PINK FLOYD
THE EARLY SIXTIES. A GROUP OF TALENTED TEENAGERS FROM ACADEMIC BACKGROUNDS IN CAMBRIDGE — ROGER 'SYD' BARRETT, ROGER WATERS AND DAVID GILMOUR — ARE ALL KEEN GUITARISTS AND AMONG MANY WHO MOVE TO LONDON, KEEN TO DISCOVER MORE OF THIS NEW WORLD AND EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN IT. MAINLY IN FURTHER EDUCATION — STUDYING THE ARTS, ARCHITECTURE, MUSIC.
PINK FLOYD WERE FOUNDED IN 1965 BY SYD BARRETT, NICK MASON, ROGER WATERS, AND RICHARD WRIGHT. SOME BANDS TURN INTO SHORTHAND FOR A CERTAIN SOUND OR STYLE, AND PINK FLOYD BELONGS AMONG THAT ELITE GROUP.
History of the name PINK FLOYD ORIGINALLY STEMMED FROM EARLIER BANDS WHOSE NAMES INCLUDED SIGMA 6, T-SET, MEGGADEATHS, THE SCREAMING ABDABS, THE ARCHITECTURAL ABDABS, AND THE ABDABS. THE BAND WAS AGAIN RENAMED THE PINK FLOYD SOUND AND THEN SIMPLY THE PINK FLOYD (AFTER TWO BLUES MUSICIANS, PINK ANDERSON AND FLOYD COUNCIL). THE DEFINITE ARTICLE WAS DROPPED BY THE TIME THEIR DEBUT ALBUM WAS RELEASED.
RELEASED IN AUGUST 1967, THE BAND'S DEBUT “THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN” IS CONSIDERED TO BE A PRIME EXAMPLE OF ENGLISH PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC. A MELANCHOLIC SONGS INSPIRED BY THE FENLANDS, THE RURAL REGION SURROUNDING BARRETT'S HOME TOWN OF CAMBRIDGE. THE ALBUM WAS A HIT, PEAKING AT #6 IN THE UK CHARTS. In January 1968, guitarist David Gilmour joined the band to carry out the playing and singing duties of Barrett, whose mental health had been deteriorating for several months, but nevertheless was intended to remain as the band's figurehead and songwriter.
MASSIVELY SUCCESFUL ALBUM, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, FEATURED A US NUMBER TOP 20 TRACK "MONEY", AND MORE IMPORTANTLY REMAINED IN THE US TOP 200 (WHERE IT HIT #1) FOR 741 WEEKS (INCLUDING 591 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS FROM 1973 TO 1988), BREAKING MANY RECORDS ON THE WAY, AND MAKING IT ONE OF THE TOP SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME.
In July 1978, Waters presented the group with original idea for their next album. It was a 90 -minute demo with the working title “Bricks in the Wall”. Bob Ezrin co-produced wrote a forty-page script for the new album. Ezrin based the story on the central figure of Pink—a gestalt character inspired by Waters' childhood experiences, the most notable of which was the death of his father in World War II. This first metaphorical brick led to more problems.
"ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART II)" SUPPORTED THE ALBUM, TOPPING THE CHARTS IN THE US AND THE UK. THE WALL RANKS NUMBER THREE ON THE RIAA'S LIST OF THE ALL-TIME TOP 100 ALBUMS
Integral to the music is the artwork which comes with it. The album covers and sleeve artwork add to the emotional impact of the music with vivid and meaningful imagery. Throughout the band's career, this aspect was mainly provided by the talents of photographer and graphic artist Storm Thorgerson and his erstwhile graphic studio Hipgnosis.