Customer Reviews

Crazy Diamond : Syd Barrett & The Dawn of Pink Floyd

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A good enough book, full of stories, reminiscences, apocrypha. Unfortunately the writing is not that great, so all the trivia doesn't really give you a feel for who Syd Barrett was and why he's so fascinating. The definitive Madcap bio is still to be written, but for now this'll have to do...

If you haven't heard Barrett's material, this book is a really good place to introduce yourself to the man behind Pink Floyd. If you have, this book will undoubtedly enlighten you on the origins of Pink Floyd and Syd's subsequent demise. Crazy Diamond is a thoroughly researched book which is sympathetic to Syd's material. It portrays him as a vulnerable person who couldn't cope with the pressure of having to perform, after having almost single-handedly written the Floyd's suberb debut album Piper At The Gates of Dawn. A fantastic read . . . buy this book!

This is an amusing enough read, though rambling and somewhat poorly written. We don't really gain too much of an understanding of the man or his music, but then information about both has always been scanty, and this books does its best to at least find out the truth about reported incidents of his life.

I, like many people, and many more to come, became a Pink Floyd fan after their best work had been completed. However, I (like many others) have been so taken with the music that I had to do some research on the somewhat mythological founder and now insane recluse. This book is a definite page turner for anyone who is truly interested in Syd Barrett or Pink Floyd.