Two years

and one solo album later, Waters announced that he was leaving the band. Waters' departure sparked a creative renaissance among the remaining three members, resulting in another Floyd classic, A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987). The album was universally hailed as a return to form, delighting even die-hard Floyd fans. Pulling out all the stops, the trio hit the road with yet another live extravaganza, documented by 1988's Delicate Sound of Thunder. Both albums combined sold over 11 million copies, with the live set achieving the distinction of becoming the first rock album to be played in outer space by the crew of the Soviet-French Soyuz-7 mission.