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If you Google the lyrics for "One of These Days" the internet will laugh at you. Because "One of These Days" has exactly one lyric: "One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces." The rest of the song is built like an A-frame around it: everything before rises out of an brooding, windswept instrumental, featuring dueling bass guitars that climb toward something menacing; everything after is a beautiful beat-down of falling and fading.

One lyric. And the reason I've listened to it (along with "Careful with That Axe, Eugene", "Echoes", "Atom Heart Mother", "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "The Great Gig in the Sky" and all the rest) nine million times has everything to do with the unique alchemy of musicianship and unabashed monumentalism that Richard Wright brought to Pink Floyd.

RIP Richard Wright.

About driftglass
I post original writing and graphics (nearly) daily at my site: http://driftglass.blogspot.com/ I podcast weekly with Blue Gal at "The Professional Left": http://professionalleft.blogspot.com/ I am the 2008 Weblog Award Winner for Best Individual Blogger. And I live in Chicago, where I do my best to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
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102 Comments
Mike O'Tool's picture

Thanks, that was great.

Dave Fragments's picture

Adjust those blackberrys and Iphones to thank John McCain for the miracle of EMAILS.
The emails he doesn't know how to do but he invented the blackberry.

Che's Lounge's picture

I once watched an entry in a festival of animation back in the late 70's and one vignette had this as the soundtrack. Needless to say the MJ enhanced the experience.

bullfrog's picture

thank you for posting this.

richard wright, gone off to the "great gig in the sky".

a man involved in at least 23 of the 37 most psychedelic musical conversations in modern history, whose playing on "wish you were here", among many others, is forever etched across the cosmos.

so long amigo.

uncle joe mccarthy's picture

godamn it....i dont wanna be reminded anymore that im getting old

Mike O'Tool's picture

I remember going to Mr. Movies to rent "The Wall" and them not having it so we got Pompeii instead. That B3 organ that comes in right before the finale in "Saucerful of Secrets" along with those harmonies with Richard and David Gilmour in Echoes made me a Floydian Forever.

uncle joe mccarthy's picture

btw, right now up in heaven, syd is kicking the crap out of richard for leaving him behind from all those gigs

Rick Wright - Night of a thousand furry toys

Promo clip of solo work pink floyd member Rick Wright

farewell Rick

Andy's picture

Truly a sad day. Floyd was one of the greatest bands of all time, something that would not have been possible without Wright's remarkable contributions.

uncle joe mccarthy's picture

here is richard at his most uncomfortable

apples and oranges as seen on american bandstand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBttmuDPKYk

im amazed that this is still up on youtube....dick clark productions is really good at making youtube a shit place to visit

stan grimes's picture

Shine on Richard Wright.

Dan's picture

Thank you for changing my life Richard Wright. You pounded me to sleep form the time I was 13.
You led me to the Grateful Dead, for that I also forever Grateful!!

This man & band helped me through the early hard times. Pink Floyd Saves us All !

TAKE SOME ACID FOR FLOYD -

RIP

bullfrog's picture

uncle joe mccarthy @ 7:

btw, right now up in heaven, syd is kicking the crap out of richard for leaving him behind from all those gigs

nah, there composing some new masterpiece we won't get to hear 'til we get there...

bullfrog's picture

*they're

Pericles's picture

[Deleted. Off topic. No politics on the Music threads, Pericles. That's been the rule since about day one. Thanks. Site Monitor]

gonzoknife's picture

Goddamnit. What crappy news to end the day. Some of his keyboard parts are etched into my brain forever. Sad to see him leave.

calgarylady's picture

Wright was a true musical genius. He will never be forgotten for the magic he created.

Sleep well, Richard. We will miss you.

VegasRage's picture

uncle joe mccarthy @ 5:

godamn it....i dont wanna be reminded anymore that im getting old

LOL! Yes sometimes nostalgia can suck, this was one of my favorite Floyd pieces.

bullfrog's picture

uncle joe mccarthy @ 10:

here is richard at his most uncomfortable

apples and oranges as seen on american bandstand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBttmuDPKYk

im amazed that this is still up on youtube....dick clark productions is really good at making youtube a shit place to visit

richard uncomfortable, maybe, but everyone in pink floyd was/is nuts.

and, in the end, we're all just magnificent insects.

