7 Best Pink Floyd Albums, Ranked

Pink Floyd is one of the few bands from the past 60 years with the largest musical influence. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and the London prog-rock and psychedelic foursome with that iconic record featuring a triangle on the cover are among the notable acts. Pink Floyd was founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright. They amazed and experimented their way through many periods, each of which propelled them deeper into rock ‘n’ roll fame. We at StudyFinds read through eight different expert sources to give you the best Pink Floyd albums that are considered the band’s masterpieces.

The List: Best Pink Floyd Albums, According to Fans

1. “The Dark Side of the Moon” (1973)

The banal is the focus of “Dark Side of the Moon:” breathing, squandering time, earning money, and dying. The reason the record is so well-liked by everyone is because it is genuinely so universal; there are no heroes, antagonists, or epic plots. For everyone with a heartbeat, it’s an empty canvas. Consequence says “it’s filled with brilliant sonic and stylistic decisions that stand the test of time.”

In addition to being a conceptual masterpiece, the album features some of the band’s greatest single compositions. Along with “Money,” “Time,” and “Breathe,” the album also features “The Great Gig in the Sky,” which is arguably one of their best-loved songs ever. Far Out Magazine thinks they are brilliant on their own, but together they are exquisite.

This album is a timeless rock classic that sounds just as fresh and current as it did forty years ago. It was the record that defined the decade and rose to greater fame than the band. Mojo says that never again would Roger Waters write about insanity and estrangement with such grace.

2. “The Wall” (1979)

“The Wall” is one of the darkest and most cinematic experiences ever recorded for an album. The once endearing “Pink” transforms into a raging monster, obsessed by his fears and the alienation of excess, ruthlessly shattering the ambition of becoming a rock star. At the height of their popularity, the band created a stage spectacle and album that no one has ever surpassed, according to Consequence.

Both the tragedy of Syd Barrett’s burnout and Waters’ own personal struggles served as fuel for the record. Even though the protagonist suffers from debilitating emotional detachment, “The Wall” grows more empathetic rather than being burdened by its semi-autobiographical austerity. Mojo says, “from the cruelties of war and childhood to alienation, manipulation and the chasm between band and audience, it’s all here in one big Gerald Scarfe-designed metaphor.”

In addition to showcasing Waters’ skill as a musician, “The Wall” was also his most introspective album to date. In it, Waters revealed more of himself to his audience and thought on the fleeting loneliness that comes with pursuing celebrity and wealth. Far Out Magazine says it was once described as their rock opera.

3. “Animals” (1977)

Inspired by “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, “Animals” is arguably the most brutal critique of society and, well, everything that Pink Floyd has ever put together. Consequence says it is not a “coincidence that it’s also the first album primarily written by Waters and an undercurrent of anxiety and anger is palpable.”

Pink Floyd, or more precisely, lead singer and songwriter Roger Waters, became more and more disillusioned with every triumph, and this was never the case during this hard-charging performance. Mojo says the emergence of punk almost “undermined everything they stood for.”

When the group released “Animals,” they were at the pinnacle of their career. Although the album’s songs were brilliantly delivered, their use of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” as a basis for inspiration was what really set it apart from other albums. Far Out Magazine thought it was “first moment Waters took on the politics of the world so explicitly.”

4. “Wish You Were Here” (1975)

Among a number of superb, well-considered album covers, the picture on the front of “Wish You Were Here” from 1975 might be the greatest. Consequence describes it: “Depicted are two businessmen shaking hands in a sunny, industrial alleyway, one of whom is engulfed in flames.”

The cover and album is up for interpretation. However, it could be connected to some of the band’s then-current developments, such as their financial success or creative differences between the four members. It’s also possible that there was pressure to continue “Dark Side of the Moon.” Either way, “Wish You Were Here” has a very melancholy vibe to it. Far Out Magazine says “it may have even propelled the LP into a new space and launched it creatively.” Though it might not be the band’s greatest album, it is debatably their most introspective one.

5. “Meddle” (1971)

“Meddle,” released in 1971, is an album of advancement. It is possibly the first where the trademark Pink Floyd sound really starts to come into its own. It’s not quite as full-bodied or complex as “Dark Side of the Moon,” as heartfelt as “Wish You Were Here,” or as angry as “Animals or The Wall,” but it is maybe the first instance of the band eschewing their love of wild experimentation in favor of a focused approach to songwriting. Consequence says that they keep it consistent across the whole album.

The album’s brilliant, side-long track “Echoes” launches the mystique of late-1960s Hendrix and Donovan into new heights of auditory complexity. Mojo calls it “blissful yet melancholic, intricate yet melodic.”

It was at this point that Pink Floyd began to break away from the conventional rock world and pioneer the prog-rock subgenre. The band had been experimenting with the psyche-rock sound at first, but they have since left the rock genre and adopted a fresh, avant-garde sound. Far Out Magazine says that with common items and innovative methods, the team was well on its way to becoming the best.

6. “A Saucerful of Secrets” (1968)

This album is Syd Barrett’s final album with the group in addition to being Gilmour’s debut record. The album’s standout track was “Waters,” along with the peculiar yet brilliant Barrett piece “Jugband Blues.” Far Out Magazine calls it a “signal of their upcoming domination.”

This album contains the only song that Pink Floyd ever recorded as a five-piece, “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” which has guitars from both Barrett and Gilmour. The song is a fantastic early illustration of the band’s amazing, occasionally terrifying strength. According to Consequence, “at the center of the album, it shows how the band could do ‘less is more’ and ‘more is more’ with equal skill.”

Barrett makes a farewell appearance on the fractured and bizarre “Jugband Blues,” while “A Saucerful” finds space for Rick Wright’s Syd-shaded “Remember A Day” and “See-Saw.” Mojo hails one of the songs “The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun” the band’s most democratic studio set.

7. “The Division Bell” (1994)

“The Division Bell” is a welcome return to Pink Floyd’s hazy, atmospheric soundscapes. Consequence admits that fans can be “rest assured that Gilmour-era Floyd had rediscovered something intrinsically theirs.”

Though it was never truly expected that Pink Floyd as a trio would be successful, David Gilmour, Rick Wright, and Nick Mason came together to produce one of the band’s best albums, “The Division Bell.” Although according to Far Out Magazine, the absence of Roger Waters’ story lyrics made these tracks feel very different from the first two.

Fans say “Division Bell” turned out to be Pink Floyd’s most cohesive work since maybe “Wish You Were Here.” And it sounded like it too, as they created a track that is reminiscent of the expansive, occasionally nearly free-jazzy achievements found on that album. Ultimate Classic Rock thinks it “plays like a long, slow exhale.”

Sources:

• Consequence
• Mojo
• Far Out Magazine
• Farley Floyd
• Rate Your Music
• Paste Magazine
• Thoughts Words Action
• Vinyl Mapper

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