Pink Floyd To Release Next Album "The Endless River," Twenty Years After "Division Bell"
Legendary British rock band Pink Floyd's upcoming fifteenth studio album, 'The Endless River,' is set to be released beginning November 7 by Parlophone and Columbia Records. It will be the first album release by the band since the death in 2008 of keyboardist and founding member Richard Wright and the third since the departure from the band in 1985 of songwriter, composer and frontman Roger Waters. Produced by original guitarist David Gilmour along with Martin Glover, Andy Jackson and Phil Manzanera, 'The Endless River' is also the band's first studio album since their 1994's 'Division Bell' LP.
All the songs on 'Endless River' is instrumental except for "Louder Than Words," which has lyrics written by Gilmour's wife, the novelist and songwriter Polly Samson. Incidentally, it was also Samson who leaked via Twitter the news about the upcoming Pink Floyd album. On July 5, she tweeted, "Btw Pink Floyd album out in October is called "The Endless River". Based on 1994 sessions is Rick Wright's swansong and very beautiful." Two days later, the album was formally confirmed by the band through a news article posted on their website, saying it will be "mainly ambient and instrumental music" based on unreleased 1993-1994 sessions that featured guitarist David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Richard Wright.
Pink Floyd was founded in 1965 by Waters, Wright, Syd Barrett and Nick Mason. In 1967, Gilmour joined as a fifth member of the band. Waters left in 1985, declaring Pink Floyd "a spent force." He however performed with the group for a reunion gig at July 2005 Live 8 event in London's Hyde Park.
'The Endless River' album cover which features an image of a man rowing a gondola superimposed on a background image of a sunset across a sheet of clouds was conceived and designed by 18 year old Egyptian artist Ahmed Emad Eldin. Aubrey Powell who was creative director for the artwork told UT San Diego: "When we saw Ahmed's image it had an instant Floydian resonance. It's enigmatic and open to interpretation, and is the cover that works so well for The Endless River."
