Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has backed his former bandmate Roger Waters’ decision to re-record his seminal album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ without the other band members.
Earlier this year, bassist and singer Roger, 79, revealed that he was creating his own new version of the iconic 1973 LP, hailed as one of the greatest records of all time, to mark its 50th anniversary in March.
He has done it without the rest of Pink Floyd, insisting that the album was his project all along and that he wrote it all, leaving pundits to believe that the re-release will still mean he must share royalties or face a court case. Superior, which is familiar ground for the warring group.
Roger also took aim at guitarist David Gilmour and the late keyboardist Richard Wright in an interview, dismissing their contributions to the success of psychedelic rockers.
Drummer Nick, 79, has now revealed that he knew about Roger’s 50th anniversary project and was even sent a copy to listen to.
Feud: Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason (left) has backed his former bandmate Roger Waters’ decision to re-record his seminal album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ without the other band members (pictured, center left, David Gilmour, then Rick Wright and Roger Waters)
New Music: Earlier this year, 79-year-old bassist and singer Roger (pictured) revealed he was creating his own new version of the iconic 1973 LP, hailed as one of the greatest records of all time, to celebrate its 50th anniversary. anniversary this march
Bandmates: Drummer Nick, 79, (right) has now revealed that he knew about Roger’s 50th anniversary project and was even sent a copy to listen to
Speaking to The Telegraph, Roger said: ‘They can’t write songs, they have nothing to say. They are not artists! They have no ideas, not a single one between them. They have never had it, and it drives them crazy.
Instead of getting mad that he’s apparently turning his back on his masterpiece, Nick thinks Roger’s reimaginings are “brilliant” and is happy he’s doing it.
Speaking at a playback of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ in Dolby Atmos Immersive Audio at London’s Odeon Luxe, Nick said: ‘I heard a rumor that Roger was working on his own version.
“There was this suggestion that this was going to be a spoiler and Roger was going to go toe-to-toe with the original version and so on.
“He actually sent me a copy of what he was working on and I wrote to him and said, ‘This is annoying, it’s absolutely brilliant!’ It was and is. It’s nothing that’s a spoiler for the original at all, it’s an interesting add on to the thing.
Nick doesn’t think music should be untouchable and thinks it’s great when songs are reinterpreted or changed because it means they’re still evolving and you find new things in them.
Roger and David have had a turbulent relationship of nearly 60 years, with their feud almost dating back to when guitar hero Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in 1968, coming shortly after enigmatic lead singer Syd Barrett was forced to leave. resign due to his fragile mental health and heavy use of psychedelic drugs
Stars: Roger founded Pink Floyd in 1965. David joined the band two years later, in 1967, and Syd left the following year due to mental health issues.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Roger said: ‘They can’t write songs, they have nothing to say. They are not artists! They have no ideas, not a single one between them. They’ve never had it, and it drives them crazy’ (David and Roger photographed in July 2010)
Roger (center left) also took aim at guitarist David Gilmour (left) and late keyboardist Richard Wright (right) in an interview, disparaging their contributions to the success of psychedelic rockers.
In the past two months, the 79-year-old has exchanged criticism with his former bandmate David Gilmour and even with the guitarist’s wife, lyricist Polly Samson, after the latter attacked Waters on social media and accused him of antisemitism, which he denies.
Samson called him an “anti-Semite to (his) rotten core,” as well as an “apologist for Putin,” in a post that was retweeted by his spouse.
Waters’ pro-Russian stance saw him make a stunning virtual appearance during a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, bizarrely with his dog, where he ‘condemned’ the invasion of Ukraine but also criticized ‘provocateurs’ who he says , had provoked the Russian invasion. .
He insists that the beleaguered nation is “not really a country at all”, dismissing it as a “irregular sort of lazy experiment”.
The partnership brought even greater success to the band, and multi-million dollar fortunes to its members, but would create an extraordinary rivalry between Waters and Gilmour over who was the driving force.
And after 17 years of infighting, Waters, credited with charting the band’s direction and artistic concepts, would finally leave in 1985 before heading straight to the High Court to dissolve the band.
He tried to prevent Gilmour, Mason and the late keyboardist Richard Wright from ever using the Pink Floyd name again. It was a battle he ultimately lost and later accepted that it was “wrong” to start.
Since his departure, Roger has only performed with Nick and David in 2005 at the Live 8 charity concert in London, and during his own performance of The Wall at The O2 in 2011 in a rendition of Comfortably Numb.
The lack of music in the last four decades has caused fans great pain.
Roger founded Pink Floyd in 1965. David joined the band two years later, in 1967, and Syd left the following year due to mental health issues.
Nick, who performs early Pink Floyd numbers with his band Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, which features Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp, went on to mention Roger’s decision to return to recording, saying he likes developing music by finding something of ‘extra quality’ within her (Roger photographed in 2019)
Nick, who performs early Pink Floyd numbers with his band Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, which features Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp, went on to mention Roger’s decision to return to recording, saying he likes developing music by finding something of “extra quality” within it.
“One of the things I like about any kind of existing piece of music is to develop it or find some additional quality to it,” he added.
“I just like this idea of developing music instead of trying to keep it exactly the way it was.”
The remastered deluxe box set of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ is out now and fans can get their hands on the CD and first issue vinyl of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon – Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974’, and the book ‘Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon: 50th Anniversary’.
