Pink Floyd’s Best Album?
I’ve wanted to write this article for a long while, but honestly struggled putting this together because the task was so daunting. In my world, Pink Floyd is one of the greatest rock bands ever, and their catalog is filled with fantastic music. But what was the best from one of the best rock bands ever?
The legendary UK rockers put out 15 studio albums over their illustrious careers. The core band that we all have come to love was Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, but Pink Floyd began as the brainchild of Syd Barrett.
Syd’s days in the band were brief due to a variety of mental and drug-related issues. His relationship with his bandmates was rocky from day one, but he was a creative genius. After his departure, the rocky relationship theme remained prevalent, and as a result, there are precious few Pink Floyd albums with the core line-up working like a machine.
Finally, here’s a look at each of the albums, ranked from worst to first. As you’ll see, the band peaked in the mid-70’s, but there was a lot of fantastic music before and after… and on the opposite end of the spectrum, some that was borderline ear abuse…
Let’s start with 3 that were generally forgettable.
15. Ummagumma, 1969 – Calling this mediocre is a bit too generous. Each band member took an album side to screw around for about 15 minutes. The result was generally an hour of crap. They never should have released this one, but this album proved the adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts… an issue that we’ll also see in the future.
14. The Endless River, 2014 – Avarice [ˈavərəs] NOUN – extreme greed for wealth or material gain. These are leftovers from The Division Bell released 20 years after the fact. The songs didn’t age particularly well, and this one was clearly a last money grab. The only redeeming quality is that Nick Mason had a few shining moments. They should have never released this one either.
13. The Final Cut, 1983 – Another album with a bunch of leftovers – with some of these tracks being rejects from The Wall sessions. David Gilmour himself called it rubbish. This is mostly Roger Waters doing his thing with three other dudes along for the ride. There are a few decent tracks but overall this was a disappointing follow-up to The Wall. The biggest things we learned on this album were that less of David Gilmour is not a good thing, and that the recently fired Rick Wright was hugely missed.
12. A Saucerful of Secrets, 1968 – A lot of atmospheric rock, and a little too much mediocrity, but there was a lot of shit taking place behind the scenes on this one. This was Syd Barrett’s last album, and Gilmour’s first. Here’s some interesting trivia, “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” is the only song that all 5 members (including Barrett and Gilmour) perform on. Check out “Jugband Blues,” it is so unlike the band they were about to become.
11. Atom Heart Mother, 1970 – The title track clocks in at a ridiculous 23:40. It’s a good track, but not worthy of an entire album side. Side 2 featured some interesting tracks, but the album is uneven as Pink Floyd sounds like a band trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. There are some early hints of Dark Side on the album, too.
Now, we’re getting into some pretty solid territory. All of the remaining albums were quite strong.
10. More, 1969 –One of their early soundtracks, and an album that showed their promise. “The Nile Song” was an early glimpse at heavy metal, but it was an outlier on the diverse album. This is the first Pink Floyd album where we really started hearing what became the signature Waters/Gilmour sounds. To me this is likely the album where they first displayed their future identity.
9. The Division Bell, 1994 – The second album after the break with Waters, and although there are a few great songs, the overall album did not impress. This one seemed to be lacking heart and passion. After hearing this album, it was clear that the band needed to be done. More meaningless trivia: Rick Wright’s only lead vocal as a member of the band happens on “Wearing the Inside Out.”
8. Obscured by Clouds, 1972 – Interestingly, this predecessor to Dark Side of the Moon had more of a mainstream rock feel to it, but there were also hints to what was about to come on their next album. It’s a bit inconsistent, but definitely a good album. It’s also the place where you find “Free Four” a bouncy ditty with chilling lyrics and an under-appreciated Floyd tune.
7. A Momentary Lapse of Reason, 1987 – Our first look at the band without Waters, and it was clearly better than The Final Cut, the last album monopolized by Waters. This album is vintage Gilmour, and it is a treat hearing his vocals throughout an entire album. There’s some sweet guitar work, and Rick Wright returned for three songs including “Learning to Fly.” They were probably the best 3 on the album, reinforcing how much better the band is with multiple creative contributors.
