As one of the most significant musical groups in history, Pink Floyd had a significant impact on the music business. The group cleared the path for a new period of sound and artistic expression with their progressive and experimental musical style. Pink Floyd pushed the limits of conventional music with their creative use of technology, unorthodox song structures, and thought-provoking lyrics, setting a new bar for what was feasible in the music business.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Pink Floyd was one of the first bands to contribute to the development of Progressive Rock music. A few years later, one of the bands who contributed to elevating the musical genre by fusing Hard Rock and Prog music was the Canadian band, Rush.
It’s no accident that bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist Geddy Lee, one of the band’s founding members, is a huge fan of the renowned British quartet. Over the years, he has talked about his love for the band, and here are two of his favorite 2 Pink Floyd songs.
Money
The song is also a part of the “Dark Side of the Moon” album (1973). The song was included on a list the Rush frontman created for Amazon Music in 2019. The song was one of the 21 others, according to him, that consciously or unconsciously influenced his bass playing.
He told Amazon, “I chose these songs because I’m such a ‘bass-centric dude’. That’s all I’ve been thinking about for the last few years. Is the role of bass in popular music. What I tried to do with my book (The Beautiful Book of Bass) was provide an alternate history of popular music through the point of view of the bass player. From the murky bottom end to the twangy top end.”
Speak to Me/Breathe
The song begins with a heartbeat sound effect, followed by a cacophony of voices and sound effects, including laughter, chatter, and snippets of music. “Breathe” is the second part of the song, featuring a mellow and soothing melody, with lyrics about the pressures of modern life and the need for escape. The song’s lyrics and soundscapes set the tone for the rest of the album, which explores themes of mortality, mental illness, and the human condition.
Geddy Lee revealed in an interview with Sirius XM in 2013, that it is one of his favorite songs. He revealed, “Pink Floyd, I remember seeing them in Toronto. I think ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ was just coming out or hadn’t come out yet. I think the first set they played ‘Echoes’ from the previous album, you know.”
“Like a 20 minute extravaganza. They were impressive also into a young musician, not just because of their song structure in the atmosphere. But the fact that they really put on an amazing show. They really understood showmanship.”
