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Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey

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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.

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.

There really aren't a whole lot of books out there about Pink Floyd's history, which is surprising considerind that Floyd is one of the best groups in rock history, not to mention the fact that the group's history is much more unique than most others that have lasted for more than two decades. As a result, this book stands out as a wonderful piece of writing, both well-researched and fully documented. Though the now-defunct Roger Waters passed on the opportunity to be personally interviewed for the book, Waters and his views about the remaining members of the band carrying on without him (but with the same famous name) are well-represented here. While re-examining the battles -- some of which were fought in court, while others were staged in the print media -- that took place between Waters and the rest of the group after he left, the author retains a fair sence of objectivity, allowing his readers to decide which side is in the right. But Waters doesn't even represent Floyd's original leadership, though he was in the band from the beginning. In exhaustive detail, the author investigates the group's early rise to popularity in the underground of the British music scene. Most of that early popularity can be attributed to Syd Barrett, who served as the group's lead guitarist and vocalist and authored most of the songs on its debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn. In one of rock's most tragic stories, Barrett slowly began to lose his mind as Floyd became more and more popular, a situation that some have blamed on the front man's constant use of hallucinogenic substances. Barrett would eventually become too bizarre and unstable to remain a productive member of the group. Enter David Gilmour, a man who would one day become one of rock's most accomplished guitarists, but who to this point had yet to establish himself. Many of Floyd's fans and a lot of music executives thought the group would suffer terribly without the charismatic Barrett, ultimately causing it to disband. For awhile, there was no reason for these skeptics to change their minds. Floyd's next few albums were, for the most part forgettable. They did a number of movie soundtracks and even an advertisement for a European soft drink, the latter of which the band would later regret. Meddle proved to be a huge step in the right direction, but Floyd's popularity went through the roof with the release of what I believe is the greatest album in rock history, Dark Side of the Moon. All of the band's subsequent albums would prove successful as Pink Floyd became a household name in the music industry. As the band continued pumping out solid product, Roger Waters became more obsessive about certain subjects like war and the death of his father; he also became obsessive over his role in the band, becoming its leader and eventually taking complete control of its creative direction. The others in the band, of course, came to think of Waters as too bent on getting his own way, never letting anybody else have any influence on the music. By the time The Wall was released, Waters was almost the only group member contributing anything, although Gilmour always claimed that he too played an important role in the making of the album. Floyd's next album, The Final Cut, is considered by most a solo project, an assertion that seems very reasonable due to the fact that the inside cover reads, "An album by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd." The Final Cut was the last Pink Floyd album on which Waters would appear. When the group regathered itself, with Gilmour now clearly at the helm, for another album, Momentary Lapse of Reason, Waters began a public outcry about his former colleagues' use of the Pink Floyd name. To Waters, he was Pink Floyd and the only reason Gilmour and crew wouldn't create a new moniker for themselves is that they were more interested in money than in product quality. Unfortunately for Waters, through several court battles, the group has been allowed to keep its name and has made a few more, not very notable albums. To this day it seems there is animosity between Waters and the rest of Floyd. This book makes it clear that the potential for a future reunioun, while a wonderful idea, is not good because Waters has no respect for the other Floyd and they are scared to death of the thought of him returning to once again control their every musical whim. What is interesting to note is that none of the group's members have made any successful solo albums. Everytime one of them struck out on his own, it was obvious that he needed the others to make a cohesive rock statement. This is most likely a result of them being unfriendly with the press and not putting pictures of themselves all over most of their successful albums. Because they succeeded in putting up a cloud of mystery surrounding the group, none of the guys ever became stars independent of the group. All of them, however, are responsible for producing some of the best music ever made, and this book perfectly captures the aura of Pink Floyd and its troubled history.

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.

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.

Secrets is the best, even handed and articulate book on every phase of Floyd that has been written. Every book I've looked at after argues for Barrett's Floyd, Waters' Floyd or Gilmour's Floyd vs. taking a fair look at the accomplishments of all versions of the band. It's a pity that no journalist has chosen to update the late Nick Schaffner's book. It doesn't cover the very last album made under Gilmour's lead (which, despite much critical bashing, I feel is among their best).

