Richard Wright, the keyboardist and a founding member of Pink Floyd, died today, of cancer (apparently). Although Rick was possibly the least known of the Floyd, he was a critical part of their sound and success. His keyboard work was more restrained and minimalistic than some of his prog counterparts, but it perfectly fit the mood of Floyd's epic soundscapes. His solos in various bits of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" are a perfect example of "less is more." While not the most prolific songwriter, Wright made big contributions on tracks like "The Great Gig in the Sky" and "Echoes," not to mention one of my favorite Floyd tunes, "Us and Them":
If you haven't seen the DVD from David Gilmour's last tour, on which Wright played, I highly recommend it. It's worth it alone for the excellent version of "Echoes."
Thanks, Rick.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Shine On
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2 comments:
As my own little tribute, I popped in my Live at Pompeii VHS today. It has some great moments of Rick laying down his tracks for "Us and Them."
Mine was early Pink Floyd and Dark side. It's all I had at work. Especially poignant considering the circumstances.
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