Product Description

Here, for the first time, is the story of Pink Floyd from the inside out. With 116 million albums sold worldwide and 25 years on the pop charts to their credit, Pink Floyd is one of the most successful rock groups in history, yet their story until now is one of the least known. The only continuous member of the band through its entire 40-year history, Nick Mason has witnessed every twist, turn, and sommersault from behind his drum kit. The journey begins with the band's origins as the darlings of London's late 1960s underground and the creation of the classic Pink Floyd sound, all the way through to The Wall and those legendary stadium shows. Here are the players who shaped the band's history and the story behind the story the inside perspective on, for example, the deterioration and departure of Syd Barrett; the overwhelming success of The Dark Side of the Moon and the resulting pressures and conflicts within the band, including the rift with Roger Waters; and Nick and David Gilmour's decision to put their reputations on the line and continue as Pink Floyd. Packed with rare photographs and vintage Floyd graphics from Nick Mason's extensive private archive, Inside Out is an eye-opener for both veteran fans and those just discovering the group. And, in keeping with the classic Floyd style, the book's cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson, creator of such iconic images as the Dark Side pyramid. Always candid, by turns poignant and funny, Nick's own memories are augmented with extensive research and interviews, making Inside Out a comprehensive history of one of the most brilliant and imaginative bands the world has known and a masterly memoir of rock and roll.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #83434 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-17
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

From Booklist
The landmark British psychedelic band Pink Floyd's founding drummer limns the group, named after two early bluesmen, in a profusely illustrated coffee-table tome. The band's spacey arrangements, instrumentation, and light shows made it famous; the drug-burnout fate of original leader Syd Barrett, who was later institutionalized, helped, too. As Barrett's legend grew, his former colleagues moved the band closer to the rock mainstream and scored massive hits with such albums as Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Mason tracks the outfit's progress from the members' meeting in art school a la the Who, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and other revered British rockers. He details the band's journey from jazzy R & B to the psychedelic explorations that eventually dominated its output. Given Pink Floyd's erstwhile association with mood-altering substances, the more recent story of band members' children's covert strategy to score at a concert is particularly piquant. Incisive, and freighted with pictures, this is a lush treat for the band's considerable fandom. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Nick Mason first played with Roger Waters and Syd Barrett at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London in 1964, although they wouldn t become Pink Floyd until the following year. He lives in the UK.

Customer Reviews

Musician Spills Beans, Perhaps Eggs
For those looking for the detailed low-down on why Pink Floyd achieved intense fame before the celebrity of their faces being recognized on the street, other reviewers have said 'search elsewhere'. Nick, though a fine writer, reveals few tidbits that the more fanatical PF fan wouldn't know. However, the inadvertant genius of the book is certainly its timing, and I'm fortunate to write this review a few years after its release. Of second mention is that drummer Nick Mason opens a sort of secret door on how small the world artistic community is, even if you don't subscribe to the six-degrees-of-separation theory.

On April 15, 2005, I attended Nick's book signing at Seattle's Experience Music Project, where he simply answered the standard questions fans throw out about Syd, Dark Side of the Moon and the Wall, will the Floyd ever reunite... For my part, I asked how he felt about the recent settlement (for hundreds of thousands of pounds) with Claire Torry, singer on The Great Gig in the Sky. He felt she got paid long ago, but people always seem to want more. He is actually a very quiet, normal guy, and can be transparent in his emotions. If he were American, he'd be watching NASCAR. Nick explained he had to get on and write the book quickly, as people who knew the band's intimate history were already passing. More on that presently.

Well, to everyone's surprise, Pink Floyd reunited to play Live 8 on July 2, 2005, to show their support for African Debt relief. Perhaps we have Nick Mason to thank, as he has undoggedly served as 'negotiator' between Roger Waters and the rest of the band, and not grudgingly maintaining friendship with Waters through all these years.

Throughout Nick's book, it is clear PF has spent an enormous amount of their wealth funding and backing philanthropic enterprises. That they should reunite just once for Live 8 shows their combined continued commitment to causes. For those who missed the show, AOLs broadcast was the best. A literally touching moment came during the stage bow when Richard Wright reached around the shoulder's of Dave and Nick to touch Roger's arm. Recall that Roger vociferously demanded Wright's outing from the band, resulting in Rick's non-appearance on The Final Cut. Nick speaks a lot about Roger's less-than-appreciation of Rick on p.247.

Also, we did lose Syd Barrett in July, 2006.

The book's photos put together in one place a sort of cut-short family album. There are Nick's personal photos of his meeting with Jimi Hendrix. (We don't see Hendrix's photos of Nick.) There's a photo of people on the beach with toddler-age Naomi Watts, daughter of PF road manager Peter Watts. Readers attempting to piece together a broader picture of the band will appreciate Nick's focus on gadgets the band used for sound and image enhancement. In that, one can see the PF propensity for technological superiority and delicateness, before the arms race for decibels reached fever pitch in the 70s.

The naysayers might comment that the book is too picture-bound, but one must strongly consider the band's emphasis throughout their career on imagery. It is commendable that Pink Floyd used every available gimmick to expose their work to the public. Cynics may say that have enough money, but for artists, it is as much a giving relationship through the expression of music and its requisite ancillary cover and stage art. That the band members have private lives is difficult for us to fathom. Nick Mason subtely ensures we're aware of that.

Remember When They Were Young
Detached music journalists and assorted types of hangers-on often attempt to write biographies of famous bands, but for the real goods it's always best to get it from the inside. It also helps if the band member in question can actually write. Nick Mason appears to have an acceptably clear memory on 40 years worth of history and his writing style is enjoyable, making this book the definitive Pink Floyd biography so far. Nick's style is often funny and self-deprecating, and while some of his historical details contradict other sources (such as who sang lead on certain songs) the book certainly has the feel of an authentic source. Also, as the writer Nick is entitled to talk about his own life, but fortunately he does so sparingly and humbly. Just watch out for some of that dry British humor which doesn't always translate too well, or frequent chunks of barely comprehensible Britspeak like "looked after the punts for rent on the Cam."

The great advantage of this book is that unlike many rock biographies, Nick covers all periods of Pink Floyd's history relatively equally, from the early amateur schoolboy days to the overblown megatours of the 1990s, instead of focusing on certain periods that an outside writer (or fan) would find more interesting than others. As a result, we learn a lot about the personalities within the band and their associates, and a fair amount about their creative processes. Most importantly, Nick provides some quite authoritative insights into the band's biggest stories - most notably the sad mental collapse of Syd Barrett, the ugly legal battle between David Gilmour and Roger Waters in the later years, and the 2005 reunion at Live 8. And upon witnessing this book's rich illustrations, you'll be glad that Nick and his friends have been faithfully carrying cameras around for so many years. [~doomsdayer520~]

item in excellent condition and fast shipment!!!
As a true Pink Floyd fan I can sincerely say that this book does a great job in telling the story of this great band.