After Syd Barrett’s tragic departure, Pink Floyd spent the early years of the ’70s searching for direction. Their creative compass gone, they fumbled through a string of unfocused records that hinted at potential but lacked vision. That changed in 1971 with Meddle. It wasn’t just a step forward—it was the first true sign that something greater was coming.
Two years later, The Dark Side of the Moon confirmed it. A sonic and emotional masterpiece, it launched Pink Floyd into the stratosphere. It remains the fourth best-selling album of all time and the highest-ranking LP by any British artist. More than just success, it marked the moment Pink Floyd found their identity—a blend of spacey exploration and deep psychological introspection.
While the Dark Side sessions were a collective effort, one voice began to rise above the rest. Roger Waters, the band’s bassist, emerged as the creative and philosophical force behind their next wave of records. With Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, and The Final Cut, Waters poured himself into the music—his disillusionment, his political fury, his pain. These weren’t just albums. They were statements.
Waters’ vision defined Pink Floyd’s golden era, but his dominance created friction. By 1985, he had officially left the band, and The Final Cut—essentially a Waters solo album in everything but name—would be his swan song with Floyd.
Looking back in 1999, Waters acknowledged David Gilmour’s importance but drew a clear line in the creative sand:
“Dave did some great work after Dark Side… but he certainly didn’t do any work regarding the philosophy, or politics, or heart, or drive behind the records.”
After the split, both parties carried on. But the results were starkly different. Waters channeled his energy into Radio KAOS—a Cold War-era concept album built around fear, resistance, and hope, complete with a cutting-edge live multimedia show. Pink Floyd, now fronted by Gilmour, released A Momentary Lapse of Reason, a polished but hollow affair that lacked the raw edge Waters had always provided. It sounded like Floyd—but felt like something else.
Though Gilmour would later lead the band through The Division Bell (a solid, if subdued effort) and the ambient tribute The Endless River, the spark that had once lit Pink Floyd’s fire was never quite the same.
Waters, for his part, has embraced the legacy. He’s brought The Wall to massive new audiences on tour and even reimagined The Dark Side of the Moon in 2023. He may revisit the past, but he does so with purpose—still burning with the same creative intensity that made his work with Floyd timeless.
Decades on, it’s clear: the split left something missing on both sides. But when you stack up the post-1985 output, there’s little doubt whose vision had more to say. Waters didn’t just shape Pink Floyd—he gave it a soul.
