Strictly Rock

  • Home
  • Bands
  • Videos
  • Store
  • Events
  • Unsigned Bands
  • Blog
  • Contact

Pink Floyd

May 15, 2014 by strictlyrock Leave a Comment

Click on the image to buy this poster

In 1962, Roger Waters enrolled in architecture courses at the Regent Street Polytechnic School in London. It is ironic that arguably his most famous work, “The Wall,” has absolutely nothing to do with construction. After meeting drummer Nick Mason in 1963, who was taking the same courses, the two joined the band “Sigma 6.” At the time Richard Wright was already a member of the band, and later they recruited guitarist Syd Barrett. After a couple other members of the band dropped off, Barrett suggested the group change its name. He suggested “Pink Floyd Sound,” which was a combination of the blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council’s first names. They eventually dropped the “Sound”, and when asked about the name Waters commented, “It just sounds like a nice name. It’s really just a registration mark. It’s better than calling ourselves CCE338, or something like that.”

Click on the image to buy this T-Shirt

After playing gigs at the Marquee Club, the Roundhouse, and UFO Club in London, the group started to become quite popular. They released the singles “Arnold Layne” in March of 1967 and “See Emily Play” in June. The two singles became the band’s first hits and got them national attention. In August of the same year, they released their debut album entitled “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.” It would end up at the #6 spot on the UK charts, getting the band off to a great start. Unfortunately, the use of psychedelic drugs was starting to take its toll on Syd Barrett, so guitarist/singer David Gilmour was brought in and eventually became Barrett’s replacement. In October of 1969 the band released the album “Ummagumma.” The album included the songs “Sysyphus,” “Grantchester Meadows,” and “The Narrow Way.” It eventually sold more than 1 million copies in the United States and was also released as a live album.

Although the group did release albums in the interim, including several film soundtracks, it wasn’t until 1973 that they really made their mark. On March 17th, Pink Floyd released their mega hit “The Dark Side of the Moon.” It became their first #1 album in the United States and absolutely dominated remaining on the Billboard Top 200 album charts for a staggering 741 weeks, longer than any other record in history. It was certified “diamond” and sold over 15 million copies in the US alone. The album included the songs “Time,” “Us and Them,” and “Money.” The record is also rumored to sync up with the 1939 Hollywood classic “The Wizard of OZ” when played alongside the movie. The band has denied that this was intentional, but it is of course an interesting coincidence. “Dark Side….” was followed up with the album “Wish You Were Here,” in 1975 and it too went to #1. The record sold 6 million copies in the US and included the hits “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” “Wish You Were Here,” “Have a Cigar,” and the haunting “Welcome to the Machine.”

Click on the image to buy this poster

“Animals” was released in 1977 and although it reached a very respectable #3 spot on the charts was greatly overshadowed by the 1979 release of the epic album “The Wall.” Reclaiming the #1 spot on the charts, it actually surpassed “Dark Side…” in terms of record sales, selling 23 million copies in the United States alone. “The Wall” included the hits “Another Brick in the Wall,” ”Mother,” “Hey You,” and “Comfortably Numb” to name a few. The stage show that accompanied the tour for the album was beyond elaborate and ended with a wall being built on stage that eventually blocked the audience’s view of the band. Despite their success there was trouble in paradise, and after continued conflict with Roger Waters, Richard Wright left the band. In 1983 the band released “The Final Cut,” and in 1985 Waters would also quit.

Click on the image to buy this T-Shirt

In 1986 Waters sued Pink Floyd’s remaining members, David Gilmour and Nick Mason to try and stop them from using the Pink Floyd name. Fortunately for Gilmour and Mason, Water’s lawsuit proved unsuccessful. They released “Momentary Lapse of Reason,” and went on tour, which subsequently grossed 30 million dollars. In 1994 with Richard Wright now back in the band, Pink Floyd released “The Division Bell,” which topped the charts and sold more than 3 million albums in the US. In 1996 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Waters did not attend. It wasn’t until 2005 that the group officially reunited to perform at the Live 8 concert in London. The next year founding member Syd Barrett died, as did Rick Wright in 2008. When all is said and done, Pink Floyd will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest acts of all time. Selling more than 210 million albums worldwide, their success and impact on music as a whole is nothing less than phenomenal.

 

Filed Under: Rock Bands

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Cart

T-shirts

View all Products in this Category
View more T-Shirts

100 Greatest Rock & Roll Bands

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Elvis Presley
  6. The Who
  7. U2
  8. Pink Floyd
  9. The Doors
  10. The Police
  11. Elton John
  12. Metallica
  13. AC/DC
  14. Van Halen
  15. Nirvana
  16. Guns N' Roses
  17. Santana
  18. The Allman Brothers Band
  19. Bon Jovi
  20. David Bowie
  21. Grateful Dead
  22. Rush
  23. Yes
  24. Black Sabbath
  25. Bob Dylan
  26. James Brown
  27. The Beach Boys
  28. Eric Clapton
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. The Eagles
  31. Bob Marley
  32. Van Morrison
  33. Bruce Springsteen
  34. The Clash
  35. Queen
  36. Janis Joplin
  37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  38. R.E.M.
  39. The Kinks
  40. Steely Dan
  41. Steve Miller Band
  42. Jethro Tull
  43. Tool
  44. The Scorpions
  45. Coldplay
  46. Stone Temple Pilots
  47. Rod Stewart
  48. Marilyn Manson
  49. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  50. KISS
  51. The Pretenders
  52. Green Day
  53. Aerosmith
  54. Tina Turner
  55. Pearl Jam
  56. Ted Nugent
  57. Pantera
  58. Motörhead
  59. Judas Priest
  60. ZZ Top
  61. Megadeth
  62. Motley Crue
  63. Alice Cooper
  64. Def Leppard
  65. Iron Maiden
  66. Billy Idol
  67. Journey
  68. Anthrax
  69. Rage Against the Machine
  70. Blue Oyster Cult
  71. Alice in Chains
  72. Genesis
  73. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  74. Chuck Berry
  75. Buddy Holly
  76. Little Richard
  77. Elvis Costello
  78. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  79. Sex Pistols
  80. Cream
  81. Frank Zappa
  82. Talking Heads
  83. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  84. Billy Joel
  85. The Band
  86. Ramones
  87. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  88. Jerry Lee Lewis
  89. Doobie Brothers
  90. Foo Fighters
  91. The Cure
  92. Soundgarden
  93. Iggy Pop
  94. Peter Gabriel
  95. The Byrds
  96. Traffic
  97. Deep Purple
  98. Blondie
  99. Velvet Underground
  100. Heart

Home | Bands | Videos | Store | Events | Unsigned Bands | Blog | Contact

Copyright © 2023 · strictlyrock.com

Copyright © 2023 · Website Maintenance Services