213-415: George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. In 1965, he co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd as the bassist. Following the departure of the songwriter, Syd Barrett , in 1968, Waters became Pink Floyd's lyricist, co-lead vocalist and conceptual leader until his departure in 1985. Pink Floyd achieved international success with the concept albums The Dark Side of
426-422: A Gini coefficient of 0.460 in 2018. Local census 1749 Census: Regional District 1801–1901 Civil Parish 1911–1961 District 1971–2011 The town's river link to the surrounding agricultural land, and good road connections to London in the south meant Cambridge has historically served as an important regional trading post. King Henry I granted Cambridge a monopoly on river trade, privileging this area of
639-499: A psychedelic cover designed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis . The first of several Pink Floyd album covers designed by Hipgnosis, it was the second time that EMI permitted one of their groups to contract designers for an album jacket. The release reached number nine, spending 11 weeks on the UK chart. Record Mirror gave the album an overall favourable review, but urged listeners to "forget it as background music to
852-618: A "bad, negative time", and that he regretted his part in the negativity: "Why should I have imposed my feeling about the work and what it was worth on the others if they didn't feel the same? I was wrong in attempting to do that." In 2013, Waters said he regretted the lawsuit and had failed to appreciate that the Pink Floyd name had commercial value independent of the band members. In 1984, Waters released his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking , which dealt with Waters's feelings about monogamy and family life versus "the call of
1065-413: A "diversionary tactic" by conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism. In a 2017 interview with Omar Barghouti , Waters again likened Israel's public diplomacy to Nazi Germany: "The thing about propaganda – again, it's not hard to go back to Goebbels or the 1930s. You understand the tactic is to tell the big lie as often as possible over and over and over and over again. And people believe it." In 2017,
1278-568: A "handler" dressed as a butcher, and a full 360-degree quadraphonic sound system. Mason joined Waters for the Dark Side of the Moon set and the encores on some 2006 performances. In March 2007, the Waters song " Hello (I Love You) " featured in the science fiction film The Last Mimzy . Waters released it as a single, on CD and via download, and described it as "a song that captures the themes of
1491-579: A Day", Smith stepped in as his replacement. Wright recalled Smith's attitude about the sessions, "Norman gave up on the second album ... he was forever saying things like, 'You can't do twenty minutes of this ridiculous noise ' ". As neither Waters nor Mason could read music, to illustrate the structure of " A Saucerful of Secrets ", they invented their own system of notation. Gilmour later described their method as looking "like an architectural diagram". Released in June 1968, A Saucerful of Secrets featured
1704-463: A Soviet marching band, and a pair of helicopters from the US 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron . Designed by Mark Fisher, the wall was 25 metres tall and 170 metres long and was built across the set, and Scarfe's inflatable puppets were recreated on an enlarged scale. Many rock icons received invitations to the show, though Gilmour, Mason, and Wright did not. Waters released a double album of
1917-562: A cathedral, traditionally a prerequisite for city status, instead falling within the Church of England Diocese of Ely . In 1962, Cambridge's first shopping arcade, Bradwell's Court, opened on Drummer Street, though this was demolished in 2006. Other shopping arcades followed at Lion Yard, which housed a relocated Central Library for the city, and the Grafton Centre which replaced Victorian housing stock which had fallen into disrepair in
2130-399: A circle, the doors facing away from the centre. Waters used his own vehicle to arrive at the venue and stayed in different hotels from the rest of the band. Wright returned as a paid musician, making him the only band member to profit from the tour, which lost about $ 600,000 (US$ 2,010,835 in 2023 dollars ). The Wall was adapted into a film, Pink Floyd – The Wall. The film was conceived as
2343-602: A club in Birmingham . The second LP contained a single experimental contribution from each band member. Ummagumma was released in November 1969 and received positive reviews. It reached number five, spending 21 weeks on the UK chart. In October 1970, Pink Floyd released Atom Heart Mother . An early version premièred in England in mid January, but disagreements over the mix prompted the hiring of Ron Geesin to work out
SECTION 10
#17327720147732556-475: A combination of live concert footage and animated scenes; however, the concert footage proved impractical to film. Alan Parker agreed to direct and took a different approach. The animated sequences remained, but scenes were acted by actors with no dialogue. Waters was screentested but quickly discarded, and they asked Bob Geldof to accept the role of Pink. Geldof was initially dismissive, condemning The Wall 's storyline as "bollocks". Eventually won over by
2769-404: A complete performance of The Dark Side of the Moon , the first time in more than three decades that Waters had performed it. The shows ended with an encore from the third side of The Wall . The elaborate staging, by the concert lighting designer Marc Brickman, included laser lights, fog machines, pyrotechnics, psychedelic projections, and inflatable floating puppets (Spaceman and Pig) controlled by
2982-544: A conflation of antisemitism with anti-Zionism . Waters was born on 6 September 1943, the younger of two boys, to Mary (née Whyte; 1913–2009) and Eric Fletcher Waters (1914–1944), in Great Bookham , Surrey . His father, the son of a coal miner and Labour Party activist, was a schoolteacher, a devout Christian, and a Communist Party member. In the early years of the Second World War , Waters's father
3195-622: A continuous piece of music which was played as an accompaniment to a large light and fireworks display over Grand Harbour in Valletta . In July 2004, Waters released two new tracks online: "To Kill the Child", inspired by the 2003 invasion of Iraq , and "Leaving Beirut", an anti-war song inspired by his travels in the Middle East as a teenager. In July 2005, Waters reunited with Mason, Wright, and Gilmour for their final performance together at
3408-657: A couple of weeks ago in the Sphere in Las Vegas, singing about the Stars of David, was one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen in my life." In July 2024, Waters engaged in heated debate with Piers Morgan on Piers Morgan Uncensored , arguing that there was no evidence of sexual assault by the Palestinian organisation Hamas , that Israel targeted its own citizens in false flag operations, and that Palestinians had
3621-621: A fellow architecture student, joined later that year, and the group became a sextet, Sigma 6. Waters played lead guitar, Mason drums, and Wright rhythm guitar, later moving to keyboards. The band performed at private functions and rehearsed in a tearoom in the basement of the Regent Street Polytechnic. They performed songs by the Searchers and material written by their manager and songwriter, fellow student Ken Chapman. In September 1963, Waters and Mason moved into
3834-473: A fitting summary of the rise and fall of their former bandmate. Waters commented: "Because I wanted to get as close as possible to what I felt ... [that] indefinable, inevitable melancholy about the disappearance of Syd." While Pink Floyd were working on the album, Barrett made an impromptu visit to the studio. Thorgerson recalled that he "sat round and talked for a bit, but he wasn't really there". He had changed significantly in appearance, so much so that
4047-672: A flat at 39 Stanhope Gardens, Highgate in London, owned by Mike Leonard, a part-time tutor at the nearby Hornsey College of Art and the Regent Street Polytechnic. Mason moved out after the 1964 academic year, and guitarist Bob Klose moved in during September 1964, prompting Waters's switch to bass. Sigma 6 went through several names, including the Meggadeaths, the Abdabs and the Screaming Abdabs, Leonard's Lodgers, and
4260-561: A general malaise and with a sense of apathy, both of which interfered with his drumming. Despite the lack of creative direction, Waters began to visualise a new concept after several weeks. During 1974, Pink Floyd had sketched out three original compositions and had performed them at a series of concerts in Europe. These compositions became the starting point for a new album whose opening four-note guitar phrase, composed purely by chance by Gilmour, reminded Waters of Barrett. The songs provided
4473-418: A higher-level qualification (e.g. degree, Higher National Diploma , Master's or PhD), much higher than the national average proportion (19.7%). Centre for Cities identified Cambridge as the UK's most unequal city in 2017 and 2018. Residents' income was the least evenly distributed of 57 British cities measured, with its top 6% earners accounting for 19% of its total income and the bottom 20% for only 2%, and
SECTION 20
#17327720147734686-409: A highly regarded member of the high school's cricket and rugby teams. Waters was unhappy at school, saying: "I hated every second of it, apart from games. The regime at school was a very oppressive one ... The same kids who are susceptible to bullying by other kids are also susceptible to bullying by the teachers." Waters met future Pink Floyd members Nick Mason and Richard Wright in London, at
4899-522: A home recording studio at his house in Islington in a converted tool shed at the back of his garden. In January 1971, upon their return from touring Atom Heart Mother , Pink Floyd began working on new material. Lacking a central theme, they attempted several unproductive experiments; engineer John Leckie described the sessions as often beginning in the afternoon and ending early the next morning, "during which time nothing would get [accomplished]. There
5112-471: A legal battle with the band regarding their continued use of the name and material. In December 1985, Waters issued a statement to EMI and CBS invoking the "Leaving Member" clause in his contract. In October 1986, he initiated High Court proceedings to formally dissolve the Pink Floyd partnership. In his submission to the High Court he called Pink Floyd a "spent force creatively". Gilmour and Mason opposed
5325-437: A mayor, although the first recorded mayor, Harvey FitzEustace, served in 1213. City councillors now elect a mayor annually. For electoral purposes the city is divided into 14 wards: Abbey, Arbury , Castle, Cherry Hinton , Coleridge, East Chesterton , King's Hedges , Market, Newnham , Petersfield , Queen Edith's, Romsey , Trumpington , and West Chesterton . At the 2019 election , Labour retained its majority. Each of
5538-445: A megalomaniac, a development inspired partly by the decline of Syd Barrett. At the end of the album, the increasingly fascist audience would watch as Pink tore down the wall, once again becoming a regular and caring person. During the recording of The Wall , the band became dissatisfied with Wright's lack of contribution and fired him. Gilmour said that Wright was dismissed as he "hadn't contributed anything of any value whatsoever to
5751-598: A member of Pink Floyd, he was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Later in 2005, he reunited with Pink Floyd for the Live 8 global awareness event, their only appearance with Waters since 1981. He has toured extensively as a solo act since 1999. He performed The Dark Side of the Moon for his world tour of 2006–2008 , and The Wall Live , his tour of 2010–2013,
