The title of this epinion came from the book by the same name by Steven Hawking, who is actually in the song Keep Talking from Division Bell, and it also came from Pink Floyd's hit song Time

Pink Floyd started in the mid-sixties with Syd 'Roger' Barret as leader. Syd was the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the band at that time, and they were more space rock or psychedelic rock than the classic rock they are considered to be now. They released a few singles before their first album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, released in 1967. This album did fairly well in Europe, but got very little attention in America. This was the first and last album done under the leadership of Barret, because he soon became mentally unstable. Producers feared the worst, because of Barrets popularity in Europe, however, it did not have an effect on US sales, due to the fact that they didn't really know who they were.

David Gilmour soon replaced Barret, and Pink Floyd managed to adapt to the rapid changes. Their next album, A Saucerful of Secrets, released in 1968, was a fairly big success, reaching the top ten charts in Europe. Gilmour was accused of copying Barret's style, but this is untrue. Gilmour actually had been friends with Barret, and taught Barret some things on the guitar, so Barret actually copied Gilmour's style somewhat.

Their next couple of albums were not musically amazing, but had a couple of very good gems. But in 1971 Meddle was released (Review http://www.epinions.com/content_14694715012). This CD, while largely underrated, showed Pink Floyd's talent, and was actually the base of their next hit, Dark Side of the Moon. DSotM managed to do something no other album in history has done. It stayed on the top 200 charts for about 14 years, and is still their most popular album.

Their follow up, Wish You Were Here, managed to surpass DSotM lyrically as well as musically, though it is a lesser known album (Review http://www.epinions.com/content_14694715012). Shortly after WYWH was released, Roger Waters started taking control of the band, and the music became even more lyrically driven than before. Animals, one of the most beloved CDs by fans, followed WYWH, and it seemed as though Pink Floyd managed to grow musically with every album, no matter how good the one before it was.

However, at this point, Roger Waters took almost complete control for the next project, The Wall. This album was their first true concept album, and I believe it is still holds the record for the largest sales for a double album. The Wall is lyrically amazing, and was even made into a cult classic movie. Roger Waters forced the keyboardist, Richard Wright out of the band after they had finished The Wall and took complete control over the band. The Final Cut, while technically a Floyd album, is really Waters' first solo album. It even states "by Roger Waters; Performed by Pink Floyd" on the album. The sales for this album were terrible, and the band split up.

David Gilmour then attempted to continue the band with Nick Mason, and released the album Momentary Lapse of Reason. This featured several hit singles, though it lacked much of what made Pink Floyd popular. Their last album to date, Division Bell corrected many problems in MLoR, and went on to be one of Floyd's most popular albums.

Pink Floyd has managed to be a timeless band, and popular with each new generation. In 50 years, most of the music of today will be forgotten, but Pink Floyd will Shine On.

Recommended: Yes