I'm listening to SOS and thinking about how much I love it. It's my favorite Richard Wright record. It has his song "Remember a Day" on it, which is my favorite Floyd tune. They were breaking in a new guitarist (who aquitted himself very well, thank you) but because he was the new guy, this was a chance for Wright to fill a lot of space, and he absolutely rises to the occasion. I love the organ sound in "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun". The whole album is wonderful.
I don't know many stories about Pink Floyd. I can give impressions, things I thought about them at various phases in their career. The first album is cool. I love all the Syd Barrett stuff. But I think they got better after Syd left. The whole period before they got stupid famous is to varying degrees wonderful, odd, humorous, freaky, spooky, and fun. I loved their sense of melody, and I loved the way Roger Waters played bass. One of the big distinctions of early Floyd is that Waters played a lot more than he did on the later records.
I think Dark Side of the Moon is their absolute worst album (in large part because it's so soporific) and I'm no fan of The Wall, either. But Obscured by Clouds, which is the first album in their later, more morose style, is actually a great record, imo.
But I count Saucerful both Wright's finest moment and Floyd's best record.
