Nikhil Dev

 Pink Floyd are an English rock band.

They earned recognition for psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for avant-garde progressive rock music. Floyd are known for philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative cover art, and elaborate live shows. One of rock music’s most successful and influential acts, the group has sold over 250 million albums worldwide, and an estimated 73.5 million albums in the United States alone.

Pink Floyd had moderate success in the late 1960s as a psychedelic band led by the late Syd Barrett; however, Barrett’s erratic behaviour forced his colleagues to eventually replace him with guitarist and singer David Gilmour. After Barrett’s departure, singer and bass player Roger Waters gradually became the band’s leader and main songwriter. Under Waters’ leadership, the band recorded several albums, achieving worldwide success with The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979). In 1985, Waters declared Pink Floyd defunct, but the remaining members, led by Gilmour, continued recording and touring under the name, enjoying commercial success and eventually reaching a settlement with Waters over the use of the name.

Waters performed with the band for the first time in 24 years, on July 2, 2005 at the London Live 8 concert, playing to Pink Floyd’s biggest audience ever. All of the members of the band were also present at a concert in tribute to late leader Syd Barrett at London’s Barbican Centre on May 10, 2007, though only Gilmour, Wright and Mason performed together, while Waters performed solo.

Syd Barrett-led era: 1965–1968

Pink Floyd evolved from an earlier rock band, formed in 1965, which was at various times called Sigma 6, The Meggadeaths, The Architectural Abdabs, The Screaming Abdabs, and simply The Abdabs. When the band split up, some members —

guitarists Rado “Bob” Klose and Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason, and wind instrument player Rick Wright — formed a new band called ‘Tea Set’. After a brief stint with a lead vocalist named Chris Dennis,[3] guitarist and vocalist Syd

Barrett joined the band, with Waters moving to bass.

When ‘Tea Set’ found themselves on the same bill as another band with the same name, Barrett came up with the alternative name The Pink Floyd Sound, after two blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. For a time after this they

oscillated between ‘Tea Set’ and ‘The Pink Floyd Sound’, with the latter name eventually winning out. The Sound was dropped fairly quickly, but the definite article was still used occasionally for several years afterward; David Gilmour

is known to have referred to the group as “The Pink Floyd” as late as 1984, though they never released any recordings under that name.

The heavily jazz-oriented Klose left the band to become a photographer shortly before Pink Floyd started recording, leaving an otherwise stable lineup with Barrett on guitar and lead vocals, Waters on bass guitar and backing vocals,

Mason on drums and percussion, and Wright switching to keyboards and backing vocals. Barrett soon started writing his own songs, influenced by American and British psychedelic rock with his own brand of whimsical humour. Pink Floyd

became a favourite in the underground movement, playing at such prominent venues as the UFO club, the Marquee Club and the Roundhouse.

At the end of 1966 the band were invited to contribute music for Peter Whitehead’s film Tonite Let’s All Make Love in London; they were filmed recording two tracks (”Interstellar Overdrive” and “Nick’s Boogie”) in January 1967. Although

hardly any of this music made it onto the film, the session was eventually released as London 1966/1967 in 2005.

As their popularity increased, the band members formed Blackhill Enterprises in October 1966, a six-way business partnership with their managers, Peter Jenner and Andrew King, issuing the singles “Arnold Layne” (sample (info)) in March

1967 and “See Emily Play” in June 1967. “Arnold Layne” reached number 20 in the UK Singles Chart, and “See Emily Play” reached number 6, granting the band its first national TV appearance on Top of the Pops in July 1967. (They had

earlier appeared, performing “Interstellar Overdrive” at the UFO Club, in a short documentary, “It’s So Far Out It’s Straight Down”. This was broadcast in March 1967 but seen only in the UK’s Granada TV region.)

Released in August 1967, the band’s debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, is today considered to be a prime example of British psychedelic music, and was generally well-received by critics at the time. It is now viewed as one of

the better debut albums by many critics. The album’s tracks, predominantly written by Barrett, showcase poetic lyrics and an eclectic mixture of music, from the avant-garde free-form piece “Interstellar Overdrive” (sample (info)) to

whimsical songs such as “The Scarecrow”, inspired by the Fenlands, a rural region north of Cambridge (Barrett, Gilmour and Waters’s home town). Lyrics were entirely surreal and often referred to folklore, such as “The Gnome” (sample

(info)). The music reflected newer technologies in electronics through its prominent use of stereo panning, tape editing, echo effects and electric keyboards. The album was a hit in the UK where it peaked at #6, but did not get much

attention in North America, reaching #131 in the U.S., and that only after it was reissued in the wake of the band’s stateside commercial breakthrough in the 1970s. During this period, the band toured with Jimi Hendrix, which helped to

increase its popularity.

Barrett’s decline

As the band became more popular, the stresses of life on the road and a significant intake of psychedelic drugs took their toll on Barrett, whose mental health had been deteriorating for several months. Barrett’s strange behaviour has

often been attributed to his drug use. In January 1968, guitarist David Gilmour joined the band to carry out Barrett’s playing and singing duties.

With Barrett’s behaviour becoming less and less predictable, and his almost constant use of LSD, he became very unstable, often staring into space while the rest of the band performed. During some performances, he would just strum one

chord for the duration of a concert, or randomly begin detuning his guitar. The band’s live shows became increasingly ramshackle until, eventually, the other band members simply stopped taking him to the concerts. The last concert

featuring Barrett was on January 20th 1968 on Hastings Pier. It was originally hoped that Barrett would write for the band with Gilmour performing live, but Barrett’s increasingly difficult compositions, such as “Have You Got It Yet?”,

which changed melodies and chord progression with every take, eventually made the rest of the band give up on this arrangement. Once Barrett’s departure was formalised in April 1968, producers Jenner and King decided to remain with him,

and the six-way Blackhill partnership was dissolved. The band adopted Steve O’Rourke as manager, and he remained with Pink Floyd until his death in 2003.

After recording two solo albums (The Madcap Laughs and “opel” Barrett) in 1970 (co-produced by and sometimes featuring Gilmour, Waters and Wright) to moderate success, Barrett went into seclusion. Again going by his given name, Roger, he

lived a quiet life in his native Cambridge for more than 35 years. Barrett died at his home on July 7, 2006.

Finding their feet: 1968–1970

This period was one of musical experimentation for the band. Gilmour, Waters and Wright each contributed material that had its own voice and sound, giving this material less consistency than the Barrett-dominated early years or the more

polished, collaborative sound of later years. As Barrett had been the lead singer during his era, Gilmour, Waters and Wright now split both songwriting and lead vocal duties. Waters mostly wrote low-key, jazzy melodies with dominant bass

lines and complex, symbolic lyrics, Gilmour focused on guitar-driven blues jams, and Wright preferred melodic psychedelic keyboard-heavy numbers. Unlike Waters, Gilmour and Wright preferred tracks that had simple lyrics or that were

purely instrumental. Some of the band’s most experimental music is from this period, such as “A Saucerful of Secrets”, consisting largely of noises, feedback, percussions, oscillators and tape loops, and “Careful with That Axe, Eugene”

(which went by a number of other names as well), a very Waters-driven song with a bass and keyboard-heavy jam culminating in crashing drums and Waters’ primal screams.

Whilst Barrett had written the bulk of the first album, only one composition by him, the Piper outtake “Jugband Blues”, appeared on the second Floyd album. A Saucerful of Secrets was released in June 1968, reaching #9 in the UK and

becoming the only Pink Floyd album not to chart in the U.S. Somewhat uneven due to Barrett’s departure, the album still contained much of his psychedelic sound combined with the more experimental music that would be fully showcased on

Ummagumma. Its centrepiece, the 12-minute title track (sample (info)), hinted at the epic, lengthy songs to come, but the album was poorly received by critics at the time, although critics today tend to be kinder to the album in the

context of their body of work. Future Pink Floyd albums would expand upon the idea of long, sprawling compositions, offering more focused songwriting with each subsequent release.

