Time Scapes

http://pink-floyd.org/artint/129.htm

What happened to the greatest Pink Floyd band, that once lived doing the best music of all? The answer can be found in the article called "Time Scapes" written by Mike Watson during the 90's. This article is basically about how "ironically" as Watson puts it, Pink Floyd has been misundestood of what their music is all about. It also talks about all the albums of Pink Floyd, how did the band record them, how they sound like and how good they were. He compares the Pink Floyd's music as being the most pure and concentrated thing of a substance. Their music and sound are the most perfect embodiment of something. And he uses words as "quintessential" and "psychedelic" to qualify the Floyd. But as the title says, time scapes and can never come back; and the way Pink Floyd use to play and create those fascinating lyrics when they used to be together, that time will never come back again. Too band for all their fans, and maybe for themselves too.

He also says that Pink Floyd have put their peers into shame because of their innovative music ideas. That when you listen to their recordings you have a cosmic feel that is usually provoked by their good music. The author liked how the music of Pink Floyd was created by its leader Syd Barret, who was a very charismatic guy. Unfortunately, he did not have any more future with the band because of his addiction to drugs. This problem leaded the group into a desintegration between them, that later on, besides having destroyed Barret's life with Pink Floyd, it also destroyed the lives of the rest of the Floyd.

David Gilmour was the guy who replaced Syd when he left. Gilmour was an old friend of Syd, and who would be better to become the new man in the band replacing Syd than his own friend. But becuase Gilmour had a lot to offer to the band, with his melodic voice, his great way to play the guitar and the good of his lyrics, he became the "Floyd trademark." For me, David Gilmour is one of the best guitarist of all times, no, he's the best of all, and if you don't believe me, just listen to his music, which is the Pink Floyd's music, and pay attention to his solos. A simple Gilmour guitar solo, is "mournfully, breathtakingly beautiful."

After Barret left the band, Pink had to start all over from the beginning to try to accomplish their goals and going forward without him. Their first albums were all instrumentals, which made the songs sound melancholic. The Floyd at their peak as a live band were daring, experimental and wonderfully inspired. But that wasn't all they could do. On their album called "Echoes" which for me is very good, they brought the best of them, by expanding and richly integarting a tapestry of rock improvisation melodic themes and surreal passages of abstract sounds.

The author makes an allusion to a Rolling Stone critic who talked of his feelings about Pink Floyd's music and their special sense of "line and continuity and ritualistic repetition" on their lyrics. Ehich more of they are really good. Some of the best songs of Pink Floyd are 'Shine on you crazy diamond,' 'Whish you were here,' and 'Dark side of the moon,' but of course there are many more. That if I had to name them I would never finish.

Watson says in this article that because all the problems they had with Barret gone, Wright being useless in the studio because of his excessive use of cocaine and his lost marriage, and besides that, Roger officialy out of the band; the rest of the Floyd started loosing their meaning. Their melodies weren't the same, something was missing. It's how he says on his last paragraph, "That version of Pink Floyd is, alas, gone forever. Why? Money, it's a gas". It sure is, if you don't believe me, listen to that song.

When and why did Waters leave Pink Floyd?

http://pink-floyd.org/artint/watleft.htm

Why is it that for people, money is the most important thing in their lives? We all know that money it is very important, but there are some other things more important than that, one of them is friendship. Friendship is a very valuable thing that we have to take care of it, and try not to destroy it. The following synopsis has been taken from an article called: "When and why did Waters leave Pink Floyd," which was mainly from Schnaffner's "Saucerful of Secrets" book, with additional pieces and support from other books, interviews, and articles. The evidence was taken over the years.

It seems that the author wants to let us know what really happened between Roger Waters and the Pink Floyd. Also the whys and the whens of their separation. Even though he doesn't really mentioned some of the issues, because he ignores them. I think he should have investigated more, before making an article about it. Over all I think that it's a good article.

During 1983 David Gilmour and Roger Waters, both of them from the Pink Floyd band were having a lot of differences, those differences made impossible for them to even try to record a new LP together, they did not even want to continue their careers together with the band. Those differences grew stronger because they forgot about their friendship, that friendship had been with them for many years, and they couldn't even save it.

In 1984 both of them started their solo albums. Gilmour with his "About Face" album, and Waters with his "Might Have Been Floyd" album. Both albums got into the Top 30 Billboard charts. Gilmour and Waters went on to world tours, each on their own, without the rest of the Floyd. They wanted to see if they could go ahead without the band's help. Gilmour had future plans to get back and continue with Pink, but he wouldn't include Waters in those plans. The only three members of the band were David, Nick, and Roger, but Roger was the least possible to get back with the other two.

1985 was the year when the most problems began, with the definite separation of the band. Because Pink Floyd wasn't officially disbanded; their manager, Steve O'Rourke, wanted them to make another Pink Floyd album. Steve was pressuring Waters to do it, so Roger had to talk to his old friends, and he tried to convince them to terminate their last deal with Steve. And guess what did Roger offered them in return? The rights to the Pink Floyd name, so they could continue alone, only David and Nick, with the band's name. Too bad that he later regreted of having done that.

