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Happy 69th Birthday To Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters
Roger Waters, one of the founding members and chief components who greatly contributed to the mind-blowing success of British psychedelic/classic rock unit Pink Floyd, celebrates his 69th birthday today [sept 6]
In a way, Waters stands alone as a musical architect. His lyrics to some of the most memorable and well-made rock records of all time, bass playing, and British proper nasal vocal inflections are some of the high watermark achievements in music. Approaching music first with a keen psychedelic edge during the fad of the genre during the late 1960s, and then cultivating those sounds with a dark, spacier edge which became the Floyd trademark, Waters has helped create a body of work that is not only successful, but also had the keen foresight to become dazzling in a critical sense as well. Floyd records have the luxury of not only selling in the millions, but also for being regarded and lauded as some of the most ultimate records ever produced.
He started with Pink Floyd since the very beginning, a group he formed with local art classmates Syd Barrett, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason. After using names like Abdabs and Meggadeth (yep, they had the claim on the name first, although spelled differently as you can see), they finally became known as Pink Floyd, a name suggested by Barrett, which is a link of two blues artists’ names together, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. The band started its musical paces off by becoming a heavy psychedelic group, led by the bizarre, wild, and darkly poetic antics of lead singer/guitarist Barrett, and the band became a minor success in its native England. Barrett left the group after he began sporting rather strange behavior on and off stage, which was basically a by-product of too much psilocybin overuse, compounded by mental illness. Barrett was replaced by another school friend, David Gilmour, on lead guitar. Gilmour’s immense command of the instrument, coupled with a chemistry the band now had which was even more trippy than the Barrett era was, but more controlled and tightly arranged, brought Pink Floyd more and more into the mainstream rock arena with each subsequent release.
By 1971, their album Meddle, which included “Echoes,” a track that clocked in at over 20 minutes, started the string of what is considered the “classic” records released by Pink Floyd during that decade. Waters and Gilmour forged a sort of partnership with the writing, and by this time, Waters started chiefly penning the lyrics as well. At first, his lyrics on prior Floyd records were mainly in the alphabet word soup of mixed metaphors and the like, or purposely hard to decipher, but by Meddle, they began to touch on more familiar themes of human nature. Even the one word line growled in Meddle’s opening track “One of These Days,” which is “One of These Days, I’m going to chop you up into little pieces!” speaks of frustrations and hermetically sealed soul torturing that would become Roger Waters and Pink Floyd’s instant trademark.
It all crystallized for the band with their next release, 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon. Exploring themes like alienation, money, paranoia, schizophrenia, passage of time, and death among others, and done with the signature Pink Floyd sonic stamp in a quadraphonic production, the record went on to become one of the best-sellers of all time, owned by tens of millions of fans, some who discovered the band for the first time. The record in a way forged its own clique and style with generations of fans who also see the record as a key proponent of their lifestyles as well. Written entirely lyrically by Waters, and also showcasing his memorable bass line on the track “Money,” Dark Side of the Moon remains one of rock and roll’s most classic and best releases of the 20th century and certainly beyond.
For the records that followed, Waters and Floyd still explored the same themes, using the template procured on Dark Side. Wish You Were Hereand Animals also held equal weight to the now Floyd standard set withDark Side. The band arguably topped itself with what has been regarded by many as the Floyd masterpiece, largely written, concocted, devised, created, and produced by Waters, 1980′s, The Wall, which is another highly lauded release and in a way perfectly bookends with Dark Side of the Moon the dazzling success of that era for the band. A tale about a rock and roll misfit megalomaniac who suffers a sundry amount of demons within him, fueled by his past, present, and future, becomes a dictator of his music and to his fans, most of whom aren’t able to see the distinction between rock and roll performer as entertainer and rock and roll performer as czar. The album employed complex arrangements, plenty of sounds and special effects, large orchestras and small musical passages, all swirling around a foreboding, darkness which almost enveloped everything else about the album. Like Dark Side, The Wall continues to also be accepted as one of rock’s heavyweight releases of all-time.
By the mid 1980s, Waters and Pink Floyd parted ways, due to stress, pressures, and Water’s inability to get along with his bandmates anymore, who were starting to feel that Pink Floyd was nothing more than a Roger Waters solo project. Floyd went on to success, Waters went on to critical success, but in terms of sales, he never reached the kind of heights he had with Floyd. The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking and Amused to Death were two of his standout solo albums, featuring Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck on lead guitar respectively.
In recent years, following the reunion of Pink Floyd at 2005’s Live 8, which was a smashing success but ultimately a one-off performance, Waters has adventurously taken Dark Side and The Wall and toured globally with those productions, The Wall in particular, a big lavish stage show which employs an actual foam wall which gets built brick by brick as the show progresses, massive-sized puppets, crashing airplanes, and eye-opening animation, all rotating around the axis of the music, presented by Waters and his band of musicians. Once in a while, an original member of Floyd will make an appearance at a show here or there, unannounced. These projects keep the public image of Roger Waters and the music of Pink Floyd still in high regard to this very day.