5964-663: A memoir during the pandemic. In December 2022, he released an EP, The Lockdown Sessions , comprising six new versions of songs from his solo career and Pink Floyd. Waters continued to quarrel with Gilmour. In 2021, Waters wrote publicly of their disputes over Pink Floyd reissues and credits, accusing Gilmour of distorting the truth, and complained that Gilmour would not allow him to use Pink Floyd's website and social media channels. Rolling Stone noted that Waters and Gilmour had "hit yet another low point in their relationship". Early in 2023, Waters gave an interview in which he criticised Pink Floyd's 2022 track " Hey, Hey, Rise Up! ", which
6177-407: A national average of 92.12%. Within the university, 84% of undergraduates and 80% of post-graduates identified as white (including overseas students). Cambridge has a much higher than average proportion of people in the highest paid professional, managerial or administrative jobs (32.6% vs. 23.5%) and a much lower than average proportion of manual workers (27.6% vs. 40.2%). In addition, 41.2% have
6390-432: A part-time tutor at the Regent Street Polytechnic. Waters, Mason and Wright first played music together in late 1963, in a band formed by vocalist Keith Noble and bassist Clive Metcalfe. They usually called themselves Sigma 6, but also used the name the Meggadeaths. Waters played rhythm guitar, Mason played drums, Wright played any keyboard he could arrange to use, and Noble's sister Sheilagh provided occasional vocals. In
6603-535: A party". John Peel described a live performance of the title track as "like a religious experience", while NME described the song as "long and boring ... [with] little to warrant its monotonous direction". On the day after the album's UK release, Pink Floyd performed at the first ever free concert in Hyde Park . In July 1968, they made a second visit to the US. Accompanied by the Soft Machine and
Roger Waters - Misplaced Pages Continue
6816-430: A recording studio and storage space. In 1976, they recorded their tenth album, Animals , in their newly finished 24-track studio. The album concept originated with Waters, loosely based on George Orwell 's political fable Animal Farm . The lyrics describe different classes of society as dogs, pigs, and sheep. Hipgnosis received credit for the packaging; however, Waters designed the final concept, choosing an image of
7029-639: A regional East Anglian army, which became the mainstay of the Parliamentarian military effort before the formation of the New Model Army . In 1643 control of the town was given by Parliament to Oliver Cromwell , who had been educated at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge. The town's castle was fortified and garrisoned with troops and some bridges were destroyed to aid its defence. Although Royalist forces came within 2 miles (3 km) of
7242-557: A reported advance of $ 1,000,000 (US$ 6,178,138 in 2023 dollars). In Europe, they continued to be represented by Harvest Records. After a tour of the UK performing Dark Side , Pink Floyd returned to the studio in January 1975 and began work on their ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here . Parsons declined an offer to continue working with them, becoming successful in his own right with the Alan Parsons Project , and so
7455-685: A right to "fight back against the oppressor". During the UK general election that month , Waters criticised the Labour leader, Keir Starmer , for his stance on the Israel–Hamas war and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip , and performed a pro-Palestine concert in London with Cat Stevens and Lowkey . On 25 February 2023, the German city of Frankfurt cancelled one of Waters's scheduled shows, calling him one of
7668-540: A secret meeting of military leaders held in Trinity College laid the foundation for the allied invasion of Europe. During the war Cambridge served as an evacuation centre for over 7,000 people from London, as well as for parts of the University of London . Cambridge was granted its city charter in 1951 in recognition of its history, administrative importance and economic success. Cambridge does not have
7881-624: A sign Pink Floyd biographer Mark Blake believes is "a testament to his mellower old age or twenty years of dedicated psychotherapy". Ça Ira reached number 5 on the Billboard Classical Music Chart in the United States. In June 2006, Waters began the two-year Dark Side of the Moon Live world tour. The first half of the show featured both Pink Floyd songs and Waters's solo material; the second included
8094-414: A soundtrack for Roy Battersby 's documentary The Body . Waters said he wanted to "drag [Pink Floyd] kicking and screaming back from the borders of space, from the whimsy that Syd was into, to my concerns, which were much more political and philosophical". He became a dominant songwriter and the band's principal lyricist, sharing lead vocals with Gilmour and sometimes Wright. Throughout the late 1970s, he
8307-593: A subconscious realm", rating it four out of five. Waters toured the album with Clapton, a new band, and new material; the shows included a selection of Pink Floyd songs. Waters débuted his tour in Stockholm on 16 June 1984. The tour drew poor ticket sales and some performances at larger venues were cancelled; Waters estimated that he lost £400,000 on the tour. In March 1985, played a tour of smaller venues in North America in 1985. The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
8520-628: A third of English clergy dying in the Black Death, four new colleges were established at the university over the following years to train new clergymen, namely Gonville Hall , Trinity Hall , Corpus Christi , and Clare . In 1382, a revised town charter effected a "diminution of the liberties that the community had enjoyed", due to Cambridge's participation in the Peasants' Revolt . This charter transferred supervision of baking and brewing, weights and measures, and forestalling and regrating , from
8733-426: A tour of England; however, Barrett's depression worsened as the tour continued. In December 1967, reaching a crisis point with Barrett, Pink Floyd added guitarist David Gilmour as the fifth member. Gilmour already knew Barrett, having studied with him at Cambridge Tech in the early 1960s. The two had performed at lunchtimes together with guitars and harmonicas, and later hitch-hiked and busked their way around
Roger Waters - Misplaced Pages Continue
8946-610: A variety of topics, from the murder of John Lennon to his relationship with Waters. He later stated that he used the album to distance himself from Pink Floyd. Soon afterwards, Waters began touring his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984). Wright formed Zee with Dave Harris and recorded Identity , which went almost unnoticed upon its release. Mason released his second solo album, Profiles , in August 1985. Gilmour, Mason, Waters and O'Rourke met for dinner in 1984 to discuss their future. Mason and Gilmour left
9159-467: A £5,000 advance (equivalent to £114,600 in 2023 ). EMI released the band's first single, " Arnold Layne ", with the B-side " Candy and a Currant Bun ", on 10 March 1967 on its Columbia label. Both tracks were recorded on 29 January 1967. "Arnold Layne"'s references to cross-dressing led to a ban by several radio stations; however, creative manipulation by the retailers who supplied sales figures to
9372-455: Is Pippa Heylings ( Lib Dems ), first elected in 2024. The University of Cambridge formerly had two seats in the House of Commons; Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most notable MPs. The Cambridge University constituency was abolished under 1948 legislation, and ceased at the dissolution of Parliament for the 1950 general election , along with the other university constituencies . Cambridge
9585-571: Is adjacent to the M11 and A14 roads. Settlements have existed around the Cambridge area since prehistoric times . The earliest clear evidence of occupation is the remains of a 3,500- year-old farmstead discovered at the site of Fitzwilliam College . Archaeological evidence of occupation through the Iron Age is a settlement on Castle Hill from the 1st century BC , perhaps relating to wider cultural changes occurring in southeastern Britain linked to
9798-433: Is completely enclosed by green belt as a part of a wider environmental and planning policy first defined in 1965 and formalised in 1992. While some small tracts of green belt exist on the fringes of the city's boundary, much of the protection is in the surrounding South Cambridgeshire and nearby East Cambridgeshire districts, helping to maintain local green space, prevent further urban sprawl and unplanned expansion of
10011-612: Is derived from the given names of two blues musicians whose Piedmont blues records Barrett had in his collection, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council . By 1966, the group's repertoire consisted mainly of rhythm and blues songs, and they had begun to receive paid bookings, including a performance at the Marquee Club in December 1966, where Peter Jenner , a lecturer at the London School of Economics , noticed them. Jenner
10224-562: Is located on the River Cam , 55 miles (89 km) north of London . As of the 2021 United Kingdom census , the population of the City of Cambridge was 145,700; the population of the wider built-up area (which extends outside the city council area) was 181,137. Cambridge became an important trading centre during the Roman and Viking ages, and there is archaeological evidence of settlement in
10437-665: Is situated about 55 miles (89 km) north-by-east of London and 95 miles (153 kilometres) east of Birmingham. The city is located in an area of level and relatively low-lying terrain just south of the Fens , which varies between 6 and 24 metres (20 and 79 ft) above sea level . The town was thus historically surrounded by low-lying wetlands that have been drained as the town has expanded. The underlying geology of Cambridge consists of gault clay and Chalk Marl , known locally as Cambridge Greensand, partly overlaid by terrace gravel . A layer of phosphatic nodules ( coprolites ) under
10650-518: Is the sole author of the lyrics. Released in March 1973, the LP became an instant chart success in the UK and throughout Western Europe, earning an enthusiastic response from critics. Each member of Pink Floyd except Wright boycotted the press release of The Dark Side of the Moon because a quadraphonic mix had not yet been completed, and they felt presenting the album through a poor-quality stereo PA system
10863-483: The Astoria , on Christmas Eve 1987. In 2013, Waters said he regretted the lawsuit and had failed to appreciate that the Pink Floyd name had commercial value independent of the band members. Cambridge Cambridge ( / ˈ k eɪ m b r ɪ dʒ / KAYM -brij ) is a city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire , England . It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and
SECTION 50
#173277201477311076-806: The Beacon Theatre to sing " Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun ". Waters was one of the ten highest-grossing concert acts of the decade. In January 2020, Waters announced a new arena tour, This Is Not a Drill , that would tour North America and finish one month before the 2020 presidential election . The tour was rescheduled to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The concerts were held from July to October 2022, and expanded with dates in Europe from March to June 2023. In 2021, Waters said he had begun writing
11289-843: The Cambridge University Library , one of the largest legal deposit libraries in the world. The city's skyline is dominated by several college buildings , along with the spire of the Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church , and the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital . Anglia Ruskin University , which evolved from the Cambridge School of Art and the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, also has its main campus in
11502-621: The Cambridgeshire High School for Boys (now Hills Road Sixth Form College ) with Syd Barrett . The future Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour lived nearby on Mill Road and attended the Perse School . At 15, Waters was chairman of the Cambridge Youth Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (YCND), having designed its publicity poster and participated in its organisation. He was a keen sportsman and
