Here at Brain Damage we always encourage visitors to share their thoughts, views and more, about Pink Floyd. Often these come in the form of concert reviews, or comments about releases (be them new releases or reissues), but sometimes they come in the form of memories. If you have a desire to write something about the band, or individual members, we’re always delighted to hear from you! In the following case, it’s in the form of feelings – Pink Floyd’s music has a big effect on people, and Paul Kelly, a BD visitor, has written a poem about the band and how the music has
been an important part of his life as he grew up: Discovery – by Paul Kelly
Four young men met in Cambridge.
They decided to form a band
setting off on a journey
of discovery
through a sonic land. From songs about a bike
and a gnome and
Granchester meadow too.
Published by Omnibus Books in February in Europe, and May in North America, is The Lyrics of Syd Barrett. Featuring 52 songs and a foreword by Pink Floyd’s first manager, Peter Jenner, and an introduction by Rob Chapman (author of Syd Barrett: A Very Irregular Head), this beautifully illustrated and official 96-page book compiles Syd’s extraordinary lyrics together for the very first time. David Gilmour has been a key person behind this book, working his way through Syd lyrics checking them for accuracy before the book went to the printers. A good friend of Brain Damage is Dr Kevin De Ornellas, a Lecturer in English Literature at Ulster University, and he has taken a detailed look at this new book… In an era of gargantuan coffee-table books, bloated CD and DVD box sets and cumbersome multi-disc vinyl re-releases, it is it refreshing to enjoy a relatively simple and affordable artefact: a small, easily handled book. This book, an apparently official provision of what is claimed to be Syd Barrett’s complete lyrics, is beautifully designed by Lora Findlay. It comes in a tactile, attractive cloth cover: on the front, a well-known Michael Ochs portrait of Syd Barrett is encased within an elaborate psychedelic border that is tasteful because it is all done with only two colours â white and a sort of mauve-lilac colour. The endpapers are particularly lovely â they feature repeated, wallpaper-like reproductions of Syd Barrett’s renowned Tortoise. Half of the tortoises have the head facing upwards â the other half are rotated 180 degrees. There are 168 tortoises in total. It is both a bit whacky and a bit poignant â and very much in the spirit of Barrettâs later music. A fuller, page-high reproduction of Barrettâs original, subtly-coloured 1963 Tortoise work is provided inside (page 18). The book is petite and thin but the high-quality cloth, the firm binding and the crisp texture of the pages makes the book feel sturdy: it is a keeper that will weather well. The lyrics are all laid out in a clear, readable font on either one or two self-contained pages and there are many splendid illustrations and photographs: if I counted correctly there are 18 monochrome images and 8 colour ones. Every one is reproduced perfectly: most feature posed or in-performance photographs of Syd Barrett with or without Pink Floyd; some reproduce Barrett’s art works. It might have been better to have more of Barrett’s art and less of Rick Wright’s cigarette and less of Roger Waters’ understated scowl. But the text of the book is what matters â here, there is much promise but the odd problem too.
available worldwide online (https://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/Prog-Print-Back-Issues/prog-issue-105/?listtype=list searchparam=prog) is the new issue (issue 105, January 2020) of the UK’s Prog Magazine. Always a decent read, this month’s issue has three features in particular of interest to Pink Floyd fans. First, there’s a two-page look at Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, and in particular, the band’s UK and Ireland tour this year. With comments from Nick and guitarist Lee Harris, it finds the band missing the stage, and looking forward to being back on it in the spring when the dates resume. The main feature is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s epic double album The Wall in a ten-page feature. They talked to Nick Mason, Bob Ezrin, Gerald Scarfe, and Bob Geldof about how the album evolved into a live extravaganza, a movie and how it pretty much broke the band. It’s a lively, and fascinating, look at this wide-ranging project. The Wall feature is followed by a two-page interview with the Floyd’s Creative Director Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell, and Andy Jackson, long-time collaborator with the band who mixed and produced much of the music on The Later Years. There’s also brand new and exclusive interviews with Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Marillion, Sons Of Apollo, The Flower Kings, Edison’s Children, Kaprekar’s Constant, Nightmare Scenario, The Blackheart Orchestra, American Tears, Field Music, Lee Abraham Music and more… Plus there’s the results of the 2019 Readers’ Poll (with Nick Mason in the top ten drummers, and the Saucers in the top ten event category), and a look at 50 years of the legendary Friars Aylesbury venue. And music from Oak, The Dave Foster Band, Stuckfish, Moonshot Band and more on the CD. If your local store doesn’t stock this magazine, you can get a copy, shipped anywhere in the world, through this direct link (https://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/Prog-Print-Back-Issues/prog-issue-105/?listtype=list searchparam=prog).
Concrete Green – ‘One Last Try’ After the rousing response to his brilliant debut single ‘Lazy Lou’ in recent months, London’s Concrete Green is back once again to deliver the powerful new effort ‘One Last Try’. With its broad and emotive atmosphere perfectly elevating his wondrous vocals throughout, he is certainly looking to turn some …