Pink Floyd were then recruited by director Barbet Schroeder to produce a soundtrack for his film, More, which premiered in May 1969. The music was released as a Floyd album in its own right, Music From the Film More, in July 1969; the

album achieved another #9 finish in the UK, and peaked at #153 in the U.S. Critics tend to find the collection of the film’s music patchy and uneven. The band would use this and future soundtrack recording sessions to produce work that

may not have fit into the idea of what would appear on a proper Pink Floyd LP; many of the tracks on More (as fans usually call it) were acoustic folk songs. Two of these songs, “Green Is the Colour” (sample (info)) and “Cymbaline”,

became fixtures in the band’s live sets for a time and were a part of their live The Man/The Journey suite, as can be heard in the many available bootleg recordings from this period. “Cymbaline” was also the first Pink Floyd song to deal

with Roger Waters’ cynical attitude toward the music industry explicitly. The rest of the album consisted of avant-garde incidental pieces from the score (some of which were also part of “The Man/The Journey”) with a few heavier rock

songs thrown in, such as “The Nile Song” (sample (info)).

The next record, the double album Ummagumma, was a mix of live recordings and unchecked studio experimentation by the band members, with each member recording half a side of a vinyl record as a solo project (Mason’s first wife makes an

uncredited contribution as a flautist). Though the album was realised as solo outings and a live set, it was originally intended as a purely avant-garde mixture of sounds from “found” instruments. The subsequent difficulties in recording

and lack of group organization led to the shelving of the project. The title is Cambridge slang for sexual intercourse and reflects the attitude of the band at the time, as frustrations in the studio followed them throughout these

sessions. The band was wildly experimental on the studio disc, which featured Waters’ pure folk “Grantchester Meadows”, an atonal & jarring piano piece (”Sysyphus” (sample (info))), meandering progressive rock textures (”The Narrow Way”)

and large percussion solos (”The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party”). “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict” is a five-minute song composed entirely of Roger Water’s voice played at varied

speeds, resulting in a noise resembling rodents and birds. Large portions of the studio disc were previously played in their live “The Man/The Journey” concept piece. The live disc featured acclaimed performances of some of their most

popular psychedelic-era compositions and caused critics to receive the album more positively than the previous two albums. With fans, the album was Pink Floyd’s most popular release yet, hitting UK #5 and making the U.S. charts at #74.

1970’s Atom Heart Mother, the band’s first recording with an orchestra, was a collaboration with avant-garde composer Ron Geesin. One side of the album consisted of the title piece, a 23-minute long “rock-orchestral” suite (sample

(info)). The second side featured one song from each of the band’s then-current vocalists (Roger Waters’ folk-rock “If”, David Gilmour’s bluesy “Fat Old Sun” (sample (info)) and Rick Wright’s nostalgic “Summer ‘68″). Another lengthy

piece, “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast”, was a sound collage of a man cooking and eating breakfast and his thoughts on the matter, linked with instrumentals. The use of noises, incidental sound effects and voice samples would thereafter be

an important part of the band’s sound. While Atom Heart Mother was considered a huge step back for the band at the time and is still considered one of its most inaccessible albums, it had the best chart performance for the band up to

that time, reaching #1 in the UK and #55 in the U.S. It has since been described by Gilmour as “a load of rubbish” and Waters has said he wouldn’t mind if it were “thrown in the dustbin and never listened to by anyone ever again.” The

album was another transitional piece for the group, hinting at future musical territory such as “Echoes” in its ambitious title track. The popularity of the album allowed Pink Floyd to embark on its first full U.S. tour.

Before releasing its next original album, the band released a compilation album, Relics, which contained several early singles and B-sides, along with one original song (Waters’ jazzy “Biding My Time”, part of “The Man/The Journey”

recorded during the Ummagumma sessions). They also contributed to the soundtrack of Zabriskie Point, though many of their contributions were eventually discarded by director Michelangelo Antonioni.

Breakthrough era: 1971–1975
“Classic” Pink Floyd line-up, early 70s. From left to right: Wright, Gilmour, Mason, Waters.
“Classic” Pink Floyd line-up, early 70s. From left to right: Wright, Gilmour, Mason, Waters.

This is the period in which Pink Floyd shed their association with the “psychedelic” scene (and its association with Barrett) and became a distinctive band who are difficult to classify. The divergent styles of their primary songwriters,

Gilmour, Waters and Wright, merged into a unique sound. This era contains what many consider to be two of the band’s masterpiece albums, The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. The sound became polished and collaborative, with

the philosophic lyrics and distinctive bass lines of Waters combining with the unique blues guitar style of Gilmour and Wright’s light keyboard melodies. Gilmour was the dominant vocalist throughout this period, and female choirs and

Dick Parry’s saxophone contributions became a notable part of the band’s style. The sometimes atonal and harsh sound exhibited in the band’s earlier years gave way to a very smooth, mellow and soothing sound, and the band’s epic, lengthy

compositions reached their zenith with “Echoes”. This period was not only the beginning but the end of the truly collaborative era of the band; after 1973 Waters’ influence became more dominant musically as well as lyrically. Wright’s

last credited composition and last lead vocal on a studio album until 1994’s The Division Bell were in this period (”Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and “Time” respectively), and Gilmour’s writing credits sharply declined in frequency until

Waters left the band in 1985, though he continued to perform lead vocals and write songs throughout the whole time. The last ties with Barrett were severed in musical, as well as literal, fashion with Wish You Were Here, whose epic track

“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” was written both as a tribute and eulogy to Barrett.

The band’s sound was considerably more focused on Meddle (1971), with the 23-minute epic “Echoes” (sample (info)) taking up the second side of the LP. “Echoes” is a smooth progressive rock song with extended guitar and keyboard solos and

a long segue in the middle consisting largely of synthesised whale song produced on guitar, along with samples of crows cawing, described by Waters as a “sonic poem”. Meddle was considered by Nick Mason to be “the first real Pink Floyd

album. It introduced the idea of a theme that can be returned to.” The album had the sound and style of the succeeding breakthrough-era Pink Floyd albums but stripped away the orchestra that was prominent in Atom Heart Mother. Meddle

also included the atmospheric “One of These Days” (sample (info)), a concert favourite featuring Nick Mason’s menacing one-line vocal (”One of these days, I’m going to cut you into little pieces”), distorted and bluesy lap steel guitar,

and a melody that at one point segues into a throbbing synthetic pulse quoting the theme tune of the cult classic science fiction television show Doctor Who. The mellow feeling of the next three albums is very present on “Fearless”, and

this track displays a folk influence, as does the prominent lap steel guitar on “A Pillow of Winds.” The latter track is one of the Floyd’s very few acoustic love songs. Waters’ role as lead songwriter began to take form, with his jazzy

“San Tropez” brought to the band practically completed. Meddle was greeted both by critics and fans enthusiastically, and Pink Floyd were rewarded with a #3 album chart peak in the UK; it only reached #70 in U.S. charts. According to

Nick Mason, this was partly because Capitol Records had not provided the album with enough publicity support in the U.S. Today, Meddle remains one of their most well-regarded efforts.

Obscured by Clouds was released in 1972 as the soundtrack to the film La Vallee, another art house film by Barbet Schroeder. This was the band’s first U.S. Top 50 album (where it hit #46), hitting at #6 in the UK While Mason described

the album years later as “sensational,” it is less well-regarded by critics. The lyrics of “Free Four” (sample (info)), the first Pink Floyd song to achieve significant airplay in the U.S., introduced Waters’ ruminations on his father’s

death in World War II which would figure in subsequent albums. Two other songs on the album, “Wot’s… Uh the Deal” and “Childhood’s End”, also hint at themes used in later albums, the former focusing on loneliness and desperation which

would come to full fruit in the Roger Waters-led era, and the latter hinting much at the next album, fixated on life, death and the passage of time. “Childhood’s End”, inspired by the Arthur C. Clarke book of the same name, was also

Gilmour’s last lyrical contribution for 15 years. The album was, to an extent, stylistically different from the preceding Meddle, with the songs generally being shorter, often taking a somewhat pastoral approach compared to the

atmospheric use of sound effects and keyboard on sections of Meddle, and sometimes even running into folk-rock, blues-rock and piano-driven soft rock (”Burning Bridges”, “The Gold It’s in the…” (sample (info)) and “Stay” being the best

examples for each).

