Moving this to the proper thread for my response. Oh, and I know I still need to respond to you in the Libertarianism thread Pat, but there's only so much Internet debate I can stand in any given period of time.
Everyone hold your goddamn horses.
I disagree that Floyd's instrumental ability is lackluster. Roger Waters is the least talented of the bunch, I'll agree with that; but as was said, his songwriting capabilities make up for that. Gilmour may not be the most technical guitar player, but he's conceived of some of the best guitar solos in music history, and his playing is far more tasteful than most guitarists (I'll take Gilmour over Page any day).
We might have to agree to disagree here. What you call "tasteful" in Gilmour's playing strikes me as overly precise and by-the-book. I can think of Gilmour solos that blow me away songwriting-wise, but not performance-wise. Page's guitar work, on the other hand, is gritty, visceral, and often very mystical (just think of some of the unearthly howls and moans he pulls off in "Dazed and Confused", for example). Much of Gilmour's guitar work seems like the kind of thing one could master simply by studying sheet music of it for long enough. Feel free to point out counterexamples though.
Now, you have Nick Mason (drums) and Rick Wright (keys), who are two of the most talented instrumentalists in the business. Mason is a fucking powerhouse on drums (as illustrated on the Live in Pompeii set and other live shows) and Wright is a classically trained pianist; he can play classical, jazz, rock, you name it. He was, by far, the most talented member of that group, and his instrumental ability rivals most professional classical musicians.
I haven't heard that set so I can't comment on it. I'll try to track it down. I don't really have any beef against those two like I do with Waters and Gilmour, though.
EDIT: also, Grant, which vocals by Waters do you think sound uninspired? I find him to be one of the most interesting and emotional vocalists in the history of rock music. David Gilmour's vocals can often sound very lethargic, but I think that offers a nice contrast between the two singers (see the song "Not Now John" on the album The Final Cut; both vocalists take turns singing, and it creates a nice dual-personality effect). Gilmour sings the verses; Waters sings the pre-chorus and the softer, subdued parts, and the final verse.
It's been a long time since I listened to Floyd thoroughly so my memory is fuzzy, but I can't recall any vocals of his on
Dark Side of the Moon that weren't just excessively "cool" and slick sounding, and on
Obscured by Clouds he just seemed really tired/stoned/out-of-it.
There were some moments on
The Wall where he conveyed the air of insanity and neuroticism well, and he had some nice sarcastic deliveries on
Animals (I love the lines "You're nearly a laugh / But you're really a cry"), but again there's nothing on those albums that makes me think "Wow, this guy is a really touching singer." He always seems really distant-sounding when he sings.