11715-606: The Cassino War Cemetery . On 18 February 2014, Waters unveiled a monument to his father and other war casualties in Aprilia, Italy and was made an honorary citizen of Anzio. Following her husband's death, Mary Waters, also a teacher, moved with her two sons to Cambridge and raised them there. Waters's earliest memory is of the V-J Day celebrations. Waters attended Morley Memorial Junior School in Cambridge and then
11928-608: The London Polytechnic at Regent Street in September 1962 to study architecture, and Syd Barrett , two years younger than the rest of the band, who had moved to London in 1964 to study at the Camberwell College of Arts . Waters and Barrett were childhood friends; Waters had often visited Barrett and watched him play guitar at Barrett's mother's house. Mason said about Barrett: "In a period when everyone
12141-676: The Norman Conquest of England, William the Conqueror erected a castle on Castle Hill, the motte of which survives. Like the rest of the newly conquered kingdom, Cambridge fell under the control of the King and his deputies. Cambridge's first town charter was granted by Henry I between 1120 and 1131. It granted the town monopoly of waterborne traffic and hithe tolls and recognised the borough court. The distinctive Round Church dates from this period. In 1209, Cambridge University
12354-585: The Tower Records label. Pink Floyd continued to draw large crowds at the UFO Club; however, Barrett's mental breakdown was by then causing serious concern. The group initially hoped that his erratic behaviour would be a passing phase, but some were less optimistic, including Jenner and his assistant, June Child , who commented: "I found [Barrett] in the dressing room and he was so ... gone. Roger Waters and I got him on his feet, [and] we got him out to
12567-630: The U2 singer Bono for dedicating a live performance of " Pride (In the Name of Love) " to those killed in the 2023 Nova music festival massacre . Bono changed the lyrics of the song, which was written about Martin Luther King , from "Free at last/They took your life" to "Stars of David/They took your life". Waters said it was "so disgusting and degrading when you stand up for the Zionist entity. What he did
12780-865: The UK Albums Chart . Their hit singles include "Arnold Layne" (1967), "See Emily Play" (1967), " Money " (1973), " Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 " (1979), " Not Now John " (1983), " On the Turning Away " (1987) and " High Hopes " (1994). Pink Floyd were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008, they were awarded the Polar Music Prize in Sweden for their contribution to modern music. The founding members of Pink Floyd were Roger Waters , Nick Mason , and Richard Wright , who enrolled at
12993-423: The Wall concept and the inflatable Animals pig. Pink Floyd released three studio albums without him: A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), The Division Bell (1994) and The Endless River (2014). According to a 1999 interview with Gilmour, Waters declined an invitation to perform The Dark Side of the Moon with Pink Floyd at Earls Court , London. In 2005, Waters said the period of his departure had been
SECTION 60
#173277201477313206-484: The "most beautiful cities in the world" by Forbes in 2010, with the view from The Backs being selected as one of the 10 greatest in England by National Trust chair Simon Jenkins . Tourism generates over £750 million for the city's economy. Cambridge and its surrounds are sometimes referred to as Silicon Fen , an allusion to Silicon Valley , because of the density of high-tech businesses and technology incubators that have developed on science parks around
13419-456: The "most widely known antisemites" and citing his support for BDS, the imagery at his shows and his talks with Hamas. The move was supported by the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Frankfurt Jewish Community. Waters hired a German law firm to challenge the concert cancellation, and released a statement denying the accusations and stating that the cancellation could have "serious, far-reaching consequences for artists and activists all over
13632-462: The 14 wards also elects councillors to Cambridgeshire County Council , which is responsible for services including school education, social care and highways. Since 2017, Cambridge has also been within the area of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority , which is led by a directly elected Mayor . The city is represented on the authority by the leader of the City Council. The parliamentary constituency of Cambridge covers most of
13845-445: The 16th century, sanitation and fresh water were brought to Cambridge by the construction of Hobson's Conduit in the early 1600s. Water was brought from Nine Wells, at the foot of the Gog Magog Hills to the southeast of Cambridge, into the centre of the town. Cambridge played a significant role in the early part of the English Civil War as it was the headquarters of the Eastern Counties Association , an organisation administering
14058-404: The 1930s to the 1980s, the size of the city was increased by several large council estates . The biggest impact has been on the area north of the river, which are now the estates of East Chesterton , King's Hedges , and Arbury where Archbishop Rowan Williams lived and worked as an assistant priest in the early 1980s. During World War II , Cambridge was an important centre for defence of
14271-419: The 2005 Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park, Pink Floyd's only appearance with Waters since their final performance of The Wall at Earls Court London 24 years earlier. They played a 23-minute set consisting of " Speak to Me / Breathe "/" Breathe (Reprise) ", " Money ", " Wish You Were Here ", and " Comfortably Numb ". Waters told the Associated Press that while the experience of playing with Pink Floyd again
14484-437: The 2016 documentary The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in the United States about the methods used by Israel to shape American public opinion. In 2013, Rabbi Abraham Cooper , the associate dean of the Jewish human rights organisation the Simon Wiesenthal Center , accused Waters of antisemitism for including a giant pig balloon bearing a Star of David in his concerts. Waters responded that it
14697-653: The 21st century, with estates such as the CB1 and Accordia schemes near the station, and developments such as Great Kneighton , formally known as Clay Farm, and Trumpington Meadows currently under construction in the south of the city. Other major developments currently being constructed in the city are Darwin Green (formerly NIAB ), and University-led developments at West Cambridge and North West Cambridge , ( Eddington ). The entire city centre, as well as parts of Chesterton, Petersfield, West Cambridge, Newnham, and Abbey, are covered by an Air Quality Management Area, implemented to counter high levels of nitrogen dioxide in
14910-531: The BBC's Top of the Pops , a popular programme that controversially required artists to mime their singing and playing. Though Pink Floyd returned for two more performances, by the third, Barrett had begun to unravel, and around this time the band first noticed significant changes in his behaviour. By early 1967, he was regularly using LSD , and Mason described him as "completely distanced from everything going on". Morrison and EMI producer Norman Smith negotiated Pink Floyd's first recording contract. As part of
15123-496: The Controls for the Heart of the Sun ", " Let There Be More Light ", and " Corporal Clegg ". Wright composed " See-Saw " and " Remember a Day ". Norman Smith encouraged them to self-produce their music, and they recorded demos of new material at their houses. With Smith's instruction at Abbey Road, they learned how to use the recording studio to realise their artistic vision. However, Smith remained unconvinced by their music, and when Mason struggled to perform his drum part on "Remember
15336-537: The Gates of Dawn not designed by Hipgnosis. Gerald Scarfe produced a series of animations for the Wall tour. He also commissioned the construction of large inflatable puppets representing characters from the storyline, including the "Mother", the "Ex-wife" and the "Schoolmaster". Pink Floyd used the puppets during their performances. Relationships within the band reached an all-time low; their four Winnebagos parked in
15549-455: The Kite area of the city. This latter project was controversial at the time. The city gained its second university in 1992 when Anglia Polytechnic became Anglia Polytechnic University. Renamed Anglia Ruskin University in 2005, the institution has its origins in the Cambridge School of Art opened in 1858 by John Ruskin . Cambridge is a non-metropolitan district – one of six districts within
15762-775: The Life We Really Want? , on 2 June 2017. It was produced by the Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich . Godrich was a fan of Waters's work with Pink Floyd, but was critical of his solo work and encouraged him to make a concise album showcasing his lyrics. Waters returned to North America in 2017 with the Us + Them Tour , performing Pink Floyd and solo material. On 26 October 2018, Sony Classical Masterworks released an adaptation of Igor Stravinsky's theatrical work The Soldier's Tale narrated by Waters. On 18 April 2019, Waters joined Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets on stage at
15975-595: The London area. Cambridge also often records the annual highest national temperature in any given year – 30.2 °C (86.4 °F) in July 2008 at NIAB and 30.1 °C (86.2 °F) in August 2007 at the Botanic Garden are two recent examples. Other years include 1876, 1887, 1888, 1892, 1897, 1899 and 1900. The absolute maximum stands at 39.9 °C (103.8 °F) recorded on 19 July 2022 at Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Before this date, Cambridge held
16188-417: The Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), The Wall (1979), and The Final Cut (1983). By the early 1980s, they had become one of the most acclaimed and commercially successful groups in popular music. Amid creative differences, Waters left in 1985 and began a legal dispute over the use of the band's name and material. They settled out of court in 1987. Waters's solo work includes
16401-548: The Moon and Wish You Were Here . Meddle was released in October 1971, and reached number three, spending 82 weeks on the UK chart. It marks a transition between the Barrett-led group of the late 1960s and the emerging Pink Floyd; Jean-Charles Costa of Rolling Stone wrote that "not only confirms lead guitarist David Gilmour's emergence as a real shaping force with the group, it states forcefully and accurately that
16614-471: The Moon featured as part of Pink Floyd's US tour. The album is one of the most commercially successful rock albums of all time. A US number-one, it remained on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart for more than fourteen years during the 1970s and 1980s, selling more than 45 million copies worldwide. In Britain, it reached number two, spending 364 weeks on the UK chart. The Dark Side of
16827-556: The Moon is one of the most successful rock albums ever. It spent 736 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 chart—until July 1988—and sold over 40 million copies worldwide. As of 2005, it continued to sell over 8,000 copies a week. According to the Pink Floyd biographer Glenn Povey, Dark Side of the Moon is the world's second-bestselling album and the United States' 21st-bestselling album. In 2006, asked if he felt his goals for Dark Side had been accomplished, Waters said his wife wept
17040-441: The Moon is the world's third best-selling album, and the twenty-first best-selling album of all time in the US. The success of the album brought enormous wealth to the members of Pink Floyd. Waters and Wright bought large country houses while Mason became a collector of expensive cars. Disenchanted with their US record company, Capitol Records , Pink Floyd and O'Rourke negotiated a new contract with Columbia Records , who gave them
