In July 2005 in Hyde Park, before a global audience in the tens of millions, Pink Floyd performed together on stage for the first time in 24 years. As even Bob Geldof himself acknowledged, it was 'a far bigger story than Live 8 itself'. From the moment the metronomic pulse of a human heartbeat thudded out to begin 'Speak to Me' to the soaring, stinging guitar solo by David Gilmour that climaxed 'Comfortably Numb', these four self-effacing men in their late fifties stole the show. Almost a year later, the death of their troubled and reclusive founder-member Syd Barrett made headline news around the world. Both events signalled a kind of closure to the remarkable tale of one of the world's biggest bands. Now, in the first full-length history of the group for over 15 years, Mark Blake tells the complete story of how a group of middle-class Englishmen who grew up together in Cambridge went on to conquer the world with such classic albums as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall, and put on some of the most pyrotechnically spectacular stage shows of all time. Drawing on his own interviews with all of the band members, plus almost a hundred new interviews with the group's friends, road crew, producers, designers, former housemates and university colleagues - some of whom have never spoken before - as well as musical contemporaries including Pete Townshend and Alice Cooper, "Pigs Might Fly" follows Pink Floyd all the way from the early psychedelic nights at UFO in the mid-sixties to the stadium-rock and concept-album zenith of the seventies, and finally the acrimonious schism that sundered the band in the eighties and nineties. Along the way there are fascinating new revelations about Syd Barrett's chaotic menage at the time of Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the band's painstaking and Byzantine recording sessions at Abbey Road, and the fractious negotiations to bring about their fragile, tantalising reunion in Hyde Park. Meticulous, exacting and ambitious as any Pink Floyd album, "Pigs Might Fly" is the definitive account of this most adventurous, and at the same time most English of rock bands.
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Review
"A detailed, orderly, first-rate read..." 4 out of 5 stars -- Q, October 2007
"Mark Blake brings Floydology into the 21st Century with this handsomely produced volume..." -- THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
"Mark Blake does Pink Floyd juctice with some heroic research..."
4 out of 5 Stars -- MOJO, October 2007
"Mark Blake does Pink Floyd justice with some heroic research..."
4 out of 5 Stars -- MOJO, October 2007
"The best Pink Floyd biography you'll ever read." -- THE WORD, November 2007
"Thorough and well-researched... Lots of new material..." -- THE OBSERVER
`This is without question the most complete and extensive work on the history of Pink Floyd yet...the weightiest and most comprehensive of tomes'
-- Record Collector, Nov 2007 issue
`Until Pink himself writes his memoirs, this is the best Floyd biography you'll read'
-- Word Nov 2007 issue
`highly readable' -- Metro 10th Oct 07
"Mark Blake brings Floydology into the 21st Century with this handsomely produced volume..." -- THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
"Mark Blake does Pink Floyd juctice with some heroic research..."
4 out of 5 Stars -- MOJO, October 2007
"Mark Blake does Pink Floyd justice with some heroic research..."
4 out of 5 Stars -- MOJO, October 2007
"The best Pink Floyd biography you'll ever read." -- THE WORD, November 2007
"Thorough and well-researched... Lots of new material..." -- THE OBSERVER
`This is without question the most complete and extensive work on the history of Pink Floyd yet...the weightiest and most comprehensive of tomes'
-- Record Collector, Nov 2007 issue
`Until Pink himself writes his memoirs, this is the best Floyd biography you'll read'
-- Word Nov 2007 issue
`highly readable' -- Metro 10th Oct 07
About the Author
Mark Blake is an editor at Mojo and Qand edited their special
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Some acts, such as the Beatles, Dylan and the Floyd, have had so many books written about them that it is hard to come up with anything new. This book succeeds in describing two aspects of the Pink Floyd story to a level of detail I haven't found elsewhere:
-The size and diversity of the Cambridge scene; there were many other creative people, e.g. Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis, and the friendships lasted a long time; the Floyd have a long history of supporting old mates on hard times. Syd Barrett was of course the classic instance of this. Blake makes the point that many of the people involved had missing fathers, e.g. Waters and later Barrett, and implies that they may have thus lacked role models and conventional direction; he argues that Barrett was not the only one from the Cambridge scene whose talent failed to fulfil all its promise.
-The power struggles of the post-Barrett group, with Waters and Gilmour as the strong antagonists, Mason as the diplomat, and Wright as the nice guy who would rather avoid all this aggro. This makes one wonder how the group politics would have evolved if Barrett had stayed in the band (like many "what ifs", fascinating but frustrating).
Chronologically, the book was published soon after Barrett's death, so the penultimate event is the "hell freezes over" reunion at Live8. Blake justifiably spends a long time on this, and (bearing in mind that Wright was to die not long after Barrett) Blake's view could be summed up in another well-known song lyric: "It's too late when we die to admit we don't see eye to eye".
Perhaps not the perfect Floyd biography, but probably the best to date, complementing Julian Palacios' excellent Barrett biography "Lost in the Woods". Blake is an ideal biographer, on the one hand being a devotee of his subjects (his website tells us that the first concert he saw was the Floyd performing The Wall in 1980) but on the other able to exercise analytical detachment.
-The size and diversity of the Cambridge scene; there were many other creative people, e.g. Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis, and the friendships lasted a long time; the Floyd have a long history of supporting old mates on hard times. Syd Barrett was of course the classic instance of this. Blake makes the point that many of the people involved had missing fathers, e.g. Waters and later Barrett, and implies that they may have thus lacked role models and conventional direction; he argues that Barrett was not the only one from the Cambridge scene whose talent failed to fulfil all its promise.
-The power struggles of the post-Barrett group, with Waters and Gilmour as the strong antagonists, Mason as the diplomat, and Wright as the nice guy who would rather avoid all this aggro. This makes one wonder how the group politics would have evolved if Barrett had stayed in the band (like many "what ifs", fascinating but frustrating).