Peter G's picture

This seemed appropriate. It's from his excellent solo effort Wet Dream. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9TBDVOE0eE Summer Elegy.

redundant's picture

when i was about 8 after my mother kicked my father out i remember going over to other kids houses and seeing rock posters and such. This was in like 1977 and I had none of that since my mother tended to be aloof to anything beyond Elvis. My uncle who was in his late teens overheard me complain about how uncool my room was. The next day he showed up at my house and festooned my room with the two posters from "Dark Side of the Moon". I had no concept of who they were, but what a joy to have weirdly psychedelic green pyramids on my wall. And clearly by the posture of the band, they were quite obviously heavy duty rock guys who had a thing for colored lights....lol. The funny thing was years later in high school when i became a total floyd fanatic i dug up the old posters having completely forgotten them. It took me years to make the connection of who and what my uncle had influenced me with. lol. Floyd is one of those bands I'll never get sick of.

Remembering a Day
Miss you Rick.

L.A. Confidential's picture
wheeee's picture

RIP R.W.
Pink Floyd @ Pompeii - Echoes Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2hFZ8KnsSo&feature=related

Reggie's picture

I'm a keyboard player from Nashville, I now mostly play country to pay the bills, but was fortunate enough to grow up on my dad's great vinyl collection. I remember hearing Wright's B3 and Wurlitzer soundscapes and knowing that I had to learn how to make those sounds. A friend called yesterday and told me, I shed a tear, said a prayer, and put on "Great Gig in the Sky" (vinyl of course). The first lyric is "I'm not afraid to die". RIP Mr. Wright

L.A. Confidential's picture

Time

uncle joe mccarthy's picture

roger, rick, nick and david have a suggestion to all americans if mccain wins

RUN LIKE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYd6mCAcQw8&feature=related

Otay's picture

I can't believe Wright died. I loved his keyboard work. Echoes is one of my all time favorite pieces, and if I recall correctly much of it was his.

L.A. Confidential's picture

Ummagumma was my first Pink Floyd "trip".

Andy K's picture

aangus!

Where in the hell have you been...and do you steal my posts over there, too? :D

Nice to see you around, Old School.

Pericles's picture

Pericles @ 15:

[Deleted. Off topic. No politics on the Music threads, Pericles. That's been the rule since about day one. Thanks. Site Monitor]

Thanks, I'm actually glad you deleted it, since I hadn't noticed it was an RIP music thread.

Peter G's picture

There was a music store in London, Ontario where I went to school called The Madrigal. It was a classical music store and carried one of the most comprehensive stocks in North America. Nothing but classical music and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

aangus's picture

AndyK, great minds think alike.

Plus we share a first name.

:)
lol

aangus's picture

do you steal my posts over there, too?

Mais oui, bien sûum;re!

Nikola's picture

Not a huge follower of Floyd, but I do enjoy parts of the first album immensely. And I can go through Pulse, I guess.
I've always enjoyed One of These Days, especially lately, since The Flaming Lips released Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung. They're quite similar.

aangus's picture
uncle joe mccarthy's picture

sarah palin's new theme song

in the flesh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS2erz9Ym5Y&feature=related&fmt=18

Andy K's picture

Peter_G@33

Sweet!

Oh, yeah, meet aangus. IIRC, aangus is in Montreal...aangus, Peter G.

Jesus, I've gotta be up in about 6 1/2 hours....Aww, wtf....

Pink Floyd

A Saucerful Of Secrets

aangus's picture

Nothing but classical music and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

:lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyAbtjSKhJc

nin-mofo's picture

I simply had a cold feeling all day yesterday and today.

Speechless, I tell you.

I will miss you, Richard.

aangus's picture
Peter G's picture

Nice to meet you aangus. Like they say any friend of AndyK is a friend of mine. I admire his taste and depth of knowledge. Re: The Madrigal. The copy of The Dark Side of the Moon I bought was a half speed mastered Japanese pressing that cost me fifty bucks in '81 when I was living on peanut butter sandwiches and Kraft dinner. Worth every penny.

