The Pink Floyd era with the best lyrics, according to David Gilmour
After Syd Barrett’s departure in 1968, Pink Floyd found themselves in a precarious position. The remaining four members could have easily called it quits, disheartened by the challenging process of recording their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, and demoralised by the abrupt and painful end to Barrett’s tenure. At least they could have consoled themselves with the knowledge that their debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, had cemented them as pioneers of psychedelic rock. However, they had tasted success and were hungry for more. Refusing to fall on their swords, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and the rest of the band resolved to push forward.
After some deliberation, it became evident that no one was eager to take on the role of leader following Syd Barrett’s departure. Ultimately, Roger Waters stepped up to the plate, later remarking that he was “perfectly happy” to assume the responsibility. This decision provided the quartet with the stability they needed to regroup, shake off the uncertainty, and return to the rehearsal room. What followed was a creatively oscillating period, during which they experimented with a variety of approaches and began to develop a process that, unbeknownst to them at the time, would eventually shape the shimmering, cerebral style that made them world-famous.
Pink Floyd’s arc is fascinating. After reaching such eye-watering success with 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon and following it up two years later with Wish You Were Here, the classic lineup tore irreparably at the seams. After 1977’s Animals, Waters assumed a dictatorial role during the production of 1979’s The Wall and its 1983 successor, The Final Cut. The latter album was the final nail in the coffin for him, and in 1985, he was out, leading to a messy personal and legal battle.
Despite Waters and guitarist Gilmour being at odds for decades following their split, one thing they have separately agreed on is their disdain for 1970s Atom Heart Mother. The unconventional album, featuring the titular instrumental that dominates the first side, along with tracks like ‘Fat Old Sun’ and ‘Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast’, marked their early move toward the concept album format. However, both Waters and Gilmour have deemed it their worst effort.
In the 1980s, Waters said that the title presents a strong case for being thrown in the bin and never listened to again. Gilmour, echoing this point in 2001, noted that it was a good idea but a failure in execution. He said: “God, it’s shit, possibly our lowest point artistically.”
Yet, just the following year, when speaking to La Repubblica in 2002, Gilmour offered a different perspective on Atom Heart Mother. It all started when he expressed that Pink Floyd were so headstrong and “arrogant” that they immediately realised they had written a masterpiece with The Dark Side of the Moon. However, he conceded that it changed their trajectory completely in that they were corrupted by money, and they thought they could write anything that would be good.
Once more, this mirrored a comment Waters had made in 1987 that the 1973 album “finished” the band as it was the absolute pinnacle of success, creatively and commercially, hinting at the same spiritual corruption.
It was put to Gilmour that despite what they say, the quartet carried on a stellar run. He claimed that was until Animals, and that The Wall was “the worst of our story”, where they’d lost sense of what Pink Floyd meant in words and music. He then referred to Atom Heart Mother and said it kicked off their best run, pinpointing Waters’s “extraordinary” lyrics as the qualifier: “From Atom Heart Mother to The Dark Side: those were the years in which Roger become an extraordinary lyrics writer.”
Although Waters might not see it, and generally, Gilmour doesn’t have much good to say about Atom Heart Mother musically, the guitarist does have a point. With tracks such as ‘If’, Waters started to come into his own as a lyricist, honing his reflective words concentrating on human nature and the psyche, which, like the conceptual music, were their first tangible steps towards The Dark Side of the Moon.
