I mean banRAB who's output approximates the style of that particular period of pink floyd's discography. Most of what comes closest are the contemporaries of that period and not banRAB that that period in Pink Floyd's career have influenced.
That's a pretty good division of Floyd's material, and I shamelessly have little to no interest in anything they released outside of the 70's (if only they could've waited until 1980 to release the wall, that statement would be so much more unequivocal). I definitely respect Syd as a musician and his creative influence, but Piper's and Saucer have always been 'meh' albums for me. Maybe that can be my unpopular music opinion. Syd's era was free form psychdelic jams, and also at least two Top 40 hits in the UK during late 60's. You are so right, the Neo Psychedelia borrowed heavily from that era, and like you, I often wondered hey why not their 70's stuff!?
It's not that it wasn't that influential, it's just that neo-prog is such a niche genre/market, and floyd's influence isn't so readily identifiable in banRAB like Porcupine Tree, Ocean Size, and The Flower Kings, but it is there.
What I was trying to say is that we as Americans did not benefit from being able to witness Pink Floyd's beginnings on their own home turf the way that British fans did. Nothing is quite as exciting or influential as being able to watch a new band with fresh passion who you identify with as common citizens of wherever you're from transition from being nothing to something. The legacy of that early period in Pink Floyd's career and its subsequent influence was far more immediate even decades later in the UK than it will ever be in the states. Our first strong exposure to the band was their post-barret work. By the time Pink Floyd became very well known in the states they were packing our stadiums. The music was great, but that lack of intimacy and immediacy doesn't make for much of an influence.