I’m pretty sure that I thought Pink Floyd started existing after Dark Side of the Moon. I’ve had their songs on my playlists since I’ve started making playlists (and mix CDs). Of course, they were top ten in ‘07 – but that was before I knew about the early stuff…
The Backstory of Pink Floyd and Me
Wrestling and the IRS
The earliest memory I have of Pink Floyd also links back to one of my earliest memories of pro wrestling. If you were not aware, pro wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation (Entertainment) dominated my high school years. The starting point happened on a Saturday in 1994.
As I was channel surfing (physically hitting the up button on the cable box), I saw a muscular man fighting what appeared to be a Mountie (Canadian police). I stopped on this channel. Indeed, WWF Superstars was showing a recap of Lex Luger fighting Quebecer Jacque. He knocked him clean out with his forearm (he had a metal enforcement from a previous injury). This was very interesting to me and kept watching.
I wasn’t able to finish the show because my family had an appointment with HR Block. It was a short drive uptown and during that drive, I heard “High Hopes” from Pink Floyd’s Division Bell album. It will forever be linked in my memory to professional wrestling.
Hells Bells
My mother was a big-time Pentecostal. This was problematic for me as a youth. We could not watch MTV. My dad was immune from the filtering – so I was able to hear good music around him.
Not only was I forbid to listen to rock, but it was also perceived as the devil’s music. I was forced to go to church at least three times a week. One of these sessions included a youth group – in which other fanatical members of the church tried to scare the living shit out of you.
One of these sessions played the VHS Hells Bells. They blasted all music. Everything was fueled by satan. The Beatles were devil worshippers. Of course, Black Sabbath were murderers. Even Pink Floyd were possessed.
I remember the images from The Wall and the commentary that the children in the video were all being taken over by demons. As ridiculous as it sounds, young-adults and teens were brainwashed by this obvious propaganda.
Dark Side of Oz
One of the coolest finds and urban legends, the album Dark Side of the Moon and the movie Wizard of Oz sync up perfectly. In high school, my friends and I found out about this. Luckily, we had both the VHS and the CD at my house.
This was early high school, so I’m not sure if there were any alcohol or drugs involved, but I remember getting everything set up like a movie debut. On the third lion’s roar (MGM opening) we started the music. Sure enough, it had real moments where things worked masterfully. At that moment (true or not), I thought Pink Floyd were geniuses.
Pink Floyd Now vs. Rank In 2007
Over the last few years, I did some additional research on Pink Floyd. I learned about Syd Barrett, learned about the band split in the ’80s, and also heard some of the earlier-less mainstream albums. In 2007, I had no idea these things existed. I knew of The Wall Pink Floyd. In a way, I think I like Pink Floyd more now even though I dislike a lot of the new music I discovered over the last few years.
Check out where they rank on my current list.
Pink Floyd Metrics
By The Numbers
- Qualified Songs: 168
- Greatest Hits: 16
- Four Star: 53
- Three Star: 84
- Two Star: 11
- One Star: 4
Score
657.74%
Pink Floyd was pretty hit or miss. Early stuff – miss. Middle stuff – hit. Later stuff – mostly hit (for me).
A Deep Dive Into the Current Score
Pink Floyd was a bit difficult to score (not because of the music) but because of how the tracks were laid out. “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” could have been nine individual songs and get nine individual ratings. But instead, it was two tracks and they scored two. On the other hand, “Sysphus Part I-V” on Ummagumma was broken into individual tracks. This gave them some pretty lousy scores. Basically, the album I had and the way it was broken down was the way I scored it.
I personally enjoyed the David Gilmour later albums and there were some nostalgic and great songs. No doubt, I probably scored more five stars than the average person. I also did not like the Syd songs and might have scored lower than your average fan. Either way, they scored well and beat out some pretty important bands (Boston and The Moody Blues).
Pink Floyd Podcasts for Reference
There was definitely a lot of Pink Floyd podcasts. Some were interviews, others reviewed albums, and others were just talking about the band’s history. I sampled a lot of them and finished more than a dozen. I will highlight the notable ones.
The Great Albums Podcast – This podcast has received a plug in nearly half of my artist breakdowns thus far. They break down Dark Side of the Moon and do it rather nicely. I actually listened to this podcast twice (when I first subscribed and as a refresher).
Terrence Reardon and Friends Podcast – Maybe not the best cover art to a podcast but the episode on A Momentary Lapse of Reason was worth an outsider perspective. Not sure who the guy is or why it matters, but I am glad I’m not the only one who enjoyed this album.