17253-588: The Moon Redux , spoke on topics such as Julian Assange and read from his unpublished memoir. Waters is a vocal supporter of Palestine in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict . He is a member of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a campaign for an international boycott of Israel . Waters first saw the Israeli West Bank barrier in 2006, at the request of Palestinian supporters, when he
17466-861: The NIAB site, to 48.3 days at the Botanic Garden per year over the 1981–2010 period. Typically the coldest night of the year at the Botanic Garden will fall to −8.0 °C (17.6 °F). Such minimum temperatures and frost averages are typical for inland areas across much of southern and central England. Sunshine averages around 1,500 hours a year or around 35% of possible, a level typical of most locations in inland central England. The city contains three Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), at Cherry Hinton East Pit, Cherry Hinton West Pit, and Travellers Pit, and ten Local Nature Reserves (LNRs): Sheep's Green and Coe Fen, Coldham's Common, Stourbridge Common, Nine Wells, Byron's Pool, West Pit, Paradise, Barnwell West, Barnwell East, and Logan's Meadow. Cambridge
17679-412: The Regent Street Polytechnic (later the University of Westminster ) School of Architecture. Waters enrolled there in 1962, after a series of aptitude tests indicated he was well suited to that field. He had initially considered a career in mechanical engineering. By September 1963, Waters and Mason had lost interest in their studies and moved into the lower flat of Stanhope Gardens, owned by Mike Leonard,
17892-719: The Spectrum Five, before settling on the Tea Set. In September 1963, as Metcalfe and Noble left to form their own band, the guitarist Syd Barrett joined Klose and Waters at Stanhope Gardens. Klose introduced the band to the singer Chris Dennis, a technician with the Royal Air Force (RAF). In December 1964, they secured their first recording time, at a studio in West Hampstead, through one of Wright's friends, who let them use some downtime free. Wright, who
18105-413: The UK and number six in the US. Waters wrote all the lyrics, as well as all the music. Rolling Stone gave the album five stars, with Kurt Loder calling it "a superlative achievement ... art rock's crowning masterpiece". He viewed The Final Cut as "essentially a Roger Waters solo album". Gilmour recorded his second solo album, About Face , in 1984, and used it to express his feelings about
18318-521: The UK and number three in the US. NME described it as "one of the most extreme, relentless, harrowing and downright iconoclastic hunks of music", and Melody Maker 's Karl Dallas called it "[an] uncomfortable taste of reality in a medium that has become in recent years, increasingly soporific". Pink Floyd performed much of Animals during their " In the Flesh " tour. It was their first experience playing large stadiums, whose size caused unease in
18531-576: The UK chart. It premièred at the Bath Festival on 27 June 1970. Pink Floyd toured extensively across America and Europe in 1970. In 1971, Pink Floyd took second place in a reader's poll, in Melody Maker , and for the first time were making a profit. Mason and Wright became fathers and bought homes in London while Gilmour, still single, moved to a 19th-century farm in Essex. Waters installed
18744-425: The UK, Japan, North America, and Europe. Producer Chris Thomas assisted Parsons. Hipgnosis designed the packaging, which included George Hardie 's iconic refracting prism design on the cover. Thorgerson's cover features a beam of white light, representing unity, passing through a prism, which represents society. The refracted beam of coloured light symbolises unity diffracted, leaving an absence of unity. Waters
18957-501: The UK, has a maritime climate highly influenced by the Gulf Stream . Located in the driest region of Britain, Cambridge's rainfall averages around 570 mm (22.44 in) per year, around half the national average. The driest recent year was in 2011 with 380.4 mm (14.98 in) of rain at the Botanic Garden and 347.2 mm (13.67 in) at the NIAB site. This is just below the semi-arid precipitation threshold for
19170-837: The United States was because "the Jewish lobby is extraordinary powerful here and particularly in the industry that I work in, the music industry". Following the remarks, the Anti-Defamation League charged that Waters's remarks were antisemitic. The American rabbi Shmuley Boteach responded to Waters in the New York Observer : "That you would have the audacity to compare Jews to monsters who murdered them shows you have no decency, you have no heart, you have no soul." Speaking in New York afterwards, Waters said supporters of Israel often attack critics as antisemitic as
19383-473: The Wall (Part II) ", which topped the charts in the US and the UK. The Wall was released on 30 November 1979 and topped the Billboard chart in the US for 15 weeks, reaching number three in the UK. It is tied for sixth most certified album by RIAA , with 23 million certified units sold in the US. The cover, with a stark brick wall and band name, was the first Pink Floyd album cover since The Piper at
19596-563: The Wall (Part Two) ". In September 2010, Waters began the Wall Live tour, an updated version of the original Pink Floyd tour, featuring a complete performance of The Wall . At the O2 Arena in London on 12 May 2011, Gilmour and Mason again performed with Waters on "Comfortably Numb", and "Outside the Wall". For the first half of 2012, the tour topped worldwide concert ticket sales, having sold more than 1.4 million tickets globally. By 2013,
19809-770: The Wall Live had become the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist . Waters performed at the Concert for Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden on 12 December 2012. On 24 July 2015, he headlined the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island , accompanied by the band My Morning Jacket and two singers from the group Lucius . Waters performed at the Desert Trip festival in October 2016. Waters released his first solo album in nearly 25 years, Is This
20022-565: The Who , it marked Pink Floyd's first major tour. That December, they released " Point Me at the Sky "; no more successful than the two singles they had released since "See Emily Play", it was their last single until " Money " in 1973. Ummagumma represented a departure from Pink Floyd's previous work. Released as a double LP on EMI's Harvest label, the first two sides contained live performances recorded at Manchester College of Commerce and Mothers ,
20235-556: The ability to tune into radio waves in his head. Billy learns to communicate with a radio DJ, and eventually to control the world's computers. Angry at the state of the world in which he lives, he simulates a nuclear attack. Waters followed the release with a tour. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, and in July 1990 Waters staged one of the largest and most elaborate rock concerts in history, The Wall – Live in Berlin , on
20448-484: The ageing Battersea Power Station , over which they superimposed an image of a pig. The division of royalties was a source of conflict between band members, who earned royalties on a per-song basis. Although Gilmour was largely responsible for " Dogs ", which took up almost the entire first side of the album, he received less than Waters, who contributed the much shorter two-part " Pigs on the Wing ". Wright commented: "It
20661-523: The album. With marital problems of his own, he remained distant. Pink Floyd did not use Thorgerson for the cover design, and Waters designed the cover himself. Gilmour did not have any material ready and asked Waters to delay the recording until he could write some songs, but Waters refused. Gilmour later said "I'm certainly guilty at times of being lazy ... but he wasn't right about wanting to put some duff tracks on The Final Cut ." Released in March 1983, The Final Cut went straight to number one in
20874-511: The albums A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994), both backed by major tours. In 2005, all but Barrett reunited for a performance at the global awareness event Live 8 . Barrett died in 2006 and Wright in 2008. The last Pink Floyd studio album, The Endless River (2014), was based on unreleased material from the Division Bell recording sessions. In 2022, Gilmour and Mason reformed Pink Floyd to release
21087-419: The album—he did very, very little". According to Mason, Wright would sit in on the sessions "without doing anything, just 'being a producer ' ". Waters said the band agreed that Wright would either have to "have a long battle" or agree to "leave quietly" after the album was finished; Wright accepted the ultimatum and left. The Wall was supported by Pink Floyd's first single since "Money", " Another Brick in
21300-537: The answer was "Nah, let's not bother", signalling the end of Barrett's tenure with Pink Floyd. Waters later said, "He was our friend, but most of the time we now wanted to strangle him." In early March 1968, Pink Floyd met with business partners Jenner and King to discuss the band's future; Barrett agreed to leave. Jenner and King believed Barrett was the creative genius of the band, and decided to represent him and end their relationship with Pink Floyd. Morrison sold his business to NEMS Enterprises , and O'Rourke became
21513-472: The application and announced their intention to continue as Pink Floyd. Waters said he had been forced to resign like Barrett had been years earlier, and decided to leave Pink Floyd based on legal considerations, saying: "If I hadn't, the financial repercussions would have wiped me out completely." Waters did not want the band to use the name Pink Floyd without him. He said later: "I would be distressed if Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr made records and went on
21726-927: The appointment, Barrett refused to come out of the car. A stay in Formentera with Sam Hutt , a doctor well established in the underground music scene, led to no visible improvement. The band followed a few concert dates in Europe during September with their first tour of the US in October. As the US tour went on, Barrett's condition grew steadily worse. During appearances on the Dick Clark and Pat Boone shows in November, Barrett confounded his hosts by giving terse answers to questions (or not responding at all) and staring into space. He refused to move his lips when it came time to mime "See Emily Play" on Boone's show. After these embarrassing episodes, King ended their US visit and immediately sent them home to London. Soon after their return, they supported Jimi Hendrix during
21939-482: The area as early as the Bronze Age . The first town charters were granted in the 12th century, although modern city status was not officially conferred until 1951. The city is well known as the home of the University of Cambridge , which was founded in 1209 and consistently ranks among the best universities in the world. The buildings of the university include King's College Chapel , Cavendish Laboratory , and
22152-569: The area, which is 350 mm of annual precipitation. Conversely, 2012 was the wettest year on record, with 812.7 mm (32.00 in) reported. Snowfall accumulations are usually small, in part because of Cambridge's low elevation, and low precipitation tendency during transitional snow events. Owing to its low-lying, inland, and easterly position within the British Isles, summer temperatures tend to be somewhat higher than areas further west, and often rival or even exceed those recorded in
22365-456: The arrival of the Belgae . The principal Roman site is a small fort ( castrum ) Duroliponte on Castle Hill , just northwest of the city centre around the location of the earlier British village. The fort was bounded on two sides by the lines formed by the present Mount Pleasant , continuing across Huntingdon Road into Clare Street. The eastern side followed Magrath Avenue, with
