Roger Waters Once Slung Insults at 3 of His Most Iconic Albums (And One of Them Might Shock You)
Roger Waters, the outspoken co-founder of Pink Floyd, has repeatedly criticised his own band's celebrated work over the years, despite its commercial and critical success. His candid remarks, made in various interviews, show that even the musicians behind acclaimed albums can be their own harshest critics, offering fans a more honest look at how the band viewed its own legacy.
Three albums in particular have drawn his scorn: Atom Heart Mother, The Dark Side of the Moon (specifically the track "Comfortably Numb") and Pink Floyd's debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
– Atom Heart Mother: Waters dismissed it as "rubbish" in a 1984 BBC Radio 1 interview, saying he would refuse to perform it even for a million pounds.
– "Comfortably Numb" (from The Dark Side of the Moon): Waters and David Gilmour clashed over its arrangement, with Waters wanting orchestral backing and Gilmour favouring a stripped-down sound; Waters remained unsatisfied with the compromise reached.
– The Piper at the Gates of Dawn: despite not leading the songwriting (Syd Barrett did), Waters called the band's performance "laughable" and "useless", saying they "couldn't play at all".
- Roger Waters has trashed three of Pink Floyd's own famous albums.
- He called Atom Heart Mother "rubbish" he'd refuse to play.
- He also called their debut album's performances "laughable" and "useless".