The release of Pink Floyd’s massively successful 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon, was a watershed moment in the band’s popularity. Pink Floyd had stopped issuing singles after 1968’s “Point Me at the Sky” and was never a

hit-single-driven group, but The Dark Side of the Moon featured a U.S. Top 20 single (”Money”).The album became the band’s first #1 on U.S. charts and, as of December 2006, is one of the biggest-selling albums in U.S. history, with more

than 15 million units sold, and one of the best-selling albums worldwide, with more than 40 million copies sold. The critically-acclaimed album stayed on the Billboard Top 200 for an unprecedented 741 weeks (including 591 consecutive

weeks from 1976 to 1988), establishing a world record. It also remained 301 weeks on UK charts, despite never rising higher than #2 there, and is highly praised by critics.

Saxophone forms an important part of the album’s sound, exposing the band’s jazz influences (especially that of Rick Wright), and female backing vocals play a key role in helping to diversify the album’s texture. For example, songs such

as “Money” and “Time” (sample (info)) are placed on either side of mellow lap steel guitar sounds (reminiscent of Meddle) in “Breathe (Reprise)” and female vocal-laden song “The Great Gig in the Sky” (with Clare Torry on lead vocal),

while minimalist instrumental “On the Run” (sample (info)) is performed almost entirely on a single synthesiser. Incidental sound effects and snippets of interviews feature alongside the music, many of them taped in the studio. Waters’

interviews started out with questions like “What is your favourite colour?” in an attempt to get the person comfortable. He would then ask, “When was the last time you were violent? Were you in the right?” The latter answer was played on

the album. Other interviews would ask, “Are you afraid of dying?” The album’s lyrics and sound attempt to describe the different pressures that everyday life places upon human beings. This concept (conceived by Waters in a band meeting

around Mason’s kitchen table) proved a powerful catalyst for the band and together they drew up a list of themes, several of which would be revisited by Waters on later albums, such as “Us and Them”’s (sample (info)) musings on violence

and the futility of war, and the themes of insanity and neurosis discussed in “Brain Damage.” The album’s complicated and precise sound engineering by Alan Parsons set new standards for sound fidelity; this trait became a recognisable

aspect of the band’s sound and played a part in the lasting chart success of the album, as audiophiles constantly replaced their worn-out copies.

Seeking to capitalise on its newfound fame, the band also released a compilation album, A Nice Pair, which was a gatefold repackaging of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets. It was also during this period that

director Adrian Maben released the first Pink Floyd concert film, Live at Pompeii. The original theatrical cut featured footage of the band performing in 1971 at an amphitheatre in Pompeii with no audience present except the film crew

and stage staff. Maben also recorded interviews and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the band during recording sessions for The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios; although the timeline of events indicate the recording sessions may

have been staged after the recording, they provide a glimpse into the processes involved in producing the album. This footage was incorporated in later video releases of Live at Pompeii.

Wish You Were Here, released in 1975, carries an abstract theme of absence: absence of any humanity within the music industry and, most poignantly, the absence of Syd Barrett. Well-known for its popular title track, the album includes

the largely instrumental, nine-part song suite “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (sample (info)), a tribute to Barrett in which the lyrics deal explicitly with the aftermath of his breakdown. Many of the musical influences in the band’s past

were brought together — atmospheric keyboards, blues guitar pieces, extended saxophone solos (by Dick Parry), jazz fusion workouts and aggressive slide guitar — in the suite’s different linked parts, culminating in a funeral dirge played

with synthesised horn and ending with a musical quote from their early single “See Emily Play” as a final nod to Barrett’s early leadership of the band. The remaining tracks on the album, “Welcome to the Machine” and “Have a Cigar”

(sample (info)), harshly criticise the music industry; the latter is sung by British folk singer Roy Harper. It was the first Pink Floyd album to reach #1 on both the UK and the U.S. charts, and critics praise it just as enthusiastically

as The Dark Side of the Moon.

In a famous anecdote, a heavyset man, his head and eyebrows completely shaved, wandered into the studio while the band was mixing “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” The band could not recognise him for some time, when suddenly one of them

realised it was Syd Barrett. On being asked how he had put on so much weight, he retorted “I have a fridge full of pork chops”.

In an interview for the 2001 BBC Omnibus documentary ‘Syd Barrett:Crazy Diamond” (later released on DVD as The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story), the story is told in full. Rick Wright spoke about the session, saying: “One thing that

really stands out in my mind, that I’ll never forget; I was going in to the “Shine On” sessions. I went in the studio and I saw this guy sitting at the back of the studio, he was only as far away as you are from me. And I didn’t

recognise him. I said, ‘Who’s that guy behind you?’ ‘That’s Syd.’ And I just cracked up, I couldn’t believe it… he had shaven all his hair off… I mean, his eyebrows, everything… he was jumping up and down brushing his teeth, it was

awful. And, uh, I was in, I mean Roger was in tears, I think I was; we were both in tears. It was very shocking… seven years of no contact and then to walk in while we’re actually doing that particular track. I don’t know –

coincidence, karma, fate, who knows? But it was very, very, very powerful”. In the same documentary, Nick Mason stated: “When I think about it, I can still see his eyes, but… it was everything else that was different”. In that same

interview, Roger Waters has said: “I had no idea who he was for a very long time”. David Gilmour stated : “None of us recognised him. Shaved…shaved bald head and very plump”. In the 2006 ‘definitive edition’ DVD release of The Pink

Floyd and Syd Barrett Story in the UK/Europe the director John Edginton’s interviews with Barrett’s former Floyd colleagues are included unedited, with far more detail of their feelings and actions during Syd Barrett’s tragic breakdown

and withdrawal from the band.

Roger Waters-led era: 1976–1985

During this era, Waters asserted more and more control over Pink Floyd’s output. Wright’s influence became largely inconsequential, and he was fired from the band during the recording of The Wall. Much of the music from this period is

considered secondary to the lyrics, which explore Waters’ feelings about his father’s death in World War II and his increasingly cynical attitude towards political figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Mary Whitehouse. Although still

finely nuanced, the music grew more guitar-based at the expense of keyboards and saxophone, both of which became (at best) part of the music’s background texture along with the obligatory sound effects. A full orchestra (even larger than

the brass ensemble from Atom Heart Mother) plays a significant role on The Wall and especially The Final Cut.

By January 1977, and the release of Animals (UK #2, U.S. #3), the band’s music came under increasing criticism from some quarters in the new punk rock sphere as being too flabby and pretentious, having lost its way from the simplicity of

early rock and roll. Animals was, however, considerably more guitar-driven than the previous albums, due to either the influence of the burgeoning punk-rock movement or the fact that the album was recorded at Pink Floyd’s new (and

somewhat incomplete) Britannia Row Studios. The album was also the first to not have a single songwriting credit for Rick Wright. Animals again contained lengthy songs tied to a theme, this time taken in part from George Orwell’s Animal

Farm, which used “Pigs” (sample (info)), “Dogs” (sample (info)) and “Sheep” as metaphors for members of contemporary society. Despite the prominence of guitar, keyboards and synthesisers still play an important role on Animals, but the

saxophone and female vocal work that defined much of the previous two albums’ sound is absent. The result is a more hard-rock effort overall, bookended by two parts of a quiet acoustic piece. Many critics did not respond well to the

album, finding it “tedious” and “bleak,” although some celebrated it for almost those very reasons. For the cover artwork, a giant inflatable pig was commissioned to float between the chimney towers of London’s Battersea Power Station.

