RICHARD WRIGHT, PINK FLOYD KEYBOARDIST, IS DEAD AT 65

It’s with great sadness today that I report that Pink Floyd keyboardist and co-founder Richard Wright died today of cancer at his home in Britain at the age of 65. [NYTimes.com]

If there was no Pink Floyd, there’d be no metal. I firmly belief that. And for me personally, if Pink Floyd hadn’t sustained me musically through the nu-metal years, I may well have completely lost interest in progressive music or anything good. Who knows. So if you don’t think Pink Floyd news belongs on a metal site, you’re wrong. And besides, it’s my website. So fuck off and start your own.

If you need further convincing (or just wanna jam to some timeless tunes), check out a post I wrote a few months back with some mp3s of metal bands covering “Welcome to the Machine.”

More of my thoughts on Rick Wright after the jump…

Richard Wright’s contribution to the band was significant in the beginning but tailed off over time. His slicing, searing keyboard leads and atmospherics were an integral sonic part of Floyd’s early and mid-era albums (and their influence can be heard in, oh, just about every Scandinavian metal band with a keyboard player). But by the time Roger Waters had taken control of the Pink Floyd steamship during The Wall recordings, Wright’s contributions were deemed unimportant and he was relegated to the role of a session musician. He would later rejoin the David Gilmour-led unit after Waters left the band and Gilmour won legal ownership of the Pink Floyd name.

So smoke a doob and listen to some Floyd tonight. You’ll hear their (and Wright’s) influence on metal all throughout. Crank “The Great Gig in the Sky” for a sample of Wright at his best. Actually, fuck that — listen to all of Dark Side of the Moon; it set the standard for concept albums that holds to this day. Listen to his solos on Wish You Were Here and Animals. Enjoy great music. Appreciate a legend.

-VN