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Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd |  | Author: Nick Mason
Publisher: Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
Category: Book
List Price: $15.90
Buy New: $11.58
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Seller: aphrohead_books_uk
Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 57010
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0753819066
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.421660922
EAN: 9780753819067
ASIN: 0753819066
Publication Date: October 6, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The paperback will have a brand new chapter on the band's historic decision to re-form after so many years in order to play at the LIVE8 concert, including Sir Bob's intervention! Plus new, never before seen, photos of the band both onstage and backstage at the concert. One of the most fascinating rock bands ever, Pink Floyd was formed in 1965. After a year in the London 'underground' experimenting with revolutionary techniques like lights which matched their music, they released their first single in 1966. Their breakthrough album, THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, was released in 1973 and stayed in the charts until 1982, the longest a record has ever been continuously in the charts, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 1975 they released WISH YOU WERE HERE which reached iconic status, then in 1979 THE WALL went to number 1 in almost every country in the world. The movie version of THE WALL starring Bob Geldof was released in 1982, becoming a cult favorite. In the 1980s a rift developed between the band members which culminated in law suits. Only recently have there been reconciliations which have allowed founder member Nick Mason to write his personal take on the band's history.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
 Fun read about the band, but not much about the music February 3, 2010
rocket21
I'm not one for reading entertainment-related books, however I have always been intrigued by the long and interesting history of Pink Floyd. Rather than buy an unofficial book, I opted to buy this one, since I knew the information it was generally first hand.
The main advantage of the book is that Nick Mason has been in the band throughout every incarnation. In addition, he has a witty, self deprecating, sense of humor that makes it an enjoyable read.
That said, there is very little detail about the music. While pages upon pages are dedicated to the light shows, there is very little information about the writing and recording of most of the albums. As I read in a review of the book awhile back, "was he even there?"
Nonetheless, there were some interesting things in the book that I had not seen or read before. Perhaps the most striking was the photo of Syd Barrett when he visited the Wish You Were Here sessions - while I had read various descriptions of how shocking the change was in his appearance over only a few years, the photo really drove that point home.
Net net - if you want to learn about the music, keep looking. If you want an enjoyable summary of the band's history, this might be a decent choice.
Englishly Witty and Full of Photos and Facts July 27, 2009
Bud (Seminole, Texas, USA)
The politics, events, dates, and discographies of Pink Floyd have been exhaustingly well-documented over the years, particularly on internet fan sites. But the first official history of the band by one of its members, drummer (and only member to remain in the band and never leave throughout its multi-decade run) Nick Mason, is worth the thirty bucks or so...as long as it's the only Pink Floyd biography you plan to buy in your lifetime.
Mason's structure of Pink Floyd's story is solid, even if his account of the more tense "battle of words" period from the late 70s to mid-80s leaves quite a bit to be desired, lacking a lot of juicy he-said/she-said gossip and tidbits.
Though Mason has scant songwriting credits under his marching-hammer belt buckle, "Inside Out" shows that he was still deeply involved in the creative process, even after self-imposed leader and bassist Roger Waters left the band in the 80s. Mason's wit and humor are distinctly English, sharp and articulate but never laugh-out-loud funny. His amusing but wise fashion of telling the story of one of the most celebrated rock bands on the planet make it a worthwhile read, but what really makes the giant book a good buy is the massive load of photographs, many previously unseen, from both Mason's own private archive and other sources.
The more thorough fans will appreciate the many bits of trivia they can pick up from reading "Inside Out"; as a Floyd freak myself, it took reading this book to discover that one of the considered titles for 1994's "The Division Bell" album was "Pow Wow," or that album designer Storm Thorgerson was nearly shot while trying to take pictures of the Egyptian pyramids for the "Dark Side of the Moon" sleeve. However, some fans may be compelled to skip over Mason's many details about stage and sound equipment.
"Inside Out" gets the story right, and coming from its most neutral member, it is an unbiased, honest and witty account of the history of Pink Floyd. Unless the other two surviving members, Roger Waters and David Gilmour, decide to collaborate on a new Pink Floyd historical document (which will happen when "Dark Side of the Moon" finally stops selling), Nick Mason's unbiased version is the only Floyd file you'll need for a while.
Pink Floyd history with minimal warts May 27, 2009
zvirbulis
I would agree with many of the reviews here - it provides a comprehensive, if superficial, history of the band. As many have pointed out, it could use details like:
- more on Syd! this I think is my major complaint about the book - it glosses overy Syd. I imagine the abandonment of Syd would be painful to write about, but this is one of the most tragic chapters in the history of the band, and needs to be expanded
- more on Roger vs Dave - it seems like Nick has gone out of his way to try not to offend either, thereby leaving a rather sterile overview of both men
- it would have been nice to read more about the songs themselves, but for that, I assume we will have to wait for the Waters autobiography (which will be very balanced, I'm sure!)
This book is mainly meant for new fans of Pink Floyd. For those who have obsessively picked up magazines with stories about the band, unfortunately, you will find very little here you didn't know already.
Oh what could have been... February 28, 2009
quoter
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The other reviews written about this book that mention the fact that Nick Mason left a lot of the "juicy stuff" out of his story are exactly right. I was ready to learn so much about the dysfunction of this great band, personal stories about the breakdown of Syd, and learning more about the creative riff between Waters and Gilmour. Sadly, I was left with nothing really concrete or descriptive on these matters.
The book conceptually is very well done, and the great pics alone are worth the price. After reading the whole thing, my opinion of Nick Mason is that of a drummer who saw a lot of things going on but never really wanted to get involved with the nasty stuff himself so he took the path of least resistance.
I had many questions I was hoping to get answers to before picking the book up. Were there any specific accounts by Mason as to the band members talking directly to Syd about his problems? How did they decide between Gilmour and Waters who would sing which song? Were there any big blowout fights between Waters and Gilmour (and the band)? What did Waters get specifically for settling out of court and allowing Pink Floyd to carry on with the name? Why did Mason and Gilmour even bother helping to make The Final Cut? - Sadly, I didn't really find the answers to any of these.
Still, the book is a good read and I recommend it to any Floyd fan. I can honestly say there isn't much I didn't already know that this book focuses on.
 The actual inner workings and stories of Pink Floyd, as told by their drummer! November 18, 2008
Mavdog101 (USA)
This is a truly magical read and a must-have for all Pink Floyd fans! Nick Mason gives us perspective from within the band, from the beginning and through the end of Pink Floyd's wild ride as master's of the rock-n-roll universe for over 4 decades...
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
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