22578-768: The atmosphere. The city has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ). Cambridge has an official weather observing station, at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden , about one mile (1.6 km) south of the city centre. In addition, the Digital Technology Group of the university's Department of Computer Science and Technology maintains a weather station on the West Cambridge site, displaying current weather conditions online via web browsers or an app , and also an archive dating back to 1995. The city, like most of
22791-419: The band and creative arguments about the album, Gilmour's name "disappeared" from the production credits, though he retained his pay. Rolling Stone gave the album five stars, with Kurt Loder describing it as "a superlative achievement" and "art rock's crowning masterpiece". Loder viewed the work as "essentially a Roger Waters solo album". Amidst creative differences, Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and began
23004-465: The band and prevent the use of the Pink Floyd name, declaring Pink Floyd "a spent force creatively". When Waters's lawyers discovered that the partnership had never been formally confirmed, Waters returned to the High Court in an attempt to obtain a veto over further use of the band's name. Gilmour responded with a press release affirming that Pink Floyd would continue to exist. The sides reached an out-of-court agreement, finalised on Gilmour's houseboat,
23217-460: The band did not initially recognise him. Waters was reportedly deeply upset by the experience. Most of Wish You Were Here premiered on 5 July 1975, at an open-air music festival at Knebworth . Released in September, it reached number one in both the UK and the US. In 1975, Pink Floyd bought a three-storey group of church halls at 35 Britannia Row in Islington and began converting them into
23430-597: The band drop the "Sound" from their name. Under Jenner and King's guidance, Pink Floyd became part of London's underground music scene, playing at venues including All Saints Hall and the Marquee. While performing at the Countdown Club, the band had experimented with long instrumental excursions, and they began to expand them with rudimentary but effective light shows, projected by coloured slides and domestic lights. Jenner and King's social connections helped gain
23643-419: The band members each holding a one-sixth share. By late 1966, their set included fewer R&B standards and more Barrett originals, many of which would be included on their first album. While they had significantly increased the frequency of their performances, the band were still not widely accepted. Following a performance at a Catholic youth club, the owner refused to pay them, claiming that their performance
23856-604: The band prominent coverage in the Financial Times and an article in the Sunday Times which stated: "At the launching of the new magazine IT the other night a pop group called the Pink Floyd played throbbing music while a series of bizarre coloured shapes flashed on a huge screen behind them ... apparently very psychedelic." In 1966, the band strengthened their business relationship with Blackhill Enterprises, becoming equal partners with Jenner and King and
24069-498: The band realised that "songs could be extended with lengthy solos", wrote Mason. After pressure from his parents and advice from his college tutors, Klose quit in mid-1965 and Barrett took over lead guitar. The group rebranded as the Pink Floyd Sound in late 1965. Barrett created the name on the spur of the moment when he discovered that another band, also called the Tea Set, were to perform at one of their gigs. The name
24282-421: The band turned to Brian Humphries. Initially, they found it difficult to compose new material; the success of The Dark Side of the Moon had left Pink Floyd physically and emotionally drained. Wright later described these early sessions as "falling within a difficult period" and Waters found them "tortuous". Gilmour was more interested in improving the band's existing material. Mason's failing marriage left him in
24495-513: The band used the names Leonard's Lodgers, Spectrum Five, and eventually, the Tea Set. In late 1965, the Tea Set had changed their name to the Pink Floyd Sound, later the Pink Floyd Blues Band and, by early 1966, Pink Floyd. By early 1966, Barrett was Pink Floyd's frontman, guitarist, and songwriter. He wrote or co-wrote all but one track of their debut LP The Piper at the Gates of Dawn , released in August 1967. Waters contributed
24708-921: The band's personal manager. Blackhill announced Barrett's departure on 6 April 1968. After Barrett's departure, the burden of lyrical composition and creative direction fell mostly on Waters. Initially, Gilmour mimed to Barrett's voice on the group's European TV appearances; however, while playing on the university circuit, they avoided Barrett songs in favour of Waters and Wright material such as " It Would Be So Nice " and " Careful with That Axe, Eugene ". Mason said later that Gilmour added greater structure to Pink Floyd's music and that "we became far less difficult to enjoy, I think". In 1968, Pink Floyd returned to Abbey Road Studios to complete their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets , which they had begun in 1967 under Barrett's leadership. The album included Barrett's final contribution to their discography, " Jugband Blues ". Waters developed his own songwriting, contributing " Set
24921-498: The band, and asked them to release him from his contractual obligations. Gilmour believed that Waters left to hasten the demise of Pink Floyd. Waters later stated that, by not making new albums, Pink Floyd would be in breach of contract—which would suggest that royalty payments would be suspended—and that the other band members had forced him from the group by threatening to sue him. He went to the High Court in an effort to dissolve
25134-491: The band. Waters began arriving at each venue alone, departing immediately after the performance. On one occasion, Wright flew back to England, threatening to quit. At the Montreal Olympic Stadium , a group of noisy and enthusiastic fans in the front row of the audience irritated Waters so much that he spat at one of them. The end of the tour marked a low point for Gilmour, who felt that the band achieved
25347-424: The city such as Sheep's Green as well as residential development. Like most cities, modern-day Cambridge has many suburbs and areas of high-density housing. The city centre of Cambridge is mostly commercial, historic buildings, and large green areas such as Jesus Green, Parker's Piece and Midsummer Common . Some of the roads in the centre are pedestrianised. Population growth has seen new housing developments in
25560-465: The city, as well as protecting smaller outlying villages from further convergence with each other as well as the city. At the 2011 census, the population of the Cambridge contiguous built-up area (urban area) was 158,434, while that of the City Council area was 123,867. In the 2001 Census held during University term, 89.44% of Cambridge residents identified themselves as white, compared with
25773-413: The city. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology Silicon Fen or Cambridge Cluster , which contains industries such as software and bioscience and many start-up companies born out of the university. Over 40 per cent of the workforce have a higher education qualification, more than twice the national average. The Cambridge Biomedical Campus , one of the largest biomedical research clusters in
25986-521: The city. Many of these parks and buildings are owned or leased by university colleges, and the companies often have been spun out of the university. Cambridge Science Park , which is the largest commercial R&D centre in Europe, is owned by Trinity College ; St John's is the landlord of St John's Innovation Centre . Technology companies include Abcam , CSR , ARM Limited , CamSemi , Jagex and Sinclair . Microsoft has located its Microsoft Research UK offices in West Cambridge , separate from
26199-613: The city; Daniel Zeichner ( Labour ) has represented the seat since the 2015 general election . The seat was generally held by the Conservatives until it was won by Labour in 1992, then taken by the Liberal Democrats in 2005 and 2010, before returning to Labour in 2015. A southern area of the city, Queen Edith's ward and Cherry Hinton ward, falls within the South Cambridgeshire constituency, whose MP
26412-459: The county of Cambridgeshire – and is administered by Cambridge City Council . The district covers most of the city's urban area, although some suburbs extend into the surrounding South Cambridgeshire district. The city council's headquarters are in the Guildhall , a large building in the market square. Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of
26625-415: The deal, the band agreed to record their first album at EMI Studios in London. Mason recalled that the sessions were trouble-free. Smith disagreed, stating that Barrett was unresponsive to his suggestions and constructive criticism. EMI-Columbia released The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in August 1967. The album reached number six, spending 14 weeks on the UK charts. One month later, it was released under
26838-410: The early years the band performed during private functions and rehearsed in a tearoom in the basement of Regent Street Polytechnic. When Metcalfe and Noble left to form their own group in September 1963, the remaining members asked Barrett and the guitarist Bob Klose to join. Waters switched to the bass. By January 1964, the group became known as the Abdabs, or the Screaming Abdabs. During late 1964,
27051-439: The east coast. The town became a military centre, with an R.A.F. training centre and the regional headquarters for Norfolk , Suffolk , Essex , Cambridgeshire , Huntingdonshire , Hertfordshire , and Bedfordshire established during the conflict. The town itself escaped relatively lightly from German bombing raids, which were mainly targeted at the railway. 29 people were killed and no historic buildings were damaged. In 1944,
27264-414: The economy of Cambridge. The town market provided for trade in a wide variety of goods and annual trading fairs such as Stourbridge Fair and Midsummer Fair were visited by merchants from across the country. The river was described in an account of 1748 as being "often so full of [merchant boats] that the navigation thereof is stopped for some time". For example, 2000 firkins of butter were brought up
27477-559: The film company, prompting them to release the soundtrack album as Obscured by Clouds , rather than La Vallée . The film was retitled La Vallée (Obscured by Clouds) on its release. The songs on Obscured by Clouds were all short and economical, with a strong country music influence. The album also featured the EMS VCS 3 synthesiser, which Wright had purchased from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop . " Burning Bridges "
27690-516: The film. The album was mixed from 4–6 April at Morgan Studios in London. During the first recording session in February 1972, the French television station ORTF filmed a short segment of the band recording the album, including interviews with Waters and Gilmour. Waters said that early UK pressings of the album contained "excessive sibilance". After recording had finished, the band fell out with
27903-579: The first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments, philosophical lyrics, and elaborate live shows . They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time. Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). With Barrett as their main songwriter, they released two hit singles, " Arnold Layne " and " See Emily Play ", and
28116-534: The first time he played it for her: "You then hear it with fresh ears when you play it for somebody else. And at that point I thought to myself, 'Wow, this is a pretty complete piece of work,' and I had every confidence that people would respond to it. Waters's thematic ideas became the impetus for the concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979) — written largely by Waters — and The Final Cut (1983), written entirely by him. The cost of war and
