On This Day in 1994: Pink Floyd’s Album Hits #1—Roger Waters Labels It “Just Rubbish” After Leaving the Band
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The Division Bell Tops the Charts
On April 23, 1994, Pink Floyd’s album The Division Bell made its debut at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. In its first week, the record sold over 460,000 copies. The album stayed at the top for four weeks and stayed on the chart for a total of fifty-three weeks, marking a major commercial success for the band during the post-Roger Waters era.
This was Pink Floyd’s second album without Waters, who had left the group in 1985. David Gilmour and Nick Mason, along with longtime keyboardist Richard Wright, led the band during the album’s production. Many fans responded well to the release, praising its sound and connection to the band’s older style.
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Roger Waters Dismisses the Album
While The Division Bell performed well on the charts, Roger Waters had a much different opinion. He publicly criticized the album, saying it was, “Just rubbish … nonsense from beginning to end.” Waters had written most of the lyrics for Pink Floyd’s earlier albums, and he felt the band had lost its meaning after his exit.
His strong comments created more tension between him and his former bandmates. Waters had already sued the band in the late 1980s over the use of the Pink Floyd name, which added to the divide. The release of The Division Bell and its popularity reopened some of those old arguments in the public eye.
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Different Styles After the Split
After Waters left, the remaining members focused more on instrumental music and longer soundscapes, while Waters continued making solo albums with strong themes and messages. The Division Bell explored ideas about communication and conflict but lacked the political edge that Waters often brought to the group’s earlier records.
Some fans supported Waters’ view, saying the album felt empty or didn’t have the same depth as past records like The Wall or Animals. Others felt it showed the band could move forward without him. Either way, Waters’ quote stuck with fans and music critics who had followed the split closely.
Legacy and Ongoing Debate
Even years later, The Division Bell remains one of Pink Floyd’s best-selling albums. It was also their last studio album to feature Richard Wright before his death in 2008. The release became a lasting symbol of the band’s second era and a topic of debate among fans.
Waters’ reaction—calling the album “Just rubbish … nonsense from beginning to end”—still shapes how some people look at the band’s later work. It also shows how deep the division between him and the band really was, even a decade after their split.
