Ranking the Pink Floyd Albums: Top 10 Picks

Get ready to go on a psychedelic rock journey through the record of selling 200 million albums worldwide, including 74.5 million albums sold in the US! Discover the profound messages and powerful messages through our compiled top 10 ranking of the pink floyd albums. Let’s mingle and relive the 60s and lie on your sofa to enjoy it.

1. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

Get ready to hear Pink Floyd at their creative peak! The Dark Side of the Moon is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Released in 1973, it rocketed the band into rock ‘n’ roll fame. This record is like a cool outer space adventure – each track flows right into the next like you’re jumping from planet to planet.

Songs like “Time,” “Money,” and “Breathe” tackle big ideas about life in a trippy way. You’ll hear clocks ticking, cash registers dinging, and heartbeats thumping as Pink Floyd takes you on a musical journey into the human mind. The guitar solos will give you chills and the keyboards will blow you away.

Even the album cover is iconic – that prism shooting colors everywhere is one of rock’s most famous images. The Dark Side of the Moon made Pink Floyd global superstars and it’s still inspiring bands today. Every tween should take this ride at least once to hear the pioneers of prog-rock at their colorful and cosmic best!

2. Wish You Were Here (1975)

After the huge success of Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd followed it up with this mellower, emotional tribute album. Wish You Were Here continues the band’s cosmic sound mixed with deeper themes.

Several songs directly reference their former bandmate Syd Barrett, who left Pink Floyd early on due to mental health struggles. The epic nine-part “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is written in honor of Syd. Its synthesizers will give you chills as David Gilmour’s guitar cries out.

Other tracks like “Welcome to the Machine” and “Have a Cigar” take a cynical look at the music industry. But the title song brings it back down to earth with a simple, acoustic longing for a lost friend.

Wish You Were Here became Pink Floyd’s fastest selling album yet. While not as famous as Dark Side, many fans and band members consider it their favorite Floyd record. The synth-driven soundscapes combined with lyrics from the heart cemented Pink Floyd as progressive rock icons.

3. The Wall (1979)

The Wall is a rock opera that tells the dramatic story of a burned-out rock star named Pink. This is the band at their most theatrical and daring.

Through tracks like “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2” and “Comfortably Numb,” Pink builds a metaphorical wall to block out emotional trauma from his past. We hear about his struggles with fame, bullying teachers, an overprotective mother, and his father dying in war. It’s some pretty heavy stuff!

The music ranges from melancholic acoustics to angry guitar solos to full orchestral interludes. The lyrics dive deep into isolation, manipulation, and alienation. While it lacks the trippiness of early Floyd, The Wall cemented Pink Floyd as prog-rock kings with its ambitious scope and messages.

The record smashed charts worldwide thanks to the rebellion anthem “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2.” This is Pink Floyd’s most popular album ever, though the later movie version got mixed reviews. Still, The Wall stands tall as Roger Waters’ rock opera masterpiece.

4. Animals (1977)

Animals is an extremely unique album that uses furry creatures as symbols to critique society and politics. The music is darker and more guitar-heavy than their spacey early days.

Songs are broken into animal categories. “Dogs” attacks greedy business executives. “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” mocks moral authorities like politicians and preachers. “Sheep” calls out mindless followers who don’t think for themselves.

You’ll hear David Gilmour’s guitars growl and roar over the heavy riffs. Nick Mason’s drums pound like animal feet. The creepy album art goes with the critical lyrics attacking systems the band sees as unjust or corrupt.

Animals continued Pink Floyd’s run of hit albums in the late 70s. While not as famous as Dark Side or The Wall, its raw style and biting messages are a radical change from the band’s trippier early years. It’s Floyd at their fiercest and most fed-up, raging against authority through growing guitars and metaphorical beasts.

5. Meddle (1971)

After some failed experiments, Pink Floyd got back on track with 1971’s Meddle. This album balances melodic songwriting with far-out jams. Mellow out to “Echoes” – a sweeping 23-minute epic of guitars, keyboards, and trippy sound effects. Let the mellow opening lull you in before David Gilmour’s fuzzy blues guitar solo kicks in!

“One of These Days” is a hard-rocking fan favorite famous for its creepy artificial vocal effect. Drummer Nick Mason’s thumping rhythm will get your head banging. You’ll also dig quirky tracks like “Seamus” featuring – get this – vocal stylings by a howling dog named Seamus!

Meddle captures Pink Floyd spreading their creative wings before hitting their peak. Songs effortlessly shift between folk-rock sweetness and cosmic funk. While lacking a central theme, Meddle pointed the way toward the band’s masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon just two years later.

Echoes still stands tall as Pink Floyd’s most transcendent jam. For a new generation discovering this pioneering prog-rock band, Meddle offers heaps of sonic treasures.

6. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

Meet the fabulously freaky Syd Barrett on Pink Floyd’s debut! He led the band in 1967 with his creative, psychedelic vision. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a fun, spacey introduction to this influential prog rock group.

Whimsical tracks like “Astronomy Domine” and the mystical “Interstellar Overdrive” transport you to other galaxies with their noodling guitars and cosmic keyboards. Syd’s fanciful lyrics and echoing vocals cast magical spells. You’ll hear early hints of the band’s brooding sound too.

As leader, main writer, and original genius behind Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett steered their 1967 debut before going solo soon after. He struggled with mental health issues that cut his career short. This album captures his colorful, psychedelic imagination during one brief, shining moment.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn opened an portal to Pink Floyd’s acid-soaked early years. Songs drift between childlike and haunting as Syd Barrett left his cosmic stamp on music forever. This charming, weird record light the way for progressive rock’s spaced-out style!

7. The Division Bell (1994)

The Divison Bell is probably one of the easiest of Floyd albums to listen to, and by that I mean more traditional formatted songs and fairly laid back sound. Even poppy and radio friendly at times. It’s not going to offend anyone, not very long songs like Shine On or Dogs and it’s a fairly easy listening experience compared to The Wall and works just fine as background music too.

Tracks like “High Hopes” and “Take It Back” ascend on the strength of Gilmour’s soaring guitars and soulful singing. You’ll hear epic Pink Floyd storytelling sans Waters’ bitterness. The lyrics tackle themes of communication and unity over sweet melodies.

While not iconic, The Division Bell echoes the spacious soundscapes of classic Floyd. Wright’s organs and synth textures beautifully accent Gilmour’s crisp, emotive solos. This album saw Pink Floyd close their legendary run with a reminder of their musical magic.

The Division Bell won’t trip your mind like early Floyd or rock your world like The Wall. But 22 years after Dark Side of the Moon, this record provided a fitting swan song for one of rock’s most adventurous groups!

8. A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)

“A Momentary Lapse of Reason” is a historic album when performed by the three members without primary songwriter Roger Waters. It marked a shift towards a more mainstream 80s sound.

Big hits like “Learning to Fly” and “On the Turning Away” feature David Gilmour’s celestial vocals over modern, keyboard-heavy production. The lyrics get cheesier but the guitar solos still impress.

Fans and critics were divided over its commercial slickness after Waters’ darker concepts albums. But tunes like “Sorrow” and “Yet Another Movie” capture remnants of the band’s ambient progressive style.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason felt transitional – shedding the Floyd baggage while adjusting to modern music. Not their most daring album, but ear-pleasing hits prove Pink Floyd could still soundtrack dreams in the 80s without Roger Waters’ gloom. The space-rock legends flew on in their own poppier direction.

9. Atom Heart Mother (1970)

Pink Floyd got experimental with the weirdly named Atom Heart Mother. The album kicks off with the spaced-out, symphonic title track – a 23-minute epic featuring a full orchestra and choir!

Layers of organs, guitars and horns peak with an otherworldly cacophony. It fades into mellower tunes like “If” and “Fat Old Sun.” David Gilmour’s pedal steel guitar glides over mellow breakup lyrics.

Atom Heart Mother captures Pink Floyd both spreading their wings into prog-rock opuses while keeping roots in English folk. Not their most accessible album, but the title track’s orchestral ambition shows their fearless creativity.

The second half’s gentler acoustic songs offer a chill comedown from the wild ride. Overlooked in their catalog, Atom Heart Mother saw Pink Floyd testing boundaries on the path toward masterpieces like Dark Side of the Moon.

10. The Final Cut (1983)

Roger Waters takes creative control with the angry political concept album The Final Cut. After The Wall’s success, he dug even deeper into themes of war, oppression, and corruption over spare instrumentation.

Most songs feature Waters’ biting lyrics over subdued pianos and guitars. Social commentary tracks like “The Final Cut” and “Not Now John” lack the prog-rock punch or uplifting choruses of classic Floyd.

Released during wartime, Waters vents his outrage over war’s traumatic impact on soldiers and families. But the music conveys his bleak worldview more than inspiring change.

With creative tensions growing, The Final Cut marked the last Pink Floyd album with Roger Waters. With fewer guitar heroics or groovy jams, it leaves fans divided. Still, Waters’ crushing lyrics reveal a post-Wall chapter even darker yet essential for devoted Floyd fans.

Ranking the eclectic Pink Floyd catalog presents challenges with so many groundbreaking achievements. While favorites vary among fans, the above list gives an overview of their top albums. Hopefully you enjoy listening to these pioneering prog-rock records that have entertained generations.