Without a doubt, one of the most recognizable rock bands to ever come out of the British Isles is Pink Floyd. On the other hand, opinions differ regarding the band’s best musical era. The group, which was first formed by the creative visionary Syd Barrett, contributed to defining the groundbreaking sounds of psychedelic music. To the dismay of many fans as well as Barrett himself, they fired Barrett shortly after. They then switched to lengthy, extremely intricate concept albums and ostentatious live performances.
It was immediately apparent that Syd Barrett was a fountain of ideas and inspiration for Pink Floyd. Much of the material from those early years was written by the Cambridge-born musician, which is why albums like Piper At The Gates of Dawn continue to rank among Pink Floyd’s best-ever releases. What then made the songwriter get fired? Despite creating some amazing songs, it appears that his addiction to LSD was bad for his mental health. Eventually, it made it nearly impossible for him to continue with the group.
Few bands would be able to continue after the departure of their lead songwriter and guitarist, but fortunately, Roger Waters took over for Pink Floyd. Under Waters’ direction, the group would create their most commercially successful albums over the following 20 years. This period included ground-breaking releases like The Dark Side of the Moon. Even with their success, some people continued to hold the opinion that Barrett’s exit marked the end of Pink Floyd.
Since the band’s material underwent a significant change while Waters was leading the group, it is understandable why some fans hold this opinion. This shift in focus was not unexpected, according to Barrett. In a 1971 interview with Melody Maker, he stated, “Their choice of material was always very much to do with what they were thinking as architecture students.” People who aren’t very exciting, mostly, I would have assumed.
It appears that while Barrett and Waters were in Pink Floyd together, they were working toward different goals. The psychedelic master said, “I suppose the fact that both Roger and I wrote different things restricted the choice of material,” adding, “We wrote our songs, played our music.” I’m not sure if there was a lot of conflict, other than the possibility that our initial performance wasn’t as powerful or impactful as it could have been.
Pop and rock bands typically release their most exciting songs as singles. However, Waters and associates seemed less than thrilled with the concept, opting instead for full albums. It appeared that Barrett was the only member of the group who saw the potential in a 45 RPM release. “I believe it was just me,” he disclosed. “Singles are inherently straightforward.” They were thrilling. Playing on stage was the whole thing at the time, he continued. That’s all there is to it.
Following Barrett’s exit from the band, Pink Floyd dedicated all of their attention to honing that stage presence. The band was undeniably exciting, with their spectacular light shows and grandiose performances. However, after Barrett left the group, their music lost some of its revolutionary quality.