However, the wind made the pig balloon difficult to control, and in the end it was necessary to matte a photo of the pig balloon onto the album cover. The pig was created by Dutch industrial designer and artist Theo Botschuijver. The pig

nevertheless became one of the enduring symbols of Pink Floyd, and inflatable pigs were a staple of Pink Floyd live performances from then on.

1979’s epic rock opera The Wall, conceived by Waters, dealt with the themes of loneliness and failed communication, which were expressed by the metaphor of a wall built between a rock artist and his audience. The deciding moment in which

to conceive The Wall was during a concert in Montreal, Canada in which Roger Waters spat on an audience member as he attempted to climb up on stage - it was this point where Waters felt the alienation between audience and band. This

album gave Pink Floyd renewed acclaim and their only chart-topping single with “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)”(sample (info)). The Wall also included the future concert staples “Comfortably Numb” (sample (info)) and “Run Like Hell”,

with the former in particular becoming a cornerstone of album-oriented rock and classic-rock radio playlists as well as one of the group’s best-known songs. The album was co-produced by Bob Ezrin, a friend of Waters who shared

songwriting credits on “The Trial” and from whom Waters later distanced himself after Ezrin “shot his mouth off to the press.” Even more than during the Animals sessions, Waters was asserting his artistic influence and leadership over

the band using the band’s parlous financial situation to his advantage, which prompted increased conflicts with the other members. The music had become distinctly more hard-rock, although the large orchestrations on some tracks recalled

an earlier period, and there are a few quieter songs interspersed throughout (such as “Goodbye Blue Sky”, “Nobody Home”, and “Vera”). Wright’s influence was completely minimalized, and he was fired from the band during recording, only

returning on a fixed wage for the live shows in support of the album. Ironically, Wright was the only member of Pink Floyd to make any money from the Wall concerts, which were only performed in several cities (London, New York and L.A.)

over multiple nights, the rest covering the extensive cost overruns of their most spectacular concerts yet.

Despite never hitting #1 in the UK (it reached #3), The Wall spent 15 weeks atop the U.S. charts in 1980. Critics praised it, and worldwide sales are unknown but today’s estimated counts are at 35 million copies of which it has been

certified 23x platinum by the RIAA, for sales of 23 million copies in U.S. alone. The huge commercial success of The Wall made Pink Floyd the only artists since the Beatles to have the best-selling albums of two years (1973 and 1980) in

less than a decade.

A film entitled Pink Floyd: The Wall was released in 1982, incorporating almost all of the music from the album. The film, written by Waters and directed by Alan Parker, starred Boomtown Rats founder Bob Geldof, who re-recorded many of

the vocals, and featured animation by noted British artist and cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. Film critic Leonard Maltin referred to the movie as “the world’s longest rock video, and certainly the most depressing”, but it grossed over US$14

million at the North American box office. A song which first appeared in the movie, “When the Tigers Broke Free”, was released as a single on a limited basis. This song was finally made widely available on the compilation album Echoes:

The Best of Pink Floyd and the re-release of The Final Cut. Also in the film is the song “What Shall We Do Now?”, which was cut out of the original album due to the time constraints of vinyl records. The only songs from the album not

used were “Hey You” and “The Show Must Go On.”

Their 1983 studio album, The Final Cut, was dedicated by Waters to his father, Eric Fletcher Waters. Even darker in tone than The Wall, this album re-examined many previous themes, while also addressing then-current events, including

Waters’ anger at Britain’s participation in the Falklands War, the blame for which he laid squarely at the feet of political leaders (”The Fletcher Memorial Home” (sample (info))). It concludes with a cynical and frightening glimpse at

the possibility of nuclear war (”Two Suns in the Sunset”). Michael Kamen and Andy Bown contributed keyboard work in lieu of Richard Wright, whose departure had not been formally announced before the album’s release.

Though technically a Pink Floyd album, the LP’s front cover displayed no words, only the back cover reading: “The Final Cut - A requiem for the post-war dream by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd: Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick

Mason”. Roger Waters received the sole songwriting credit for the entire record, which became a prototype in sound and form for later Waters solo projects. Waters has since said that he offered to release the record as a solo album, but

the rest of the band rejected this idea. However, in his book ‘Inside Out,’ drummer Nick Mason says that no such discussions ever took place. Gilmour reportedly asked Waters to hold back the release of the album so that he could write

enough material to contribute, but this request was refused. The music’s tone is largely similar to The Wall’s but somewhat quieter and softer, resembling songs like “Nobody Home” more than “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2).” It is

also more repetitive, with certain leitmotifs cropping up continually. Only moderately successful with fans by Floyd’s standards (UK #1, U.S. #6), but reasonably well-received by critics, the album yielded one minor radio hit (albeit in

bowdlerised form ), “Not Now John”, the only hard-rock song on the album (and the only one partially sung by Gilmour). The arguments between Waters and Gilmour at this stage were rumoured to be so bad that they were supposedly never seen

in the recording studio simultaneously, and Gilmour’s co-producer credit was dropped from the album sleeve (though he received attendant royalties). There was no tour for the album, although parts of it have since been performed live by

Waters on his subsequent solo tours.

After The Final Cut Capitol Records released the compilation Works, which made the 1970 Waters track “Embryo” available for the first time on a Pink Floyd album, although the track had been released on the 1970 VA compilation Picnic - A

Breath of Fresh Air on the Harvest Records label. The band members then went their separate ways and spent time working on individual projects. Gilmour was the first to release his solo album About Face in March 1984. Wright joined

forces with Dave Harris of Fashion to form a new band, Zee, which released the experimental album Identity a month after Gilmour’s project. In May 1984, Waters released The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, a concept album once proposed as

a Pink Floyd project. Waters had written this at the same time as The Wall and during proposal of both, the band selected The Wall. A year after his bandmates’ projects, Mason released the album Profiles, a collaboration with Rick Fenn

of 10cc which featured guest appearances by Gilmour and UFO keyboardist Danny Peyronel.

David Gilmour-led era: 1987–1995

Waters announced in December 1985 that he was departing Pink Floyd, describing the band as “a spent force creatively”, but in 1986 Gilmour and Mason began recording a new Pink Floyd album. At the same time, Roger Waters was working on

his second solo album, entitled Radio K.A.O.S. (1987). A bitter legal dispute ensued with Waters claiming that the name “Pink Floyd” should have been put to rest, but Gilmour and Mason upheld their conviction that they had the legal

right to continue as “Pink Floyd.” The suit was eventually settled out of court.

After considering and rejecting many other titles, the new album was released as A Momentary Lapse of Reason (UK #3, U.S. #3). Without Waters, who had been the band’s dominant songwriter for a decade, the band sought the help of outside

writers. As Pink Floyd had never done this before (except for the orchestral contributions of Geesin and Ezrin), this move received much criticism. Ezrin, who had renewed his friendship with Gilmour in 1983 (as Ezrin co-produced

Gilmour’s About Face album), served as co-producer as well as being one of these writers. Richard Wright also returned, at first as a salaried employee during the final recording sessions, and then officially rejoining the band after the

subsequent tour.

Gilmour later admitted that Mason and Wright had hardly played on the album. Because of Mason and Wright’s limited contributions, some critics say that A Momentary Lapse of Reason should really be regarded as a Gilmour solo effort, in

much the same way that The Final Cut might be regarded as a Waters album.

A year later, the band released a double live album and a concert video taken from its 1988 Long Island shows, entitled Delicate Sound of Thunder, and later recorded some instrumentals for a classic-car racing film La Carrera

Panamericana, set in Mexico and featuring Gilmour and Mason as participating drivers. During the race Gilmour and manager Steve O’Rourke (acting as his map-reader) crashed. O’Rourke suffered a broken leg, but Gilmour walked away with

just some bruises. The instrumentals are notable for including the first Floyd material co-written by Wright since 1975, as well as the only Floyd material co-written by Mason since Dark Side of the Moon.

