For the Pink Floyd it would take a book, so I’ll stick to some basic information.
The band was founded in London in 1965 by the genius Syd Barrett, singer and guitarist, by bassist Roger Waters, by drummer Nick Mason and by keyboardist Richard Wright then in 1968 the guitarist and singer David Gilmour also joined the quartet and later took the place of Barrett who had gradually moved away from the project due to drug abuse and a form of alienation.
A very long career, from the first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn from 1967 to just a few weeks ago with the release Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII (2025 Mix) from 2025, to the recent anniversary reissues, up to the latest one, 8-Tracks from 2026.
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Lots of experimentation, beautiful artwork mostly coming from the Hipgnosis studio, philosophically rooted lyrics and truly great live performances,
without doubt one of the most influential bands in music history, I come across albums every day that have a "Floydian" sound.
Not only psychedelic music and space rock, of which they are considered pioneers, but also splendid Progressive Rock.
The first leader was Barrett, then Waters and finally Gilmour, and each of them influenced the band's musical core with a personal imprint
- Barret with the psychedelic sound, main author of the debut record, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
- Waters, under whose leadership came the release of The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall and The Final Cut
- With Gilmour the albums A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell and The Endless River.
After Barrett, in 1979 during the recording of The Wall another major change: Wright was pushed out of the group, then took part in the following tour only as a hired hand.
In 1985 Waters also left the band;
A legal dispute was set up over the use of the group's name, Gilmour and Mason were authorized to continue the activity of the Pink Floyd, later reuniting with Wright.
The band members stopped collaborating in 1994.
In 2008 the group received the Polar Music Prize, a sort of Nobel Prize for music
Despite the line-up changes the Pink Floyd have always had an immediately recognizable sound, what is called the "Pink Floyd Sound" they became identified with, mainly due to the genius of Wright
It's important to say that the Pink Floyd's belonging to the Progressive Rock genre has always been a heated debate in the music world.
Multiple influences: they influenced many musicians and groups, such as David Bowie, Genesis, Queen, Yes, Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream, Ayreon, Dream Theater, Tool, Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins, Steven Wilson in his various projects including Porcupine Tree, the Rush, neoprogressive bands, and how could we forget the tribute by Pitura Freska with the song Pin Floi, which tells the beautiful yet debated Venice concert of 1989.
The Pink Floyd have sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide and recently sold the catalog to Sony for about 400 million, many more will still come.