So in December, Roger wrote letters to the record companies, announcing his departure from the band. That same year, Nick and Dave said that they both alone, without Roger, wanted to revive the Pink Floyd band; which had always been alive, but it wasn't very much attended by them.

In the following year, while the Pink Floyd was working in a new album, and they still managed by Steve; he happened to be the one who sued Waters for holding commissions. This problems leaded to more bad feelings from Waters towards the rest of the Floyd.

The year 1986 was when the band, which only includes Gilmour, Mason, Wright Bob Ezrin, and some other new musicians (Waters is not with them of course), then decided to work in a new Pink Floyd album, now it would be for good. Because they weren't yet disbanished, Roger went to court to ask for a ruling that would made an unanimous consent of all members of the band necessary for every decision regarding to the Floyd. This would include Roger too. But the court did nothing on that issue, not even Water's lawyers did something to help him.

At the last paragraph of the article the author says how he is so confused about all these issues regarding to the legal problems of Pink Floyd and their separation. The author also gives us opportunity to create our own judgement on the question of whether reviving the Pink Floyd was good or not. He also gave a different site in which we can find more information on more Pink Floyd's issues.

Roger Waters' 'Death' & Rebirth

http://www.pink-floyd.org/artint/69.htm
Billboard Magazine (Late July 1992)

Why is it that sometimes you feel "Amused to Death?" What in the world can make you feel that way? What? Why? and how can that happen? In the article called "Roger Waters ''Death' & Rebirth." Written by Timothy White, it tells how "Amused to Death" became the most provocative and dazzling record of the 1990's. The founder and the compositor of this new LP is Roger Waters; the former chief compositor of Pink Floyd, and he started to work on it three years before Operation Desert Storm happened.

The main purpose of Timothy's article is to show Water's perspective about television and war, or live television transmissions of war, which is almost the same thing. For Waters, he thinks that this kind of news have become the principal mass entertainment. Inside his albums and lyrics we can find a variety of evidence that proves that he is correct. "There is nothing in the history of civilization that generates more profit for the power elite than war." Isn't that true?

In order to make this album, he had to use a 'metaphor.' The metaphor of a gorilla watching TV. The ape symbolizes anyone who is been sitting with his mouth open watching TV. Sounds familiar? That is something that we always do. He puts television as medicine, and gives a really good example of it. How the medicine, in this case television can be healing us or killing us; and he explains that is doing both things at the same time. "Healing us as target audience but killing off our respective cultures."

Waters says that thanks to television we only learned no more than we could see with our own eyes, which he qualifies it by "deliberate." He talked about how president Bush bought the election year idea of going to war against Iraq. A war that more than necessary is only a cheap and dishonest game show, that Mr. Bush wants to keep playing over and over; and everyone can see that.

The author states that "Amused to Death" is even better than the past Pink Floyd works. But in order to understand the meaning to it, one have to pay full attention to the record, so that every phrase would go into your brain. That if you hear this album more than once, you'll be hooked in perpetuity, that every scene that comes into your mind will invade your dreams. Spooky! Timothy says that the help of the band, has made the album sound terrific, enthralling and unforgettable for everyone.

One of the good things that Waters has experienced during the five years that took him to finish this album, is that he has learned to be more sensitive. His writings have become more passive, and he has being able to write more about individual experiences. One of those experiences is the death of his own father, a RAF Pilot during World War II. He calls this war a "wrenching waste." And I'm sure that many people feel the way he does about war.

I think that he's right by thinking that television is being a bad influence for everyone. We shouldn't let anyone and anything to think for us. But we're so fool that we let television to make us think the way its creators want, and to kill all of our prospectives, like he says. Is there something that we can do now? Or is it too late?

The Guardian

http://pink-floyd.org/artint/6.htm
The Guardian: Friday, July 22 1988

No way! There is a fight between Roger Waters, the former bass player from Pink Floyd, and the rest of the Floyd. This synopsis that you are about to read was taken from the article called "The Guardian: Friday, July 22 1988." The article was written by Robin Denselow, who rided the tour bus throughout Europe, with the Pink Floyd band. He says that it was really fun to ride with such a good band, which have been the key element of the largest production ever taken on the road, that have been selling discs as if they were fresh bread, the rock shows that have had more out-solds than any other. This is what Pink Floyd is all about; only good music and good shows.

Too bad that not everything can be perfect; and for Pink Floyd there are no exceptions. The Floyd has been having some difficulties with one of their band members. His name is Waters, Roger Waters. This extraordinary musician, who played a very nice job in the years when they had been leading up their last live shows in the 1980's, with their Wall Tour. Gilmour, another member of the band, the main singer, song-writer and guitarist; says that someone, referring to Waters; had to mess everything up, by splitting from the band.