Schaffner had access to both insiders and many rare sources when he put this book together in the late 80's (it was published after his death in 1991). His knowledge as a musician also helps give a fairness to the best and worst of Floyd. I was particularly interested in the section that discusses the recording of Barrett's post Floyd solo albums and Wright, Gilmour and Waters' involvement in helping out their own, fragmented friend.

There's also a selected discography that includes the results of The Amazing Pudding's '89 Readers Poll of Best and Worst FLoyd albums. The for (pardon the pun)record:
Best- Wish You Were Here, Dark Side, The Wall, Animals, Piper at the Gates. The Worst- The FInal Cut. Bestselling (at the time of the book's publication)-Dark Side, The Wall, Wish, Animals and Momentary Lapse. Best Floyd songs-Comfortably Numb, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Echoes, Wish You Were Here, Time. Worst: The Dogs of War.

Worth picking up although, again, it obviously lacks any information after 1991. I'd rank Secrets as one of the best books written on the band.

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. It isn't the traditional tale of road excess and lurid lifestyles, but instead a nicely done history of the band from its beginnings to the controversial "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason". Pink Floyd may have toured and partied as hard as any band, but even when they were at their commercial peak, these tales never seemed to find their way into the media. This may have been because they were always somewhat overshadowed by the tragic circumstances surrounding the loss of founding member Syd Barrett, the band's enigmatic, charismatic leader. The story of Syd is disturbing, but seems to have gone a long way toward convincing the rest of the Floyd that the rock star trip was not one to be taken lightly, and we're all the richer for it.

Many years ago, Nicholas Schaffner, author of this excellent volume on that rocking band of space cadets known as Pink Floyd, wrote a book entitled The British Invasion, dealing with all the rock bands that came from John Bull's Island (an old, OLD term for Great Britain!)in the sixites and seventies, with several extended chapters on the most important bands, including the Floyd. Schaffner's writing was so lucid and intense, yet free-flowing, particularly concerning the madcap ex-guitarist named Syd Barrett, that I resolved there and then to someday pick up an entire, updated book of the Floyd. Well, in one respect, Saucerful of Secrets fills the bill nicely. Schaffner's writing is still wonderfully lucid and is an easy, entertaining read throughout, and as free from bias as any book of the FLoyd is likely to be. (If bassist Roger Waters seems to come in for more than his share of bashing, it merely confirms what I have learned from most of the other sources I have read to date.) Unfortunately, Schaffner is deceased; he died in 1991 and no one has seen fit to update his work as of this writing. He has done such a fine job covering all the bases of the band's founding, the early happenings with UFO, Syd's creativity, drug usage, and subsequent withdrawal, the formulation of a Syd-less group identity, the Golden Years of Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, the early fragmentation into two camps: Roger Waters and everyone else, the Wall and early solo projects, the Roger-less Floyd, and Water's final triumph at the Berlin Wall. All told very, very well indeed! Now, would some enterprising journalist or former band insider provide the needed updates, including such topics as Water's 2000 tour and Gilmour's escapades with one Sir Paul McCartney? Please?? Millions of Floyd fans would be most appreciative. In any case, for a great read of how the Floyd got to be Pink, get this book now and any subsequent updates as they are written. The secrets of this wonderful odyssey await you by the saucerful!!!

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

Schaffner came of age in the late 1960s, so it's not surprising that he focuses much of this biography on The Pink Floyd's early years (before they dropped the "The" from their name). This book is a gold mine of anecdotes about Syd Barrett, who in 1968 was forced out of the band he co-founded. Schaffner's sources are as reliable as they can be, 20+ years after the fact. The author's familiarity with the London rock/club circuit of the mid-60s is vital to this book's thesis and is one of its main strengths. In the early days, The Pink Floyd thrived on improvisation (and drugs).

Syd Barrett is more important to Pink Floyd than his brief career with the band would suggest; many of Pink Floyd's most successful albums of the 1970s are imaginative recollections and descriptions of madness. Syd Barrett was The Crazy Diamond of "Wish You Were Here," and he cast a long shadow over the band's successes.

Aside from that, Barrett's loony artistry and psychological disintegration comprises the most interesting portion of this surprisingly down-to-earth band's story. Barrett makes Waters, Wright, et. al. seem like tuneful businessmen by comparison.

Finally, it's refreshing to read an honest appraisal of Pink Floyd's late work, which is competent and dull when it isn't a competent retread of more exciting old material. Syd Barrett was never dull.