‘The Last Waltz’ performance Roger Waters called “stunning”
A hallmark of a great songwriter is their ability to resonate with people from all walks of life, crafting words and music that forge connections among fans who may otherwise share little common ground. This universal appeal is a trait shared by the most celebrated songwriters throughout the years, from The Beatles and Pink Floyd to Nirvana. Despite being regarded now as a controversial figure, former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters once created some of the most profound musical works of his time.
While Pink Floyd began as an eccentric psychedelic band under Syd Barrett’s leadership, his departure marked a shift in their musical direction. By the early 1970s, they had started shaping a new and distinctive sound, discovering through albums like Ummagumma and its follow-up Atom Heart Mother what resonated and what fell flat. Notably, the band has expressed a collective disdain for these efforts, with even the usually composed guitarist Gilmour labelling Atom Heart Mother as “shit”. Despite this setback, the group persevered, and within a few years, they struck a creative vein that would lead to success and acclaim far beyond their initial expectations.
They developed a sophisticated approach to psychedelia, often classified as prog due to its expansive, intricate nature. Yet, it’s more accurately described simply as Pink Floyd, distinct from typical prog rock. Unlike the genre’s usual themes of wizards, warlocks, and mythical tales, Pink Floyd’s music was more refined and cerebral. The true brilliance lay not only in their evolving sound but also in the profound themes and subjects they chose to explore.
While all four members played a role, Waters deserves most of the credit for this shift. Instead of writing songs about high fantasy or tapping into the Louis Carroll-esque weirdness that Barrett did, he wrote about real, resonant themes. The stark, tragic mental health decline of Barrett would characterise much of this change, as would ageing, death, the suffocating nature of fame, and, as the years wore on, a heavily political hue. Whether it be ‘Us and Them’, ‘Wish You Were Here’ or ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’, Waters and the group wrote a collection of incredibly profound songs that delved deep into the human condition itself. This, alongside their musical nous, made for a championship-winning partnership.
Beneath the refinement of Pink Floyd’s most significant chapter lies a deference to pure songwriting. The band members have always been open about how essential masters of the craft, such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Roy Harper, were for them in forming their approach.
When speaking as part of an MSN webchat in 2000, Waters was asked who he admires musically. His answer outlined the creative context of his music, with him championing the performances of the array of the greatest songwriters of all time at The Band’s 1976 farewell, The Last Waltz. However, out of all of them, Canadian maestro Neil Young’s rendition of ‘Helpless’ was the one that struck him most; he called it “stunning”.
“I think great singer-songwriter is the best part of the musical spectrum,” Waters said before mentioning Randy Newman’s 1999 effort Bad Love. He then looked to The Last Waltz, as he’d recently watched it because he was filming his upcoming tour and wanted inspiration. “I was struck by the rawness of The Band. They really achieved something. Neil Young is a big favourite of mine. His performance of ‘Helpless’ in that film was stunning.”
At face value, it might not seem like Young or Waters have much in common, but they do. As well as being outspoken defenders of socio-political causes, their best music is pure songwriting at its finest and most piercing. They’re compositional experts, lyrical masters and adept at using their emotions to discuss something universal; only the best manage to do that.
