This was okay. Maybe it was because it was Pink Floyd's first album, maybe it was because the focus was more on the provisional band leader at the time, Syd Barrett.

I seem to prefer more of a "part two" thing with bands. I prefer Sammy Hagar to David Lee Roth in Van Halen. I prefer Brian Johnson to Bon Scott in AC/DC. And I prefer Roger Waters' version of Pink Floyd better than Syd Barrett's.

Whatever the reason, while the author really tried to capture the mood of the time, I feel as though some of the others in this 33 1/3 series did it better. Not a bad entry, and definitely nowhere near the worst, but not the best either. ( )

This book concerns the coming together of (in my view) one of the greatest rock albums of all time. In an earlier LT review, spaceowl commented that there was little on the inspiration behind the songs; but then the songwriter was the late Syd Barrett, one of the most reclusive men in the world, and never likely to shed any light on their composition. In any case, other band members and associates give us an idea about what was the motivation behind Chapter 24, Bike and Interstellar Overdrive, to name a few. What we have here is an impression of four lads making up in enthusiasm what they lacked in musical ability, and using just about every sound effect at their disposal in the recording studio; plus a pretty fair idea of what the band's live concerts were like around 1966-7. In that respect, the book stands up okay, and I was left feeling glad that Barrett came our way in the first place rather than regretting what might have been. One minor quibble: the Rolling Stones track Going Home can be found on the Aftermath album and not Between The Buttons. ( )