SK's picture

RIP, Bud Powell.

spook's picture
Peter G's picture

Good night Andyk. Since were in the same time zone sleep calls me too. I'm out.

aangus's picture

And now for something not completely different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A_1Zt2abrY

Sorry that I've not been around much this year, but, it's an awful big blogasphere!

;)

Seatle Rocks!

aangus's picture

What ever happenned to preview!

What ever happenned to STAN!

No, seriously, Stan you out there!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw

aangus's picture

Hi folks;

I've been away for a while,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzAd8d3seYw&mode=related&search=

prepare to pay for that.

iraqconcilable's picture

John McCain, the MSM and Pink Floyd ; welcome to the machine .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8efNCOAUtc

aangus's picture
AJ's picture

L.A. Confidential @ 22:

No one will top this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyvoXn51BOA

I absolutely agree with your assessment. Way back when I was in high school, I was in a music store and one of my closest friends forced me to buy Pulse, and I got hooked on to them. Their body of work is brilliant and possibly the best music produced in recent times. 12 years later, they remain my favorite band!!

aangus's picture

If there are no further comments,

then

Good night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fpupBCL6TE&mode=related&search=

What happened to preview! (HINT, HINT, HINT!)

JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin's picture

I'm glad that Pink Floyd had a small reunion before he died. They were amazing at Live 8, considering they hadn't played together as a quartet since the 1979 Wall tour.

We'll miss him, dear Richard.

Canuknotusa's picture

Allright...

I know there are die-hard rock 'n roll fanatics here...

But if this clip has any artistic merit, it's the video portion, not the noise that accompanies it.

Really - what has happened to the art of making music, if this example is suppose to represent some kind of apex of modern artistic achievement?

Good Grief!

aangus's picture

Really - what has happened to the art of making music, if this example is suppose to represent some kind of apex of modern artistic achievement?</i.

Wake up and smell the Humis!

This more to your liking!

aangus's picture
GB's picture

Thanks for shining a light on a great talent.

aangus's picture

Anyway; Bon soir [goodnight] all.

;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClKSED3yM3w&mode=related&search=

:wave:

G's picture

Live at Pompeii is the shiznit...it's the shit too.

Jess's picture

Dan @ 12:

Thank you for changing my life Richard Wright. You pounded me to sleep form the time I was 13.
You led me to the Grateful Dead, for that I also forever Grateful!!

This man & band helped me through the early hard times. Pink Floyd Saves us All !...

Same here. I used to fall asleep to Pink Floyd when I was in high school...and I was in high school well past their hayday. Pink Floyd got me through some hard times too. They were a revelation. Listening to them, you knew that rock music wasn't about guitars, it was about heart and soul. It was about finding companionship in pain and rebellion. Richard Wright played a huge role in all of that. "Great Gig in the Sky" never fails to make me weep. Never. I know that Syd Barrett is already gone (I was never a huge fan of the SB years), but it's just heartbreaking knowing that there will never be a true Pink Floyd reunion again.

Here's there last reunion at Live 8:
Breathe
Money
Wish You Were Here
Comfortably Numb

skippy's picture

btw, right now up in heaven, syd is kicking the crap out of richard for leaving him behind from all those gigs

here's floyd w/syd doing arnold layne @ skippy.

[Deleted. Off topic. No politics on the Music Club threads. And pleses stop blogwhoring. Thank you. Site Monitor]

aangus's picture
web_geek's picture

Thanks for everything Rick. Your music made growing up so much better. Floyd has always been with me.

Godspeed my friend.

See you on the other side.

New_Damage's picture

Heaven just got a little cooler, and the Earth just got a little lamer.

Old Billy Hussein's picture

Ouch. I hadn't heard the news.

Rest in peace, Richard.

casper46's picture

I guess this explains why i played "Animals" tonight while cleaning the bar. Rock on Richard! You dudes were the best!

Kai's picture

Saw them back in the 70s. I've always loved Rick's stuff. He was so underrated.

So sad he's gone.

Gavin Brown's picture

Che's Lounge @ 3:

I once watched an entry in a festival of animation back in the late 70's and one vignette had this as the soundtrack. Needless to say the MJ enhanced the experience.

