs were miracle was about to occur: the return of Pink Floyd’s classic very tuneful, very lyrically witty and compact.” (and famously fractious) lineup of singer and guitarist David But Barrett was as mentally fragile as he was creative and Gilmour, keyboardist Rick Wright, drummer Nick Mason and charismatic. Within months of the release of the Floyd’s full-length long-disaffected singer and bass player Roger Waters. One of debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, he had spiraled into a rock’s most vicious and long-running feuds had come to an end. psychosis exacerbated by a steady diet of LSD. “I don’t think he “We’d stopped sending bombs through the post to each other,” could deal with the vision of success and all the things that went with jokes Mason now of the four men’s shockingly warm relations, it,” fi gured Barrett’s college friend David Gilmour, who by December 24 years after their previous appearance as a unit. “I think that 1967 was brought in to complement the group’s occasionally was pretty advanced, really.” catatonic leader on stage. A month later the group gave up on During its Live 8 set the band swept gracefully through songs including Barrett in live performances, and by April he had offi cially from its three most exited. Few held any popular albums: Dark hope for the group Side’s “Speak to Me/ whose reputation Breathe” and “Money,” had been built on the haunted title cut his songs. from 1975’s Wish You The Floyd spent Were Here, and the the next several years soaring “Comfortably experimenting with Numb” from 1979’s a variety of styles The Wall. Those three and techniques in albums alone have the studio while sold a combined 44 adding to its already million copies in the sterling reputation U.S., and they’re as an innovative and only the most widely adventurous live act. The band and its fans alike get a new perspective known products of a This period would partnership that has— fi nd them dabbling in a shifting series of in movie scoring on the astonishing odyssey of iterations—sold more (More), symphonic than 200 million David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright music (Atom Heart albums worldwide Mother) and oddball Pink Floyd since 1967. Now a items like the double forthcoming set of album Ummagumma elaborate reissues (half live music, half By Chris Neal and archival releases studio solo pieces promises a fresh listen by individual band to one of popular members). The music’s most treasured Barrett-less Floyd catalogs—although Mason, the group’s only constant member since its fi nally found its feet with 1971’s Meddle and its epic 23-minute formation, scoffs at such puffery. “That stuff generally tends to make me “Echoes,” the song Gilmour later described as “the point at which want to wander off and make a cup of tea,” he says with a chuckle. “Of we found our focus.” Still, Wright said in 1988, “I think every album course it’s fl attering and gratifying when people tell me how important was a step toward Dark Side of the Moon.” the music was to them. But it’d just be nice to be remembered with affection.” ON THE RUN The upcoming series of reissues, set to begin in late September The group premiered its new album-length concept piece at London’s and continue rolling out through at least February, focuses on Rainbow Theatre on Feb. 17, 1972, several months before a note expanded versions of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were had been recorded. What the audience heard that night was a song Here and The Wall. There will also be newly remastered versions cycle that held together as a unifi ed whole while playing to each of all the Floyd albums, available separately or as a box set, and a member’s now solidifi ed strengths: Waters the chief lyricist, Gilmour new one-CD compilation, A Foot in the Door. The campaign as a the dominant singer and musical voice, Wright adding lyrical touches whole is provocatively dubbed Why Pink Floyd …? and Mason keeping it all nailed down. After honing the new songs 29 M5-Vol2-Mag-BETA-v18b.indd 28 8/29/11 10:56 PM M5-Vol2-Mag-BETA-v18b.indd 29 8/29/11 11:09 PM JULY/AUGUST 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM JULY/AUGUST 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM on the road, Pink Floyd settled into title cut, “Wish You Were Here.” was tightly controlled by Waters. “We were all fi ghting like cats and middle years, for many reasons, he lost his way for a while,” Gilmour EMI’s Abbey Road studio on June 1 Waters has often said the album dogs,” he said in 1987. “We were fi nally realizing—or accepting, if you later refl ected of Wright. “But in the early ’90s, with The Division to begin recording Dark Side of the could have been called Wish We like—that there was no band.” Unsurprisingly, Wright’s absence didn’t Bell, his vitality, spark and humor returned.” Moon. Waters’ lyrics addressed the Were Here, considering the band’s ease tensions between the two principals. “David’s very easygoing stresses of modern life, often with fragmented state at the time. “The until he’s pushed—and then he’s very stubborn and won’t give way,” ABSOLUTELY CURTAINS? on-the-nose titles like “Money” and album is about none of us really says engineer Andy Jackson, who worked on the Final Cut sessions. Relations between the two now well-ensconced camps slowly but surely “Time.” Songs were linked by spoken- being there,” Waters said upon its “Roger is very intensely bright and mercurial, but also very clear-cut thawed over the next decade. Waters spotted Mason while on vacation word interludes and sound effects, release, “or about us being there and at times quite abrasive.” and said hello on a lark, rekindling their friendship. By the time organizer with the group using electronics in only marginally.” Waters fi nally announced his own departure from the group Bob Geldof asked the Floyd to reunite for Live 8 in 2005, all four daring new ways. Whatever the sour feelings that in 1985, certain men were swayed Released on March 1, 1973, inspired Wish You Were Here, the that would mean with very little Dark Side would go on to sell dozens result was a work of grand beauty the end of Pink arm-twisting. That of millions of copies and remain on that has sold more than 13 million Floyd—only to be memorable one- Billboard magazine’s album charts Rick Wright worldwide. For the follow-up the shocked when off performance for a record 15 years. In fact, the still-spent group reached back to Gilmour and gained a new and record came to overshadow much of a pair of lengthy, as-yet unrecorded Mason began tragic poignance the group’s other output. “At least it songs it had performed on its 1974 assembling a new on Sept. 15, 2008, Jill Furmanovsky/rockarchive.com was well into our working life,” Mason tour: “You’ve Gotta Be Crazy” and album under the when Rick Wright says. “It’s much tougher if you’re a “Raving and Drooling,” powerful Floyd banner. A succumbed to band like Procol Harum and you’ve live recordings that are included on Momentary Lapse cancer at age got an enormous single like ‘A Whiter both expanded versions of Wish of Reason was the 65. Grudges Shade of Pale’ [1967] that at the You Were Here. Reworked to suit source of much forgotten, Waters end of the day actually seemed to the album that would feature them, debate about its now eulogized his be a bit of a millstone for the band. I 1977’s Animals, the two songs legitimacy upon In the studio, early 1970s old friend with both don’t think Dark Side has ever been became, respectively, “Dogs” its 1987 release, grace and regret: “I that for us.” and “Sheep.” Inspired by an ugly Waters calling it “a fair forgery” of the Floyd sound. Fans embraced am very grateful for the opportunity that Live 8 afforded me to engage The album made the Floyd audience encounter on the band’s both the album—which sold quadruple-platinum—and the subsequent with him and David and Nick that one last time.