Night of a Thousand Furry Toys - Richard Wright: 1943 - 2008

Monday September 15th saw the passing of one of my all time favourite musicians: Richard Wright; the keyboardist and part founder of Pink Floyd. We haven't heard too much from the Floyd over the last few years, but their influence is undeniable. This goes for the world of rock 'n roll, psych, prog, ambient and indie music, as well as my own personal musical tastes. I don't hear artists name dropping Floyd the way they once did, but one could make a very convincing argument that Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, The Verve and especially Radiohead may not have been able to express their musical diversity if it wasn't for bands like Pink Floyd.

I know that a lot of people who read my blog actually fall into the significantly younger than me category, so a brief mention on why the Floyd is so important to me may not be entirely out of order. The fact is that, although their most popular works would be the era ranging from 1971's Meddle to 1979's The Wall, the band went through some significant style changes prior to and following those years. It is these metamorphoses that make the band so special to me. Sure, the progressive rock mid years may be the more easily pleasurable on the ears, but oftentimes the willingness to challenge your eardrums is what weilds the greater results. These days I find myself pulling out the early psychedelic works of Piper At The Gates of Dawn (1967) and Saucerful Of Secrets (1968) with much more frequency than their more accessible albums, and, in a strange way they almost seem to hold up better these days. At one time I thought that More (1969), Ummagumma (1969) and Atom Heart Mother (1970)were utterly unlistenable, but now I see that there is gold in them hills. Rick Wright's contributions to the opening suite on that last album is immeasurable in its beauty, particularly the subtle organ work that accompanies the Mother Fore choir section of this adventurous piece. And while we're talking about challenge and adventure, Wright's four part Sysyphus from Ummagumma may be one of the most challenging compositions ever committed to vinyl, and although I've learned to absorb it, I've also cleared many a room trying to introduce it to others. That's the beauty of Pink Floyd's music. While it's true that they are easily one of the most successful bands of all time, one can always find portions of their repertoire that the majority are unlikely to embrace. However, when one puts forth the effort to do so, it becomes like a personal gem, your own little secret, shared with very few others. There are only a handful of artists, past and present, that have made such a personal conncection with me, and although it's with a measure of sadness that the Richard Wright incarnation of Pink Floyd will never play together again, I'm looking forward to hearing their music continue a tradition of inspiration in the other bands that I come across.

Here is some video footage of Pink Floyd performing one of Richard Wright's greatest compositions, The Great Gig In The Sky from Dark Side of the Moon.

Myspace: Richard Wright
Myspace: Pink Floyd

Photo of Richard Wright and Syd Barrett: Rex Features