The film was called "French Windows" and is the reason I became a Floyd fan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoVWHZuftnw

Gavin Brown's picture

Oh, and:

The lyric is disputed. It was originally said to be: "One of these days I'm going to dance with the evil prince." Listen close and decide which you think it is. Debate?

orangehairboy's picture

I think their version of "Interstellar Overdrive" from San Francisco in 1968 is way better than any of that Wall crap.

Andy K Jong Il's picture

aangus@54

What happened to preview! (HINT, HINT, HINT!)

If you're uzing an IE or IE-based browser, the easy tags disappear when there's a YouTube embed. It's Microsoft's fault.

spook's picture
Don's picture

1977, Cleveland Indians Stadium.....Animals tour, they played this song with a video of a giant lizard (if I remember correctly).....Perhaps the best quality concert I ever saw...so tight. They played all of Animals (loved the giant Pig), 1/2 of DSotM, 1/2 of Wish You Were Here and assorted other cuts as the above....

Space Cowboy's picture

Thanks for posting this, Driftglass. I'm still devastated by the news, but grateful for everything that Rick has contributed to the musical landscape.

Mike O&#039;Tool's picture

#74

If you watch "Pompeii", they title the song as "One of These Days I'm Going to Cut You Into Little Pieces". Hoosier Dome in 94 was good. I envy you cats that saw ANYTHING back in the 60s and 70s, let alone the Floyd, Who, Zep, Dead, etc. That is why I always come here first.

Greg's picture

Pink Floyd was one of the all time greats! Here's one of my favorites of theirs from a far simpler time.

Grantchester Meadows - the real one!

Anacher Forester's picture

orangehairboy @ 75:

I think their version of "Interstellar Overdrive" from San Francisco in 1968 is way better than any of that Wall crap.

I'm with ya.

-AF

Gumby69's picture

Sad to see another legend taken to that great gig in the sky. He will be missed.
I've lost count how many times I dropped LSD, sat on my bed, and cranked up the earphones, and floated away to their music. RIP.

ysbaddaden's picture

I always figured Roger Walters would go first

Even if he had to take himself out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAydj4OJnwQ

ysbaddaden's picture
membrain's picture

As a kid (12-15) I lived in GB from '76 to '79 and was a big Dr Who fan. I always thought that this was the Dr. Who theme. It does show some of Roger Water's best bass work.

Taint My Fault's picture

It was Wright's synth lines that gave Pink Floyd it's mood....seriously, try to imagine any Floyd song without keyboards....he was sooooooooooo underrated.

Yes, it is because they are musical geniuses that we can listen to their work over and over and over- like how people still flock to see Michelangelo's David.

Taint My Fault's picture

Animals and The Final Cut (unfortunately no Wright on that one) are my 2 faves... anti-corporate and anti-war...what could be better? Waters was right.....

Gus's picture

Strongest memory of this song is of my dorm RA walking in during the climax of this song while a buddy and I were acid tripping. Talk about a buzz kill.

hopeful against the odds's picture

This version is a MUST SEE....AND we must NEVER FORGET!

http://theunitedamerican.blogs.com/Movies/2000A/2000.html

JerryO's picture

redundant @ 21:

when i was about 8 after my mother kicked my father out i remember going over to other kids houses and seeing rock posters and such. This was in like 1977 and I had none of that since my mother tended to be aloof to anything beyond Elvis. My uncle who was in his late teens overheard me complain about how uncool my room was. The next day he showed up at my house and festooned my room with the two posters from "Dark Side of the Moon". I had no concept of who they were, but what a joy to have weirdly psychedelic green pyramids on my wall. And clearly by the posture of the band, they were quite obviously heavy duty rock guys who had a thing for colored lights....lol. The funny thing was years later in high school when i became a total floyd fanatic i dug up the old posters having completely forgotten them. It took me years to make the connection of who and what my uncle had influenced me with. lol. Floyd is one of those bands I'll never get sick of.

Remembering a Day
Miss you Rick.

Doesn't 'Dark Side Of The Moon' hold some kind of record for still being a top-selling album since it's release in 1973? Yes, I also had the famous poster of the prism on a black background. It hung on my wall for many, many years until one day it finally fell apart and could no longer be taped back together. Isn't it funny how you never realize a true icon and the impact it had on you until one day a part of it is gone. I love Pink Floyd, the group was part of my youth also.

