‘Music From Big Pink’: The “fundamental” rock album that changed Pink Floyd forever
Once in a blue moon, an album comes along that completely alters the course of musical history. These are the records like Pet Sounds or The Velvet Underground and Nico which forever altered the future of popular music. One group that always strived to create those groundbreaking albums was Pink Floyd, and they certainly succeeded on multiple occasions, penning iconic records in the form of The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, among various others.
When the early incarnation of Pink Floyd first got together back in 1965, artists all over the world were stirring up ways to revolutionise pop music. Gone were the days of three-minute love songs and commercial appeal; the 1960s saw artists prioritising experimentation and innovation within music. This atmosphere fostered a wealth of history’s most notable groups, but Pink Floyd were certainly among the most prominent and sonically diverse. Those early days were storied by psychedelic expression, led by the genius that was Syd Barrett.
Barrett’s impact on Floyd is unavoidable, and the sheer quality of his songwriting on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn could rival any other artists of that era. So, when the visionary was ejected from the band in 1968 as a result of his drug habit and worsening mental health, the remainder of Pink Floyd were somewhat lost, without a clear direction. Luckily, the band had a wealth of influences and inspirations to draw from, and one group in particular had a profound effect on the post-Barrett period, according to Roger Waters.
Waters has never pulled any punches when discussing the history or inspiration behind Pink Floyd. Although his views on his former band often fluctuate between nostalgia and unadulterated resentment, the songwriter has always been keen to discuss his musical influences. Back in 2008, while speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Waters highlighted The Band’s Music from Big Pink as a colossal influence on Pink Floyd.
“That one record changed everything for me,” he shared.
Released in 1968, The Band’s stunning debut album saw the Canadian-American outfit take on an impressively broad range of styles, incorporating everything from country to funk and soul. Its unique composition and range of songwriting typified the revolutionary period in music during the late 1960s. Moreover, Waters heaped praise onto the record, declaring, “After Sgt. Pepper, it’s the most influential record in the history of rock and roll.”
Although Waters may be at risk of sensationalising the album a little, he went on to explain, “It affected Pink Floyd deeply, deeply, deeply. Philosophically, other albums may have been more important, like Lennon’s first solo album. But sonically, the way the record’s constructed, I think Music from Big Pink is fundamental to everything that happened after it.” Certainly, the album was released when Pink Floyd were at a crucial stage in their history.
When Music from Big Pink first hit the airwaves, Floyd were still struggling to adapt to the departure of Syd Barrett. Without the incredible influence of The Band acting as their guiding light, perhaps Waters and the gang might never have reached the dizzying heights of albums like The Dark Side of the Moon a handful of years later.
The 1960s saw the release of countless stunningly influential records but, at least in the mind of Roger Waters, Music from Big Pink was among the greatest. Its diverse offerings and wonderfully original songwriting, often drawing from the influence of The Band’s collaborator, Bob Dylan, made it an album unlike any other. In that same spirit, Pink Floyd sought to create music unlike anything else offered by the landscape of rock and pop music.
