Pink Floyd Recorded Their Debut Album Right Next To The Beatles
In the early ’60s, several architecture students studying at London Polytechnic decided to start a band. That fateful decision led to the creation of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Pink Floyd.
In 1967, the friends signed a deal with EMI to record their first album. As luck would have it, the most popular band in all the land was recording an album right down the hall.
The history of rock’s greatest legend
Pink Floyd’s first album was a huge success, and in the summer of 1968, the group performed as the headline act in their first live concert. Playing to a capacity crowd at Hyde Park in London, the band was on its way to stardom.
The Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best-selling albums in rock history. It topped the Billboard charts for 800 consecutive weeks. BuzzFeed suggests that “1 in 12 people in the ENTIRE WORLD own the record.”
“Another Brick in The Wall Pt. II” is their only song that made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Roger Waters created the musical film The Wall in 1982, based on the hit single.
Known for their outrageous live performances, Pink Floyd played to sold-out crowds across the nation for more than two decades.
In London, the Royal Mail commemorated their ongoing legacy with postage stamps featuring their classic album covers. In 1996, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Pink Floyd to join the many other icons that came before them.
Pink Floyd has sold more than 250 million records worldwide and is one of the most legendary bands of all time.
Recording next to The Beatles
They didn’t actually record with The Beatles, but it was one of those crazy being at the right place at the right time moments for the legendary band.
Pink Floyd was excited to be recording their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, at none other than Abbey Road Studios. Home to the legendary “Fab Four,” The Beatles recorded most of their albums there.
The members of Pink Floyd were ecstatic when they found out The Beatles were in the same studio. Keep in mind the group was recording their debut album, so did not have much experience yet interacting with other artists.
What were The Beatles recording?
The Beatles were working on their eighth album titled Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Hit songs such as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” and “With a Little Help from a Friend” were all part of that work of art.
The album stayed at number one on the charts for 27 weeks in the United Kingdom and 15 weeks on the U.S Billboard charts. Considered one of the best albums of all time, it has sold more than 32 million copies worldwide according to Forbes.
The Beatle’s classic album, Abbey Road, was the last album they recorded at Abbey Road Studios. The album cover of them crossing the street will forever hold a place in pop culture.
Last year, the 50th Anniversary edition of the iconic album was released.
How Pink Floyd reacted to being in the presence of greatness
In a Wall Street Journal interview from 2011, Pink Floyd drummer, Nick Mason, recalls the moment, saying,
“We were recording in Abbey Road, the temple of greatness, and they were recording ‘Lovely Rita.’ They were God-like figures to us. They all seemed extremely nice, but they were in a strata so far beyond us that they were out of our league.”
Far Out Magazine refers to Pink Floyd as “one of the most intuitive acts that ever graced the earth.” In an interview, Roger Waters told them, “I learned from John Lennon and Paul McCartney and George Harrison that it was OK for us to write about our lives, and what we felt – and to express ourselves.”
