Rating: 
Summary: Best book on Floyd thanks to the TINA factor
Review: (+) Information about Pink Floyd is scarce: Back in high school and college in India when I was a big Floyd fan, there used to be a competition among my friends to unearth any tidbit/ photo that we could about Floyd. This book would have been a goldmine back then. Even though I am no longer a Floyd-freak, "Saucerful.." was still illuminating. (+) Origins of band: Good analysis of Floyd's origins and early years, esp. in the Syd Barrett era (+) Description of live shows: Pink Floyd's stage shows have always been legendary well before the current mammoth spectacle that they've become. Shaffner does a good job in describing the early stage shows which were so innovative and "different". (-) Too much of book devoted to early days: As some others have pointed out, almost half the book is about Syd Barrett and the early days. Now I don't deny that Barrett may have been highly talented, even a visionary. But let's put things in perspective. Barrett was part of Pink Floyd for just 2 yrs -- around for the first album, "Piper at the gates of dawn" and for two songs on the second album, "Saucerful of Secrets". There's no getting away from Piper's innovativeness. However, Pink Floyd's success has come sans Barrett -- in the 30 yrs since Barrett went his own way, Pink Floyd has made 12 albums. Their acclaim and success rests largely on this Barrett-less oeuvre which is a far cry from the psychedelic, fairy-tale stuff that characterize "Piper.." -- both musically and lyrically. Think only of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and the Wall. (-) Shaffner spends too much time on the post-Final Cut Floyd, detailing their break up and the consequent vitriolic exchanges. Unfortunately, Floyd today is largely a parody, content to coast along on the Floyd brand name. The 2 albums that they've brought out are basically a rehash of their greatest hits -- all the tricks and gimmicks that they've used in the past, without any of the originality and creativity. To begin with, their titles are pretentious to the point of travesty -- Momentary Lapse of Reason, and Delicate Sound of Thunder. Indeed. (-) Wish he'd spent more time on the music and what went behind them: After all Floyd's music always seemed so "different" from anything else out there. What were Floyd's musical influences; what did their contemporaries think of them; what bands did they influence? Compare "Saucerful.." with my favorite rock book -- the famous John Lennon interview with Playboy (the full length version that was published as a book). Lennon's explanation on the genesis behind such gems as Strawberry Fields Forever, In my life et al is just brilliant. It ranks as one of the most insightful windows into the creative process that I have come across. Conclusion: At the end of the day, given the aforementioned dearth of information on Pink Floyd, I would still recommend this book. The TINA (There Is No Alternative) factor rules -- unless of course someone can point out a better book.
Rating:
Summary: Pink Floyd Odessy
Review: A Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odessy was an interesting biography of the band. It contained little known facts and interesting viewpoints. However, the book tends to rely on Syd Barret entirely too much. Almost half of the book's content is dedicated to Barret, yet in Pink Floyd's 30 year existance, Syd played a part in approximately three of those years. All in all, it makes for interesting reading, and an enjoyable time.
Rating: 
Summary: Shine on you crazy diamond!
Review: A true masterpiece for anyone into Pink Floyd, or the origins of psychadelic rock. Going into detail, the book tells of how The Pink Floyd experience started out, clubs they played, and even has pictures of concert bills, and comic books which were put out, as well as photos of early concerts. Being the consumate "Floyd Fan" I thought there wasn't a lot I didn't know already, after reading the book though, I was humbled by how much I learned! If you are a casual fan, or the Pink Floyd equivelent to the Grateful Dead's "dead heads", you will find this book easy to read, and full of information on this awesome band.
Rating:
Summary: Saucerful of Secrets
Review: A wonderful book. Well balanced and a good read. Of all my books on the subject this is the one that I quote from the most during my Floyd Tribute show. It covers Syd very well and moves right up to just before The division Bell, although there is 3 page a publishers note covering the DB. (In my copy) I was very sad to hear of Nicholas Schaffner's passing.
Alan Day
Rating:
Summary: Tome Biased Towards Gilmour
Review: An extremely well-written, intelligent biography, including a few(very few) rare pictures. Biased towards David Gilmour et cie. in the telling of the Waters years. One correction, though: India is Roger Waters, daughter, not his son as is stated in the book.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: As a top-notch fan of pink floyd, i would have to say that this book is the most complete version of their prolific history that I have ever come upon. Suggest it to your friends.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book. Sad that Syd Barrett and author no more.
