John Cavanagh's book on the first Pink Floyd album is published by Continuum Books. It is now widely available in shops and online. There's now a web log page on the whole series.
This book is part of a series on classic albums, which is gathering rave reviews. Greil Marcus, doyen of American rock writers, said: 'I'm amazed... This is stuff on the level of the BFI Film Classics series in terms of range and idiosyncracy of approach, but without self-importance or pomposity. There's a light touch and tremendous depth.' Rolling Stone magazine is unanimous in praising the books, which also cover albums by Love, the Smiths, Dusty Springfield, the Kinks and Neil Young. They awarded the Pink Floyd volume four stars, commenting 'John Cavanagh combines interviews with early associates of Pink Floyd and recording-studio nitty-gritty to vividly capture the first and last flush of Syd Barrett's psychedelic genius on the Floyd's '67 debut.'
John chose this album for several reasons, apart from the obvious one (that it's a wonderful record!). Piper is often obscured by tales of later events relating to Syd Barrett, but the album was made in much happier circumstances than often assumed and John felt it was time to celebrate a very positive musical force, rather than re-tell those frequently distorted "Mad Syd" yarns all over again.
Click on the cover for the latest from Continuum:
On
November 9th, 2003 an exciting launch night was held in Mono/Monrail Music in
Glasgow, Scotland. Instead of a conventional book reading, this became a special
event including live music and a light show. Click on this poster for many more
images...
This page will offer some images and site links relating to those who contributed to the book. John originally considered printing a few web addresses within his text, but this page can be updated should such details change. If you'd like to see the first review of this book, along with an interview with the author, go to the Brain Damage site. Visit the Neptune Pink Floyd page to see the results of a question and answer session between John and many Floyd fans.
Sunday 9th November saw an exciting launch show for the book at Monorail Music, Glasgow, Scotland. John read passages from the book and made a guest appearance with Teenage Fanclub when they played an exclusive set of tracks from Piper, against the backdrop of a fabulous ligh show. Apologies to anyone who came along and couldn't get in: the event was so popular that it had to become a lock-in even before the start time on the posters & flyers!! A page of images from the night will appear here as soon as the film is developed.
The
first person to be interviewed was Vic Singh, the fashion photographer who shot
the iconic cover image for Piper. Vic's work has not, as far as we know,
been discussed in a book on Pink Floyd before and it's high time the story was
told! As a fashion photographer and painter, Singh has led a highly creative
life. His work now involves the latest digital image technology. There's a new
website where you can see his work and other fine images. It's under development
at the moment, with much more to follow, but right now you can buy a signed
print of Vic's Piper cover shot there for a very reasonable price! Have a look.
Peter Whitehead.... what can we say? Film-maker,
novelist, mystical Egyptologist, crystallographer, self-styled doomed romantic
and a man 
with
immense style and a symbiotic relationship to that wondrous bird the falcon.
Peter bred falcons for the Saudi Royal Family and gave lessons in falconry to
Prince Charles. His film work encompassed Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling
Stones and The Dubliners! Although he's recently getting the credit he's long
deserved for his innovative work in the field of music, the range of his work
is much wider than that... Wholly Communion captured the highlights of
the 1965 International Poetry Incarnation at London's Royal Albert Hall. The
Fall was shot by Peter in the U.S. when the hippy dream of peace had given
way to the harsh realities of 1968. This movie includes footage of the brutal
handling of student rioters at Columbia University, New York. Whitehead actually
captured the moment when police stormed the college, as he was filming inside
the building at the time. Peter's personal life is no less interesting than
his artistic persona.... ex-girlfriends include the likes of Nico and Bianca
Jagger!
http://www.peter-whitehead.com
Jenny Fabian became a household name in 1969.
It was all thanks to the 
publicity
surrounding her aurobiographical novel Groupie. Omnibus Press reprinted
the book a few years ago, which was good news for those who had been looking
for a second hand copy! Many writers have tried to cash in with an attempt to
capture the flavour of a fashionable scene... and failed. Groupie - written
with poet Johnny Byrne - is a unique document of the time and broke new ground
when it spoke about a taboo subject with a truly genuine voice. Jenny remains
a highly astute writer and commentator. Much as we've tried, we can't get a
direct link to her page at Amazon to work here, but a quick search at the online
bookstore will get you there.
John "Hoppy" Hopkins was working as a photographer when he met Joe Boyd, who was involved in bringing American blues artists to the U.K. Later Boyd became a record producer and Hoppy was involved with a group of people known as the London Free School. The long-term effects of the LFS activities include the annual Notting Hill Carnival. They also provided a platform for early live shows by Pink Floyd. Hoppy and Joe Boyd joined forces to run the legendary UFO club following these. You can see some of Hoppy's work at his website and you'll find his name in many books on the emergence of London's underground arts culture in the '60's. For example, Barry Miles (biographer of Burroughs, Ginsberg & McCartney) has recently written a book on that whole era which is dedicated to Hoppy.
Duggie Fields shared a couple of addresses with Syd Barrett. The first was in a large flat in Cromwell Road, the second - in Earl's Court - was immortalised on the cover of The Madcap Laughs. When Syd moved back to Cambridge, Duggie retained the flat and he still lives there today. The room with the striped floor boards is now his work space and can be seen in this photo. Mr. Fields is frequently featured in his own pop art works. It's quite fitting as you'll see from his sartorial style! He exhibits regularly and has a worldwide following for his vibrant works. You can see many of these at his website.
Kevin Ayers was another important figure in the emerging underground music culture of the '60's. His solo albums have recently been the subject of a timely remaster and reissue programme and he's been making new music and touring, working once again with former Whole World member Lol Coxhill. You'll find more on Kevin from Market Square Records.
A key early influence on Syd Barrett's experimental guitar style and a figure of whose importance in improvised music has sustained since 1966 to the present day. That's Keith Rowe and the photo (above) of him will lead you to an insightful interview Keith gave to the London Musician's Collective.
Books on Pink Floyd featuring fresh, original interview material with anyone from the band are rare, so we're pleased to say that Nick Mason spoke to john Cavanagh to detail their work on that groundbreaking first album. Nick is a well known classic car enthusiast and, for his book Into the Red, he put a century of vintage machines through their paces. You'll find copies available through his website and they come with a cd of field recordings of the cars....VROOM VROOM!!!