Chronologically, the book was published soon after Barrett's death, so the penultimate event is the "hell freezes over" reunion at Live8. Blake justifiably spends a long time on this, and (bearing in mind that Wright was to die not long after Barrett) Blake's view could be summed up in another well-known song lyric: "It's too late when we die to admit we don't see eye to eye".
Perhaps not the perfect Floyd biography, but probably the best to date, complementing Julian Palacios' excellent Barrett biography "Lost in the Woods". Blake is an ideal biographer, on the one hand being a devotee of his subjects (his website tells us that the first concert he saw was the Floyd performing The Wall in 1980) but on the other able to exercise analytical detachment.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Ciaran Flynn
Format:Hardcover
I have read a fair few Floyd books now including Nick Masons and i have to say this is by far and away the best and most comprehensive. It starts right back at the begining in the mid 60's right through to 2007, covering literally everything. It also covers their solo ventures during and after Floyd and also gives great info on how all the albums faired in the US and the UK (Solo's included). He must have been working on this book for years. I was very impressed that he mentioned Dave Gilmour turned up on Parkinsons show in 1999 as a session guitarist for Paul McCartney who was having a full show dedicated to him. Dave Gilmour was never mentioned on the show and i only noticed myself that he was there playing. Very impressive research. I learn't a lot about the band and its members that i never knew and will have to read it again as its hard to remember everything. Its a great story and also quite sad (Syd's decline). Roger Waters comes out of it the worst, looks like he gave Gilmour a very hard time and the rest of the band also. His ego and tempermant being his main problem. And considering the abuse he has taken, Dave Gilmour comes out of it with dignity in tact.
If your a Floyd fanantic or a casual music listener with a passing interest in the band, its a must buy.
If your a Floyd fanantic or a casual music listener with a passing interest in the band, its a must buy.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was grateful for once that a Q Magazine journalist could tell us a story rather than indulging in musical matters that we can happily make judgements upon ourselves (not that I've read Q in many years but I'd guess they're still writing in the same self-indulgent way).
Plus it's very gratifying to read what the band members themselves have to say and fortunately the biography is peppered with as much of that as is possible.
Having said that, as another reviewer has said, Blake does tend to stray towards negatives and downward slopes in his writing which, I agree, appears less than kind on the page.
Oddly enough though, while I think Floyd's music is mesmerisingly brilliant, I don't think the musicians themselves are geniuses and I prefer the way Blake's writings are realistic rather than flattering when concerning that area. So while, for instance, I'm reluctant to accept that Barrett's 'Word Song' is 'the verbal outpourings of a sick man' I recognise the fact that it may indeed be true.
The cup is always half empty in Blake's biography of Pink Floyd.
And while that's not to everyone's tastes no one can deny that it's a fact. And that indeed IS VERY Pink Floyd.
Plus it's very gratifying to read what the band members themselves have to say and fortunately the biography is peppered with as much of that as is possible.
Having said that, as another reviewer has said, Blake does tend to stray towards negatives and downward slopes in his writing which, I agree, appears less than kind on the page.
Oddly enough though, while I think Floyd's music is mesmerisingly brilliant, I don't think the musicians themselves are geniuses and I prefer the way Blake's writings are realistic rather than flattering when concerning that area. So while, for instance, I'm reluctant to accept that Barrett's 'Word Song' is 'the verbal outpourings of a sick man' I recognise the fact that it may indeed be true.
The cup is always half empty in Blake's biography of Pink Floyd.
And while that's not to everyone's tastes no one can deny that it's a fact. And that indeed IS VERY Pink Floyd.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
good read second time.
Not a huge floyd fan,however love some of their music,a lot of detail to absorb,however second reading very good,talented induviduals but as with the later Guns and Roses two... Read more
Published 1 month ago by aled eynon
5.0 out of 5 stars
PIGS MIGHT FLY - a REALLY GOOD read.
Not much of a title for my review, but it says it all. From just looking at the overall Amazon star rating of 4. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr Paul Savory
4.0 out of 5 stars
well written
Well written, I am not sure how much in it is new, but the narrative style makes a good reading, unless what you want is a Pink Floyd encyclopedia.
Published 4 months ago by Billy
5.0 out of 5 stars
good
its only for proper floyd fans very good read if like floyd does not go into much detail outside of floyd music
Published 4 months ago by Mr Gerard J Kavanagh
4.0 out of 5 stars
pink floyd
the book tells you all about them their origins, the fallings out!!!, all their songs and what the artists thought of their songs. Read more
Published 5 months ago by ct
5.0 out of 5 stars
LOST YOUTH VOLUME 2 LONDON
LOST YOUTH VOLUME 2 LONDON was written while listening to the early creative music from the Cambridge legend that was Syd Barrett. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Geoff McDonald
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd
This is the closest thing to a definitive Pink Floyd biography currently available. The author is excellent on the early days and follows the later career elegantly and without... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Dave Gilmour's cat
3.0 out of 5 stars
Was it all that miserable?
Ultimately, I found this book depressing.
Written chronologically with a 'flash forward' at the start of each section, it tells the tale known by most Floyd fans: the... Read more
Written chronologically with a 'flash forward' at the start of each section, it tells the tale known by most Floyd fans: the... Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2010 by J. Franks
3.0 out of 5 stars
Informative? Yes. Uplifting? No.
This biography by Mark Blake is the first on Pink Floyd I've bought and read, mostly due to some glowing reviews. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2010 by J. R. P. Wigman
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great gift for any Floyd fan!
Bought this for a Floyd fan and he loved it. He recommends it other Floyd fans!
Published on 24 April 2010 by F. Hornby
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