# Pink Floyd English rock band formed in London in 1965. One of the most commercially and artistically significant bands of the 20th century — went from whimsical Syd Barrett–led psychedelia to sprawling, conceptual, studio-obsessed progressive rock, with *The Dark Side of the Moon* (1973) becoming one of the best-selling albums ever made. The band's internal story is really two acts: the Syd Barrett era, and then the long, increasingly fractious Roger Waters vs. David Gilmour era. ## Formation and the Syd Barrett era (1965–1968) Formed by Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright, with the name supposedly a mashup of two American bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Barrett was the original frontman, chief songwriter, and guiding creative force — his whimsical, very English, stream-of-consciousness style shaped the debut album and early singles. By 1967–68, LSD use and worsening mental health (long debated as schizophrenia, or some combination of that and drug-induced breakdown) made him increasingly unreliable, and childhood friend David Gilmour was brought in as a fifth member to cover for him live. Barrett was formally out of the band by March 1968. ## Roger Waters era (1968–1985) With Barrett gone, Roger Waters gradually became the band's dominant lyricist, conceptual driver, and eventually its de facto leader, while Gilmour took over lead guitar and much of the singing. This era produced the band's most famous and best-selling work: *The Dark Side of the Moon* (1973), *Wish You Were Here* (1975) — largely about and dedicated to the absent Barrett — *Animals* (1977), and *The Wall* (1979), the sprawling rock opera about isolation and alienation that spawned the film of the same name. By *The Wall* and its follow-up *The Final Cut* (1983), the band was effectively Waters' vehicle: keyboardist Richard Wright was pushed out during the *Wall* sessions and *The Final Cut* is the only Pink Floyd album without him, credited to Waters alone as writer. Waters formally quit in December 1985, believing the band was over — he didn't expect Gilmour and Mason to carry on without him. ## The Gilmour era and the lawsuit (1985–1994) Gilmour and Mason did carry on, bringing Wright back as a session player (later a full member again) and releasing *A Momentary Lapse of Reason* (1987) under the Pink Floyd name. Waters sued to try to stop them using it, arguing the band was "a spent force creatively" without him. The case dragged on for roughly two years before being settled out of court — reportedly finalized at a meeting on Gilmour's houseboat on Christmas Eve. Gilmour's Pink Floyd continued with *The Division Bell* (1994), a huge touring success, while Waters pursued a solo career. ## Later reunions and Richard Wright's death The full "classic" lineup — Waters, Gilmour, Mason, Wright — reunited just once, for four songs at the Live 8 charity concert in London's Hyde Park on 2 July 2005: "Breathe," "Money," "Wish You Were Here," and "Comfortably Numb." It was their first performance together in over 24 years and, as it turned out, their last. Richard Wright died in 2008, closing off any possibility of a full reunion. Waters later said publicly that suing his former bandmates in the 80s was a mistake ("I was wrong! Of course I was."). Gilmour and Mason released one further album, *The Endless River* (2014), built from unused material from *The Division Bell* sessions and largely instrumental, dedicated to Wright's memory. ## Discography (studio albums) - *The Piper at the Gates of Dawn* (1967) — the Syd Barrett album, almost entirely his songwriting - *A Saucerful of Secrets* (1968) — transition album; Gilmour joins, Barrett exits partway through - *More* (1969) — soundtrack to the film of the same name - *Ummagumma* (1969) — half live album, half individual band-member solo experiments - *Atom Heart Mother* (1970) — orchestral/choral collaboration with composer Ron Geesin; their first UK No. 1 album - *Meddle* (1971) - *Obscured by Clouds* (1972) — soundtrack to Barbet Schroeder's film *La Vallée* - *The Dark Side of the Moon* (1973) - *Wish You Were Here* (1975) - *Animals* (1977) - *The Wall* (1979) - *The Final Cut* (1983) — last album with Roger Waters; only one without Richard Wright - *A Momentary Lapse of Reason* (1987) — first post-Waters album - *The Division Bell* (1994) - *The Endless River* (2014) — instrumental, built from *Division Bell* leftovers, dedicated to Richard Wright ## Notes to self - *Wish You Were Here* is the one I come back to most — worth a note of its own on the Syd Barrett connection ("Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is explicitly about him). - Never actually sat with the Barrett-era stuff (*Piper*, *Saucerful*) properly — it's a genuinely different band from the one everyone knows. - Look into Roger Waters' solo catalogue and the *Is This the Life We Really Want?* / recent political controversies separately if I want the fuller post-Floyd picture. - Could be worth cross-linking to a Syd Barrett solo-career note if I ever write one.