Despite legal ammunition being expended by Roger Waters in an effort to cease Pink Floyd operating without him, Dave Gilmour was to lead the band to commercial heights equal to Floyd’s mid-1970s peak.

Any worries about the strength of new Pink Floyd material undiluted by Waters was unfounded when A Momentary Lapse Of Reason (1987) topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and the band learned to fly through video with the young MTV generation. As far as live shows went the A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and Division Bell tours would be Floyd’s most lucrative ever, bringing home bacon worth in excess of $300 million. Waters’ inflatable pig – adjusted for legal reasons – was to become a trademark. With Nick Mason and Rick Wright augmented by session musicians in the studio and on the road classic material had never been so forensically played, although to some original fans it was like double-glazing replacing original wooden windows.

As a solo artist, Waters was to record and tour striking and ambitious concept pieces like Radio K.A.O.S. (1987); when the wall was taken down in Berlin, he rebuilt his own in its place with a stunning reenactment of his most famous musical piece. Waters would also perform classic Floyd material live and, although there was some verbal tennis in the press, the Floyd legacy was being preserved and curated by both parties. Pink Floyd albums transferred onto CD sold by the bucket load to old and new fans alike.

Personalities | Introducing Pink Floyd
Personalities | Pink Floyd | The Gilmour-Led Era (1986) | Key Events