Possibly one of the least popular opinions I hold with regards to Pink Floyd is that “Wish You Were Here,” is entirely overrated. It’s an excellent late night listen for your truest Floyd lover. Each of the four remaining members (Waters, Gilmour, Wright, and Mason) are given space to create their own solo pieces, with fascinating results. A double LP, the first half consisting of live recordings which still featured Syd Barrett, and the second half consisting of the groups first recordings without their founding frontman. The deepest of cuts, Ummagumma is a bit of a journey which is definitely not for the faint of heart. This record also hints at some of the horn sections and jazz stylings that would go on to shape “Dark Side.” While the melodies lack the signature tension and release style that the casual Floyd fan is enticed by, more hardcore fans will enjoy hearing the groups signature tightness and their ability to go to places untravelled in such an extravagant way. The Final Cut isn’t exactly littered with shining moments, but when it shines, it’s blinding.Ītom Heart Mother stands out among Floyd’s discography as having an incredibly diverse and unpredictable instrumentation pallet. The subject matter is difficult, the instrumentation pallet limitted, and Water’s vocals are at their best. The lyricism of Waters is sharp one final time before his departure from the band, and though Gilmour’s guitar leads are criminally few and far between, they are characteristically epic when they do appear. TFC borders on being a Roger Waters solo effort. On top of that, it does feature quite a few interesting, progressive tracks and is an interesting listen to hear the groundwork upon which the greatest band of all time was built.
While this album is somewhat uneventful instrumentally, as the band was mostly limited by the wishes of their record label, it is the album that started it all. With Barrett beginning his rocky exit from the group, they seem almost afraid to take any risks at all, which manifests itself in a record that can only be described as uncharacteristically boring. Obscured By Clouds is by far the least interesting and inventive Floyd record of them all. While the album isn’t technically the groups worst, it warrants this lowest spot because it barely deserves the title of Pink Floyd album. Pink Floyd had already said goodbye twenty years prior with “The Division Bell,” but “River,” was, it seems, Gilmour’s goodbye to the band that made his career. Featuring none of the original members, and David Gilmour as the only even long time member of Pink Floyd, “The Endless River” is a bit of an exercise in futility.