PINK FLOYD’S 50 GREATEST SONGS

A 20-PAGE CELEBRATION

From the cauldron of Syd Psych to the emotional journeys of Dark SideÉ and beyond, the Ultimate Head Band’s omni-brilliance explored. Plus: insiders speak! And: how Nick Mason is taking Early Floyd on the road!

Staggering in their breadth and variety, sonic revolutionaries several times over, innovators in the very subject matter of rock’n’roll, Pink Floyd are much, much more than three bands for the price of one. born in Cambridge, forged in swinging mid’60s London, they were defined by the quirky glamour and unsettling visions of their singer, songwriter and guitarist Syd barrett, before his tragic decline and sudden departure ushered in an era of exploration. as roger Waters, nick Mason, rick Wright and new boy david gilmour sought a path in mindblown jams and avant-garde happenings, before bursting from the underground with a compelling new simplicity that drew universal sustenance from their doubts, crises and traumas. Like the best bands, the relative ascendancy of their many phases has waxed and waned – such that, now, the primal wailing of the nile Song, opiated drift of Comfortably numb and inventive whimsy of bike are hard to prise apart – and though the acrimonious, post-’79 schism between Waters and the rest compromised the output of all parties, the subsequent bloom of Floydiana has been a boon to fans. although barrett died in 2006 and Wright in 2008, their story continues – as Waters tours material from the post-Syd era; Mason revives the group’s early work; gilmour’s guitar weeps on; and reunions are ever rumoured. the biggest, best Cult band ever? as these 50 songs – selected and celebrated over the next 20 pages by MOJO staff and writers – prove, they’re all that and More…