The Beatles and Pink Floyd: A Comparison of Two English Bands in the 1960s

This article compares the achievements of The Beatles and Pink Floyd and their contribution to music in the years of 1967-1968. It discusses the artists, songs and their styles. The article also compares George Harrison and David Gilmour, and songs like Hey Jude vs. Comfortably Numb, A Day in Life vs. Wish You Were Here, and Let It Be vs. Shine on You Crazy Diamond.

Running head: ROCK & ROLL: HISTORY & ANALYSIS
ROCK & ROLL: HISTORY & ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
The Beatles and Pink Floyd are considered two of the most recognizable English bands in
the history of English music. Both of the bands began in the same era and dominated the rock
music industry even till this day. In the 1960s, the rock music industry was flourished with all
sorts of talented musicians. It is at this era, two of the greatest bands featured some of the
greatest musicians emerged. This discussion is about the achievements of these two bands, The
Beatles and Pink Floyd and their contribution to music in the years of 1967-1968. Both of the
bands had four main fronts’ men and each one of them equally contributed to their respective
roles.
The Beatles
The Beatles was undoubtedly one of the most famous English bands of all time. They
were formed in Liverpool in the year of 1960s with the team of John Lennon, Paul McCartney,
George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The band mainly focused on skiffle, bear and the rock and roll
beats from the 1950s, which were combined with ballads, hard rock, Indian music and other
genres. In their era, Beatles created music with much more depth than any other band. The two
front men, Paul McCartney and John Lennon were integral to the genre of pop music that they
brought in the form of art (Cohen, 2017). This tour was also made into a film where the songs
performed were identically titled LP including five tracks from the recent single made by the
band. However, despite there were problems that were present in the band, they continued to
create the album and it was labeled one of the best albums of the last century. The issues with the
band further escalated when Lennon brought Yoko Ono to the recording studios who were an

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avant-garde artist (Jones, 2017). There were rules that the band were not allowed to bring their
girlfriends to the recording studio however, there were changes after that. Despite the
negativities during recording, the band started to understand the start of the break-up of the
Beatles.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English band that was formed five years after the formation of the
Beatles. Just like them, they were from the United Kingdom, England. Unlike the Beatles, the
band focused on progressive and psychedelic music that made them unique from any other bands
that were present at that era. In the year of 1967, the band created the album of The Piper at the
Gates of Dawn that brought the band into spotlight. In the same year the band went through a
major setback when Barrett left due to deteriorating mental health issues due to high usage of
psychedelic drugs (Francis-Landau, Durrett & Klein, 2016). After Barrett’s departure, the band
kept of performing many psychedelic cover on various songs. By the time, it was the 1968 and
the band was under the lead of Gilmour and Waters who brought forth jazz and blues into the
mix. All the four members of the band tried the same technique that Barrett initially applied
however, they kept their composure on stage. Floyd was heavy influenced from Pink Anderson
and Floyd Council from whom they derived the name for the band.
Comparison - Artists
George Harrison vs. David Gilmour

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Both of them are the considered to be two of the greatest lead guitarist of rock history.
However, both of their styles are completely different from one another. Harrison’s work is more
of a varied and flexible, as he did not go with the fast play-style or flashy elements. It was
basically rhythm with innovative capo that shorten the strings on his acoustic (Sís, 2014). Even
as a songwriter, he developed distinctive style that had non-resolving tones with chord arpeggios.
His trademark guitar “Rickenbacker 360/12” was a 12 stringed that had low eights paired with
one octave apart that had high four paired unison.
David Gilmour on the other hand, is characterized by the style of blues influenced
phrasing with bends and sustains in an expressive manner. His melodic sense draws a huge
inspiration from the works on Hank Marvin and Eric Clapton that was mainly progressive. He is
often compared to guitar legends such as Jimi Hendrix and Van Halen. Gilmour’s iconic guitar
“The 0001 Strat” is a model of the Fender Stratocaster that is his signature guitar. He has used it
to cover many Pink Floyd classics.
Therefore from the above discussion it can be said that both of the guitarist were a major
contribution to not only the band but also the rock industry. Harrison’s flexible style adapted
music from different genres including rock. His style changed overtime whereas Gilmour began
with the element of jazz, blues and progressive. Harrison was obviously better at rhythm and
songwriting as he was clearly more experienced in the study of music. He took his time to study
international music from India as well to provide a diverse knowledge and experience for himself
and his followers. Gilmour on the other hand was totally into rock music. He was better at guitar
solos and leads however, he did not explore the other genres of music unlike Harrison.
Comparison - Songs

