The Red and Black

In addition to John Barrett's review, I'd like to mention Rick Wright's prolific work during Pink Floyd's pre-Dark Side era on albums like "Meddle", "Atomheart Mother", "Ummagumma", "Obscured by Clouds" and "More". While many seem to define Pink Floyd by Dark Side of the Moon, aforementioned records display Wright's creativity at its peak, requiring the listener to be creative as well. Pink Floyd held a very special position in that regard, their pre-Dark Side albums were material for music appreciation classes at universities - a feat that's often forgotten today.

Bart makes a very important point - Wright contributed far more on the earlier albums he named than the later successes, including ones where he sang lead vocals. Most notably the "Sysyphus" suite on Ummagumma and "Summer '68" on Atom Heart Mother. I would have mentioned them in the article as well but was worried about length....

And in response to today's critique of the paper, I guess I was a bit confused on the assignment.. I could have easily written a column about what Rick's music means to me and how his death has affected me personally, but seeing as this is a newspaper, I opted for more of the obituary approach and just stuck to the facts.. oh well, too late now.....