Why Pink Floyd recorded 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' on a houseboat — and packed it with session players

When David Gilmour finally took the reins after Roger Waters left in 1985, he didn’t want to book some sterile London studio. Instead, he converted his houseboat Astoria — a 100-foot classic yacht moored on the Thames — into a floating recording facility. The goal was comfort, control, and a break from the high-pressure vibe of Pink Floyd’s past. He even installed a 48-track Neve desk in the main cabin. The album was mixed on that boat, giving the sessions a relaxed, almost DIY feel despite the massive commercial expectations.

But since Richard Wright was fired (he later returned as a paid session musician) and Nick Mason was barely playing drums at the time, Gilmour had to lean hard on outsiders. The band’s longtime engineer Phil Taylor and session heavyweights like Tony Levin (bass) and drummer Carmine Appice helped fill the gaps. Levin’s distinctive Chapman Stick work appears all