Rating: 
Summary: Still definitive and essential rock writing at its best
Review: Nicholas Schaffner, aside from being a gifted rock journalist and a stellar writer in every way, had an enormous impact on me as a young Beatle fan (his "The Beatles Forever" is by far the best Fab Four book out there) and an even greater impact on me as a wanna-be writer. I still find myself returning to both "Saucerful of Secrets" and "Beatles Forever" as examples of the high art of rock journalism. Every time I do I am saddenned by the lack of anyone out there who could fill his shoes. The Floyd book is unsurpassed in its information, but there is one glaring flaw: whereas the Beatles book is loaded with photos and in many cases record-chart information, the Floyd book has none, which makes it more of a nightstand read and less of a "total package" that it could be if one of his contemporaries (or family members? band members?) could take it and update it with tons more photos and the like, turning it into what it might have been had he lived to see its full completion. (I'm assuming he would have wanted this, although it may not be the case, we'll never know.) In any case, still the definitive guide to a high point of 70's rock bombast.
Rating:
Summary: Still definitive and essential rock writing at its best
Review: Nicholas Schaffner, aside from being a gifted rock journalist and a stellar writer in every way, had an enormous impact on me as a young Beatle fan (his "The Beatles Forever" is by far the best Fab Four book out there) and an even greater impact on me as a wanna-be writer. I still find myself returning to both "Saucerful of Secrets" and "Beatles Forever" as examples of the high art of rock journalism. Every time I do I am saddenned by the lack of anyone out there who could fill his shoes. The Floyd book is unsurpassed in its information, but there is one glaring flaw: whereas the Beatles book is loaded with photos and in many cases record-chart information, the Floyd book has none, which makes it more of a nightstand read and less of a "total package" that it could be if one of his contemporaries (or family members? band members?) could take it and update it with tons more photos and the like, turning it into what it might have been had he lived to see its full completion. (I'm assuming he would have wanted this, although it may not be the case, we'll never know.) In any case, still the definitive guide to a high point of 70's rock bombast.
Rating:
Summary: Shine on
Review: Saucerful of Secrets is a great autobiographical on the legendary rock band Pink Floyd. The first 130 pages goes deep into the history of Pink Floyd when Syd Barret still played a huge part in the band. It talks about Syd's ultimate downfall and David gilmours dramatic entrance into the band. It goes in depth into the "The Wall" and "Dark Side" albums and talks about how the control freak Roger Waters ultimaley destorys the relationships in the band and results in Waters departure. The book also slightly touches base on some of the projects the band did after Waters departure. This is a must buy for all Pink Floyd lovers. The best book out on this legendary band. 5++++++ Stars!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: The Pros and Cons of this book
Review: Saucerful Of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey was a great book, written by a great author, Nicholas Shaffner, who has written many books on the Beatles. This was a well researched report,if you will,from members of the outer core of the band, but not the big members, such as Syd Barrett and Roger Waters, who Shaffner claims in the Epilogue refused. Roger's interview was needed because of the dramatic brake-up, and his points on Rick, Dave, and Nick trying to bring the band back from 1987-1990. The pros of this book is that they have interviews from all over, not just interviews given by Shaffner. They have interviews from magazines, other books, and quotes from memoirs written by the people surrounding the band. The con is one big one: detail. Although the book is 309 pages in regular length from Chapters 1-24(Not counting Epilogue and Prologue)it is very easy to get through a page without understanding anything that was said. Towards the end of the novel, I believe Shaffner got sloppy with the story of Water's resurrection of The Wall, stating it as if the whole process took one day. In fact, it took a full year to put it together, but no additional detail was shown. Shaffner easily got through three in fact BIG subjects in one page, especially in the early and latter stages.
Rating:
Summary: Well-styled, informative biography of Pink Floyd
Review: Schaffner came of age in the late 1960s, so it's not surprising that he focuses much of this biography on The Pink Floyd's early years (before they dropped the "The" from their name). This book is a gold mine of anecdotes about Syd Barrett, who in 1968 was forced out of the band he co-founded. Schaffner's sources are as reliable as they can be, 20+ years after the fact. The author's familiarity with the London rock/club circuit of the mid-60s is vital to this book's thesis and is one of its main strengths. In the early days, The Pink Floyd thrived on improvisation (and drugs). Syd Barrett is more important to Pink Floyd than his brief career with the band would suggest; many of Pink Floyd's most successful albums of the 1970s are imaginative recollections and descriptions of madness. Syd Barrett was The Crazy Diamond of "Wish You Were Here," and he cast a long shadow over the band's successes. Aside from that, Barrett's loony artistry and psychological disintegration comprises the most interesting portion of this surprisingly down-to-earth band's story. Barrett makes Waters, Wright, et. al. seem like tuneful businessmen by comparison. Finally, it's refreshing to read an honest appraisal of Pink Floyd's late work, which is competent and dull when it isn't a competent retread of more exciting old material. Syd Barrett was never dull.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting picture of the Waters-Gilmour relationship
Review: Schaffner truly is pro-Gilmour in this biography, often empathizing with the stress endured by Gilmour, Mason and Wright as a result of Waters' ego-centrism. Somewhat lacking in the area of a musical commentary, A Saucerful of Secrets delivers exactly what the title tells the reader, lots of dirty laundry. As a fan of all three editions of the Floyd (Barret-run,Waters-run & the current Gilmour-run), the book does justice to the early Floyd and the transitional period when Gilmour replaced Barrett.
