The Lawsuit That Followed 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason': How Gilmour Kept Pink Floyd Alive

When David Gilmour and Nick Mason started recording A Momentary Lapse of Reason in late 1986, Roger Waters had already declared Pink Floyd dead. He had quit the band a year earlier, but instead of letting the name fade, Gilmour pushed forward. Waters responded by filing a lawsuit in October 1986 to dissolve the Pink Floyd partnership, arguing that the band was nothing without his conceptual vision

The suit was settled out of court in 1987, just before the album’s release. Waters lost his bid to stop the name from being used, but he walked away with ownership of the inflatable pig, the Animals artwork, and the rights to perform The Wall live without the band. More importantly, he let A Momentary Lapse of Reason come out under the Pink Floyd banner — the last and only