It is with much regret that we bring you the sad news that Alan Styles, who for many years was a roadie for Pink Floyd, passed away yesterday (December 8th, 2011). Formerly from Cambridge, Alan had more recently moved to the USA, and his sister Ann said that he died peacefully in hospital there, and that he had been suffering from pneumonia. He was 75.
Alan (seen on the left in the accompanying picture) was well-known to Pink Floyd fans, with his biggest exposure being his vocal on the eponymous track found on 1970's Atom Heart Mother - 'Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast'. This track features the Floyd in the background, whilst Alan talks about the breakfast he is getting ready, reminiscing about other breakfasts he has had: "Breakfast in Los Angeles. Macrobiotic stuff..." Alan is also included on the cover of Ummagumma, and he assists Nick Mason on the Merry Xmas Song (also known as Here Comes Santa), which was aired on BBC radio.
Our condolences to his family and friends.
In an update to the above, the following video clip has now been released, showing Alan in 2000:
Those of you who were fortunate enough to make it along to the Pink Floyd Interstellar exhibition in Paris, France, which opened in 2003 for a limited run, would have seen the quite unique poster in pride of place in the Venice 1989 concert display.
A limited edition lithograph of the poster is now available which measures around 670mm x 980mm, and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Robbie Williams, the Pink Floyd Production Manager. There are just 60 of these lithographs worldwide.
The poster is very much in the tradition of other Venetian posters, showing a stylised version of the Floyd's custom barge stage in the lagoon, with many gondoliers soaking up the show. Click the thumbnail to the left to see it in greater detail.
Whilst not cheap, the poster is an unusual record of a unique show, and can be bought direct from St Paul's Gallery. As a special deal exclusively for Brain Damage visitors, we have a code for free delivery - enter OMGQM170 at check-out.
Pink Floyd's 1970 epic, Atom Heart Mother, composed in conjunction with our friend Ron Geesin (check out our three-part exclusive interview with Ron from 2008), is to be performed in Paris, France, next month. We caught up with Ron who told us:
"The French National Education Authority ["le Ministère français de l'Education nationale"] decided some time earlier this year that AHM should be studied (in company with Bach and Varèse!) for the Baccalauréat in 2012 – that’s the equivalent of UK 'A' Levels. The students will not study the score visually (partly because of involved copyright negotiations) but aurally. A 64pp book has already been written by Philippe Gonin to accompany the study: I provided him with a good deal of information from my side. To launch the focus on Atom Heart Mother, there will be a live concert at the Théatre du Châtelet, Paris, on the 12th January. The musicians and choir will be from the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Pink Floyd part will be played by musicians under the direction of the conducter, Jean-Jacques Justafré. I will provide the necessary piano and voice parts. This concert will be broadcast by Radio France.
"As I have said to Paul Loasby, Pink Floyd's manager, "The fact is that, despite the individuals' misgivings about the outcome of this awkward amalgam of them an' me, it has caught on and should be allowed to run its course. The full story should be clearly projected."
"Separately from all this, I have been asked by a UK publisher to write my side of the Atom Heart Mother story. I'm thinking about it!"
Tickets will be on sale shortly through Ticketmaster.com.mx, and to those who have already registered for the RogerWaters.com presales. Our thanks to Raul Arellano Plata for letting us know about this additional show.
This coming Friday (November 25th), the 2011 Record Store Day takes place across many countries, celebrating the work of small, independent shops with a range of one-day-only special releases, unavailable elsewhere and while stocks last.
Two of the releases will be of interest to Brain Damage visitors. The first of these is a special "Pink Floyd The Wall: Singles Box" from EMI/Capitol, which is limited to 7,500 copies in the US, and 4,000 for the international market. In a flip-top box are three singles:
Another Brick in the Wall/One of My Turns
Comfortably Numb/Hey You
Run Like Hell/Don’t Leave Me Now
all in picture sleeves, are the 2011 remastered versions of the tracks, and available on vinyl for the first time. The box includes a poster. Please note the picture to the right is an early version of the artwork, and not the final version.
The other release of interest is "Syd Barrett: The Photography of Mick Rock" which is limited to 5,000 copies in the US. In a specially printed metal box is a 128 page book of Rock's great photos of Syd, with an accompanying text. The box also contains an exclusive 7" single of Octopus/Golden Hair in a picture bag and on yellow heavyweight vinyl.
Full details of participating stores, not just in North America, but worldwide, can be found at RecordStoreDay.com. Our thanks to Dan Stark, Kevin, and William Buckley for their help with this.
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Pink Floyd's 1970 epic, Atom Heart Mother, composed in conjunction with our friend Ron Geesin (check out our 
