The weakest facet of Pink Floyd, according to David Gilmour

If you’re ever sceptical about the true powers of yin and yang, then take a deeper dive into the work of Pink Floyd. After teetering on the edge of greatness for years, they clicked into a gear of genius in 1973 with their opus Dark Side Of The Moon. But much like the moon upon which their album lived, within the band, there were two sides of light and shade, typified wholly by their two fearless leaders.

Were you to walk into a room now and see an elderly Roger Waters and David Gilmour, you would do anything but pit them as creative collaborators. Wildly different in disposition and arguably taste, they are now purveyors of two different ends of the artistic and moral spectrum. Gilmour would stand, more relaxed knowing that the glory of the band’s 1973 masterpiece will never cease, while a more steely-gazed Waters will press on in pursuit of its rightful follow-up.

Ultimately, these creative differences are what drove a wedge between the iconic songwriting pair in 1983. In fact, Gilmour plainly stated that their 1979 epic ‘Comfortably Numb’ “were the last embers of mine and Roger’s ability to work collaboratively together.”

Not settling for creative mediocrity, Waters left the band in ‘83 with the expectation that the band would simply follow suit. A hope sadly misplaced as Nick Mason and David Gilmour kept Pink Floyd alive, continuing to make music and tour under the name. What ensued was a nasty legal battle that planted a seed of conflict that has remained ever since.

Gilmour has openly criticised Waters’ political beliefs as a symptom of his general narcissism, while Waters has got himself into hot water by criticising Gilmour’s guitar playing. While Lennon and McCartney’s squabble was rooted in something more sibling-like and loving, Waters and Gilmour genuinely dislike each other despite the universe bringing them together to create a transcendental piece of music.

When they clicked, they leant into those character differences to bring the necessary contrast to their records. In Dark Side Of The Moon, Waters’ more twisted ideas are given space to run free and, in turn, converse with the lighter, more melodically led parts of Gilmour. Not only did these parts unify for the greater creative goal of the band, but in Gilmour’s opinion, they were a necessary cover-up for the more basic shortcomings of the band that he is quick to admit, both he and his rival shared.

“We have quite a bit of difficulty with vocals,” he said. “I have trouble with the quality of my voice, but I don’t have much difficulty keeping in tune. On the other hand, Roger has no problem with vocal quality but he does have trouble keeping in tune.”

Blemished vocals aren’t always an indictment of a bad song. However, I’ve regularly fought the case of Neil Young being one of music’s greatest vocalists for his obscurity and how he leans into it for the pursuit of character. But in the case of Pink Floyd, whose instrumentation and arrangements were so highly skilled, the more mild vocal takes are thrust into a more tepid comparison.