Agreed... Though after he effectively kicked Rick out of the band shortly before "The Wall" tour and Bob Ezrin helped convince him to allow Rick back into the band as an "employee," and as a result, he was the only one of the 4 who actually made money on the tour.
Thank god Rick had one last chance to tour with Gilmour before he passed.
Actually, he appeared on "On an Island" and I believe he was able to do a couple of tours with David. But you're absolutely right. When Rick would come to his vocal parts on "Comfortably Numb" you could hear the love from the audiences. He was an integral part of Pink Floyd, and Waters thought it was all about him.
Mark
I got goosebumps when I heard that *ping* that signalled the beginning of Echoes.
One of my favorite early Floyd songs, sung by Rick.
Paintbox
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMUjhF8snU