Beginnings
Roger "Syd" Barrett, Dave Gilmour & Roger Waters grew up in in Cambridge. When Roger Waters went to Regent Street Polytechnic, London in 1965, he met Rick Wright and Nick Mason. They formed a band (with some others) which broke up before Roger invited Syd Barrett & Bob Klose to join. The picture above is of this line up. Bob Klose soon left, and the first 4-piece Floyd became settled. They went through a variety of names, such as Sigma 6, The T-Set, The Meggadeaths, and The Abdabs. Syd Barrett, after taking some LSD, christened the band Pink Floyd after the South Carolina (not Georgia as is widely mis-reported) bluesmen Pink Anderson & Floyd Council. Syd painted the name on the side of the van, so that was it - an interesting name which was sort of psychedelic. Would a band called "The Anderson Council" would have been just as successful? In the early days the Floyd were more or less the house band at London's UFO club, much as the Beatles had been at Liverpool's Cavern Club. Their shows pioneered the use of lighting & other special effects, later on becoming renowned as the ultimate audio/visual spectacle. They have often been thought of as a "drug-inspired underground band", a tag which by no means paints the whole picture.

They got their first recording contract with EMI (the company they've stuck with to this day) in 1967. The first album and the early singles were dominated by Syd's whimsical songs. Syd was taking more and more acid and by early 1968 his behaviour & performances became increasingly erratic. Dave Gilmour was called in to help out, the band playing a handful of gigs as a 5-piece before the others decided not to pick up Syd any more. Since then Syd has had a brief solo recording career. His 3 albums are well worth seeking out, and one can only wonder at what might have been had he stayed in the band. He inexplicably turned up when the band were mixing "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", their massive tribute to him, and they have not seen him since. His health has not been good in recent years, with him spending long periods in hospital for depressive illnesses, and laterly diabetes. He lives quietly in Cambridge as Roger Barrett, "Syd" now being a distant memory. Pink Floyd would not have got started without Syd, but they couldn't carry on with him.

Moving On
The band, now a perfect combination of two artists & two architects, led by Roger Waters, remained as a 4-piece until 1979 when Rick Wright was fired as "The Wall" was being recorded; he did however stay on salary for The Wall shows of 1980-81. Pink Floyd all but broke up after "The Final Cut" in 1983. After much acrimony, Roger Waters finally left the band in 1985, only retaining the rights to The Wall show. Roger continues with a successful solo career.

Dave Gilmour assumed the mantle as Pink Floyd leader, with partner Nick Mason, and the 1987 album "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" was very much a Gilmour solo effort using an army of hired hands. Rick Wright was brought in on salary, before becoming a full parter once again. The last album, 1994's "The Division Bell" was much more of a band effort. The hired personnel for the last 2 tours has been fairly consistent.

Dave Gilmour said a few years back that 2001 would be a nice time to make another album, that did not happen, though a comprehensive compilation "Echoes - The Best Of Pink Floyd" was released instead... making me suspect there may never be another new album. 2005 saw a brief reunion for Live8 of the Waters - Gilmour - Wright - Mason quartet, and I had hoped they would get together one last time for Syd Barret's memorial concert.  Sadly that did not happen, and now (2008) with the passing of Rick Wright, that is probably (save for reissues) closure on the Pink Floyd odyssey.  Thank you boys for giving us some of the most memorable music of the Rock 'n' Roll years.

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