1992 saw the box set release of Shine On. The 9-disc set included re-releases of the studio albums A Saucerful of Secrets, Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, and A Momentary Lapse of Reason. A bonus

disc entitled The Early Singles was also included. The set’s packaging featured a case allowing the albums to stand vertically together, with the side-by-side spines displaying an image of the Dark Side of the Moon cover. The circular

text of each CD includes the almost illegible words “The Big Bong Theory”. The year also saw the release of Roger Waters’ solo album Amused to Death.

The band’s next recording was the 1994 release, The Division Bell, which was much more of a group effort than Momentary Lapse had been, with Wright now reinstated as a full and contributing band member and figuring prominently in the

writing credits. The album was received more favourably by critics and fans alike than Lapse had been, but was still heavily criticised as tired and formulaic. It was the second Pink Floyd album to reach #1 on both the UK and U.S.

charts.

The Division Bell was another concept album, in some ways representing Gilmour’s take on the same themes Waters had tackled with The Wall. The title was suggested to Gilmour by his friend Douglas Adams. Many of the lyrics were co-written

by Polly Samson, Gilmour’s girlfriend at the time, whom he married shortly after the album’s release. Besides Samson, the album featured most of the musicians who had joined the A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, as well as saxophonist

Dick Parry, a contributor to the mid-70s Floyd albums. Anthony Moore, who had co-written the lyrics for several songs on the previous album, penned the lyrics for a tune by Wright, “Wearing the Inside Out” (sample (info)), Wright’s first

lead vocal on a Pink Floyd record since Dark Side of the Moon. Wright and Moore’s writing collaboration continued on nearly every song on Wright’s 1996 solo album, Broken China.

The band released a live album entitled P*U*L*S*E in 1995. It hit #1 in U.S. and featured songs recorded during the “Division Bell” tour from concerts in London, Rome, Hanover and Modena. The Division Bell concerts featured entire

performances of The Dark Side of the Moon. The tour would mark the first time the band performed the Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety in over two decades. VHS and Laserdisc versions of the concert at London’s Earl’s Court 20 October

1994, was also released. A DVD edition was released on 10 July 2006 and quickly topped the charts. The 1994 CD case had an LED, timer IC, and battery which caused a red flash to blink once per second, like a heartbeat, as it sat in the

owner’s CD collection.

Furthermore, in 1995, the band received their first and only Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Marooned”.

Solo work and more: 1995–present

On January 17, 1996, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. Waters did not attend.

A live recording of The Wall was released in 2000, compiled from the 1980–1981 London concerts, entitled Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81. It reached #19 on the American album chart. In 2001, a remastered two-disc set of

the band’s best-known tracks entitled Echoes was released. Gilmour, Mason, Waters and Wright all collaborated on the editing, sequencing, and song selection of the included tracks. Minor controversy was caused due to the songs segueing

into one another non-chronologically, presenting the material out of the context of the original albums. Some of the tracks, such as “Echoes”, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, “Marooned”, and “High Hopes” have had substantial sections

removed from them. The album reached #2 on the U.K. and U.S. charts.

In 2003, an SACD reissue of The Dark Side of the Moon was released with new artwork on the front cover. The album was also re-released as a 180-gram, virgin vinyl pressing in 2003, which included all the original album art from the

original release of the album, albeit with a new poster. The reissue of Wish You Were Here is in the works, with no release date announced. Nick Mason’s book, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd was published in 2004 in Europe

and 2005 in the U.S. Mason made public promotional appearances in a few European and American cities, giving interviews and meeting fans at book signings. Some fans claimed that he said he wished he were on a tour with the band rather

than on a book tour.

Longtime Pink Floyd manager Steve O’Rourke died on October 30, 2003. Gilmour, Mason and Wright reunited at his funeral and performed “Fat Old Sun” and “The Great Gig in the Sky” at the Chichester Cathedral in tribute.

Two years later, on July 2, 2005, the band reunited once again for a one-off performance at the London Live 8 concert. This time, however, they were joined by Waters - the first time all four band members were on stage together in 24

years. The band performed a four-song set consisting of “Speak to Me/Breathe/Breathe (Reprise)”, “Money”, “Wish You Were Here”, and “Comfortably Numb”, with both Gilmour and Waters sharing lead vocals. At the end of their performance

Gilmour said “thank you very much, good night” and started to walk off the stage. Waters called him back, however, and the band shared a group hug that became one of the most famous images of Live 8.

In the week after Live 8, there was a revival of interest in Pink Floyd. According to record store chain HMV, sales of Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd went up, in the following week, by 1343%, while Amazon.com reported increases in sales

of The Wall at 3600%, Wish You Were Here at 2000%, The Dark Side of the Moon at 1400% and Animals at 1000%. David Gilmour subsequently declared that he would donate his share of profits from this sales boom to charity, and urged all the

other artists and record companies profiting from Live 8 to do the same. On November 16, 2005 Pink Floyd were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame by Pete Townshend. Gilmour and Mason attended in person, explaining that Wright was in

hospital following eye surgery, and Waters appeared on a video screen, from Rome.

David Gilmour released his third solo record, On an Island, on March 6, 2006, and began a tour of small concert venues in Europe, Canada and the U.S. with a band including Richard Wright. During the tour, he performed Pink Floyd’s first

single, “Arnold Layne”. Waters was also invited to join them in London, but final rehearsals for his 2006 Europe/U.S. tour required him to decline. Waters was joined on stage by Mason on the 29th of June 2006 for the second half of a

show in Cork, Ireland where he performed the whole of “Dark Side of the Moon”.

Waters and Wright are both reported to be working on solo albums, and there has been talk of Roger Waters doing a Broadway musical version of The Wall, with extra music to be written by Waters. Waters is also embarking on his US/European

tour The Dark Side of The Moon Live Tour; the setlist consists of The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety along with a selection of other Pink Floyd favourites and a small number of songs from Waters’ solo career. Waters also

contributed the song “Hello (I Love You),” cowritten by Howard Shore, to the 2007 film The Last Mimzy.

Future directions

Many fans expressed hope that the band’s Live 8 appearance would lead to a reunion tour, and a record-breaking US$250 million deal for a world tour was offered, but the band have made it clear that they have no such plans. In the weeks

after the show, however, the rifts between the members seem to have mostly healed. Gilmour confirmed that he and Waters are on “pretty amicable terms”, but Waters has offered conflicting comments on the issue, with statements as varied

as “I roll over for one show, but I couldn’t roll over for a whole fucking tour” and “I hope we do it again,” although most recently, his statements indicate his desire to play together again, not for a whole tour, but for an event

similar to Live 8.

On January 31, 2006, David Gilmour issued a joint statement on behalf of the group stating that they have no plans to reunite, refuring rumours from several media outlets. Gilmour later stated in an interview with La Repubblica that he

is finished with Pink Floyd and wishes to focus on solo projects and his family. He mentions that he agreed to play Live 8 with Waters to support the cause, to make peace with Waters, and knowing he would regret not taking part. However,

he states that Pink Floyd would be willing to perform for a concert “that would support Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts”. Then speaking with Billboard, Gilmour changed his “finished with Pink Floyd” sentiment to “who knows”.

2007 will see the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s signing to EMI and the 40th anniversary of the release of their first three singles “Arnold Layne”, “See Emily Play” and “Apples and Oranges” and their debut album The Piper at the Gates

of Dawn. Pink Floyd’s longtime album cover designer Storm Thorgerson stated in an interview with Pink Floyd fansite A Fleeting Glimpse that he “hopes the band will do something for its 40th anniversary for the fans”.

On March 14, 2007, New York Daily News reported that the classic lineup of Pink Floyd has signed up to play on the upcoming Live Earth concerts on July 7, 2007. While nothing has officially been confirmed by the band nor the organizers

yet, Roger Waters said in an early March interview, that he would love to reunite the band for the event, if the rest of the band feels the same way. “I do not have any problem with that. Let us hope that they don’t either. If they ask

me, I will be there.” According to LiveEarth.org, Waters is scheduled to perform in the U.S. leg of the concert at Giants stadium in New Jersey.

