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Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd Paperback – Bargain Price, March 17, 2005

by Nick Mason (Author)

4.6 1,662 ratings

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Here, for the first time, is the story of Pink Floydfrom the inside out. With 116 million albums sold worldwide and 25 years on the pop charts to their credit, Pink Floyd is one of the most successful rock groups in history, yet their storyuntil nowis one of the least known. The only continuous member of the band through its entire 40-year history, Nick Mason has witnessed every twist, turn, and sommersault from behind his drum kit. The journey begins with the band's origins as the darlings of London's late 1960s underground and the creation of the classic Pink Floyd sound, all the way through to The Wall and those legendary stadium shows. Here are the players who shaped the band's history and the story behind the storythe inside perspective on, for example, the deterioration and departure of Syd Barrett; the overwhelming success of The Dark Side of the Moon and the resulting pressures and conflicts within the band, including the rift with Roger Waters; and Nick and David Gilmour's decision to put their reputations on the line and continue as Pink Floyd. Packed with rare photographs and vintage Floyd graphics from Nick Mason's extensive private archive, Inside Out is an eye-opener for both veteran fans and those just discovering the group. And, in keeping with the classic Floyd style, the book's cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson, creator of such iconic images as the Dark Side pyramid. Always candid, by turns poignant and funny, Nick's own memories are augmented with extensive research and interviews, making Inside Out a comprehensive history of one of the most brilliant and imaginative bands the world has knownand a masterly memoir of rock and roll.

Print length

360 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Chronicle Books
Publication date

March 17, 2005
Dimensions

8.5 x 1.13 x 11.25 inches
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The landmark British psychedelic band Pink Floyd's founding drummer limns the group, named after two early bluesmen, in a profusely illustrated coffee-table tome. The band's spacey arrangements, instrumentation, and light shows made it famous; the drug-burnout fate of original leader Syd Barrett, who was later institutionalized, helped, too. As Barrett's legend grew, his former colleagues moved the band closer to the rock mainstream and scored massive hits with such albums as Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Mason tracks the outfit's progress from the members' meeting in art school a la the Who, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and other revered British rockers. He details the band's journey from jazzy R & B to the psychedelic explorations that eventually dominated its output. Given Pink Floyd's erstwhile association with mood-altering substances, the more recent story of band members' children's covert strategy to score at a concert is particularly piquant. Incisive, and freighted with pictures, this is a lush treat for the band's considerable fandom. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Nick Mason first played with Roger Waters and Syd Barrett at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London in 1964, although they wouldnt become Pink Floyd until the following year. He lives in the UK.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000F5ZH4Y
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books; First U.S. Printing edition (March 17, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.89 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 1.13 x 11.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,241,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7,971 in Rock Band Biographies
- #11,502 in Rock Music (Books)
- #13,574 in Deals in Books

Customer Reviews:
4.6 1,662 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

1,662 global ratings

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Scott S Forbes

A charming memoir

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2023

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Even if you're not a Pink Floyd fan, this is an interesting memoir. Drummer Nick Mason's writing style is charming and unique, and he writes as an unjudgmental observer as much as a participant in the amazing and chaotic journey Pink Floyd had. He seems to have had a mostly splendid time, and this is a splendid read.

One person found this helpful

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Brian Ploss

Read while drinking at your own risk

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2022

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Have read this multiple times and each time tidbits reach out and make you go back and reread to make sure I you got it right. Given that Roger's promised expose has yet to grace us reminding that who was Pink and who were "the muffins" and the shelved Storm cowrite from the Animals American tour never seeing light of day, there is truly and exceptionally unfortunate two "kind of" bios of Floyd with the other bio being a written history of self discovery and awareness that just so happened to timeline within the main Floyd era.

Nick's wit is on full display and if I had a question to ask first I think it would be why no lyrics?? As ships cook Nick sure as heck could have interjected similar witty lines of commentary that Roger did especially like in echos.