Rest in peace Richard Wright and thank you for the gift of your talent.

Slabo's picture

Pink Floyd's last studio album in '94 THE DIVISION BELL (minus R.Waters) features a Richard Wright song with Richard doing the lead vocals with the typical,spine-tingling solo from D.Gimour.

The song......Wearing the Inside-out

Also, the last David Gilmour DVD "LIVE AT The Royal Albert Hall" has many interviews with Richard Wright in the special features sectons. ( at dinner, in hotel room with Gilmour etc.)

Can't get enough of Floydian masterpieces.

Richard now rests "comfortably numb" with that "great SID in the sky"

greg white's picture

A true rock n' roll superstar, gone forever, but who's music will be played for generations.

norcal's picture

Careful with that axe Eugene was one of the greatest songs.....
I had the chance to see Floyd and the Atom Heart Mother ensemble live
at the Santa Monica Civic back in the late 60's or early 70's and loved every minute of the performance.....what a great period in music, where new and exciting music was being written and played......cheers to Richard and Syd

Jack Damage's picture

Dark side of the Moon... One of several soundtracks of my high school years....
'Welcome my son'..... It was my g-gg-generation they were welcoming to the machine in part via Mr. Wrights amazing soundscapes on keyboards. Gilmour and Waters can bicker and refuse to perform together which is a shame, but without the the considerable talents of Richard Wright? The real Pink Floyd truly has gone on.... R.I.P. Richard Wright, you left your mark on modern music and several generations of fans and musicians... I have been and remain one of those..........JD

Joe Schmo's picture

Thank you for the music, Richard. Now you're gone but you'll never be forgotten. May you shine on forever you crazy diamond.

Phylter's picture

Membrain@85

Sorry dude, that was Gilmour doing the bass...

RD's picture

Gavin Brown @ 74:

Oh, and:

The lyric is disputed. It was originally said to be: "One of these days I'm going to dance with the evil prince." Listen close and decide which you think it is. Debate?

No debate. It's pieces.

btw, there are no dueling bases. It is one base guitar playing with a delay pedal. Makes it even more masterful if you ask me.
Wright sang a couple of the songs. I'll see if I can dig some up.

RD's picture

Phylter @ 96:

Membrain@85

Sorry dude, that was Gilmour doing the bass...

Roger Waters was the basist for Floyd. And this song does have the Dr. Who melody in it and the lone lyric in the song is a sample from a Dhalec, a Dr. Who villain.

RD's picture

RD @ 97:

Gavin Brown @ 74:

Oh, and:

The lyric is disputed. It was originally said to be: "One of these days I'm going to dance with the evil prince." Listen close and decide which you think it is. Debate?

No debate. It's pieces.

btw, there are no dueling bases. It is one base guitar playing with a delay pedal. Makes it even more masterful if you ask me.
Wright sang a couple of the songs. I'll see if I can dig some up.

BAH, I'M WRONG!

Rob's picture

Ricky Fitts, son of Col. Frank Fitts, USMC-ret., listens to Pink Floyd, so they must be cool.

skunqesh's picture

Jess @ 64:

Dan @ 12:

Thank you for changing my life Richard Wright. You pounded me to sleep form the time I was 13.
You led me to the Grateful Dead, for that I also forever Grateful!!

This man & band helped me through the early hard times. Pink Floyd Saves us All !...

Same here. I used to fall asleep to Pink Floyd when I was in high school...and I was in high school well past their hayday. Pink Floyd got me through some hard times too. They were a revelation. Listening to them, you knew that rock music wasn't about guitars, it was about heart and soul. It was about finding companionship in pain and rebellion. Richard Wright played a huge role in all of that. "Great Gig in the Sky" never fails to make me weep. Never. I know that Syd Barrett is already gone (I was never a huge fan of the SB years), but it's just heartbreaking knowing that there will never be a true Pink Floyd reunion again.

exacto the same here - Floyd was the conduit to a lot of catharsis, and a doorway to where the truly 'Weird Things' hung out. Funny how it is - a little Pink Floyd, Monty Python, HHGttG, and Dr.Who all seem to mix very well in certain people!
Haven't listened to PF for a long while - I've got nearly every album ever, but my turntable is in storage (no amp anyway). sighs..

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