On April 9, 2007, IrelandOn-line reported that Roger Waters dismissed speculation that the band would be re-united once again for the Live Earth show.. This was further confirmed on April 12, 2007 on Floyd guitarist David Gilmour’s own

website when he stated that “he has no plans to play at any of the Live Earth concerts”.

On 10 May, 2007 Roger Waters performed at the Syd Barrett tribute concert at the Barbican Centre in London. This was then followed by a surprise performance by the post-Waters Pink Floyd lineup of David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Nick

Mason of “Arnold Layne” to a rapturous applause and standing ovation. However hopes of a second reunion concert with the band’s classic lineup were dashed when Waters did not perform with the group, for reasons unknown.

Hinder is a rock band from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma which became successful from their album Extreme Behavior which was written by Brian Howes of Closure. They formed in 2005 and they were immediately signed to an independent label, and released their first EP, Far From Close. It sold about 5,000 copies. This EP came to the attention of Universal Records, in which Hinder was introduced into a major record label contract. Although All Music Guide called Extreme Behavior one of the year’s worst albums, throughout 2005, the album was heavily anticipated, and Hinder won the monthly Launch “Who’s Next” contest for emerging bands. Their Brian Howes and Mike Fraser produced album, Extreme Behavior, was then set for release in the United States.

Hinder is currently on tour with Burden Brothers and Black Stone Cherry. The band played three dates with the mega rock band Aerosmith in December 2006.[1] Hinder jumped on to the rock scene with their debut single “Get Stoned”. The band then toured in support of Extreme Behavior. The band’s second single, “Lips of an Angel”, did far better on the charts, hitting #1 on several, and garnered international attention. “Lips of an Angel” is now being covered by country artist Jack Ingram, whose next album is tentatively titled This is It. The band’s third single from their debut album will be “How Long”.

The fourth single is called “Better Than Me”.

“Well, hopefully late next year. Depends on how the next single does. The next single is “How Long” and then we’ll come back with “Better Than Me”.

On December 22, 2006, Hinder released an acoustic version of the Christmas carol “Little Drummer Boy” to the members of the Hinder Army, their online fan club.

“Extreme Behavior” track “Shoulda” was originally written and recorded by Canadian band Social Code for their “A Year At The Movies” album, but was scrapped when finalising the album. The song was brought to Hinder by Universal when trying to finish up their album.

Members 

Austin Winkler
Joe “Blower” Garvey
Mike Rodden
Mark King
Cody Hanson

Hinder’s official website

hellogoodbye is a power pop/synthpop band formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001. They are signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! in 2006, in addition to their previously released EP Hellogoodbye and DVD OMG HGB DVD ROTFL. In 2005, the band appeared on MTV’s The Real World: Austin and won MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout.

The band was initiated in 2001 as a recording project by Huntington Beach High School student Forrest Kline. With the aid of fellow student Jesse Kurvink, Kline started recording synthesized power pop songs on his computer, which originally only served the purpose of entertaining their friends. However, hellogoodbye’s fanbase grew steadily, as more and more of their songs appeared on MP3.com — a total of eleven which spread on fan-assembled CD-Rs labeled The Parachute EP and served as demos for both their following EP and full-length. Originally The Parachute EP was planned to be officially released containing four songs, however, only a handful of copies were burnt by Kline himself. According to Kline, the band name was inspired by the Beatles song “Hello, Goodbye”, as well as a line from the TV series Saved by the Bell, and the general transience of opportunities.

In 2002, hellogoodbye began playing local concerts in front of crowds of hundreds without even having a release out. For live shows, vocalist/guitarist Kline and keyboardist Kurvink were accompanied on drums by either Parker Case, who would later form the now defunct JamisonParker and is currently a member of Say Anything, or Aaron Flora, formerly of the band Throwdown. Flora and bassist Marcus Cole soon joined them permanently, completing the band’s line-up.

Though California indie label Drive-Thru Records signed hellogoodbye in January 2004, everything the band does is still entirely done by themselves, ranging from recordings and album artwork to posters and merchandise designs. Shortly after their signing, Kline and Kurvink recorded the band’s debut EP, Hellogoodbye, which spawned a music video to the song “Call n’ Return.” The video featured Kline and Flora playing a comedic game of tennis against Cole and Kurvink. In March 2004, drummer Flora left the band and was replaced by then 16-year-old high school dropout Chris Profeta (formerly of A Cutthroat Kiss).

The EP was finally released on August 17, 2004 and supported by various U.S. tours. During one of them, the “Sounds of Change Tour” with An Angle, Socratic and Steel Train, hellogoodbye flipped and totalled their van and trailer after Cole dozed off behind the wheel while driving through Pennsylvania on October 22, 2004. None of the band’s members were injured.

While participating in 2005’s South by Southwest, a music festival in Austin, Texas, the band appeared on several episodes of MTV’s The Real World: Austin. The cast of the TV series produced a video documentary about three bands on the festival’s line-up (the other two being Halifax and Enon), including interviews and live footage. The appearance certainly gave a boost to the band’s popularity.

On November 22, 2005, hellogoodbye released a DVD titled OMG HGB DVD ROTFL. It featured two hours of concert and touring footage, as well as music videos to the five songs off their debut EP. Following the release, the group was also featured on the third and fourth installment of the Drive-Thru Records DVD series. In December 2005, the band won MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout, competing as Los Angeles’ representative against New York City and Chicago finalists Pete Miser and Tub Ring. The prize included $10,000 cash, a set of Gibson equipment and an opening slot on an upcoming major U.S. tour.

In 2006, hellogoodbye appeared on the Vans Warped Tour. On August 8, 2006, Drive-Thru Records released hellogoodbye’s first full-length CD Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!. The album contains mostly re-recorded versions of previously released songs, five of which were scheduled to be on hellogoodbye’s never-released 2002 debut album (”All Time Lows”, “I Saw It on Your Keyboard”, “Two Weeks in Hawaii”, “Figures A and B”, and “Touchdown Turnaround”). On November 7, 2006, hellogoodbye released an internet only remix EP called Remixes!, which can be purchased at the iTunes Store, as well as the band’s MySpace page.

In January 2007, the single “Here (In Your Arms)” saw a resurgence on Top 40 radio and entered the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at #14) and the Pop 100 (peaking at #9). In the same month, they also appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and began a headlining tour of Japan and the United Kingdom, supported by Houston Calls and Plain White T’s. In April, they will headline the side stage at Give It a Name 2007. On March 13, 2007, they released an iTunes exclusive three song EP, which features three different remixes of the song “All of Your Love”.

Members

Forrest Kline
Jesse Kurvink
Marcus Cole
Chris Profeta

Official website

Steven Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960 in Carle Place, New York) is a Grammy Award-winning guitarist, composer and record producer.

When growing up, the young Vai became interested in rock giants such as Jimi Hendrix, Alice Cooper, Queen, Cream and Led Zeppelin, which influenced his early guitar career. He first picked up a guitar when he was invited by a friend to join him for a lesson, thus splitting the $10 fee. Vai went out and bought a cheap acoustic guitar and took it to the lesson with his friend’s teacher (Joe Satriani). Prior to attending Berklee College of Music, Steve frequently jammed with his teacher Joe Satriani and played in numerous local bands. He has acknowledged the influence of many guitarists, including Jeff Beck and fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth.

It was also at this time that he became fascinated by the music of Frank Zappa. A persistent rumor at Berklee tells how Steve would skip classes while spending time in the school’s library transcribing Zappa’s works by ear. Steve mailed transcriptions of Zappa’s guitar solos to him, and after meeting Vai for the first time Zappa was so impressed with the abilities of the young musician, he hired him to do work transcribing his seemingly endless array of experimental symphonic rock. In these formative stages of his career, Vai’s talent was showcased on such songs as “Moggio” and “Stevie’s Spanking.”

While employed by Zappa, he would at times tour with Zappa’s band and engage in a friendly competition with the audience, wherein audience members could bring in musical scores and see if Vai could sight-read them on the spot.