28329-486: The former. Bob Ezrin co-produced and wrote a forty-page script for the new album. Ezrin based the story on the central figure of Pink—a gestalt character inspired by Waters's childhood experiences, the most notable of which was the death of his father in World War II . This first metaphorical brick led to more problems; Pink would become drug-addled and depressed by the music industry, eventually transforming into
28542-465: The group is well into the growth track again". NME called it "an exceptionally good album", singling out " Echoes " as the "Zenith which the Floyd have been striving for". However, Melody Maker's Michael Watts found it underwhelming, calling the album "a soundtrack to a non-existent movie", and shrugging off Pink Floyd as "so much sound and fury, signifying nothing". Pink Floyd had already recorded
28755-440: The group planned that Gilmour would "cover for [Barrett's] eccentricities". When this proved unworkable, it was decided that Barrett would just write material. In an expression of his frustration, Barrett, who was expected to write additional hit singles to follow up "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play", instead introduced " Have You Got It Yet? " to the band, intentionally changing the structure on each performance so as to make
28968-509: The heart and soul of the album musically and spiritually". In a press release, Waters wrote: "Dave, Rick, Nick, and I were so young when we made [the original], and when you look at the world around us, clearly the message hasn't stuck. That's why I started to consider what the wisdom of an 80 year old could bring to a reimagined version." In October, Waters held two concerts at the London Palladium , where he performed The Dark Side of
29181-507: The invasion of the Falklands as jingoistic and unnecessary, and dedicated the album to his late father. Immediately arguments arose between Waters and Gilmour, who felt that the album should include all new material, rather than recycle songs passed over for The Wall . Waters felt that Gilmour had contributed little to the band's lyrical repertoire. Michael Kamen , a contributor to the orchestral arrangements of The Wall , mediated between
29394-523: The libretto in English in 1989, and said about the composition: "I've always been a big fan of Beethoven's choral music, Berlioz and Borodin ... This is unashamedly romantic and resides in that early 19th-century tradition, because that's where my tastes lie in classical and choral music." Waters appeared on television to discuss the opera, but the interviews often focused on his relationship with Pink Floyd, something Waters would "take in stride",
29607-613: The location may have been abandoned by the Britons , although the site is usually identified as Cair Grauth , as listed among the 28 cities of Britain in the History of the Britons attributed to Nennius . Evidence exists that the invading Anglo-Saxons had begun occupying the area by the end of the century. Their settlement – also on and around Castle Hill – became known as Grantebrycge (" Granta -bridge". By Middle English ,
29820-505: The loss of his father became a recurring theme, from " Corporal Clegg " ( A Saucerful of Secrets , 1968) and " Free Four " ( Obscured by Clouds , 1972) to " Us and Them " from The Dark Side of the Moon , " When the Tigers Broke Free ", first used in the feature film The Wall (1982), later included with " The Fletcher Memorial Home " on The Final Cut , an album dedicated to his father. The theme and composition of The Wall
30033-541: The marl was mined in the 19th century for fertiliser; this became a major industry in the county, and its profits yielded buildings such as the Corn Exchange , Fulbourn Hospital , and St. John's Chapel until the Quarries Act 1894 and competition from America ended production. The River Cam flows through the city from the village of Grantchester , to the southwest. It is bordered by water meadows within
30246-525: The movie, the clash between humanity's best and worst instincts, and how a child's innocence can win the day". He performed at California's Coachella Festival in April 2008 and was to be among the headlining artists at Live Earth 2008 in Mumbai, India, in December 2008, but the concert was cancelled following the 26 November terrorist attacks in Mumbai. In April 2008, Waters discussed a possible new album with
30459-504: The music business meant that the single reached number 20 in the UK. EMI-Columbia released Pink Floyd's second single, " See Emily Play ", on 16 June 1967. It fared slightly better than "Arnold Layne", peaking at number 6 in the UK. The band performed on the BBC's Look of the Week , where Waters and Barrett, erudite and engaging, faced tough questioning from Hans Keller . They appeared on
30672-501: The opening of the Great Eastern Railway 's London to Norwich line. The station was outside the town centre following pressure from the university to restrict travel by undergraduates. With the arrival of the railway and associated employment came development of areas around the station, such as Romsey Town . The rail link to London stimulated heavier industries, such as the production of brick, cement and malt . From
30885-463: The original tracks from The Wall , but also songs from Dark Side of the Moon , Wish You Were Here and other Pink Floyd albums, as well as new material. On the night of 1 May 2004, recorded extracts from the opera, including its overture , were played on the occasion of the Welcome Europe celebrations in the accession country of Malta . Gert Hof mixed recorded excerpts from the opera into
31098-479: The others could do", wrote biographer Nicholas Schaffner . In 1967, Pink Floyd began to attract the attention of the music industry. While in negotiations with record companies, IT co-founder and UFO club manager Joe Boyd and Pink Floyd's booking agent, Bryan Morrison , arranged and funded a recording session at Sound Techniques in Kensington . On 15 February 1967, Pink Floyd signed with EMI, receiving
31311-621: The performance, which has been certified platinum by the RIAA. In 1990, Waters hired manager Mark Fenwick and left EMI for a worldwide deal with Columbia. He released his third studio album, Amused to Death , in 1992. The record was influenced heavily by the events of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the Gulf War , and a critique of the notion of war becoming the subject of entertainment, particularly on television. The title
31524-661: The principal signers of an open letter called Artists Against Apartheid. Waters has criticised numerous other artists who have performed in Israel. In 2015, Waters published an open letter in Salon criticising the rock band Bon Jovi for performing in Tel Aviv. In 2017, he urged Radiohead to cancel a concert there, signing a letter with 50 others, and was co-signatory on an open letter asking Nick Cave to cancel his. Neither Radiohead nor Cave cancelled their concerts. Waters narrated
31737-694: The prospect of participation in a significant film and receiving a large payment for his work, Geldof agreed. Screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1982, Pink Floyd – The Wall premièred in the UK in July 1982. In 1982, Waters suggested a project with the working title Spare Bricks , originally conceived as the soundtrack album for Pink Floyd – The Wall. With the onset of the Falklands War , Waters changed direction and began writing new material. He saw Margaret Thatcher 's response to
31950-491: The protagonist hallucinates himself as a fascist dictator. Israel's Foreign Ministry criticised Waters for his performance. The US Department of State called it "deeply offensive to Jewish people" and accused Waters of having a record of using antisemitic tropes. In the UK, Starmer and the secretary of state, Michael Gove , issued statements condemning him. Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of
32163-526: The record as a "stunning piece of work", ranking it alongside Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall as one of the best of his career. The song " What God Wants , Pt. 1" reached number 35 in the UK in September 1992 and number 5 on Billboard ' s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US. Amused to Death was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry . Sales of Amused to Death topped out at around one million and there
32376-413: The record for the all-time maximum temperature in the UK , after recording 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) on 25 July 2019. Typically the temperature will reach 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or higher on over 25 days of the year over the 1981–2010 period, with the annual warmest day averaging 31.5 °C (88.7 °F) over the same period. The absolute minimum temperature recorded at the Botanic Garden site
32589-452: The restaurant thinking that Pink Floyd could continue after Waters had finished The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking , noting that they had had several hiatuses before; however, Waters left believing that Mason and Gilmour had accepted that Pink Floyd were finished. Mason said that Waters later saw the meeting as "duplicity rather than diplomacy", and wrote in his memoir: "Clearly, our communication skills were still troublingly nonexistent. We left
32802-550: The restaurant with diametrically opposed views of what had been decided." Following the release of The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking , Waters publicly insisted that Pink Floyd would not reunite. He contacted O'Rourke to discuss settling future royalty payments. O'Rourke felt obliged to inform Mason and Gilmour, which angered Waters, who wanted to dismiss him as the band's manager. He terminated his management contract with O'Rourke and employed Peter Rudge to manage his affairs. Waters wrote to EMI and Columbia announcing he had left
33015-505: The river every Monday from the agricultural lands to the northeast, particularly Norfolk , to be unloaded in the town for road transportation to London. Changing patterns of retail distribution and the advent of the railways led to a decline in Cambridge's importance as a market town. Cambridge today has a diverse economy with strength in sectors such as research and development, software consultancy, high value engineering, creative industries, pharmaceuticals and tourism. Described as one of
33228-465: The road calling themselves the Beatles . If John Lennon 's not in it, it's sacrilegious ... To continue with Gilmour and Mason, getting in a whole bunch of other people to write the material, seems to me an insult to the work that came before." In December 1987, Waters and Pink Floyd reached an agreement. Waters was released from his contractual obligation with O'Rourke, and he retained the copyrights to
33441-529: The rock music management company they had all founded, Blackhill Enterprises . Barrett agreed to leave Pink Floyd, and the band "agreed to Blackhill's entitlement in perpetuity" regarding "past activities". Their new manager, Steve O'Rourke , made a formal announcement about the departure of Barrett and the arrival of Gilmour in April 1968. After Barrett's departure in March 1968, Waters began to chart Pink Floyd's artistic direction. In 1970, he composed – in collaboration with Ron Geesin – Music from The Body ,
33654-453: The settlement's name had changed to "Cambridg koe", deriving from the word 'Camboricum', meaning 'passage' or 'ford' of stream in a town or settlement, and the lower stretches of the Granta changed their name to match.) ) Anglo-Saxon grave goods have been found in the area. During this period, Cambridge benefited from good trade links across the hard-to-travel fenlands. By the 7th century,
33867-483: The shows. In June 2002, he completed the tour with a performance in front of 70,000 people at the Glastonbury Festival of Performing Arts , playing 15 Pink Floyd songs and five songs from his solo catalogue. Miramax announced in 2004 that a production of The Wall was to appear on Broadway with Waters playing a prominent role in the creative direction. Reports stated that the musical contained not only