6. Meddle, 1971 – “One of These Days” is the bands best instrumental, and all four members absolutely shine. It’s a hell of a start to a great album and the solo from Gilmour was probably his best guitar work up to that point in time. The 23-minute journey that is “Echoes” provided an early indication to what they would become on Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.
5. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 1967 – The band’s debut album was piloted by Syd Barret, and despite rumors that he was constantly wasted on LSD, it’s an impressive collection of tunes. The album starts with the spacey “Astronomy Domine,” one of their more under-rated tracks, and then meanders through several genres. I definitely feel this album influenced many bands of the era. At times they sound like the Moody Blues, and at others, The Who (“Interstellar Overdrive”) or Manfred Mann (“The Gnome”).
Ok, so now we are getting into some rarified air. From ’73 through the end of the decade, Pink Floyd released four albums; every one a masterpiece. Arguments could easily be made to move any one of these into the top spot, and I struggled a lot to get this order right. Some readers will think that I got all 4 wrong, and I won’t argue with their reasoning. They are all timeless releases from a band in their prime.
4. The Wall, 1979 – This is Roger Waters’ opus and arguably the best concept album ever. Sadly, it is also the album that finally killed the band. Rick Wright basically fired himself during the recording, and Waters didn’t want to use Gilmour’s creations. Thankfully he did, as they were the best tracks on the album (“Young Lust,” “Hey You,” “Comfortably Numb,” etc…) The reason this one isn’t higher is because there wasn’t enough Gilmour. Nonetheless, Waters absolutely shined, and it’s a rare double album with enough good tracks to carry four sides. More useless trivia: Toni Tenille (of Captain and Tenille) provides vocals on two of the songs on The Wall.
3. Animals, 1977 – A fantastic album both lyrically and musically. “Dogs” is the best 17-minute-long song ever, and it might be Pink Floyd’s best song. If you haven’t listened to it in a while, take a listen. I think the band was at its music-writing prime and Gilmour’s guitar work was as emotive as ever. I feel like the band had no commercial concerns and were just focused on their artistic abilities. The result was a timeless masterpiece. Reading a few books on the band, the friction that came to a head during The Wall was also prevalent here, as Waters started to assert artistic control. But, damn, the music on Animals was truly powerful.
2. The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973 – I asked friends of our Facebook Page to share their Top 5 albums, and this one came out on top on 5 of the 6 lists. It is an amazing album, and I can’t fault anyone for putting this one on top. The band labored over this for months, and played it live often before going into the studio. Alan Parson produced this work of genius where everything came together perfectly. The band was at its collaborative peak, and they were focused on their craft. The biggest singles, “Time” and “Money” are probably the worst two songs on the album, and they are both excellent. Clare Torrey’s vocals on “Great Gig in the Sky” are like nothing we’ve ever heard elsewhere on a rock record, but like everything else on this album, it all fit perfectly and worked magnificently together.
1. Wish You Were Here, 1975 – I questioned whether anything could really be better than Dark Side of the Moon, but this album is just about perfect. The album was a grand Waters vision that the entire band coalesced around and collaborated on. Much of the lyrical content focused on the fragile mental state of original member Syd Barrett, and the words are emotional throughout. Still, it was the music that made the album. Every song is a masterpiece, and the band clearly didn’t give a crap about commercial sales or critical reception – they just made the music the way they wanted to. And it was perfection. Pristine production, poignant lyrics and four musicians playing at their absolute best. A rare album that is truly timeless, and one that aged better as time went on.
Last piece of meaningless trivia: Roy Harper who was recording down the hall was called in to sing lead vocals on “Have a Cigar” when Waters was having issues with his voice.
Thanks for reading, please share your thoughts in the comments, and share with anyone who loves Pink Floyd.
