For those who have missed out on Pink Floyd The Early Years 1965-1972 box set, either due to the cost, or only being interested in part of the contents, some good news for you. On March 24th 2017, Pink Floyd are releasing a series of book-bound individual collections from the box set, under the title 'The Early Years, 1965-1972: The Individual Volumes'.
These individual volumes are broken down into the years 1965-1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and finally 1972. As those familiar with the contents of the box set will know, these go under the titles CAMBRIDGE ST/ATION, GERMIN/ATION, DRAMATIS/ATION, DEVI/ATION, REVERBER/ATION, OBFUSC/ATION, which (it has been revealed) were titles dreamt up by Roger Waters to give an insight into where the band were at that particular point in their career. Each of these sets will be presented as they are in the box set, with a selection of reproduction memorabilia tucked into part of the fold-out packaging. Our extensive review of Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1965-1972 box set can be seen here, along with the full track listing of the box set and thus, the individual volumes too.
Just to clarify, the box set also included an exclusive selection of additional material, BONUS CONTINU/ATION, which is not getting a standalone release, nor will the additional memorabilia or reproduction vinyl singles be getting a release outside of the box set.
The complete Early Years box set is still available from most retailers, as is the 2CD highlights album The Early Years – CRE/ATION.
To place your orders for the individual volumes, please use the following links. Some of the stores are yet to list them, but the links are here ready for when they go live:
It is worth checking the other Amazon stores, rather than just your local one, as pricing varies hugely; they will ship internationally. Buying through our links will give a small but vital contribution toward running this site, and is hugely appreciated. There is NO region coding on the Blu-ray and/or DVD discs, so if purchasing from a different region (e.g. you're in North America, buying from Europe, or vice versa), then all discs should be compatible with your players.
Commencing at the start of May, the Royal Albert Hall's Summer of Love: Revisited is a programme of events looking back 50 years, to 'rediscover the freedom and rebellion of a pivotal moment in cultural history'. A series of talks, screenings and performances are being held in the venue's Elgar Room.
The first nine events have been announced, and two of these will be of interest to Pink Floyd fans.
May 1st, 2017 at 8pm (doors open 7:30pm)
Screening: Tonite Let's All Make Love in London and post-film discussion
This special evening will celebrate the Blu-Ray launch of the new HD restoration of Peter Whitehead's 1967 feature Tonite Lets All Make Love in London. The film, named after a poem recited at the Hall by Allen Ginsberg, is driven by the pulsing psychedelia of Pink Floyd and punctuated by interviews with the likes of Michael Caine, David Hockney, Mick Jagger and other Sixties 'faces'. It also captures the moment when the Rolling Stones' concert at the Hall in 1966 was interrupted by a rioting audience. The film will be introduced by distributor Tim Beddows and De Montfort University’s Professor Steve Chibnall, who will return for a post-film discussion hosted by music writer Jon Savage, also featuring co-curator of the Peter Whitehead Archive, Dr. Alissa Clarke.
May 2nd, 2017 at 8pm (doors open 7:30pm)
Screening: Pink Floyd: London '66-'67 and talks from Joe Boyd, Jenny Spires and more
This evening will see a screening of London '66–'67, Whitehead's film based on the early Pink Floyd EP of the same name. The 30-minute film shows Pink Floyd recording at Sound Techniques London and performing at the legendary UFO Club, a key venue of the counterculture movement which defined the city in the late 1960s. The screening will be accompanied by talks from early Floyd producer Joe Boyd and key counterculture figure Jenny Spires, alongside further discussion, chaired by music writer Jon Savage, from Peter Whitehead's Assistant Director Anthony Stern, and the Royal Albert Hall's Richard Dacre.
Tickets for the events are now available via the above links, and are for unreserved seating.
All of us here at Brain Damage offer our very best wishes to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, who celebrates the very special occasion of his birthday today (January 27th). We all trust you are having a great day, Nick!
The cornerstone of the band, he had his first drum kit at the tender age of 13. A member of Pink Floyd since the earliest iterations, he is the only one to have appeared on every one of their albums. Thanks to his late father Bill, he has been a "petrol head" from a young boy, and cars have been - and remain - one of his major passions in life. His most recent book, Passion for Speed, is worth checking out, as is the DVD of the same name focusing on his Ferrari Enzo car (with Nick heavily involved). Of course, for those who haven't read it, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd is an absolute essential read, and available in a variety of editions: hardback, softback (paperback) and audiobook, read by Nick himself... Musically, more recently there has been the release of The Endless River, which has had Nick back on the drums in David Gilmour's south coast studio, augmenting the existing recordings with some new drumwork.
Nick has contributed to a number of magazines on motoring issues over the years (including a fascinating monthly column in Octane Magazine), and also became president of the Guild of Motoring Writers. He is a trustee of the Beaulieu National Motor Museum, and a life member
and Guardian of the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club). He has been involved in motor racing since the early 1970s and has entered Le Mans five times.
In an email and via social media posts to release a new video, timed to perfection to coincide with Donald Trump's inauguration as 45th President of the United States, Roger Waters has stated that "the resistance begins today".
The video is of Pigs (Three Different Ones) filmed live during Roger's recent concert at Zócalo Square in Mexico City, on October 1st, 2016. The target of ridicule in the on-screen graphics is Trump...which understandably the Mexican audience seems to appreciate. You can watch it in full here:
Once Beatlemania properly hit the United States, the commerciality of pop music began to dawn on film producers, who by the time the swinging sixties properly became a "thing", clamoured for any potential act to help boost the chances of their productions. Published at the end of October 2016 is the new book by Simon Matthews which covers this phenomenon, and shows just how widespread it seemed to be. Psychedelic Celluloid - British Pop Music in Film & TV 1965 - 1974 is a well-researched and detailed look at UK film, TV and music during that period.
The publishers note that it was "a time when no film or TV programme was without a group, singer or fantastic soundtrack - and London was briefly the film capital of the world. Containing individual summaries of over 120 films, covering everything from John Barry to Pink Floyd via Blow Up, the Electric Banana, Serge Gainsbourg, Magical Mystery Tour, David Hemmings, Kubrick, Godard, Jodorowsdky [BD note: his adaptation of Dune was due to have a Floyd soundtrack] and the London cast of Hair. With comprehensive listings of over 500 related features, documentaries, TV programmes and shorts, an unforgettable trip through the swinging 60s."
It certainly comes as a surprise the breadth of films which are included, although a few are straight concert/festival films so to my mind, don't necessary fit with the main body of material. Having said that, for fans of the acts in question, it might prove useful to have a guide to these. In terms of the Floyd, there are a lot of good examples included within the pages of this book. Indeed, one of the seeds that led eventually to this book, was research by the author into The Committee, recently released again as part of Pink Floyd The Early Years 1965-1972 box set.
Pretty much all of Pink Floyd's film related material is covered, and films with bits of their music in (such as The Touchables) are also included - some of these will not have been mentioned in Floyd tomes before.
With regard to other artists there are some genuine surprises (for me, at least), such as the Bee Gees' peculiar sounding 1970 film, Cucumber Castle. Some of the oddities within do make one want to investigate further, although that's surely the point of such guides.
A lively, well illustrated and fun book to dip in to, with a concise writing style that doesn't take the subject matter too seriously (an impossible task with some of the fare within); you can get your copy now through the following direct links: Amazon UK, Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon France, Amazon Germany, Amazon Spain and Amazon Italy. Using our Amazon links also helps us hugely with ongoing site running costs and we really appreciate it!
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