34080-413: The sleeve art. They embarked on The Wall Tour of Los Angeles, New York, London, and Dortmund. The last Pink Floyd performance of The Wall was on 17 June 1981, at Earls Court London, and this was Pink Floyd's last appearance with Waters until the band's brief reunion at 2 July 2005 Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park, 24 years later. In March 1983, the last Pink Floyd album with Waters, The Final Cut ,
34293-436: The song " Hey, Hey, Rise Up! " in protest of the Russian invasion of Ukraine . By 2013, Pink Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time . The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame , and are among the best-selling albums of all time . Four Pink Floyd albums topped the US Billboard 200 and five topped
34506-441: The song " Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk " (his first sole writing credit) to the album. By late 1967, Barrett's deteriorating mental health and increasingly erratic behaviour rendered him "unable or unwilling" to continue in his capacity as Pink Floyd's songwriter and lead guitarist. In early March 1968, to discuss the band's future, Barrett, Mason, Waters, and Wright met with the band's managers, Peter Jenner and Andrew King , of
34719-404: The song impossible to follow and learn. In a January 1968 photoshoot of Pink Floyd, the photographs show Barrett looking detached from the others, staring into the distance. Working with Barrett eventually proved too difficult, and matters came to a conclusion in January while en route to a performance in Southampton when a band member asked if they should collect Barrett. According to Gilmour,
34932-405: The sound problems. Geesin worked to improve the score, but with little creative input from the band, production was troublesome. Geesin eventually completed the project with the aid of John Alldis , who was the director of the choir hired to perform on the record. Smith earned an executive producer credit, and the album marked his final official contribution to the band's discography. Gilmour said it
35145-406: The soundtracks to the films The Committee (1968) and More (1969) and part of Zabriskie Point (1970). On the back of More ' s success, the director Barbet Schroeder asked them to record the soundtrack of his next major project, La Vallée . The band took two breaks to Strawberry Studios , Château d'Hérouville , France, either side of a Japanese tour, to write and record music for
35358-424: The south of France. In 1965, while a member of Joker's Wild , Gilmour had watched the Tea Set. Morrison's assistant, Steve O'Rourke , set Gilmour up in a room at O'Rourke's house with a salary of £30 per week (equivalent to £700 in 2023 ). In January 1968, Blackhill Enterprises announced Gilmour as the band's newest member, intending to continue with Barrett as a nonperforming songwriter. According to Jenner,
35571-414: The southern side running near to Chesterton Lane and Kettle's Yard before turning northwest at Honey Hill. It was constructed around AD 70 and converted to civilian use around 50 years later. Evidence of more widespread Roman settlement has been discovered, including numerous farmsteads and a village in the Cambridge district of Newnham . Following the Roman withdrawal from Britain around 410,
35784-455: The stage ... The band started to play and Syd just stood there. He had his guitar around his neck and his arms just hanging down". Forced to cancel Pink Floyd's appearance at the prestigious National Jazz and Blues Festival , as well as several other shows, King informed the music press that Barrett was suffering from nervous exhaustion. Waters arranged a meeting with psychiatrist R. D. Laing , and though Waters personally drove Barrett to
35997-448: The studio albums The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984), Radio K.A.O.S. (1987) , Amused to Death (1992) , and Is This the Life We Really Want? (2017). In 2005, he released Ça Ira , an opera translated from Étienne and Nadine Roda-Gils' libretto about the French Revolution . In 1990, Waters staged one of the largest rock concerts in history, The Wall – Live in Berlin , with an attendance of 450,000. As
36210-461: The subtitle, "There is Hope"), an opera in three acts translated from the late Étienne Roda-Gil 's French libretto based on the historical subject of the French Revolution . Ça Ira was released as a double CD album, featuring baritone Bryn Terfel , soprano Ying Huang and tenor Paul Groves . Set during the early French Revolution, the original libretto was co-written in French by Roda-Gil and his wife Nadine Delahaye. Waters had begun rewriting
36423-433: The success they had sought, with nothing left for them to accomplish. In July 1978, amid a financial crisis caused by negligent investments, Waters presented two ideas for Pink Floyd's next album. The first was a 90-minute demo with the working title Bricks in the Wall; the other later became Waters's first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking . Although both Mason and Gilmour were initially cautious, they chose
36636-783: The successful debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (all 1967). David Gilmour (guitar, vocals) joined in 1967; Barrett left in 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. While all four members contributed compositions, Waters became the primary lyricist and thematic leader, devising the concepts behind Pink Floyd's most successful albums, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979). The musical film based on The Wall , Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), won two BAFTA Awards . Pink Floyd also composed several film scores . Following personal tensions, Wright left Pink Floyd in 1981, followed by Waters in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd, rejoined later by Wright. They produced
36849-438: The technique to learn "how to murder the blacks because they have seen how efficient the Israelis have been at murdering Palestinians in the occupied territories by using those techniques ... The Israelis are proud of it." In January 2024, the BMG music company cancelled a publishing agreement with Waters over his comments on Israel, Ukraine and the United States. In a February 2024 interview with Al Jazeera , Waters criticised
37062-464: The tentative name Heartland . In June 2010, Waters released a cover of " We Shall Overcome ", a protest song rewritten and arranged by Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger . He performed with Gilmour at the Hoping Foundation Benefit Evening in July 2010. The set comprised a cover of the Phil Spector song " To Know Him Is to Love Him ", which was played in early Pink Floyd soundchecks, followed by "Wish You Were Here", "Comfortably Numb", and " Another Brick in
37275-595: The town in 1644, the defences were never used, and the garrison was stood down the following year. In the 19th century, in common with many other English towns, Cambridge expanded rapidly, due in part to increased life expectancy and improved agricultural production leading to increased trade in town markets. The Inclosure Acts of 1801 and 1807 enabled the town to expand over surrounding open fields and in 1912 and again in 1935 its boundaries were extended to include Chesterton, Cherry Hinton, and Trumpington. The railway came to Cambridge in 1845 after initial resistance, with
37488-463: The town to the university. King's College Chapel was begun in 1446 by King Henry VI . Built in phases by a succession of kings of England from 1446 to 1515 — its history intertwined with the Wars of the Roses — the chapel was completed during the reign of King Henry VIII . The building would become synonymous with Cambridge, and currently is used in the logo for the Cambridge City Council . Following repeated outbreaks of pestilence throughout
37701-459: The town was less significant and described by Bede as a "little ruined city" containing the burial site of Æthelthryth (Etheldreda). Cambridge sat on the border between the East and Middle Anglian kingdoms, and the settlement slowly expanded on both sides of the river. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Vikings arrived in 875; they imposed Viking rule, the Danelaw , by 878. Their vigorous trading habits resulted in rapid growth of
37914-416: The town. During this period, the town's centre shifted from Castle Hill on the left bank of the river to the area now known as the Quayside on the right bank. After the Viking period, the Saxons enjoyed a return to power, building churches, such as St Bene't's Church , as well as wharves, merchant houses, and a mint which produced coins with the town's name abbreviated to "Grant". In 1068, two years after
38127-539: The two, performing the role traditionally occupied by the then-absent Wright. The tension within the band grew. Waters and Gilmour worked independently; however, Gilmour began to feel the strain, sometimes barely maintaining his composure. After a final confrontation, Gilmour's name disappeared from the credit list, reflecting what Waters felt was his lack of songwriting contributions. Though Mason's musical contributions were minimal, he stayed busy recording sound effects for an experimental Holophonic system to be used on
38340-489: The vacant terrain between Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate . The show reported an attendance of 200,000, though some estimates are as much as twice that, with approximately one billion television viewers. Leonard Cheshire asked Waters to perform the concert to raise funds for charity. Waters's musicians included Joni Mitchell , Van Morrison , Cyndi Lauper , Bryan Adams , Scorpions , and Sinéad O'Connor . Waters also used an East German symphony orchestra and choir,
38553-495: The wild". The protagonist, Reg, finally chooses love and matrimony over promiscuity. The album features the guitarist Eric Clapton , the jazz saxophonist David Sanborn , and artwork by Gerald Scarfe. Kurt Loder described The Pros And Cons of Hitch Hiking as a "strangely static, faintly hideous record". Rolling Stone rated the album a "rock bottom one star". Years later, Mike DeGagne of AllMusic praised its "ingenious symbolism" and "brilliant use of stream of consciousness within
38766-550: The world". A German court overturned the cancellation, saying the concert should be viewed as a work of art and that it "did not glorify or relativise the crimes of the Nazis or identify with Nazi racist ideology". That May, German police opened a criminal investigation into Waters and the Nazi-style uniform he wore during his Berlin performance for possible incitement . Nazi symbolism is banned in Germany, with exemptions for educational and artistic purposes. Waters has long used similar uniforms for performances of The Wall, in which
38979-424: The world, includes the headquarters of AstraZeneca and the relocated Royal Papworth Hospital . Cambridge produced the first 'Laws of the Game' for association football and was the site of the first game, which was held at Parker's Piece . The Strawberry Fair music and art festival and Midsummer Fair are held on Midsummer Common , and the annual Cambridge Beer Festival takes place on Jesus Green . The city
39192-440: The writer Ian Halperin produced a documentary, Wish You Weren't Here , accusing Waters of antisemitism and "erecting the very walls that hinder peace in the region and fuel hatred". In 2020, Major League Baseball stopped advertising Waters's This Is Not a Drill concerts after receiving criticism from Jewish advocacy groups. Later that year, Waters said the American Jewish businessman and Republican Party donor Sheldon Adelson
39405-401: Was certified gold in the US. In 1986, Waters contributed songs and a score to the soundtrack of the animated film When the Wind Blows , based on the book by Raymond Briggs . His band featuring, Paul Carrack , was credited as the Bleeding Heart Band. In 1987, Waters released Radio K.A.O.S. , a concept album based on a mute man named Billy from an impoverished Welsh mining town who has
39618-452: Was "A neat way of saying that he didn't ... do anything". Waters was critical of Atom Heart Mother , claiming that he would prefer if it were "thrown into the dustbin and never listened to by anyone ever again". Gilmour once described it as "a load of rubbish", stating: "I think we were scraping the barrel a bit at that period." Pink Floyd's first number-one album, Atom Heart Mother was hugely successful in Britain, spending 18 weeks on
