Roger Waters vs. David Gilmour is one of musics legendary battles, like the Hulk vs. Thor. Long before the breakup, the band argued extensively; stories exist of the two needing third parties to prevent their arguing and serve as impartial judges as early as Dark Side of the Moon. The fruits of their severe differences in opinion are obvious enough; while Waters provided the band its soul and essence, Gilmour provided much of the musical muscle. After The Wall, things started looking really bad the follow-up, The Final Cut, is a completely Waters affair; not only does no one else get writing credit, cofounder and keyboard player Rick Wright doesnt appear on the album at all (and only appeared on The Wall as a session musician). Waters left the band shortly after, and a lengthy legal battle ensued over use of the Pink Floyd name. The funny thing about Pink Floyds breakup is that the members left such clear evidence of what each of them contributed to the bands sound. Without Gilmour, Waters productions are often dreary and difficult listening. Without Waters, Gilmour sounds like an overblown Pink Floyd tribute band. Twenty years after the breakup, the band memorably reunited for Live 8, and although the surviving members are apparently friendly now, a serious reunion is out of the question.
Kyle Schmidlin is a writer and musician living in Austin, TX. He manages the news blog at thirdrailnews.wordpress.com. Follow him at facebook.com/kyleschmidlin or twitter.com/kyleschmidlin1.