God bless you Nick, David, Richard and yes Roger for providing a lifeline that kept and still keeps uncounted millions still trying to live in this world.

Rev b

6 people found this helpful

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MargretT

Gift for big fan

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2022

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This is a gift for a very big Pink Floyd fan. I'm sure he will like all the information and pictures.

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Eric Olsen

Easy to read first hand account of one of the world’s greatest bands

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2021

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Interesting and informative 50+ year first hand account of one of my all time favorite bands. Clearly written narrative with a reasonable dose of wry humor (efficiently loaded trucks for the tour can yield cost savings to pay for 12 crew parties, or an hour with a lawyer). This is not a hedonistic tale of sex drugs and rock & roll. Rather, it is heavy on matters legal, financial and logistical. Heavy on the early years (you get 100 pages in before meeting David Gilmour), and the cast of characters comes at rapid pace (a summary list of key players would have been helpful).

Highly recommended for Floyd fans or anyone interested in a balanced account of the creative and business sides a major band.

One person found this helpful

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Aidan

Well-researched

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2023

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I enjoy that he omitted his personal life entirely. Nowhere did he mention his childhood, upbringing nor familial life.

2 people found this helpful

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rocket21

Fun read about the band, but not much about the music

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2010

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I'm not one for reading entertainment-related books, however I have always been intrigued by the long and interesting history of Pink Floyd. Rather than buy an unofficial book, I opted to buy this one, since I knew the information it was generally first hand.

The main advantage of the book is that Nick Mason has been in the band throughout every incarnation. In addition, he has a witty, self deprecating, sense of humor that makes it an enjoyable read.

That said, there is very little detail about the music. While pages upon pages are dedicated to the light shows, there is very little information about the writing and recording of most of the albums. As I read in a review of the book awhile back, "was he even there?"

Nonetheless, there were some interesting things in the book that I had not seen or read before. Perhaps the most striking was the photo of Syd Barrett when he visited the Wish You Were Here sessions - while I had read various descriptions of how shocking the change was in his appearance over only a few years, the photo really drove that point home.

Net net - if you want to learn about the music, keep looking. If you want an enjoyable summary of the band's history, this might be a decent choice.

7 people found this helpful

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Super Dave

Super Dave Seal of Approval

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2019

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Nick Mason delivers a great read much like he has delivered great drumming for us over the years. Great read for any any Pink Floyd fan or not will enjoy reading Nick Mason's book, Inside Out. This is Nick Mason's personal memoir of Pink Floyd which was edited by not only David Gilmour, Rick Wright but Roger Waters as well for clarity. This is the best book I have ever read that revolved around a band and trust me I have read a number of them. This book turned out to be all about what I was hoping for and not about what I was afraid it might be about. It explains very well the issues with Syd Barrett and all about putting tours like The Wall, Momentary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell together. After reading this you will better understand what happen with Roger leaving the group.

10 people found this helpful

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Jim Doe

Good But Could Have Used Editing

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2021

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Parts were a great inside into the music. But it seems lik 25% was devotd to equipment and crew. Do we need to know th history of thei lighting and crew? I liked the parts about Syd and 1970s albums. How often do you get a chance to peak behind the making of Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here? That was fascinating stuff.

3 people found this helpful

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TP400

Timeless

Reviewed in Canada on June 11, 2023

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Great book!

Great

Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2023

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It was what I expected

Zoltan Toth

Everything went just right

Reviewed in Germany on May 24, 2023

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Got in time in good condition. Not read yet.

Ellen Kraus

Best Pink Floyd Book!

Reviewed in Spain on September 4, 2022

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Nick Mason takes you with him and the band in an interesting and witty account of the story of Pink Floyd. It's a wonderful read and also gives a timeline of the band and world's history.

Usuario X

Vale la pena

Reviewed in Mexico on February 21, 2019

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Si eres fan vale la pena leer la historia del grupo desde adentro, todo un lujo

One person found this helpful

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