10 Underrated Musicians In Legendary Bands
6. Richard Wright - Pink Floyd
The real ethos behind Pink Floyd normally comes down to either Roger Waters or David Gilmour for most fans. Unless you're talking about the outright kookiness of the Syd Barrett years, the allure behind Floyd have always been on the tension between Gilmour and Waters, juggling the artful side of rock with the cleanest playing you've ever heard. Despite making masterpieces like the Wall and Dark Side of the Moon into a reality, the mystique behind these soundscapes are nothing if not for Richard Wright.
Being the core keyboardist throughout the band's tenure, most of the lines that Richard came up with in the glory years have gone down as some of the most tasteful melodic phrases in the Floyd catalog. Though everyone might be quick to praise something like Comfortably Numb for its guitar solo, the soft keyboard pad underneath is what really lets you settle into the mellow groove.
Even when he's not being flashy, the type of soundscapes Richard is able to generate on albums like Animals or the odyssey Echoes are amazing, almost like he's using his instrument to reach for sounds that aren't available for our Earthly ears yet. Although there has been some iconic imagery associated with the band over the years, the entire aura of Pink Floyd can be traced all the way back to Richard Wright's lines.