All Songs Considered – This podcast did a little tribute week or Pink Floyd special. I listened to interviews with an early club manager, Roger Waters, and a few others.
The David Gilmour Podcast – This was actually a podcast from the frontman and guitar player David Gilmour. This three-episode series was just him talking about his guitars and how he was auctioning them off for charity. I really like David Gilmour and this was a pleasant listen. Seems like a really down to earth fellow.
Desert Island Discs Podcast – Speaking of David Gilmour, this episode from the early 00s had Gilmour talking about the band and playing a few of his favorite non-Pink Floyd tracks.
Your Favorite Band Sucks – I’m pretty sure I am in on the joke, but only listened to one podcast so far. These guys either really hate Pink Floyd or they do this with every group. I subscribed and I imagine they are going to tear apart every band.
Discord & Rhyme – The group at Discord and Rhyme review the album Meddle. Although my opinion of Pink Floyd is different than their viewpoint, I still love the passion and appreciation for this album. I also learned about Disney’s Fantasia sync with Meddle.
Pink Floyd Videos for Reference
Much like the podcasts, there were a ton of Pink Floyd videos for me to consume. YouTube is usually hit or miss, but there was BBC documentaries, fan-made documentaries, and various others.
The Pink Floyd Story: Which One Is Pink (YouTube) I watched this video several months earlier and watched it again to catch-up. This talks about Syd, the break-up, and the entire story. It was very good.
Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall (YouTube) This documentary touches on pretty much everything that I mentioned earlier. It was another nice version and was available on YouTube at the time of this article.
Whatever Happened to Pink Floyd (YouTube) The guys from Pink Floyd or the record label must not really care if these documentaries are out there for free. Another one found on YouTube and the same information just told by different people. You watch all of these and you feel like a Pink Floyd historian.
Pink Floyd in the Movies
The Wall (DVD) – I watched this a young child and didn’t remember much. I watched it again as an adult and wasn’t really impressed. The music was obviously great, but I thought it was a one-and-done. I always liked the style of animation included, but the story was ‘meh’.
The Wizard of Oz (DVD) – Yes, this does work when synced up correctly. There are even versions on the internet now where they do the syncing for you. It’s cool to watch once (or maybe until the album is over) but usually, you get more enjoyment from just watching the movie or just listening to the album.
The Battle of Pink Floyd Albums
I bet a lot of people would be surprised to see that Dark Side of the Moon isn’t #1. I would have thought it, but turns out the ranks don’t really take into effect how well an album flows. Instead, it takes the sum of the best songs, the worst songs, and gives you that score. I can see why The Wall is #1.
| Album | Score |
| The Wall | 461.54% |
| The Division Bell | 409.09% |
| Wish You Were Here | 400.00% |
| Dark Side of the Moon | 200.00% |
| Animals | 160.00% |
| A Momentary Lapse of Reason | 150.00% |
| Meddle | 66.67% |
| Atom Heart Mother | 60.00% |
| The Final Cut | 38.46% |
| Obscured by Clouds | 30.00% |
| The Endless River | 4.76% |
| More | 0.00% |
| A Saucerful of Secrets | 0.00% |
| The Piper at the Gates of Dawn | 0.00% |
| Ummagumma | -18.75% |
The Greatest Hit from Pink Floyd
There were a lot of great hits by Pink Floyd. Some came during their prime (Dark Side of the Moon/The Wall) and others came with David Gilmour’s sound. There were sixteen total 5-star songs and we will do a classic tournament to declare the winner.
Previous Greatest Hit
“On The Turning Away”
I remember hearing the later albums first in my life and that helps dictate my favorites. I do, however, enjoy the sound of Gilmour’s music more than Waters. Things seem more peaceful or ambient. I very much enjoy “On The Turning Away”.
Tournament Outcome
“Wish You Were Here”
The tournament came down to having most of the later songs in one division and the earlier in another. “Wish You Were Here” defeated a lot of gems, but it wasn’t much of a shock to me. This song has a solid meaning (most of us can relate to) and also just an amazing tune.
Overview
Pink Floyd will probably (deservingly) stay in the top ten artists. If I were to break up the three versions of Floyd (Syd – Classic – Gilmour), two of the three would probably rank in the top five. Eliminate the early stuff, I think Pink Floyd could be a top three.
Amendments
July 20, 2019
Pink Floyd might see a bit of a bump if I figure a good way to combine some of the songs with multiple parts. At the moment, I scored how I had the albums. If I change, a few songs will increase and maybe a few will decrease.