Guitarist David Gilmour has insisted that Pink Floyd were never a progressive rock band. Gilmour made the remarks during a recent interview with popular YouTuber Rick Beato.
"We didn't talk about style, and I've never talked about progressive rock, or thought that we were – whatever – progressive rock,” says Gilmour. “To me, progressive rock is very, very serious players who can really do their stuff.
"I think we were doing it long before the term progressive rock, and I think I was probably a grumpy old man in my 20s. You know, sort of, 'Nah, that's not us.'
“The whole idea of labelling – it's become more essential in this day and age. But I'm not keen on it."
Despite Gilmour's protestations, Pink Floyd's name regularly crops up when fans name a hypothetical "Big Four" or "Big Six" of progressive rock, alongside bands like Yes, Genesis, ELP, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Rush, while drummer Nick Mason was happy to accept the "Prog God" award at the Progressive Music Awards in 2017.
Other winners of the Prog God award include Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel and keyboardist Tony Banks, Yes frontman Jon Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist Rick Wakeman, ELP drummer Carl Palmer and Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson.
Earlier this month, Gilmour told Rolling Stone that fans wouldn't have long to wait for a follow-up to 2024's Luck And Strange album.
"I’m slowly building up towards a new album, and I have quite a bit of material that is in some sort of formative stage," he said. "That’s what’s keeping me busy at the moment."
