PINK FLOYD has released The Endless River – a tribute to late keyboardist Rick Wright – as an 18-track, four-sided double-album, with the intent of promoting the classic format.

Gilmour has confirmed Floyd’s first record in 21 years has its roots in sessions for 1993 release The Division Bell. He says: “We listened to over 20 hours of the three of us playing together. Over the last year we've added new parts, re-recorded others and generally harnessed studio technology to make a 21st century Pink Floyd album.

“With Rick gone – and with him, the chance of ever doing it again – it feels right that these revisited and reworked tracks should be made available as part of our repertoire.”

Mason adds: “This record is a good way of recognising a lot of what Rick does and how his playing was at the heart of the Pink Floyd sound. Listening back to the sessions, it really brought home to me what a special player he was.”

The Endless River is mainly instrumental, with one song, Louder Than Words, featuring lyrics by Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson.

The cover concept was created by 18-year-old Egyptian digital artist Ahmed Emad Eldin, discovered by Hipgnosis partner Po Powell following the death of Storm Thorgerson last year. Powell says: “When we saw Ahmed’s image it had an instant Floydian resonance.

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DISCOGRAPHY:

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
Soundtrack from the Film More (1969)
Ummagumma (studio and live, 1969)
Atom Heart Mother (1970)
Meddle (1971)
Obscured by Clouds (1972)
The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Wish You Were Here (1975)
Animals (1977)
The Wall (1979)
The Final Cut (1983)
A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
The Division Bell (1994)
The Endless River (2014)