Waters didn't want to continue in the band, nor with the tours, so he decided to leave the group. He thought that by doing this, the band would do the same and that everyone would do their own thing. But he was wrong because Gilmour and Mason, this dynamic duo continued to use the Pink Floyd name. They even recorded a new LP, which was a bomb. It is called a Momentary Lapse of Reason, and it sold six million copies. Poor Waters, trying to stop them, he also would've gain a lot.

While Robin Denselow was accompaining the duo during this tour, he discovered how well performed were these concerts, and in the Guardian article he lets the audience know his experience with the band. In his own words he says that this tour is even better than "The Wall Tour." The stages that they have been using are enormous, especially the one that they'd built at Modena. Denselow describes this experience like "being given a ring-side seat for the apocalypse." Because all the 'amusing and awesome' light and sound effects they had.

He compares the light effects to the movie Star Wars. Also a giant radio-controlled pig floated above the audience. Which was very exciting for all the fans. The Pink Floyd also had the best quadraphonic sound system that Robin had ever heard. The sound rumbled and blasted from all different parts of the stadium. He says that not only the effects made the Floyd show a success, they also played remarkably well.

But the Floyd were not the only ones making their music and having their shows. Roger Waters had his smaller-scale solo in 1987. The day of his concert there were some people who wore T-shirts with the slogan "Which one is Pink?" I think that those kinds of things made Waters more angrier than ever with his former colleagues.

The main reason why the band splitted was because of money. They were having problems with the productivity issue. None of them wanted to lose their production fee; and who would? Gilmour says that they were afraid that Waters would want to keep the Pink Floyd name for himself, it was the only reason why he was always suggesting the split. The duo was sad because of the very hard feelings between both sides. It was unpleasant for everyone.

The Floyd compares the separation with Syd and this last split between them and Waters. They say that this last separation has being more difficult and painful than the one from Syd. I would say that they're right because they didn't get into any kind of fight with Syd, the kind of fight they're having with Roger. Even with all these things that have happened to them they were still working on their good music until they retired from the band. But they considered themselves as "elderly rock legends." I know for sure they are, and will be forever.

A Wall Goes Up at the Nassau Coliseum

http://www.pink-floyd.org/artint/nassau/
"A Wall Goes Up at the Nassau Coliseum" Uniondale, New York - February 25th & 26th, 1980 by Elliot Tayman, from Brain Damage Magazine

What is like to attend to a real concert? This article was taken from the Brain Damage Magazine, and it's the story of Elliot Tayman and his experience at a Pink Floyd's concert. This concert was at New York's Nassau Coliseum, in February 25th, 1980. He says that to get to this concert he and his friend had to pass some difficulties. One of those dificulties was that they had to buy the two tickets for the concert, and they had to wait in line since night, which he says was a very cold one, like it usually is during winter time in New York. Until morning, when they got their tickets. Also they had to rush for the Tickettron, because there was a lot of people who were desperated to attent to those Pink Floyd's concerts; and who wouldn't.

The day of the concert they had to be one hour prior to the showtime. They wouldn't forgive themselves if they would have missed that show, a show that was fascinating and memorable for all Pink Floyd's fans. Especially because that U.S Tour would only take place in two cities, these two cities were New York and Los Angeles. Of course the tickets were scarce because there were people all around the Country who wanted to attend to the Wall Concerts.

He says that the day of the concert there was a lot of people asking everyone for extra tickets to sell, so they could enter to the show. For the first time the metro area of New York and New Jersey was blocked out of the sale to allow fans from Virginia to Maine to get a "chance" to ge a ticket. I could bet that some people bought extra tickets so they could sell them for a higher price, and some others would buy them because they knew that it was going to be a really good concert.

When they entered to the Coliseum, they were open-mouthed because of the gigantic stage the Pink had placed in the middle of the two partially built sections of a wall. Elliot says that the wall was all across the entire Coliseum. It was very good for Elliot and his friend Bob to be in the fifth row, because they got to sit right in front of David Gilmour. God, how I wish I would have been there too!

They were excited by all the things they saw at the show. For example when the band was playing "Another Brick In the Wall Part 2" which is a song that talks about how the teachers are bad to their students. Well, during this song they would have a gigantic inflatable of a school teacher dangling in front of the wall. Isn't that cool?, Well for me it is. The band also gave all kinds of pyrotechnics and film footage, which made the concert more excited. Even though I wasn't there I could tell that this concert must have been the best concert of all times.

Elliot says that while the concert was going on, the roadies were building the wall, putting brick by brick, and having the group hidden behind it. Every song that was played had different setting, so the audience was more than entertained by that extraordinary show. The last thing that happened during the show was that they sang this song were at the end of it the people would chant 'tear down the wall,' then the wall fell! The final comment that the author says makes me feel jealous, "I'm glad I was 'one of the few' fortunate fans to have witnessed two of these historic concerts". He also added that the last week of February 1980, will live in his mind forever.

Men, if I was one of the few to attent to those concerts I would've been happy all my entire life. I mean, Pink Floyd is the "best" classic rock band ever, and I don't think there will be any other band someday that would get to accomplish the same things or have that kind of good music as they have. To bad they're not together anymore. But they're still remembered by all their paranoid fans.