Zappa referred to Steve as his “little Italian virtuoso” and was listed in liner notes as “stunt guitar.” He would later be a featured artist on the recording, “Zappa’s Universe.” In 2006 he returned to Zappa music, as special guest on Dweezil Zappa’s Zappa Plays Zappa tour.

After leaving Zappa in 1982 he moved to California where he recorded his first album Flex-Able and performed in a couple of bands. In 1984 he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen as lead guitarist in Graham Bonnet’s Alcatrazz with whom he recorded the album Disturbing the Peace.

Later in 1985 Vai joined former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth’s newly assembled group (which also featured acclaimed bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette) to record the multi-platinum albums Eat’em And Smile and Skyscraper. These albums, along with their accompanying videos and arena tours significantly increased Vai’s public familiarity.

In 1986 Vai also surprised many by playing with ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd on their album “Album”. Following 1988’s popular Skyscraper Tour, Vai left David Lee Roth’s band. In 1989 Vai stepped into guitarist Adrian Vandenberg’s shoes to record with British rock-group Whitesnake after Vandenberg injured his wrist shortly before recording was due to begin for the album Slip of the Tongue.

Vai also played on the Alice Cooper album “Hey Stoopid” along with Joe Satriani on the song “Feed my Frankenstein”.

Steve Vai continues to tour regularly, both with his own group and with his one time teacher and fellow guitar instrumentalist friend Joe Satriani on the G3 series of tours. Former David Lee Roth bassist Billy Sheehan also joined him for a world tour.

In 1990 Steve Vai released his critically acclaimed solo album “Passion and Warfare”. In 1994 Steve Vai began writing and recording with Ozzy Osbourne. Only one track from these sessions “My Little Man” was released on the “Ozzmosis” album. Despite Steve penning the track he does not appear on the album. His guitar parts were replaced by Zakk Wylde.

Vai’s band members throughout the 1990s included drummer Mike Mangini, guitarist Mike Keneally and bassist Philip Bynoe.

In 1994 Vai received a Grammy Award for his performance on the Frank Zappa song “Sofa” from the album Zappa’s Universe.

In July 2002, Steve Vai performed with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan, in the world premiere of composer Ichiro Nodaira’s Fire Strings, a concerto for electric guitar and 100-piece orchestra. In 2004, a number of his compositions for orchestra, as well as orchestra arrangements of previously recorded pieces, were performed in The Netherlands by the Metropole Orchestra in a concert series entitled The Aching Hunger.

In 2003, drummer Jeremy Colson joined Vai’s group replacing previous drummer Virgil Donati. Vai’s latest album, Real Illusions: Reflections, was released in 2005, and Steve Vai and the Breed, as the band is now called, has embarked on a world tour in support of that album.

Steve Vai released a DVD of his performance at The Astoria in London in December 2001, featuring the lineup of bassist Billy Sheehan, formerly of David Lee Roth and Mr. Big, guitar and piano virtuoso Tony MacAlpine, guitarist Dave Weiner and drummer Virgil Donati.

In 2004, Steve Vai was featured on Xbox’s Halo 2 Volume 1 soundtrack, performing a heavy rock-guitar rendition of the “Halo 2 Theme”, known as “Halo 2 Theme (Mjolnir Mix)”. He also performed on the track “Never Surrender”. In the second iteration of the soundtrack, he performed on the track “Reclaimer”.

In February 2005, Vai premiered a dual-guitar (electric and classical) piece that he wrote called The Blossom Suite with classical guitarist Sharon Isbin at the Châtelet Theatre in Paris.

In 2006, Vai played as a “special guest” guitarist alongside additional guest Zappa band members, drummer Terry Bozzio and singer Napoleon Murphy Brock in the Zappa Plays Zappa tour led by Frank’s son Dweezil Zappa in Europe and the U.S. in the Spring as well as a short U.S. tour in October.

On September 21, 2006, Vai made a special appearance at the “Video Games Live” concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California. He played two songs with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. One song being the Halo Theme, the second was for the world premier trailer for Halo 3.

Steve Vai is currently editing and mixing a double record set entitled “Steve Vai’s Sound Current”. He recorded this with the Metrople Orchestra in Holland for the Dutch Government and NPS Radio. He recently released this information in a Ultimate-Guitar.com interview

Where Vai’s contributions to others’ material has been constrained by the largely rock or heavy-rock style of those bands, his own material is somewhat more eclectic.

Vai’s playing style has been characterized as quirky and angular, owing to his superb technical facility with the instrument and deep knowledge of music theory. Vai has also been credited with the recent revival of the 7-string guitar.

An interesting point to note is Vai’s commitment to practice. In several guitar magazines and texts, he is reported to practice upwards of eight hours per day, a habit he began as early as his high school days.

Vai is an accomplished studio producer (he owns two: “The Mothership” and “The Harmony Hut”) and his own recordings combine his signature guitar prowess with novel compositions and considerable use of studio and recording effects, such as the Eventide H3000 ultra harmonizer and Digidesign’s Pro Tools Hard Disc recording system and plug-in effects architecture.

Vai also helped design his signature Ibanez JEM series of guitars. They feature a hand grip (fondly referred to as a “monkey grip”) cut into the top of the body of the guitar, a humbucker-single coil-humbucker DiMarzio pickup configuration, and Ibanez’s Edge locking tremolo system (which is Floyd Rose licensed), as well as an elaborate and extensive “Vine of Life” inlay down the neck. Steve also has a 7 string model designed by him named Ibanez Universe. The Universe later influenced the 7-string guitars used by Korn and other heavy metal bands to create nu-metal sounds in the late 1990s. He also has a signature Ibanez acoustic, the Euphoria.

Steve Vai has also worked with Carvin Guitars and Pro Audio to develop the Carvin Legacy line of guitar amplifiers. Vai wanted to create an amp that was unique and equal in sound, versatility, and affordability to any guitar amp he had previously used.

Over his long musical career, Steve Vai has used and designed an array of guitars. He even had his DNA put into the swirl paintjob on one of his signature JEM guitars, the JEM2KDNA, in the form of his blood. Only 300 of these were ever made. Nowadays he mainly uses his white JEM7V, which is inscribed with the letters “Evo”, mainly in order to allow him to distinguish between the guitars he uses onstage which are practically identical, his “Flo” guitar however is equipped with a Fernandes sustainer pick-up in the neck.

He also has a guitar named “Mojo” in which the dot inlays are blue LED lights. Additionally, he has a custom-made triple-neck guitar that has the same basic features as his JEM7V guitars. The top neck is a 12-string guitar, the middle is a 6-string, and the bottom is a 6-string fretless guitar with a Fernandes Sustainer pickup. This guitar was featured on the G3 2003 tour on the piece “I Know You’re Here”.

Vai’s effects pedals include a modified Boss DS-1, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Morley Bad Horsie, Morley Little Alligator Volume pedal, Digitech Whammy, and an MXR Phase 90. His flightcases are labelled “Mr. Vai”. He used a number of rack effects units controlled via MIDI, but used a floor-based TC electronics G system instead for the Zappa Plays Zappa tour.

Steve Vai’s homepage

Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (IPA pronunciation: /ˈɪŋveɪ/) (born Lars Johann Yngve Lannerbäck, June 30, 1963) is a Swedish guitarist, composer and bandleader.

Widely recognised for his guitar skills, Malmsteen achieved widespread acclaim in the 1980s for his technical proficiency and his pioneering of the shred guitar technique and neo-classical metal genre.

Early Life

Malmsteen was born into a musical family in Stockholm. Yngwie was the youngest child in the family. On September 18, 1970, at age seven, he saw a TV special on the death of Jimi Hendrix which caused him to become obsessed with the guitar. To quote his official website, “The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Yngwie was born”.

At the age of 10 he took his mother’s maiden name Malmsteen as his surname, and Anglicised his given name Yngve to “Yngwie”.

