Our 2024/2025 Pops Concert Series kicks off with the Orchestra and Jeans ‘n Classics showcasing the music of one of rock history’s greatest bands—Pink Floyd! Here are a few quick facts about the iconic group:
1. They were inspired by the Blues
Although they’re known as being one of the leading bands of the progressive rock era, Pink Floyd’s name was inspired by legendary Blues singers. Co-founder Syd Barrett named the group after two of his favourite Blues artists — Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
2. They broke records
The band’s eighth studio album, The Dark Side of the Moon, still holds the record as the fourth best-selling album of all time, behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller, AC/DC’s Back in Black, and The Bodyguard soundtrack.
3. They re-imagined live music
Pink Floyd not only revolutionized the psychedelic sound of the 60s and 70s, but also steered a change in the way audiences listen to music. In 1967, the band performed the world’s first ever surround-sound concert in London. The quadraphonic speaker system was custom made for the band and served as a benchmark for live performances globally!
4. Their music inspired an opera
In 2017, Pink Floyd’s iconic album The Wall was turned into an opera titled Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera. Co-founder and band member Roger Waters served as the opera’s librettist.
5. They used an image from a textbook for their cover art
Known as one of the most recognizable album covers of all time, the inspiration for the cover of the band’s album The Dark Side of the Moon came from a 1963 physics textbook. “There were no arguments,” said Roger Waters. “We all pointed to the prism and said ‘That’s the one’.”
