Which one’s Pink? Pink Floyd is one of the most legendary rock acts of the last 50 years, and also one of the bestselling. Dark Side of the Moon is obviously one of the best known records of any music act ever, but Floyd has a deep catalog of albums with gems peppered throughout their entire discography.
The band formed in 1965 as a psychedelic rock act with a lead singer named Syd Barrett. Barrett only appeared on the band’s first two albums: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets, which featured new member and Barrett replacement David Gilmour.
With Gilmour on board, the classic lineup was solidified. It included Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. Waters fired Wright during the recording of The Wall, and the band splintered after the disappointing Final Cut. Gilmour, Mason, and Wright soldiered on, but the chemistry of the band was altered. They released some okay stuff but nothing transcendent like when those four got into a room together.
Here are Pink Floyd’s 15 albums ranked from best to worst. This list comes from personal preference and some research into the circumstances behind each album.
#15 – ‘Ummagumma’ (1969)
Any Pink Floyd fan worth their salt knows what a travesty this snoozefest happens to be. The period between 1968 and 1969 saw the band plateau, and if this was the last record they released then we wouldn’t be talking about Pink Floyd today.
This one is like watching someone continuously miss catching a ball for an hour. Luckily, the band would eventually regroup with some of the most classic songs and albums of all time.
#14 – More (1969)
Calling this one an album is a stretch considering it’s a soundtrack for a movie and not four guys in a studio creating magic. It does provide a little insight into the artistic heights the band was just on the verge of in 1969, and in that sense it’s an important record in the discography, but more of a curiosity than anything.
#13 – ‘The Endless River’ (2014)
Even though it was marketed as the “final” Pink Floyd album, it’s more of a Division Bell 2.0, considering it’s just music from those particular sessions. Again, it’s a sad entry into the canon of one of the best rock bands ever. It’s more background noise than anything, and even the single “Louder than Words” tries to punch it but doesn’t really ever get started.
#12 – ‘The Final Cut’ (1983)
Quite a curiosity in the band’s discography, The Final Cut had no Wright and a completely in-control Waters, so much so that it feels like a solo album. It’s a sad note to end the Waters era on, and it wasn’t a very commercial album either. Gilmours reportedly hated the political slant to the record, so even the band members themselves didn’t really love it.
#11 – ‘A Saucerful of Secrets’ (1968)
A band in the painful throes of change. It’s basically a transitional record, as Gilmour hopped on as Barrett’s health continued to deteriorate. It’s a band finding a new voice, but it does have “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” on it, so it’s not a complete miss.
#10 – ‘The Division Bell’ (1994)
This mostly Gilmour vehicle introduced a whole new generation to the band and is one of Pink Floyd’s better post-peak records. It’s a little meandering but “Coming Back to Life” is a banger in its own right. What’s good is there are lots of Mason and Wright on this one.
#9 – ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ (1967)
We had to fit the debut here somewhere. This is a really good debut album that features a Pink Floyd specialty: the long, psychedelic tune. In this case it’s “Interstellar Overdrive,” a nine-minute instrumental. They never got this psychedelic again.
#8 – ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ (1987)
Lapse of Reason is probably the band’s best record released after The Wall. It features the best post-Waters songs, too: “On the Turning Away” and “Learning to Fly.” It also featured Wright’s return to the band after Waters fired him during The Wall. It’s a different sound for the now Gilmour-led group that can be a slog at times but still stands up as an important album for the band.
#7 – ‘Obscured by Clouds’ (1972)
This album had the weird luck of being sandwiched between Meddle and Dark Side, so it’s often overlooked. While it pales in comparison to the band’s other output during this time, it still has gems and the beauty of Wright’s playing is really on display here.
#6 – ‘Atom Heart Mother’ (1970)
You can chart the band’s growth into greatness with this album and Meddle, which are both so fascinating because Pink Floyd is still putting everything together. Side 2 highlights Wright, Gilmour, and Waters on their own and the six-part title track proves the band made the music it wanted to, popularity be damned.
#5 – ‘Meddle’ (1971)
Meddle should get more love. It shows a band not afraid to take chances and deliberately going against the grain. It has a 23-minute final song called “Echoes,” and “Fearless” and “One of These Days” rank up there with the band’s best music. It also shows that the band was on the verge of something great, which would obviously be a phenomenal run through the ’70s with the next four albums on the list. Probably the band’s most underrated album.
#4 – ‘Animals’ (1977)
This album, upon retrospection, was maybe the last album where the band was still a meritocracy. While Waters took the reigns, you can tell the band is still a cohesive unit, something that wouldn’t be as apparent in The Wall. This animal-themed album was very unorthodox, but that’s what made it so special. There are only five tracks and it’s only about 40 minutes long, but it captures a mood so well that it feels absolutely timeless.
#3 – ‘The Wall’ (1979)
An unsettling journey into rock excess and class disparity, this is mostly a Roger Waters vehicle. Gilmour did get one good one in though, the soulful and scary “Comfortably Numb,” ostensibly about heroin addiction.
It’s epic and drawn out in 26 tracks, and it gets a lot of heat for being bloated, but it’s a true artistic masterpiece. Is it self-serving and self-aggrandizing? Sure. But that’s how you have to be to make classic albums like this one.
#2 – ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975)
Another iconic cover, with another iconic song. Those twangy guitar notes in the title song are among the most recognizable pieces of music of any band. The album is a love letter to Barrett, and of course “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” acts as both a tribute and one hell of a send-off. Then we get “Have a Cigar,” another classic about the machinery of the record business. Stunning.
#1 – ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ (1973)
Perhaps it’s a bit of a cliche to choose the band’s most popular album as its number one, but this isn’t just any album. It’s immediately accessible, drips with mood and ambience, and can be played alongside The Wizard of Oz for some real trippy coincidences! The song “Money” was a radio hit and the album has sold more than 45 million copies. That doesn’t happen by accident. Easily one of the best records of all time in any genre.