Yngwie (pronounced “ing-vay”) means “young Viking chief” in Swedish. Technically it is a variation of Yngvi, who founded the House of Yngling, which is the oldest known Swedish dynasty.

Malmsteen was in his teens when he first encountered the music of the 19th century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, whom he cites as his biggest classical influence. Through his emulation of Paganini concerto pieces on guitar, Malmsteen developed a prodigious technical fluency. Malmsteen also cites Jimi Hendrix, Brian May of Queen, Steve Hackett of Genesis, Uli Jon Roth, and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple as influences.

Malmsteen broke new ground and contributed to the evolution of modern rock guitar, particularly with his embracing of modal progressions and classically-influenced techniques not widely used in rock music. He is often credited, along with Randy Rhoads, with increasing the popularity of the neoclassical heavy metal genre and inspiring a new generation of electric guitarists including Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, and Tony MacAlpine.

[edit] 1980s

In late 1982 Malmsteen was brought to the USA by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, who had heard a demo tape of Malmsteen’s playing. He had brief engagements with Steeler, for their self-titled album of 1983, then Alcatrazz, for their 1983 debut No Parole From Rock N’ Roll, and the 1984 live album Live Sentence. Malmsteen released his first solo album “Rising Force” in 1984. His album was really meant to be an instrumental side-project of Alcatrazz, but it contained vocals, and Malmsteen left Alcatrazz soon after the release of Rising Force. It was a success; it was the winner of Guitar Player Magazine’s Best Rock Album and was also nominated for a Grammy for ‘Best Rock Instrumental’, achieving #60 on the Billboard album chart. This was followed by “Marching Out” (1985). Jeff Scott Soto filled vocal duties on these initial albums.

His third album, Trilogy, featuring the vocals of Mark Boals, was released in 1986. In 1987, yet another singer, former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner joined his band. That year, Malmsteen was in a serious car accident, smashing his Jaguar XKE into a tree and putting him in a coma for a week. Nerve damage to his right hand was reported. In a tragic twist of fate, during his time in the hospital, Malmsteen’s mother died from cancer.

In the summer of 1988 he released his fourth album, Odyssey. Odyssey would be his biggest hit album, mainly because of its first single “Heaven Tonight”. Shows in Russia during the Odyssey tour were recorded, and released in 1989 as his fifth album Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad. The concert in Leningrad was the largest ever by a western artist in the Soviet Union, and Malmsteen’s record sales in Russia totalled 27 million.

In late 1988, Malmsteen’s signature Fender Stratocaster guitar was released, making him and Eric Clapton the first artists to be honored by Fender.

Malmsteen’s style “Neo-classical” became moderately popular during the mid 1980s, with notable contemporaries such as Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Tony MacAlpine and Vinnie Moore all reaching prominence after Yngwie. However, only Paul Gilbert claimed Yngwie as an influence, with MacAlpine coming to the neoclassical/shred field by applying his classical piano training to his guitar playing and Moore arriving at a similar style because he shared Yngwie’s major influences, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Al Di Meola, American jazz fusion great of Return to Forever fame.

[edit] 1990s

In the early 1990s Malmsteen released the albums Eclipse (1990), The Yngwie Malmsteen Collection (1991), Fire and Ice (1992) and The Seventh Sign (1994).

Despite his early success, and continuous success in Europe and Asia, by the early 1990s stylings of 1980s heavy metal had become unfashionable in the USA. It was quickly displaced by the Seattle grunge movement, where technical ability was replaced by simpler songs. The grunge rock movement arose in part as a backlash to the overly technical music produced by Malmsteen and his contemporaries, which was now regarded by many as ponderous, excessive, and self-indulgent.

In the 1990s, Malmsteen continued to record and release albums under the Japanese record label Pony Canyon, and maintained a devoted following from some fans in Europe and Japan, and to a lesser extent in the USA. In 2000, he once again acquired a contract with a US record label, Spitfire, and released his 1990s catalog into the US market for the first time, including what he regards as his masterpiece Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, recorded with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague.

In 1993, Malmsteen’s mother-in-law, who was opposed to his engagement with her daughter, had him falsely arrested for threatening her with a shotgun and holding her daughter against her will. However, Malmsteen denied this and the charges were rapidly dropped.

[edit] 2000s

After the release of War to End All Wars in 2000, singer Mark Boals left the band. Yngwie went on tour with former Ark vocalist Jorn Lande. Due to various tensions on tour, Jorn left before the recording of Yngwie’s next album, Attack!!. He was replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Doogie White. White’s vocals were well received by fans, and it seems that he has become a permanent member of the band.

In 2003, Malmsteen joined Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as part of the G3 supergroup. Yngwie made two rare guest appearances on keyboardist Derek Sherinian’s albums Black Utopia (2003), and Blood of the Snake (2006) where Yngwie is heard on the same tracks as Al Di Meola and Zakk Wylde.

Yngwie released Unleash the Fury in 2005. As stated in an issue of “Guitar World” magazine, he titled this album after the infamous ‘airline incident’, which occurred in a flight to Japan for the ‘Odyssey’ tour. He was drunk and behaving obnoxiously, until he fell asleep and was roused by a woman pouring a jug of iced water on him. Enraged, he shouted, “You’ve unleashed the fucking fury!” The audio from this moment was caught on tape by a fellow band member.

He is married to April and has a son named Antonio after Antonio Vivaldi. A noted Ferrari enthusiast, he owns a black 1985 308 GTS^[1] and a red 1962 250 GTO. In recent years, Yngwie has given up both smoking and drinking. The Malmsteen family lives in Miami Shores, Florida.

[edit] Equipment

[edit] Specialised guitar

Aside from technical prowess, distinctions of Malmsteen’s guitar style include a wide, violin-like vibrato inspired by classical violinists, and use of such minor scales as the Harmonic minor, and minor modes such as Phrygian, and Aeolian. Malmsteen cites the Fender Stratocaster and the single coil pickups as being instrumental to his unique tone. He uses his custom design by DiMarzio, a vertically-stacked humbucker mounted in a single coil housing. Malmsteen sought to combine the tone of a single coil with the reduced noise of a humbucker. The Malmsteen signature model Stratocaster made by Fender is based accurately upon this combination. Malmsteen prefers vintage Fender Stratocasters from 1968 through 1972. On all his guitars, the tone is completely disconnected along with the middle pickup. Yngwie only uses the bridge (DiMarzio HS-3) and neck pickups (DiMarzio YJM) on his guitars and allows the low output DiMarzio HS-3 on the bridge pickup to be driven by the floor pedals for his unique rich sound. All Malmsteen’s Stratocasters have brass nuts and are all refretted with Dunlop 6000 super jumbo fretwire. According to Fender, Yngwie has one of the most impressive collection of vintage Fender Stratocasters known. He has well over 200 Stratocasters, including one original Fender Stratocaster actually signed by Leo Fender.

The guitars he uses are recognizable by the addition of a custom scalloped fretboard. This is similar to a regular fretboard, but with wood ’scalloped’ or scooped away to form a concave shape in between the frets. Malmsteen allegedly conceived this design as a teenager while working in a music store in Stockholm, Sweden when he came across a 17th century lute with a scalloped neck using the raised wood as frets. However, this can also be viewed as an influence from Ritchie Blackmore, one of his most readily admitted idols, who also favours scalloped neck Fender Stratocasters. Malmsteen himself has said he learned most from Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar riffs and solos as a beginning guitarist. Also, jazz-fusion guitarist John McLaughlin used scalloped fingerboards long before Malmsteen came on the scene.

Even for the experienced guitar player, the scalloped fingerboard proves very difficult to perform on, as there is no surface contact between finger and wood to aid in the feel of the vibrato motion. The strings of the guitar, when fretted, are easily pushed sharp and out of tune. The highly accurate, yet delicate, controlled touch required to play properly with Malmsteen’s modified Stratocaster is elusive for most, and an integral part of Malmsteen’s technique.

Yngwie breifly used Schecter Guitars in the 1980’s, who built him strat-style guitars similar to his Fenders.