So let’s celebrate the life and career of Roger Waters today, key musician, genius songwriter, innovative musical technician of sorts, who not only makes people groove and listen to some of the best music has to offer by way of various genres that always keeps a rock foundation, but also music that makes them think and feel, reflect and hope, even cry and emote. Happy Birthday, Roger Waters, enigmatic force of nature in the musical world, and one who will always remain that way.
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Happy 69th Birthday To Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters | Geeks of Doom:
Today in Pink Floyd History: May 20
May 20, 1988.
Pink Floyd plays at Camp Randall Stadium during "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" tour.
LINKS:
Pink Floyd (Madison Wi) Very Rare Youtube video
Pink Floyd plays at Camp Randall Stadium during "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" tour.
LINKS:
Pink Floyd (Madison Wi) Very Rare Youtube video
May. 20th, 1988 08:00 pm Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. I believe I rented a car for the trip, since my car wasn't in very good shape. I went by myself. Seems like my seat was on the left side, towards the back. Section T, row 70, seat 20. I don't think I missed anything, even at that distance.
The epitome of a stadium spectacle. Exploding pigs, enormous articulated mirror ball, plane flying from the back of the stadium and crashing at the front, great sound...
The epitome of a stadium spectacle. Exploding pigs, enormous articulated mirror ball, plane flying from the back of the stadium and crashing at the front, great sound...
Pink Floyd concerts at Camp Randall Stadium
Pink Floyd news :: Brain Damage - Pink Floyd - Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, July 3rd 1994
Camp Randall Stadium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Cameron Reveals Pink Floyd as His Favourite
David Cameron has revealed his favourite album of all time is Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of the Moon'.
In a message posted on Facebook, the prime minister announced his preference for the cult 70's album as part of a celebration of Great British Music.
His choice is somewhat fitting.
With the coalition fending off attacks that it is "out of touch", Cameron may want to listen to "Us and Them" again.
He'll also hope to avoid being "On the Run" from Ed Miliband again over his links to Rupert Murdoch.
Meanwhile, Cameron should be careful not to take too literally the song "Money".After Nadine Dorries' stinging outburst about him being a "arrogant posh boy",the PM surely wants to dispel the notion he is part of "the hi-fidelity first class travelling set".
Finally, given backbench criticism over the LibDems' influence, Cameron will want to avoid making his coalition "Any Colour You Like".
He can help the coalition survive as long as he tells backbenchers - "Speak To Me"
Watch Roger Waters on "60 Minutes" Sunday Night, May 20
Roger Waters' story behind "The Wall"
(CBS News) Roger Waters is playing, singing and most of all, building "The Wall." At three stories tall and 140-yards across, the world's largest movie screen reflects high-definition images from 42 projectors all synchronized to the music. Waters, the creative force behind the legendary rock band Pink Floyd, will appear - along with his enormous wall and the story behind it- in a 60 Minutes report by Steve Kroft to be broadcast Sunday, May 20 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
It took three years for Waters and his tech team to design the animation on the wall that complements his music at sold-out stadiums all over the world. Waters says of his iconic double album, "I think it strikes some chords that may be just beneath surface in most of us. What it's about, is the walls that exist between human beings, whether... on a family level or on a global level. And I think that resonates with people."
"The Wall" and the work that goes into producing the show is motivation for Waters, continually energizing a 68 year old artist and musician who left the band he founded in 1985. "The emotional payback is enormous. The truth of the matter is that the work is the reward," says Waters. "I mean, the shows are great. Don't get me wrong. I love the shows...But I love...the nature of putting the thing together, you know. I like not just the nuts and bolts, but I like the process of trying to work out how to make it better all the time."
60 Minutes cameras were there for the opening night of nine sold out shows in Buenos Aires - breaking the attendance record previously held by the Rolling Stones. Waters and "The Wall" are now touring in North America through July 2012.
THE LUNATIC
Brain Damage
(Waters) 3:50
The lunatic is on the grass.
The lunatic is on the grass.
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs.
Got to keep the loonies on the path.
The lunatic is in the hall.
The lunatics are in my hall.
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paper boy brings more.
And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.
The lunatic is in my head.
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'til I'm sane.
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.
And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear.
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.
"I can't think of anything to say except...
I think it's marvelous! HaHaHa!
http://www.pink-floyd-lyrics.com/html/brain-damage-dark-lyrics.html"
NYPOST: Roger Waters of Pink Floyd to Marry
Pink Floyd rocker Roger Waters will tie the knot with longtime fiancée Laurie Durning. The Floyd founder, for whom this will be a fourth marriage, and the pretty blonde, a filmmaker, will wed before Waters hits the road early next year for his tour. After a seven-year engagement, Durning told us over lunch at Amaranth the other day, “It just seems like a good time to do it before the tour.” The couple is shopping for a new engagement ring to replace one Durning lost in London after Waters popped the question. But don’t expect a Paul McCartney-style extravaganza: Durning says she’ll only have close friends at a “private and low-key” ceremony.
RICK DAVIS / SPLASH NEWS
Roger Waters
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