Pink Floyd released The Endless River in the UK, the United States and France on November 10, 2014. Their 15th studio album grew out of recordings made for The Division Bell, with David Gilmour and Nick Mason returning to music they had played with keyboardist Richard Wright. Wright had died in 2008; his performances became the foundation of an album made in his memory.
The record’s four sides were largely instrumental, with one sung song: the closing “Louder Than Words.” Gilmour sang lyrics by Polly Samson about the band’s ability to connect through music.
In 2012, Gilmour asked Phil Manzanera to explore the unused recordings. Manzanera told Prog that he worked through roughly 20 hours of material, revisiting Pink Floyd’s catalogue before shaping it. He moved drum parts beneath different passages and shifted a guitar solo into another piece, changing its key to make it fit. After six weeks, he had assembled four sections of about 14 minutes each. That gave Gilmour and Mason a framework for developing the recordings into an album.
Youth took the assembled pieces through another round of rearrangement, extending passages and developing rhythmic ideas. Gilmour then drew on both producers’ work as he took charge of the final recording stage. The album’s production credits went to all three and longtime engineer Andy Jackson.
Mason returned to the drums in November 2013. Speaking to TIDAL, he described the unusual opportunity to revisit a part after two decades and decide whether to keep it or try a different fill. “I really loved playing on this album,” he said. Mason also described the practical appeal of the Astoria houseboat studio: its close quarters let musicians maintain eye contact, making it easier to follow one another’s playing. Gilmour added guitar parts, with further recording continuing into 2014. Jackson said the production also aimed for a classic sound, avoiding choices that might quickly date the record.
Wright’s contribution went well beyond an archival credit. On “Ebb and Flow,” his electric piano is paired with Gilmour’s EBow guitar. “The Lost Art of Conversation” gives Wright the sole writing credit, with his piano and synthesizer joined by Gilmour’s guitar and percussion. Even on “Louder Than Words,” Wright is present on Fender Rhodes, piano and synthesizer. The tribute takes its shape from those performances, preserving his place within the ensemble.
The lyrics for “Louder Than Words” drew on the band’s Live 8 reunion and Samson’s observations of how the musicians communicated. During the album’s promotion in 2014, Gilmour explained that he’d initially asked her to write lyrics, but she thought much of the music already worked without them. Even the song’s position took consideration: it had been placed at the end of the third section before the producers decided its vocal made more sense as the album’s final statement.
The Endless River entered the UK albums chart at No. 1, selling more than 139,000 copies in its opening week, according to the Official Charts Company. It gave Pink Floyd their sixth UK No. 1 album and their first since the 1995 live release Pulse.
