A Pink Floyd album called The Endless River, the first new Pink Floyd album in 20 years, will be released this October, according to Rolling Stone and other sources. Polly Samson, David Gilmour’s wife, spilled the beans on the upcoming release when she tweeted to fans this Saturday about the new album.
According to the Polly Samson tweet, The Endless River will be “Based on 1994 sessions,” and it is “Rick Wright’s swan song.” Rick Wright, 65, who had been the keyboardist and was also one of Pink Floyd’s founding members, passed away from cancer in 2008. He had been working on an instrumental album in 1994, and it became the basis for The Endless River when lyrics were added to it.
The news about Pink Floyd’s new album, their first in 20 years, comes on the heels of the July 1 20th anniversary reissue of their last album, The Division Bell. The songs that will be on The Endless River seem to have a connection to recordings that have not been released from the recording sessions for The Division Bell.
Further information about Pink Floyd’s The Endless River comes from the Facebook page of Durga McBroom-Hudson, who toured and sang with Pink Floyd throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She stated that the recordings that will make up The Endless River began as a “side project originally titled The Big Spliff.” She said that she “came in last December and sang on a few tracks.” Also, she mentioned that David Gilmour “has done a lead” on at least one of her backing vocal tracks. Reportedly, all of the tracks on The Endless River will be completely new.
There have not been any plans announced that Pink Floyd will go on tour to support their new album, The Endless River. On Sunday, a spokesperson for Pink Floyd informed The Sun that the group has plans to release a new project, but that they do not have any plans to go on tour. Also, David Gilmour is currently at work on a solo album, which will includes the talents of David Crosby and Graham Nash. It will mark his first solo album since 2006. Roger Waters, who left Pink Floyd in 1985, is reportedly working on a solo album, as well.
Especially with the passing of keyboardist Rick Wright in September 2008, The Endless River will be perhaps the last chance for fans of Pink Floyd to hear music from most of the original members of the group, other than Syd Barrett and Roger Waters. Drummer Nick Mason, who alluded to The Endless River in his 2004 book, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, will be the drummer on the album. He has been the drummer on every Pink Floyd album, though not on every song from every album.
This coming October, Pink Floyd fans will get the opportunity to buy the first new album of unreleased songs from the group in 20 years, The Endless River, billed as being keyboardist Rick Wright’s “swan song.” David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason have expanded on the original tracks, adding vocals and other instruments, and at least some of the backing vocals were done by Durga McBroom-Hudson. There are currently no plans for Pink Floyd to tour in support of the album.