39831-419: Was a conscientious objector who drove an ambulance during the Blitz . He later changed his stance on pacifism , joined the Territorial Army and was commissioned into the 8th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers as a Second Lieutenant on 11 September 1943. He was killed five months later on 18 February 1944 at Aprilia , during the Battle of Anzio , when Roger was five months old. He is commemorated in Aprilia and at
40044-412: Was a "puppet master" controlling American politics. He said that Adelson believed that "only Jewish people are completely human ... I'm not saying Jewish people believe this. I am saying that he does, and he is pulling the strings." In the same interview, Waters said that the murder of George Floyd was carried out with a technique developed by the Israeli Defence Forces . He said the Americans had studied
40257-418: Was a financial success in the US; though Waters had booked mostly smaller venues, tickets sold so well that many of the concerts were upgraded to larger ones. The tour eventually stretched across the world and spanned three years. A concert film was released on CD and DVD, In the Flesh – Live . During the tour, Waters played two new songs "Flickering Flame" and "Each Small Candle" as the final encore to many of
40470-405: Was affected by the Black Death . Few records survive but 16 of 40 scholars at King's Hall died. The town north of the river was severely impacted, being almost wiped out. Following further depopulation after a second national epidemic in 1361, a letter from the Bishop of Ely suggested that two parishes in Cambridge be merged as there were not enough people to fill even one church. With more than
40683-434: Was also suffering. Animals was the first Pink Floyd album with no writing credit for Wright, who said: "This was when Roger really started to believe that he was the sole writer for the band ... that it was only because of him that [we] were still going ... when he started to develop his ego trips, the person he would have his conflicts with would be me." Released in January 1977, Animals reached number two in
40896-460: Was aware of the "incendiary and wildly inaccurate" comments and was "taking advice as to his position". Asked by Piers Morgan to respond to the comments, Waters said: "No comment. Oh, shut up ... They're public, and I'm private." For the 50th anniversary of The Dark Side of the Moon , Waters recorded a new version, The Dark Side of the Moon Redux , released on 6 October 2023. It features spoken-word sections and no guitar solos, to "bring out
41109-452: Was being cool in a very adolescent, self-conscious way, Syd was unfashionably outgoing; my enduring memory of our first encounter is the fact that he bothered to come up and introduce himself to me." Waters and Mason met while studying architecture at the London Polytechnic at Regent Street . They first played music together in a group formed by fellow students Keith Noble and Clive Metcalfe, with Noble's sister Sheilagh. Richard Wright ,
41322-429: Was derived from the book Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman . Patrick Leonard , who worked on A Momentary Lapse of Reason , co-produced the album. Jeff Beck played lead guitar on many of the album's tracks, which were recorded with a cast of musicians at ten different recording studios. It is Waters's most critically acclaimed solo recording, garnering comparison to his work with Pink Floyd. Waters described
41535-479: Was founded by Oxford students fleeing from hostility. The oldest existing college, Peterhouse , was founded in 1284. Cambridge had a significant Jewish community in the middle ages , centred on what is now known as All Saints Passage, then known as the Jewry. A synagogue stood nearby. In January 1275, Eleanor of Provence expelled Jews from all of the towns within her dower lands, and the Jews of Cambridge were ordered to relocate to Norwich . In 1349, Cambridge
41748-410: Was impressed by the sonic effects Barrett and Wright created and, with his business partner and friend Andrew King , became their manager. The pair had little experience in the music industry and used King's inheritance to set up Blackhill Enterprises , purchasing about £1,000 (equivalent to £23,500 in 2023 ) worth of new instruments and equipment for the band. Around this time, Jenner suggested
41961-422: Was influenced by his upbringing in an English society depleted of men after the Second World War. The Wall , written almost entirely by Waters, is largely based on his life story. Having sold over 23 million RIAA certified units in the US as of 2013, is tied for sixth-most certified album of all time in America. Pink Floyd hired Bob Ezrin to co-produce the album and cartoonist Gerald Scarfe to illustrate
42174-500: Was insufficient. Melody Maker 's Roy Hollingworth described side one as "utterly confused ... [and] difficult to follow", but praised side two, writing: "The songs, the sounds ... [and] the rhythms were solid ... [the] saxophone hit the air, the band rocked and rolled". Rolling Stone 's Loyd Grossman described it as "a fine album with a textural and conceptual richness that not only invites, but demands involvement." Throughout March 1973, The Dark Side of
42387-402: Was no record company contact whatsoever, except when their label manager would show up now and again with a couple of bottles of wine and a couple of joints". The band spent long periods working on basic sounds, or a guitar riff. They also spent several days at Air Studios, attempting to create music using a variety of household objects, a project which would be revisited between The Dark Side of
42600-429: Was no tour in support of the album. Waters would first perform material from it seven years later during his In the Flesh tour . In 1996, Waters was inducted into the US and UK Rock and Roll Halls of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd. In 1999, after a 12-year hiatus from touring and a seven-year absence from the music industry, Waters embarked on the In the Flesh tour, performing both solo and Pink Floyd material. The tour
42813-479: Was not music. When their management filed suit in a small claims court against the owner of the youth organisation, a local magistrate upheld the owner's decision. The band was much better received at the UFO Club in London, where they began to build a fan base. Barrett's performances were enthusiastic, "leaping around ... madness ... improvisation ... [inspired] to get past his limitations and into areas that were ... very interesting. Which none of
43026-412: Was one of several religious and political symbols in the show and not an attempt to single out Judaism as an evil force. The same year, in an interview in CounterPunch , Waters compared the Israeli treatment of Palestinians to Nazi Germany , saying: "The parallels with what went on in the 1930s in Germany are so crushingly obvious." He said the reason why few celebrities had joined the BDS movement in
43239-412: Was one of two songwriting collaborations between Wright and Waters. " Childhood's End " was the last song Pink Floyd released to have lyrics written by Gilmour until the release of A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987. " Free Four " was the first Pink Floyd song since "See Emily Play" to attract significant airplay in the US, and the second to refer to the death of Waters' father during World War II. "Stay"
43452-515: Was partly my fault because I didn't push my material ... but Dave did have something to offer, and only managed to get a couple of things on there." Mason recalled: "Roger was in full flow with the ideas, but he was really keeping Dave down, and frustrating him deliberately." Gilmour, distracted by the birth of his first child, contributed little else toward the album. Similarly, neither Mason nor Wright contributed much toward Animals ; Wright had marital problems, and his relationship with Waters
43665-500: Was positive, the chances of a bona fide reunion would be "slight" considering his and Gilmour's continuing musical and ideological differences. Though Waters had differing ideas about which songs they should play, he "agreed to roll over for one night only". In November 2005, Pink Floyd were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame by Pete Townshend of the Who . In September 2005, Waters released Ça Ira (pronounced [sa iˈʁa] , French for "it will be fine"; Waters added
43878-401: Was released in support of Ukraine. Shortly afterwards, Polly Samson , the wife of Gilmour and a lyricist for Pink Floyd, wrote on Twitter that Waters was antisemitic and "a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy megalomaniac". Gilmour responded to the tweet on Twitter: "Every word demonstrably true." Waters released a statement on Twitter saying he
44091-481: Was released. It was subtitled: "A requiem for the post-war dream by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd". Waters wrote all the album's lyrics and music. His lyrics were critical of the Conservative Party government of the day and mention Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher by name. At the time Gilmour did not have any new material, so he asked Waters to delay the recording until he could write some songs, but Waters refused. According to Mason, after power struggles within
44304-405: Was scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv . He subsequently moved a Tel Aviv concert to Neve Shalom and called for the barrier's removal: "The wall is an appalling edifice to behold. It is policed by young Israeli soldiers who treated me, a casual observer from another world, with disdainful aggression." He has repeatedly described Israel's treatment of Palestinians as apartheid . In 2023, he was one of
44517-444: Was taking a break from his studies, did not participate. When the RAF assigned Dennis a post in Bahrain in early 1965, Barrett became the band's frontman. Later that year, they became the resident band at the Countdown Club near Kensington High Street in London, where from late night until early morning they played three sets of 90 minutes each. During this period, spurred by the need to extend their sets to minimise song repetition,
44730-566: Was the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist at the time . Waters incorporates political themes in his work and is a prominent supporter of Palestine in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict . He has called for the removal of the Israeli West Bank Barrier , supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, and describes Israel's treatment of Palestinians as apartheid . Some of his comments, such as his likening of Israel to Nazi Germany , and elements of his live shows, drew accusations of antisemitism , which Waters dismissed as
44943-443: Was the band's dominant creative figure until his departure in 1985. He wrote most of the lyrics to the five Pink Floyd albums preceding his departure, starting with The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and ending with The Final Cut (1983), while exerting progressively more creative control. Every Waters studio album from The Dark Side of the Moon onwards has been a concept album . With lyrics entirely by Waters, The Dark Side of
45156-423: Was written and sung by Wright, with lyrics by Waters. The closing instrumental on the album ends with a recording of the Mapuga tribe chanting, as seen in the film. Pink Floyd recorded The Dark Side of the Moon between May 1972 and January 1973 with EMI staff engineer Alan Parsons at Abbey Road. The title is an allusion to lunacy rather than astronomy. The band had composed and refined the material while touring
45369-431: Was −17.2 °C (1.0 °F), recorded in February 1947, although a minimum of −17.8 °C (0.0 °F) was recorded at the now defunct observatory site in December 1879. More recently the temperature fell to −15.3 °C (4.5 °F) on 11 February 2012, −12.2 °C (10.0 °F) on 22 January 2013 and −10.9 °C (12.4 °F) on 20 December 2010. The average frequency of air frosts ranges from 42.8 days at
#772227