The moment when Pink Floyd split.

Pink Floyd - one of the most original and unique bands of classic rock. The creativity of this band is difficult to characterise: it is much more than psychedelia or prog-rock. It is true artThe Floyd album cover is considered to be a masterpiece, and the band's tours have always been characterised by pomp and sophistication in terms of scenery. Almost every Floyd album cover is considered a masterpiece, and the band's tours have always been characterised by pomp and sophistication in terms of scenery....

Probably most fans would cite the example "The Dark Side of the Moon" as the pinnacle of Pink Floyd's creativity. And indeed: this album was a turning point in the band's career, with classic compositions, multi-million copies, iconic artwork and deep lyricism. However - it was with this record that the band's career began to schism. And this is a fact with which both "sworn enemies" agree - and the David Gilmore, и Roger Waters.

"I miss the times when the band was still a band" - Waters on his favourite period of Pink Floyd

"The Dark Side of the Moon" came from ideas Waters had sketched out for the band's earlier release, the album "Meddle.". Even then, Roger began to reflect on how the modern world can elevate a man to Olympus and break him down overnight. Waters reflected on how the temptations of the modern world destroy the human psyche while being influenced by an ex-colleague Sid Barrett - The genius with whom Floyd began their march, but which dried up halfway through. Sid's story is very sad and confusing, and we can discuss it for a long time. We offer you an excerpt from an interview where Waters talks about his favourite period of the band, and about when everything went wrong.

So: it's the ideas of alienation and insanity The Dark Side of the Moon, one of the most iconic albums in rock history. The record was highly praised by critics and the public, and was a giant breakthrough in Pink Floyd's career. But it also turned out to be beginning of the end... From Roger's 1987 interview:

"Sometimes I miss the times when the band was still a band. When we were all one: deciding together what to play and what to record, what to give up and what to bet on, when we all agreed on the same things. It's hard to say from the get-go, but after a lot of thinking about it, I think it was when we were working on "The Dark Side of the Moon" that it all went downhill. Before that album we were still a team and friends. After - we became alienated guys who are just part of the same line-up - guys with different positions, views, beliefs... The integrity was broken.

"He's completely taken control" - David Gilmore's musings

David Gilmore had no doubt that "Dark Side of the Moon" would work. He could see Floyd spinning in different directions at the time, as they were desperate to find something particular: something of his own, unique, different from the original songwriter and bandleader Syd Barrett. Nothing took root until Waters addressed the human mental state while working on "Meddle". From that point on, the foundation for "The Dark Side of the Moon" was laid.

"Once Roger came up with the idea of how the pressures of modern life can affect your sanity, I'd say it started to take shape from there with 'Dark Side of the Moon'.

After a while, the band fumbled personal styleDark Side of the Moon brought the Floyds new fans all over the world, fame and huge circulation! As well as a direction in which the musicians were now confident and moving with the with confidence and enthusiasm. However (from Gilmore's interview):

"I think it was at that point that we stopped understanding each other. We sort of split up, we refused to listen to each other. Waters took complete control, he became obsessed with his ideas. Being the main great lyricist, he probably didn't even realise how he had put us, the other members, on a little island, you know what I mean? We were limited in our own expression, as his lyricism had to come first. He overshadowed us, our music, and apparently didn't notice it - or didn't want to notice it. There were times when we didn't concentrate on the musical side as much as we should have. We couldn't help but be annoyed. That's how the internal split started..."

The last straw

Perhaps the final straw for Pink Floyd was working on the album "The Final Cut" 1983. By the time the record was recorded, the classic Pink Floyd line-up was slowly disintegrating, with a split looming on the horizon just a couple of years later. Neither Waters nor Gilmour would ever resolve the issue - to this day there's a feud between them. But in some respects, their views are still similarities…

Discussing the album "The Final Cut," both Waters and Gilmour describe its creation as. "unhappy" time. By that time, the split within the band had reached its peak, and the musicians worked on the record separately, trying not to cross paths. It was a dead end... As Gilmour said about this period:

"That's how it ended. It's a great pity. Even Roger says it was a terrible time - and he himself was the one who made the period so miserable, in my opinion."

In another of his interviews, Gilmore recalled workflow on the album:

"There were all kinds of arguments about political issues, and I didn't share his political views. But I never, ever wanted to stand in the way of him expressing the story of The Final Cut. I just didn't think any music was appropriate for it! It got to the point where I just said: "If you ever need a guitar player, give me a call and I'll come and do it. Preferably one."

For his part, Waters reflected on that period this way:

"I was in a pretty deplorable state of mind. By the time we were a quarter of the way through making 'The Final Cut', I knew I'd never record anything with Dave or Nick again..."

Well, it's always sad to see the way favourite band breaks up - At first, they are small cracks that gradually grow and can't be patched up. Nevertheless, Pink Floyd did a great job, and even in spite of internal strife, they managed to make a record true masterpieces for centuries. And even though their story didn't end well, their legacy will always be hard to overstate.