Pink Floyd Listening Guide: What Album You Should Listen to Next

This list is my opinion on the order that Pink Floyd’s albums should be listened to in. This list is not a ranking of every Pink Floyd album, and ultimately you can listen in whatever order you want. It is important, however, to listen to albums as wholes. If you have never listened to Pink Floyd before, here is how I would start…

The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

This is the quintessential Pink Floyd album. When someone says Pink Floyd, you think of Dark Side. The album is a perfect 43 minute-long concept album about every aspect of life. This is the band at their absolute peak, and it also starts a run of about 7 years of pure creative brilliance from the band.

Wish You Were Here (1975)

This album follows Dark Side in Floyd’s discography. This is an easy next album to listen to because, once again, the band is at their peak. This album is dedicated to former band member Syd Barrett, and it explores themes about the lack of humanity in the music industry.

Animals (1977)

Let’s go to the next album in this 7 year period of brilliance. Animals continues the streak of brilliantly conceived concept albums. It uses similar metaphors to that of George Orwell’s Animal Farm to criticize British society.

The Wall (1979)

This is the last album in that 7 year period of brilliance. About 99% of Pink Floyd fans will have these albums, in some order, as their top four. The Wall differs slightly from the previous three, both musically and thematically. It is a double record that traces the life of a boy named Pink as he slowly builds a metaphoric wall around himself, shutting himself off from society. There was also a film released in 1982 that accompanies this album.

The Final Cut (1983)

Remember, this list is not a ranking of the Pink Floyd albums. The reason you should listen to The Final Cut next is because it is musically and thematically similar to The Wall. Some of the tracks on this album were actually originally recorded to be on The Wall. You could probably skip over this one, but it is an enjoyable concept album about a World War II veteran. Just keep in mind when you listen that this album is more or less a Roger Waters solo album.

Meddle (1971)

Now it is time to go back and listen to Pink Floyd before their 7 year peak period. The best place to start is Meddle. We are not really going to see anymore crazy deep concept albums, but musically we will not be disappointed. Meddle is a musical masterpiece, and it was a huge step up for the band. The music is still somewhat similar to what we have been hearing

Atom Heart Mother (1970)

The album right before Meddle was also a very big creative step for the band. Once again, the music is not all that different from what we have been listening to, so its a good next step. Well, some of the music at least. Listening to this album will definitely introduce you to the weirder side of Pink Floyd, which we will definitely see a lot more of.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

I think it is time that we were introduced to a man named Syd Barrett. Yes, the same guy that Wish You Were Here is dedicated to. This album is the brainchild of Syd Barrett’s LSD-driven madness. It is quite different from what we have been listening to, and David Gilmour was not even in the band at this time, but it embodies the early psych-pop era of Pink Floyd.

A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)

This album is perfect to listen to right after The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. This is the first album with David Gilmour and the last with Syd Barrett. The fading psych-pop influence of Syd Barrett can still be seen in some parts, and the slowly evolving space-rock side of the band can be seen in others.

The Division Bell (1994)

Now we teleport ahead almost thirty years to the post-Waters era of Pink Floyd. They released three albums without Waters, and this one is certainly the most noteworthy. His absence is certainly felt, but this album is still worth listening to. Nick Mason and Richard Wright were fully present for the first time since Waters left, and it really feels like one final performance for the band.

Obscured By Clouds (1972)

At this point, we have explored every era of Floyd’s discography, so we will just go back and look at some of the albums that we skipped over. Obscured By Clouds was actually released in between Meddle and The Dark Side of the Moon, so the band was certainly at a creative high point. It was originally conceived to be a soundtrack to a movie, however, and at times it feels this way, almost restraining their creativity. It still has some excellent moments that make it worth listening to though.

Ummagumma (1969)

I guarantee that this is one of the weirdest things you will ever listen to. There are a few live tracks on here, and a couple actual songs, and the rest is basically just random noises. It is sort of representative of the band being lost without Syd Barrett, but it is still worth listening to just because of how different it is.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)

At this point, you have gotten the Pink Floyd experience, and you can probably just stop, but I will comment briefly on the last three albums. A Momentary Lapse of Reason was the first post-Waters album. Nick Mason and Richard Wright just sort of joined in towards the end so they could slap Pink Floyd on the album, so it is sort of just a David Gilmour solo work.

The Endless River (2014)

This album is just some instrumental scraps from their last session. It’s either a tribute to Richard Wright after his death or a way to make some more money, I am not sure which.

More (1969)

Some do not even consider this a studio album. It’s the soundtrack to a little-known film, and it feels somewhat out of place in Pink Floyd’s discography. It is officially the first album without Syd Barrett, though, so that is kind of interesting.