Dick Parry, whose saxophone solos on Pink Floyd’s classic albums The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here helped places such songs as “Money”, “Us and Them” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” in the classic rock firmament, died May 22. He was 83. His death was announced by David Gilmour, the […]

Following up on one of the greatest albums of all time is no easy feat. When Pink Floyd was tasked with doing just that, following up on Dark Side of the Moon, they were struggling. The record and its success had left the band jaded with the music industry. Eventually, the four-note riff of “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” became the catalyst for the album, as it reminded bassist Roger Waters of the somber story of their former lead singer, Syd Barrett. As the song finally came together, what none of the band expected was an unexpected appearance by Barrett in their studio.

1967 was a big year for music, and maybe even more specifically for albums. Concept albums really took off and started to get more popular in the second half of the 1960s, and even if Pet Sounds and Revolver came out in 1966 (and something like The Who’s Tommy was still a couple of years away), 1967 had some notably strong albums that felt like coherent (and consistent) pieces of art made up of multiple tracks.