Even though he was the leading force of the band for decades and his songs are the ones most recognized among Pink Floyd’s greatest hits, Roger Waters has taken to social media to inform fans that he is not a member of the band, nor did he participate in the band’s newest recording, The Endless River , which is due in early November, as reported on The Inquisitr .
The new album has been created using tapes from the 1994 Division Bell sessions and will feature a lengthy instrumental conceived by the band’s long-time keyboardist, Richard Wright, who died in 2008.
Waters left Pink Floyd after recording The Final Cut in 1985, and even though the band carried on with David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and the late Wright to record two more studio albums in 1987 and 1994, Waters was not a part of it. In fact, Waters sued the band for using the name and his songs in the late 1980s, and the case was eventually settled out of court, allowing both the remaining members of Pink Floyd and Waters himself to play the songs live. Waters later admitted the lawsuit was a mistake and the pathway to amicable friendship was being paved.
The animosity between the ex-bandmates was put aside in July of 2005 when they reunited onstage for the Live 8 show in London’s Hyde park. Fans were treated to a dream reunion, even though it appeared to be only a one shot gig. Wright died three years later. Lead guitarist David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason joined Roger Waters on a date of the most recent The Wall tour, but there has never been any honest talk of a reunion, something Waters has made abundantly clear on his Facebook page. As reported by Rolling Stone , Waters tells fans to “get a grip.”
“Some people have been asking Laurie, my wife, about a new album I have coming out in November. Errhh? I don’t have an album coming out, they are probably confused. David Gilmour and Nick Mason have an album coming out. It’s called Endless River . David and Nick constitute the group Pink Floyd. I on the other hand, am not part of Pink Floyd. I left Pink Floyd in 1985, that’s 29 years ago. I had nothing to do with either of the Pink Floyd studio albums, Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell , nor the Pink Floyd tours of 1987 and 1994, and I have nothing to do with Endless River . Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip.”
Even without Roger Waters participation fans are seemingly excited for the new material, which has been described as a long form instrumental piece with only one song with vocals tagged onto the very end. The Endless River serves as an epitaph to the band and a memoriam to the immeasurable talents of keyboardist Richard Wright.
The Endless River drops on November 10. Roger Waters is reportedly finishing up work on a new studio album, his first since 1992’s Amused To Death .