Review: Fascinating book written by a great author who unfortunately died not too long ago. Speaking of Nicholas Schaffner, if you haven't read THE BEATLES FOREVER, it is well worth tracking down. This book is a nicely written account of a band that the author loved and who have influenced countless others. I love the fact that the band kept such a low profile, while always selling well to their loyal followers. Besides DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, there is attention to many of the high and low points about the band's long career. Of course, the details behind Syd Barrett are sad but told with respect to the former leader of the group. I found it touching that Syd's sister was interviewed and explained it was best to leave Syd alone since thinking about his past only upsets him (the author did not interview Syd, thankfully). There are many stories that were exciting, but I found the most interesting the description of how DARK SIDE OF THE MOON was played in its entirety before it was ever released commercially. That must have been a thrilling event! Fun stuff from a one of a kind band.
Rating:
Summary: Hear the Floyd. Read the Floyd.
Review: For all Pink Floyd fans who would like to learn more about this extraordinary assemblage of talent, this is the book for you. Schaffner takes us from the earliest years, from before Dave Gilmour was a part of the band, all the way up to the tour for "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" (the recording of which was later released as "The Delicate Sound Of Thunder"). After reading these pages, one is transfixed with the idea that he has actually known the Floyd personages first-hand. We feel sympathetic for Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett while he slowly (but not subtly) goes insane. We gain a newfound respect for the interchange between Roger Waters the poet & Dave Gilmour the musician. It is fascinating to trace the band's career thru the years as they get along, then don't get along, end up filing lawsuits and (eventually) start taking shots at each other via their music (as in the case of Gilmour's "High Hopes"). Most importantly, however, is attention levied on the Floyd's dedication to their craft. Unlike perhaps 90% of the rock bands of today, the Floyd was / is not about image. No dancing with pythons wrapped around their neck, or posters of them with Jack Daniels, or any other nonsense. No, the Floyd has always been about a group of serious musicians getting together to make great things happen. It is no wonder that the late great Leonard Bernstein was such a big fan of theirs. For that matter, it is also no surprise that the Floyd was a big fan of his as well. [You can read all about this relationship / correspondance here, too!] Here is their story, laid out in a exquisite clairty and sensitivity that you will not find in other bios. Schaffner takes us thru the ups, the downs & the in-betweens of one of the most innovative and talented rock bands to ever grace vinyl, audiotape and compact disk. A must read for Pink Floyd fans everywhere.
Rating:
Summary: A balanced biography of Pink Floyd
Review: For those left on the dark side of the moon wondering what happened to Pink Floyd at the end of the 80's, this book goes to the heart. Reading a biography helps you listen to music in a whole different light, leaving you less a fanatic and more sympathetic to how a group of artists (first lesson, normal artists act alone) handle fame and relationships. The Floyd handled it predictably, with denial and immorality: the whole rock star life. Sadly, the life we long for but don't really understand. Nick portrays all this with a close attention to human nature. Not to mention he's followed the band all his life, and was rewarded with rare access on a few occasions. It is not a pleasant read in the fact that many of your preconceived notions of who Pink Floyd "are" will be demolished. Even the "evil" Roger Waters we have all come to love and stereotype is a family man with failings, and we see that his songs simply come out of that frustration with the everyday. His war stuff is just the war stuff we'd write if we put our office rants to paper. And he writes it much better. And Schaffner captures the flavor. This is a very good book.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Reflection of Self-Deception
Review: God, i loved this book! 200 pages of Syd Barrett. What a role model for any pink floyd fan. Total potential, wasted and thrown away, discarded at the age of 23. Syd could have been a world changer. He held the potential many smart people have. Instead, he threw it away naively, maximizing the moment. I'm a huge Roger Waters fan, for many years. This book showed me the impressions where roger formed Animals and The Wall. Especially The Wall. I can't believe how syd just sacrificed himself to pleasure and self-satisfaction. And people call it art. Ha! There are 1000's of people who died unknown in lame rock-art bands. Everyone knows syd because the other members carried the group to stardom. Did you see "Syd and Nancy" (about the sex pistols)? In the end, syd vicious states "I want to go out in an blaze of glory.". Syd Vicious did. Syd Barrett did the slow rust gig. He's GOT to beat himself up daily for the stupid choices he's made. His buddies are multi-millionaires, and he's the self-satisfied broken, bruised and drunken founder. Small consolation in maggie thatcher's capitalistic transformation of england's economy. The memory of 20 year old Syd strumming thoughtlessly, in a drug induced haze, creating ethereal music, is a deceived, romantic , awful conclusion. Don't romantize the waste of talent. Mr. Schaffner really did his homework in this book. "The bleeding hearts and artists". i'm a bigger waters-period floyd fan now than ever. syd was all style, no follow-through. He couldn't be bothered with it. If you can't handle the pressue of making something, how can you call yourself a genius? Think about it. Now, I'm sure i'll get beat up by the people who claim "life abuses the sensitive artist. Leave Syd alone." You're so right. I'm not beating up on Syd, i'm learning from his leason. This is all the more reason to learn to defend yourself against harsh "life". What an awesome tale of a lost soul, deluded. Read this book!
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