One Legendary Band David Gilmour Admits Pink Floyd “Ripped Off”

The Legendary Band David Gilmour Admits Pink Floyd “Ripped Off”

David Gilmour, the legendary guitarist of Pink Floyd, is widely admired for his soaring solos, emotive tone, and artistic integrity. Yet even the most original artists draw inspiration from those who came before them. In a rare moment of candid reflection, Gilmour once acknowledged that Pink Floyd had, in his words, “ripped off” one particular band—though with a tone more reverent than regretful. The band in question? The influential and often underappreciated psychedelic pioneers, The Pretty Things.

The Pretty Things, formed in the early 1960s, shared the same London scene that birthed The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. But it was their 1968 concept album S.F. Sorrow that truly caught the attention of musicians like Gilmour. Widely regarded as one of the first rock operas, S.F. Sorrow told a continuous, emotionally complex narrative through music and marked a bold experiment in psychedelic rock. Its use of studio effects, thematic cohesion, and surreal storytelling was groundbreaking—and eerily similar to what Pink Floyd would explore in later albums like The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.

Gilmour, never one to shy away from crediting his influences, once noted in interviews that Pink Floyd had borrowed ideas and atmospheres from S.F. Sorrow during their early experimental years. It wasn’t a direct theft in the malicious sense, but a kind of subconscious absorption—a recognition of genius and a desire to expand upon it. “We all listened to that record,” Gilmour admitted, “and it stuck with us.”

This confession speaks volumes about Pink Floyd’s approach to music. While the band would go on to redefine progressive rock and create some of the most enduring albums of all time, they were also part of a larger, evolving movement in British music. Gilmour’s nod to The Pretty Things isn’t an admission of guilt so much as a celebration of the creative osmosis that defines rock and roll—where great ideas are shared, reinterpreted, and elevated.

In acknowledging their debt to The Pretty Things, Gilmour not only highlighted a crucial but overlooked chapter in rock history, he also reminded fans that even giants stand on the shoulders of others. Pink Floyd may have gone further, but they didn’t go alone—and Gilmour’s humility only enhances the legacy of a band that reshaped music forever.