I am ambivalent at times about Pink Floyd. I think I am one of about five people who think that Animals is a superb record. I think I am about one of about three people who think that "Comfortably Numb" is one of the most overplayed songs on FM AOR radio. I also think I am one of the few people who refuse to divide their career in to pre- and post-Syd Barrett timelines. Rather, there is pre- and post-Roger Waters.
A highlight for me was when I was introduced to a film called Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii. I don't know if it was originally a TV special, or a film only screened in Europe. It was made during the production of Dark Side of the Moon, and features some shots of the making of that particular album. It opens, though, with "Echoes", side two of their Meddle LP, a long, rambling song that captures their ability to just play and be all psychedelic and innovative without acid-waste case Barrett.
For those not in the know, Barrett had a roommate who would dose his morning coffee/tea with acid each day during the period when Pink Floyd was emerging as a band in Britain (they recorded their initial release, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn in Abbey Road studios at the same time the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and would pop over and check out the Fab Four on occasion). He spent about eight months tripping without realizing it, and it eventually led to a psychotic break, with Barrett leading a hermetic life with his sister until his death a few years ago.
