Orders are now being taken for the latest limited edition book from our good friends at Floydstuff.com, which sounds like another essential item for the Floydian bookshelves, particularly for those who have a decent Pink Floyd record collection, and who are looking to build it. Some of you, we know, concentrate on specific aspects of the band's career, so this might be ideal for some of you.

Pink Floyd - Any Colour You Like: The Dark Side Of The Moon on Vinyl - an English language, 176 pages in full-colour, printed on heavyweight 170gms paper (22x22cm) book, will be published on March 1st, 2023, to coincide with the 50th anniversary month of the band's best-known album. The book is signed, numbered and limited to 500 copies only.

The publishers say: "Any Colour You Like – The Dark Side Of The Moon On Vinyl is the result of Stefano Tarquini's lifelong quest and gathers together the 700 currently known variations of Pink Floyd's masterpiece on record. They are all there, from the first March 1973 UK edition with solid blue prism labels, to the most obscure pressings from Nicaragua and Mozambique and everything in between.

"Each country has its entry with all known releases – test pressings, promotional copies, stock copies and mispressings – clearly arranged in chronological order with all necessary specifications, and complemented by a thousand images of labels and packaging details. The book deliberately refrains from a valuation of the various pressings as nothing is more subjective and volatile than the value of records.

"Author Stefano Tarquini, Mr Pinky as he is lovingly known, has spent a major part of his life collecting records by Pink Floyd. His eye for detail and knowledge of the band's official output on vinyl since 1967 makes him a grateful source of information for fellow collectors and countless publications in Italy and all over the world. He is the founder of the Italian collectors club The Lunatics and has curated various online resources dedicated to the band including the Mr Pinky Discography."

All copies pre-ordered from Floydstuff.com come with a tote bag and author-signed coaster as long as stock lasts. Previous titles from this publisher have been excellent, and have sold out quickly, so if you fancy securing a copy, we suggest you do so soon.

This month, the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London is celebrating its 90th anniversary, and as part of these, a new documentary film has been announced.

Directed by Mary McCartney, daughter of Paul, the film - If These Walls Could Sing - explores the history of the studios, with the experiences and memories of various musicians who recorded there.

A number of the many iconic artists who played there, or recorded film soundtracks, have been filmed for the documentary, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Jimmy Page, Noel Gallagher, John Williams, George Lucas, and recounting their memories of recording various Pink Floyd albums, Roger Waters and David Gilmour.

A trailer for the documentary has been released, and can be seen below. The documentary is due to be available for streaming on the Disney+ subscription service from 16th December 2022, and we suspect, later released on DVD and Blu-ray (although there are no details of that currently).

Originally released in 2011, and now hard to find (particularly on vinyl), the compilation An Introduction To Syd Barrett is getting a deserved reissue on 2nd December 2022 on 2LP - on heavyweight 180g vinyl - and on CD.

The album is designed to provide a handy overview of this visionary talent, with an eighteen track collection taking in six early Pink Floyd songs, alongside twelve of Syd's solo recordings.

David Gilmour, who originally worked on Syd's two solo albums, as co-producer of The Madcap Laughs and as producer of Barrett, was the executive producer for the album. Damon Iddins and Andy Jackson at Astoria Studios remixed five tracks including Octopus, She Took A Long Cool Look, Dominoes and Here I Go, with Gilmour adding bass guitar to the last track. Pink Floyd's Matilda Mother also received a fresh 2010 mix.

Both versions of the album feature the original 24-page booklet and graphics plus all lyrics, and was designed including the cover art by long time Pink Floyd associate the late Storm Thorgerson and his estimable studio.

Here's the track listing, with the side splits for the vinyl edition (the CD just has all eighteen tracks on one side):
SIDE ONE: Arnold Layne / See Emily Play / Apples And Oranges (Stereo Version) / Matilda Mother (2010 Mix)
SIDE TWO: Chapter 24 / Bike / Terrapin / Love You / Dark Globe
SIDE THREE: Here I Go (2010 Remix) / Octopus (2010 Mix) / She Took A Long Cool Look (2010 Mix) / If It's In You / Baby Lemonade
SIDE FOUR: Dominoes (2010 Mix) / Gigolo Aunt / Effervescing Elephant / Bob Dylan Blues

The album is reissued in the UK and Europe on 2nd December 2022, with North America/elsewhere following in due course.

ORDERING INFO:
Should you wish to place an order for this reissue, below are some direct links for you. Once we have the US/Canadian links, we'll add them here. Ordering any item after entering Amazon through our links helps with BD's ongoing running costs, and we really appreciate it:

February 2nd, 2023, sees the publication of what sounds a fascinating book from acclaimed author Mark Blake. Us and Them: The Authorised Story of Hipgnosis takes a close look at arguably the principal music industry designers Hipgnosis.

Between the late '60s and early '80s, design house Hipgnosis created some of the most iconic and ubiquitous album artwork of all time. Their original lifespan coincided with the golden age of the 12-inch LP, beginning just as the Beatles' Sgt Pepper made the record sleeve the ultimate blank canvas and ending just as new technology looked set to usurp vinyl.

Having originally been approached to design an album cover for their friends Pink Floyd, students Aubrey 'Po' Powell and Storm Thorgerson would go on to define the visual identity of rock and roll for the next fifteen years, swiftly gaining international prominence for their famed The Dark Side of the Moon artwork. This paved the way for other major musicians to set foot in the surreal photo-design world of Storm and Po, resulting in seminal Hipgnosis creations for the likes of Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Genesis, Black Sabbath, ELO and Yes.

In this authorised account, with access to previously unpublished material and exclusive contributions from David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Peter Gabriel, Roger Waters, Robert Plant and even Aubrey Powell himself, Blake goes behind the scenes of the Hipgnosis partnership to reveal the pioneering ambition and grand vision that led to their success, as well as the clashing egos and artistic differences that undermined it. The Hipgnosis story also offers hitherto-untold insight into some of music's most legendary bands, as viewed through the prism of the people who shaped their imagery and cultural legacy.

With the work of Hipgnosis continuing to be referenced, reproduced and revered worldwide, Us and Them serves as a celebration, a cautionary tale and a compelling human drama, exploring the vital intersection between art and music.

Blake is best known in the Floyd community for his excellent book, Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story Of Pink Floyd (known as Comfortably Numb in the US) which originally came out in 2007, and subsequently updated. Other books worth searching out by Blake include titles covering Queen and Freddie Mercury, Peter Grant (Led Zeppelin's manager) and The Who.

ORDERING INFO:
If Blake's previous books are any guide, it really sounds like another essential book - and orders are now possible through a number of retailers. Ordering any item after entering Amazon through our links helps with BD's ongoing running costs, and we really appreciate it: Amazon UK, Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon France, Amazon Germany, Amazon Spain and Amazon Italy.