Ok, this is a bit left-field.. but what if Jeff Beck had never joined Pink Floyd in 1968?
As we know, Syd Barrett was becoming increasingly unreliable onstage by late 1967.. and Pink Floyd put the word out to a few guitar players - originally to replace him in concert. Many said no (including Beck himself - thinking that his own Jeff Beck Group would soon strike success), but Syd's Cambridge friend David Gilmour was quick to say yes & joined in November 1967.
By April 1968, Syd was out of the band ("We just stopped picking him up" was the line i think from a Richard Wright interview) and Pink Floyd had completed recording their 2nd album 'A Saucerful of Secrets', when they got a call from Jeff Beck, asking if the offer to join was still open. He was frustrated at the lack of success, and wanted a change. Management was keen to take the Jeff Beck Group to America to try their luck, but Jeff's patience was gone. He wanted a change of scene.
Sure it was a dilemma for Pink Floyd.. just as they had a new guitarist, they faced another big change in going to a twin-guitar band - with a genuine maestro joining that would change the power balance - but they took the leap, largely at the insistence of Richard Wright.
But what would've happened to Beck and Pink Floyd if Beck's approach had been declined? What about the knock-on effects for other bands?
As we know, Syd Barrett was becoming increasingly unreliable onstage by late 1967.. and Pink Floyd put the word out to a few guitar players - originally to replace him in concert. Many said no (including Beck himself - thinking that his own Jeff Beck Group would soon strike success), but Syd's Cambridge friend David Gilmour was quick to say yes & joined in November 1967.
By April 1968, Syd was out of the band ("We just stopped picking him up" was the line i think from a Richard Wright interview) and Pink Floyd had completed recording their 2nd album 'A Saucerful of Secrets', when they got a call from Jeff Beck, asking if the offer to join was still open. He was frustrated at the lack of success, and wanted a change. Management was keen to take the Jeff Beck Group to America to try their luck, but Jeff's patience was gone. He wanted a change of scene.
Sure it was a dilemma for Pink Floyd.. just as they had a new guitarist, they faced another big change in going to a twin-guitar band - with a genuine maestro joining that would change the power balance - but they took the leap, largely at the insistence of Richard Wright.
But what would've happened to Beck and Pink Floyd if Beck's approach had been declined? What about the knock-on effects for other bands?