Pink Floyd are arguably one of the greatest rock bands of all time producing a number of iconic albums noted not just for the music but also their artwork.

Taking their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, the band?s original members consisted of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright.  Much of their early work was written by Syd Barrett and showcased a mixture of music styles.

The Early Days "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play"

After being signed to EMI, Pink Floyd had their first UK success with the contentious ?Arnold Layne? which saw several radio stations refuse to play the song due to the lyrical nod to cross dressing.  It did still make it to No.20 in the UK singles charts, with their second single ?See Emily Play? having more success reaching the No. 6 spot.  Their debut album ?The Piper at The Gates of Dawn? soon followed and proved to be a breakthrough record for psychedelic rock.

Struggling with mental health and drug issues, Syd Barrett was replaced by David Gilmour in 1968.  This marked a change in the band?s direction with Roger Waters? influence now to the fore.

"Atom Heart Mother"

?Atom Heart Mother'' was released in 1970 and became Pink Floyd?s first number one selling LP as well as the start of the band?s artistic statements with the cover for this and future albums being designed by the collective known as Hipgnosis (who included Storm Thorgerson).  The ?Meddle? album came out in 1971 with Pink Floyd following this with other projects including touring, recording the ?Obscured By Clouds? movie soundtrack as well as filming the still epic concert ?Live At Pompeii?.  Throughout these projects, the band began work on their next album which they had given the working title of ?Eclipse?.  However what Pink Floyd finally created was the legendary ?Dark Side of The Moon?.

"Dark Side of The Moon"

Released in 1973, the iconic album artwork, again designed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis, features to this day on T-Shirts, bags and other fashion items.  With tracks including ?Money?, ?Time?, ?Us and Them? and ?Breathe?, ?Dark Side of the Moon? was an instant success, propelling the band to their now legendary status.  Although never reaching the No.1 spot in the album charts, it remains one of the best selling albums of all-time featuring regularly on various ?Best of? charts and in 2013 the US Library of Congress considered the album to be  "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"  and was hence chosen for preservation in the  National Recording Registry.

How do you follow an album like ?Dark Side of The Moon??  In 1975 ?Wish You Were Here? was released which included ?Shine On You Crazy Diamond?, an homage to friend and ex-member Syd Barrett.  With musical and personal rifts beginning to develop at this time (and members branching out on their own - it was at this time that David Gilmour received a demo tape from an unknown artist named Kate Bush whom he helped get a recording contract with EMI), Pink Floyd still managed to release two further eminent albums - ?Animals? which was brought out in 1977 and featured Battersea Power Station on the cover which again makes it instantly recognisable as a Floyd record.  It also saw the band use the giant inflatable animals when playing live.

"The Wall"

?The Wall? was Pink Floyd?s rock opera based on the experiences of fictional rock star ?Pink? - his marriage break-up, his increasing isolation and his spiralling mental health issues.  Also made into a film starring Bob Geldof and directed by Alan Parker, the LP saw Pink Floyd release their only No.1 single.  ?Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2?, was a hit world-wide single with the album also featuring the classic ?Comfortably Numb?. 

Following the release of ?The Wall?, Pink Floyd took a hiatus from recording and it was not for another two years until the release of ?The Final Cut? after which the band members went to work on solo projects and ultimately saw Roger Waters leave the band.  After legal wranglings, Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason did continue as Pink Floyd releasing ?A Momentary Lapse of Reason?.  The album was well received and proved that there was life in Floyd after Roger Waters. 

"The Division Bell" and Beyond

?The Division Bell? was Pink Floyd?s 1994 release with Thorgerson?s design again adorning the sleeve.  It reached the No.1 spot in both the UK and US album charts and remained in the UK chart for 51 weeks.

2005 proved to be a year most Pink Floyd fans would have dreamt of with the band re-forming for the Live 8 concert.  It saw Roger Waters again play alongside David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright for a one-off performance where they sang ?Speak to Me?, ?Breathe?, ?Money?, ?Wish You Here? and ?Comfortably Numb?.

A year later the band mourned the passing of Syd Barrett whilst 2008 saw the death of Rick Wright.

In recent years many of Pink Floyd?s albums have been re-released and all members have been busy with their own projects seeing Gilmour release LP?s including ?On An Island? and ?Rattle That Lock? while Roger Waters albums include ?Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking? and ?Is This The Life  We Really Want??.

The 2022 war in Ukraine has seen Pink Floyd re-form to release ?Hey, Hey, Rise Up!? featuring Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk from the band Boombox.  The charity single is their first original composition since 1994 and will be Pink Floyd?s first UK Top 10 single since the release of ?Another Brick In The Wall, Part ? in 1979.

From the early days of ?Arnold Layne '' and the psychedelic rock era to the 2022 charity single, Pink Floyd's innovations and social conscience has seen them evolve into one of rock's greatest bands.