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Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey
 
 
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Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Nineteen sixty-six in London was wide open..." (more)
Key Phrases: astronomy domine, pink floyd, Roger Waters, Syd Barrett, Nick Mason (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)

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Frequently Bought Together

Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey + Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd + Syd Barrett: Crazy Diamond: The Dawn Of Pink Floyd
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Saucerful of Secrets is the first in-depth biography of this very private group. At the heart of the saga is Syd Barrett, the group's brilliant founder, whose public decline into shattered incoherence--attributable in part to his marathon use of LSD--is one of the tragedies of rock history. The making of Dark Side of the Moon and Floyd's other great albums is recounted in detail, as are the mounting of "The Wall"  and the creation of the flying pigs, crashing  planes, "Mr. Screen" and the other elements of their spectacular stage shows. The book also explores the many battles between bass player/song writer Roger Waters and the rest of the group, leading up to Water's acrimonious departure for a solo  career in 1984 and his unsuccessful attempt to disolve the group he had left behind.

Saucerful of Secrets is an electrifying account of this ground-breaking, mind-bending group, covering every period of their career from  earliest days to latest recordings. It is full of  revealing information that will be treasured by all who love Pink Floyd's music.


From the Publisher

Saucerful Of Secrets is the first in-depth biography of this very private group. At the heart of the saga is Syd Barrett, the group's brilliant founder, whose public decline into shattered incoherence -- attributable in part to his marathon use of LSD -- is one of the tragedies of rock history. The making of "Dark Side of the Moon" and Floyd's other great albums is recounted in detail, as are the mounting of "The Wall" and the creation of the flying pigs, crashing planes, "Mr. Screen" and the other elements of their spectacular stage shows. The book also explores the many battles between bass player/song writer Roger Waters and the rest of the group, leading up to Water's acrimonious departure for a solo career in 1984 and his unsuccessful attempt to disolve the group he had left behind.

Saucerful Of Secrets is an electrifying account of this ground-breaking, mind-bending group, covering every period of their career from earliest days to latest recordings. It is full of revealing information that will be treasured by all who love Pink Floyd's music.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 348 pages
  • Publisher: Delta (June 1, 1992)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385306849
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385306843
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #103,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Nicholas Schaffner
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Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey
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Customer Reviews

49 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
 (9)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (49 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hear the Floyd. Read the Floyd., September 29, 2001
By D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
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.

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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read. Highly Recommended., July 11, 2006
I remember reading this book about 8 years ago. It still sticks with me. This book is huge. A lot of details about the early days of the band. I think almost half of it is about the Syd Barrett days. I recommend it to any true fan of Pink Floyd, Syd, or of Rock N Roll in general. I wish I didn't lend it out. I will be buying it again for sure. It's well worth it.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets revealed, July 1, 2000
By Kevin (Hamilton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
Though the bad blood between Roger Waters and David Gilmour is no big secret, here we start to understand how it and the biggest band in "psychodelic" music came about. From its "crazy" founder Syd Barrett to the Roger Water's "The Wall" concert in Berlin, Schaffner shows how egos and talent built and tore apart this band.

"Saucerful.." seems a bit one sided at times. Waters is almost always depicted as a need-to-be-in-charge egomanic, and despite being kicked out of the band some 25 odd years ago, Barrett's story takes up almost half of the book. This doesn't however take away from the information that's presented here. All of the thoughts, feelings, and goings-on that were present during the making of "Dark Side...", "Atom Heart Mother", "Animals", "The Wall", and all the other great Floyd albums are well described here.

This book is a must read for any Floyd fan to see how it all became to be.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good!.
A Very well written and Complete history of Pink Floyd up to 1992. My only wish was that the Author would add a few Chapters on Newer things such as the G8 reunion, Richard... Read more
Published 11 months ago by J. Thomas

4.0 out of 5 stars Best overall Floyd biography out there
The recent demise of Pink Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright was my impetus for reading this well-researched biography of the rock group. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Glen Engel Cox

5.0 out of 5 stars great book!!!
As a true Pink Floyd fan I can sincerely say that the author of the book does a great job in telling the story of this great band.
Published on September 13, 2007 by I. Ibarra

2.0 out of 5 stars Saucerful of Secrets
Buy Nick Mason's "Inside Out" biographical book instead. Much better - great photos & the real story. This one's a snoozer.
Published on February 9, 2007 by Steve C.

5.0 out of 5 stars What do I have to say to make you buy this book??
Its incredible, best book about Pink Floyd you will ever read.

If you're a fan, whether it is an avid fan or a casual fan, you will enjoy this book. Read more
Published on January 4, 2007 by J. Bell

3.0 out of 5 stars Lukewarm
(I meant to give this two stars, whoops...)
I'm surprised at the the general acceptence that this is a great bio, and that the negative reviews don't seem to really express... Read more
Published on September 24, 2006 by Colin Ager

5.0 out of 5 stars A compulsive read
I've read and re-read this book countless times in the years since purchasing it while waiting to be called for dinner one night. Read more
Published on February 15, 2006 by William J. Eichelberger

3.0 out of 5 stars Language isssues
I was uncomfortable reading this book. I felt like I needed a degree in English Literature to decipher the language and sentence structure. Read more
Published on January 17, 2006 by Patricia A. Sampson

5.0 out of 5 stars Saucerful of Secrets
A Mighty insight into One of The Greatest Bands that has Blessed us with A Journey of Musical Pleasure that has yet to be
eclipsed by any Artist in their Genre... Read more
Published on August 16, 2005 by Peter J. Dacy

5.0 out of 5 stars Saucerful of Secrets
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. Read more
Published on July 24, 2004 by A J Day

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