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Hey Jude vs. Comfortably Numb
“Hey Jude” can be considered to be the best and the most popular track of the Beatles.
Though it was written by Paul, it was credited to both him and Lennon. The song was originally
written to comfort Lennon’s son Julian Lennon during John and Cynthia Lennon’s divorce. The
song starts with a verse that was structured with vocal and piano as the song progress, it starts
shifting in a fade out coda over 4 minutes. The song runs for 7 minutes and 11 seconds and it has
been performed by all the four members with a distinctive chorus from several others in the
background. The song is based on three chords, F, C and B , however the coda involves C which♭
gets replaced by E .♭ When it is broken down, into bridge and verse, it can be said that is played
in a ballad style. The first verse are used with the chord progression I, V, V7, V7su4 and IV
along with the key of F major that is fused with a time lap of 4/4 ballad (Gruhlke, Patrício &
Moreira, 2015). The second verse that is from 0:26-0:55 also include an offbeat tambourine and
the inclusion of acoustic. It terms of dynamics, the song has two parts, first one is during the solo
of McCartney and the second one is during the chorus. In terms of density, the song shifts in a
ballad rock mood with two major changes in intensity. Over the years, many artists have covered
the song. There was concert where popular artists like Sting, Elton John, Eric Clapton and many
others shared the stage with Paul to cover the song. Most versions of the song is covered either
by an acoustic guitar or a piano.
“Comfortably Numb” was featured, in the eleventh album of Pink Floyd, The Wall which
is considered to be their best album and this song highlights the album. David Gilmour did the
chorus, the guitar solos and wrote the progression. The song is renounced for its two consistent
guitar solos. The entire album is a concept directed to Pink and the part where Comfortably
Numb was played that showed Pink is being medicated so that he can play for a show. The lyrics

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were the visualization of Roger Water’s experience after being injected with tranquilizers before
a show when he has a bad stomach cramp. The song composed for the verse of B minor where
the chorus in the background is relative to major D. Floyd themselves have referred to this track
as an quintessential piece (Covach, 2017). Bringing in a state of psychedelic tune where the song
follows the same beat from start to finish. The song goes on with a duration of 6:23 minutes with
two parts, first being Heaven that is from 2:08-2:38 and then Hell that is from 4:30-6:23. Over
the years, Comfortably Numb became of the main songs to cover for high school teenagers.
Many artists over the world have tried to cover it as well however the distinct melody and the
lead of David Gilmour has made very few artists to do a perfect cover.
Therefore, when these two songs are contrasted together it can be said that both of the
songs tell a story through their lyrics. ‘Hey Jude’ is more of a consolation or a cheer-up song
whereas ‘Comfortably Numb’ is more of a self-realization or awakening. Beatles wrote the song
focusing on three simple chords and its catchy chorus ‘na-na-na-na-na-na’. This as a result led to
including additional bars at the end of the song. The bridge of the song is a half measure long
that makes the introduction of a walking bass-line (Rose, 2015). The next verse goes on adding
the backing vocals along with stray backing vocals. ‘Comfortably Numb’ on the other hand
indulges or explains a psychedelic experience from a state of awakening. Many avid listeners
thought the song is about drugs but according to Roger Waters, the song explains the state of a
child when he is sick. Unlike ‘Hey Jude’ this song is mainly focused in the lead than rhythm.
Both styles are different from one another in terms of chords and the beats however; they
contribute a lot to the rock genre.
A Day in Life vs. Wish You Were Here

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“A Day in Life” is the final track of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The verses
were done with the combination of Lennon and McCartney. The lyrics was used by Lennon
when he read the incident regarding the death of Tara Browne. The song features orchestral
covers that are improvised in an avant-grande style. The song covers a piano that closes the
orchestral passages after it is covered through the main part (Leonard, 2014). The song is
considered to be of one the most popular acoustic covers in the large collection of songs of the
Beatles. With a bar of 24 dead time, the crescendo’s orchestra gave a dramatic feeling to it.
There have been many instances where this song have been covered in a piano as well. Though
the song was originally meant for these two instruments, nobody has tried to use it in another
medium, even if they had, it would not sound proper.
Floyd wrote “Wish You Were Here” after many hiatus that the band went through. This
includes the problem the band had with their managers. Other than that there was the departure
of Syd Barett whose story actually is reflected in the lyrics. The song reflects Barrett’s situation
and the dichotomy of this situation. The song takes a slow start with a cover of acoustic and
electric melody. Waters wrote the lyrics and added the cross fades with wind effect, the extra
expressive vocals from Gilmour with his solos features through the song that is blended with the
lyrics of their old band mate. “Wish You Were Here” is one of the best popular songs to cover,
and not just for Pink Floyd. Many artists over the years and still performs this cover. Some use
its lyrics as a serenade while other uses it as a memory for a love one (Melançon & Carpenter,
2015). Being an acoustic pitch, it including the sound of wind blowing and a slow violin that was
initially played by Stephen Grappelli. The lyrics are very emotional and though Floyd’s version
was meant for Barrett, others can use this song for someone special to them, which is perhaps the
best part of this song.

