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Distinguished by mature and transcendent soundscapes, Pink Floyd’s music is an airy, textural playground for existentialism and introspection to flourish. Uniquely experimental in all their projects, the band memorably meshed jazz with rock and classical elements to create poignant harmonic masterpieces. They’re one of the most diverse-sounding outfits to come out of their time, and even now, to some extent. They live in this liminal space that verges on psychedelia but favours sophistication and class at the end of the day.
With such a stacked lineup of talent and musical know-how forming the members of the band, it’s a hard-pressed issue determining who contributed that magic element to their music that pushed them into orbit. The thing about Pink Floyd is that each song is crafted with a sense of intentionality, and nothing ever feels out of place.
The vocals are produced to perfection so that they move in tandem with the lyrics and instrumentation for the greatest listening experience. Specifically, regarding instrumentation, the orchestration is impeccable. The harmonies and melodies are complex, but in an auditorily accessible way. Yes, they make you think and cause you to spiral—it’s a credit to the power that resides in music—but it’s all a part of the immersive experience that is Pink Floyd.
Wright is easily one of the most underappreciated members of the band, but upon inspection of a few of their greatest tracks, perhaps it’s Wright who is the real gem of Pink Floyd. Armed with his keys, Wright contributed the mystic cadence and addictive glitter to the atmosphere established by the band.
Take ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ from The Dark Side of the Moon, for instance. As a song off what is arguably Pink Floyd’s greatest album, it soars into outer space. And it’s largely a credit to Wright’s keys, which head the song with a subdued strength and carry it as it progresses. The keys cater towards a jazz sound that complements Clare Torry’s vocals flawlessly, and at the end, they bring a needed resolve to the enduring voyage that’s the bulk of the song.
Part of the charm and impact of Wright’s keys is that they’re versatile. In each song they show up in, they add a different textural element, which elevates the song. So, from another perspective, the keys in ‘Echoes’, a song off Meddle, serve as little spotlights within the orchestral layers. The song is generally one of Pink Floyd’s funkier ones, pulling R&B and Motown-adjacent elements, alongside rock and psychedelics. What’s so striking about Wright’s playing in this song is the production. The keys are gritty and sit in the background, moving from one ear to the other, and occasionally, grooving in a barrelhouse style in one and then fading, as the song transitions about midway to explore another sonic sphere.
‘Remember A Day’ off A Saucerful of Secrets is a prime example of Wright’s ability to make the keys sing, as the cadence they follow and the trills they run are haunting and evocative of a wild sense of tension. As a final example of Wright’s piano expertise, we have ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’. From Wish You Were Here, Wright’s contributions increase the playability of this track due to the depth his keys bring to the song. His keys sit in the background, but sparkle and add an element of soul that works wonderfully with the saxophones that make an impactful appearance.
Now, alongside his instrumental contributions, Wright also wrote for several Pink Floyd songs, including all the ones aforementioned. All this goes to say that Richard Wright deserves more flowers for his work with Pink Floyd, for their music would not have been nearly as forceful without him. He added a profundity to their sound and caused the quality of their sonics to have that much more range by promoting jazz aesthetics and adding a funk layer to their multifaceted projects.
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