The Pink Floyd Sound
Here is a band that during its existence had three leaders, yet somehow it still managed to deliver a unique sound, one that was defining. Let's find out what separates Pink Floyd from the rest.
"Pink Floyd" is the product of Nick Mason, Syd Barrett, David Gilmore, Roger Waters and Richard Wright (although they never played in this formation). In the early beginnings, Barrett provided the inspiration for the group, but he consumed a lot of drugs and eventually he was not able to perform with the rest. His ideas, which at first were original and constructive, were becoming more and more strange and impractical. The band had no other choice but to slowly prepare his exit. However, by contrast with other bands that kick out certain members without putting much thought in it, this was a painful and difficult experience for Pink Floyd. This is reflected in the majority of their later albums in which some songs or parts of them contain hints to their former member. In fact, the album "Wish you were here" is a tribute in this sense. Barrett was replaced with David Gilmore who would also play a leading role in the band, but only after Roger Waters (the other leader) left the group.
For obvious reasons, there is no point talking in this article about David Gilmore's solos or about other aspects regarding what instruments were used and in what way. It would be as fulfilling as limiting yourself to only reading a restaurant menu when you are hungry. For any curiosity related to the Pink Floyd sound the only solution is to listen to their albums. Moreover, other simple trivia information (what albums they recorded, who contributed to their making, who wrote the songs etc.) has no place here either. The members of the band are famous for the fact that they enjoyed keeping a minimal contact with the fans during performances. They were not stage artists. They prefer to stand back in the smoke, almost hidden from sight, in order to give the illusion that the music does not have a clear source, therefore letting the public feel the music without any distractions. For all these considerations, it is probably wiser to limit this article to the message itself.
The members of the band were part of a generation born during the Second World War or immediately after (in 1946 in the case of Barrett and Gilmore). A generation that felt something is missing. The bitter war raised questions about morality, about what human beings are capable of. There was something resembling a void, similar to some empty spaces that needed to be filled. Therefore they turn to music. This allowed them to escape conventionality and conservationism. The Pink Floyd sound is different because they did not have the technical skills required to play the instruments. In turn this made them come up with something original; because if you do not have skills you cannot copy the guitar solos or drum rhythms of other musicians. In music they could express themselves in countless ways and they did so in amazing style. Several times they left fans asking wondering how is it possible that a musical instrument can make that sound.
A trademark of Pink Floyd is that you can seldom find songs that stand out on their own. The band is renowned for the fact that it has concept albums. Every song has a connection to the previous and following one. If you individualize it and play it outside its frame, then you only scrape its surface and not its profound meaning. For example "Run like hell" would have a very different impact on a listener with no access to "The Wall" album. What about the song "Sheep"? A person might think they are a bit crazy to sing about sheep grassing passively on a field, when in fact it is a very strong political and social statement inspired by Orwell's "Animal Farm".
The defining sound of this British band lays also in its use of every day ordinary sounds. You can hear cars, telephones, TVs, people talking and shouting, glass breaking and all sorts of things that you can imagine. Representative, from this point of view, is "Money", a song in which they used a lot of "stuff" that people relate to this subject: coins clattering, cash registers, tearing paper and many more.
Pink Floyd is one of the greatest bands in history. It differs from reading Shakespeare, a process that requires a developed vocabulary. Here you have easy and direct access to culture, so why not take advantage?
For obvious reasons, there is no point talking in this article about David Gilmore's solos or about other aspects regarding what instruments were used and in what way. It would be as fulfilling as limiting yourself to only reading a restaurant menu when you are hungry. For any curiosity related to the Pink Floyd sound the only solution is to listen to their albums. Moreover, other simple trivia information (what albums they recorded, who contributed to their making, who wrote the songs etc.) has no place here either. The members of the band are famous for the fact that they enjoyed keeping a minimal contact with the fans during performances. They were not stage artists. They prefer to stand back in the smoke, almost hidden from sight, in order to give the illusion that the music does not have a clear source, therefore letting the public feel the music without any distractions. For all these considerations, it is probably wiser to limit this article to the message itself.
The members of the band were part of a generation born during the Second World War or immediately after (in 1946 in the case of Barrett and Gilmore). A generation that felt something is missing. The bitter war raised questions about morality, about what human beings are capable of. There was something resembling a void, similar to some empty spaces that needed to be filled. Therefore they turn to music. This allowed them to escape conventionality and conservationism. The Pink Floyd sound is different because they did not have the technical skills required to play the instruments. In turn this made them come up with something original; because if you do not have skills you cannot copy the guitar solos or drum rhythms of other musicians. In music they could express themselves in countless ways and they did so in amazing style. Several times they left fans asking wondering how is it possible that a musical instrument can make that sound.
A trademark of Pink Floyd is that you can seldom find songs that stand out on their own. The band is renowned for the fact that it has concept albums. Every song has a connection to the previous and following one. If you individualize it and play it outside its frame, then you only scrape its surface and not its profound meaning. For example "Run like hell" would have a very different impact on a listener with no access to "The Wall" album. What about the song "Sheep"? A person might think they are a bit crazy to sing about sheep grassing passively on a field, when in fact it is a very strong political and social statement inspired by Orwell's "Animal Farm".
The defining sound of this British band lays also in its use of every day ordinary sounds. You can hear cars, telephones, TVs, people talking and shouting, glass breaking and all sorts of things that you can imagine. Representative, from this point of view, is "Money", a song in which they used a lot of "stuff" that people relate to this subject: coins clattering, cash registers, tearing paper and many more.
Pink Floyd is one of the greatest bands in history. It differs from reading Shakespeare, a process that requires a developed vocabulary. Here you have easy and direct access to culture, so why not take advantage?
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