Where King Crimson can, and should, be credited with creating prog rockвЂ™s first unfettered proclamation, In The Court of the Crimson King (1969), Pink Floyd can, and should, be credited - or rebuked - for dropping the first truly progressive side-long вЂњsuiteвЂќ on Atom Heart Mother (1970).ДЄfter this one, all bets were off and for the better part of a decade, many bands-including Pink Floyd-attempted to refine and improve upon this opus. Each release, however, had one particular track, often an extended instrumental, that served as a centerpiece that at once set it apart and connected the sonic dots that burst through the prism in 1973: вЂњInterstellar OverdriveвЂќ (from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn), вЂњSet the Controls for the Heart of the SunвЂќ (from A Saucerful of Secrets), вЂњQuicksilverвЂќ (from More), вЂњThe Narrow WayвЂќ (from Ummagumma), вЂњAtom Heart Mother SuiteвЂќ (from Atom Heart Mother) and вЂњEchoesвЂќ (from Meddle).Д«ut if вЂњEchoesвЂќ, combined with the shorter, snappier (and raw, earthy) tunes from 1972вЂ™s Obscured By Clouds provides a blueprint for the sensibility they would sharpen in the service of The Dark Side of the Moon, itвЂ™s 1970вЂ™s вЂњAtom Heart Mother SuiteвЂќ that epitomizes the extremes and excesses prog rock would become embrace, for better or worse. Getting from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn to The Dark Side of the Moon required several years and several albums, none of which sounded especially alike - a fact that seems more remarkable with the benefit of hindsight. As a result of BarrettвЂ™s departure two crucial changes occurred: Waters gradually assumed chief lyrical responsibilities and Gilmour became the primary vocalist. Suffice it to say, no one could - or would - have predicted Pink FloydвЂ™s eventual breakthrough based on their early struggles. His mate David Gilmour was hastily recruited and, at least at first, did his best Barrett impression. The initial high from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn proved short-lived as the bandвЂ™s principal songwriter, troubled genius Syd Barrett, suffered a drug-induced breakdown. Pepper for the underground, and it remains the most fully realized expression of lysergic-laced pop whimsy: deeply surreal songs you can sing along with. Pink FloydвЂ™s debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) was, in its way, a Sgt. Of course, before there was prog rock, there was psychedelic rock. Even more casual fans may be unaware that Pink Floyd made any albums before The Dark Side of the Moon. Casual fans may be unaware that Pink Floyd made as many albums before The Dark Side of the Moon as they did after. Needless to say, The Dark Side of the Moon did not arrive as an abrupt burst of brilliance (great art seldom does) so much as the end result of a long and at times excruciating process, a sort of prog rock apprenticeship. (My album-by-album analysis of the bandвЂ™s output can be found at вЂњAll Things Reconsidered: Why Not Pink Floyd?вЂќ, PopMatters, 11 November 2011.) In short, Pink Floyd made it not only possible, but inevitable that other bands would attract more - and more serious - scrutiny, however much many of them suffered by comparison. It simply cannot be overstated how meaningful it was, and remains, that one of the best-selling and influential albums in history happens to be the apotheosis of prog rockвЂ™s canon.

Pepper did for rock вЂnвЂ™ roll: elevating it from pop to art, and through one indelible and irrevocable triumph, granted authenticity - for all timeвЂ“ to an entire genre. The Dark Side of the Moon did for progressive music what Sgt. This, along with the unparalleled streak of top tier albums they created, elevates them above all others as the prototypical and most significant prog band.ДЄs much praise as the group rightly receives, they may not be fully appreciated for the ways they changed the future of music. It isnвЂ™t that Pink Floyd made some of the best albums of the вЂ70s (they did), or that Pink Floyd moved the art form forward (they did) itвЂ™s that Pink Floyd did the impossible: they made music that is unlikely to marginalize, and more than any other band, brought progressive rock into the mainstream.

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