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Therefore from the above discussion, it can be concluded that both of the songs explains
the meaning of self-realization along with an idea of longing for something. “A Day in Life” is
focused more on the thought of nothingness and the long wait for a day to end while “Wish You
Were Here” is the thought of the band that only if Syd Barrett was still with them. The orchestral
part of the song goes on explaining the division of each day of the life of a person and the sense
of longing for his lover. “Wish You Were Here” on the other hand explains the need for longing
from the start and is a lament. Both of the songs are rhythm driven and present a state of hope.
Let It Be vs. Shine on You Crazy Diamond
“Let It Be” is song that is featured in the album with the same name. It was written and
sang by McCartney when he had a dream about his own mother. The reference to “Mother
Mary” in the song is not biblical but actually, it is to his mother. Paul’s mother died of cancer
when he was 14 years old. It is with that thought, McCartney sang this song solo while the other
3 Beatles covered it. The minor chords in the song are A minor that is used as bass and is
measured in the last two verses of the lyrics. The backing vocals used in the chorus are similar
to the single version that reduces volume with a standout choral effect. The total runtime of the
song is 3:52. The song follows with the chord of G, B, C, E minor and E minor 7th. The verse
throughout the song takes shape in a strophic manner that allows the verses to be shown
asymmetrically that allowed the lengths to change from 9 to 11 bars (Sutcliffe, 2016). The bass
line along with the p[iano maintains a basic line throughout that makes the melody disjunctive.
The Beatles album version is different from that of the live version. Let It Be, just as the two
songs mentioned above is covered through a piano. It can be said that Paul and John both
preferred to use unplugged instruments for their masterpieces, just like many other songs from
their discography.

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“Shine on You Crazy Diamond” was dedicated to Syd Barett just like Wish You Were
Here. In Fact, both of the songs was featured in the same album. As it is a remembrance song, it
has its lyrics as metaphorical tribute to Barrett. In the composition, the main part is split into two
parts and each section is used to bookend the main structure. The guitar cover by Gilmour starts
with the Eb Eb/D Cm Cm/Bb that is repeated in the first verse. The solo uses Gm Gb Bb Eb Dm
Cm F that is brought to the final part until it fades out. Just as the two songs mentioned above for
Floyd, Shine on You Crazy Diamond is a immense popular song to cover (O'Donnell, 2017). The
song begins with the keyboard solo that lasts till 2:14 and then it is followed up with the guitar
solo that goes on till 3:59. Gilmour’s guitar and Wright’s synths makes a unique melody that
scales over the G-minor chord. The time signature of the song is ¾ and maintains tempo of
144bpm. However the total song being a long duration of 26 minutes, it has been broken down to
different parts. Pats I to IV is the most popular part to cover as that part includes the main vocals
where rest of the part is mainly a fusion of rhythm and lead.
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be concluded that both the songs are more of
a lament dedicated to two significant people. “Let It Be” is dedicated to Paul McCartney’s
mother and “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” is dedicated to Syd Barrett. However, neither of the
songs expresses sorrow through their lyrics but celebrates their lives. “Let It Be’ explain the
people cannot control situations even if they want to whereas “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”
gives a portrayal of Barrett’s younger days thought he lyrics “When you were young, you shone
like the sun” (Croce, 2017).. The lyrics also highlights that he was “caught in the crossfire” when
he deviated from music due to high addiction problems. Both of the songs are melody driven and
acts as sign of respect.
Conclusion

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Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that the Beatles and Pink Floyd
were the two main cornerstones of the 1967-1968. Though the Beatles were almost at their end at
that period and were slowly approaching their breakup, Floyd on the other hand, actually grew
into a popular band after that era. Floyd’s main contribution to rock music was in the year of the
mid 70s, whereas the Beatles ended in the year of 1970. Pink Floyd initially had a longer run as
they produced their final album in the year of 2014 whereas the Beatles lasted for a total of 10
years, however they made a much larger impact than that of Floyd. There are various debates and
discussion whether, which is the better band however it should be stated that both of them have
different music styles. While the Beatles focused on pop and rock and roll, Floyd was into
psychedelic and hard rock. However, it should be noted that both of the band respected each
other to their fullest.

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