Rating:
Summary: Secrets revealed
Review: Secrets is the best, even handed and articulate book on every phase of Floyd that has been written. Every book I've looked at after argues for Barrett's Floyd, Waters' Floyd or Gilmour's Floyd vs. taking a fair look at the accomplishments of all versions of the band. It's a pity that no journalist has chosen to update the late Nick Schaffner's book. It doesn't cover the very last album made under Gilmour's lead (which, despite much critical bashing, I feel is among their best). Schaffner had access to both insiders and many rare sources when he put this book together in the late 80's (it was published after his death in 1991). His knowledge as a musician also helps give a fairness to the best and worst of Floyd. I was particularly interested in the section that discusses the recording of Barrett's post Floyd solo albums and Wright, Gilmour and Waters' involvement in helping out their own, fragmented friend. There's also a selected discography that includes the results of The Amazing Pudding's '89 Readers Poll of Best and Worst FLoyd albums. The for (pardon the pun)record:
Best- Wish You Were Here, Dark Side, The Wall, Animals, Piper at the Gates. The Worst- The FInal Cut. Bestselling (at the time of the book's publication)-Dark Side, The Wall, Wish, Animals and Momentary Lapse. Best Floyd songs-Comfortably Numb, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Echoes, Wish You Were Here, Time. Worst: The Dogs of War. Worth picking up although, again, it obviously lacks any information after 1991. I'd rank Secrets as one of the best books written on the band.
Rating:
Summary: A Must If You Love The Band
Review: Since this is the most widely known (and so far that I've seen, best) Floyd book, I've decided to review it. Well it's a great book, but not quite perfect. It was published in 1991, so obviously it's a little out of date, but it is still a must-have. It tells nearly everything up to that point, including a lot about Syd, if you're into that. In my opinion, it says a little too much about Syd, nearly half the book is about him in fact. However, if you like him then obviously that's good for you. There are several useful appendixes after the biography is over, a list of setlists, singles, albums, etc., which is cool. The biography part is great too, telling in good detail how the albums were made, and gives a lot of useful information on how Syd and Roger left the band, The Wall movie, and the various lawsuits. This is one that even if you never read, you have to get if you like Pink Floyd. It's a must-buy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The late Nicholas Schaffner has written a book that manages to be extremely entertaining while being very informative. The post-breakup aspect is a little one-sided, as Roger Waters would not be interviewed for the book, but that's a pretty minor complaint. A must-read for anyone who's even heard of the band
Rating:
Summary: Thorough Biography on the Unique History of a Great Band
Review: There really aren't a whole lot of books out there about Pink Floyd's history, which is surprising considerind that Floyd is one of the best groups in rock history, not to mention the fact that the group's history is much more unique than most others that have lasted for more than two decades. As a result, this book stands out as a wonderful piece of writing, both well-researched and fully documented. Though the now-defunct Roger Waters passed on the opportunity to be personally interviewed for the book, Waters and his views about the remaining members of the band carrying on without him (but with the same famous name) are well-represented here. While re-examining the battles -- some of which were fought in court, while others were staged in the print media -- that took place between Waters and the rest of the group after he left, the author retains a fair sence of objectivity, allowing his readers to decide which side is in the right. But Waters doesn't even represent Floyd's original leadership, though he was in the band from the beginning. In exhaustive detail, the author investigates the group's early rise to popularity in the underground of the British music scene. Most of that early popularity can be attributed to Syd Barrett, who served as the group's lead guitarist and vocalist and authored most of the songs on its debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn. In one of rock's most tragic stories, Barrett slowly began to lose his mind as Floyd became more and more popular, a situation that some have blamed on the front man's constant use of hallucinogenic substances. Barrett would eventually become too bizarre and unstable to remain a productive member of the group. Enter David Gilmour, a man who would one day become one of rock's most accomplished guitarists, but who to this point had yet to establish himself. Many of Floyd's fans and a lot of music executives thought the group would suffer terribly without the charismatic Barrett, ultimately causing it to disband. For awhile, there was no reason for these skeptics to change their minds. Floyd's next few albums were, for the most part forgettable. They did a number of movie soundtracks and even an advertisement for a European soft drink, the latter of which the band would later regret. Meddle proved to be a huge step in the right direction, but Floyd's popularity went through the roof with the release of what I believe is the greatest album in rock history, Dark Side of the Moon. All of the band's subsequent albums would prove successful as Pink Floyd became a household name in the music industry. As the band continued pumping out solid product, Roger Waters became more obsessive about certain subjects like war and the death of his father; he also became obsessive over his role in the band, becoming its leader and eventually taking complete control of its creative direction. The others in the band, of course, came to think of Waters as too bent on getting his own way, never letting anybody else have any influence on the music. By the time The Wall was released, Waters was almost the only group member contributing anything, although Gilmour always claimed that he too played an important role in the making of the album. Floyd's next album, The Final Cut, is considered by most a solo project, an assertion that seems very reasonable due to the fact that the inside cover reads, "An album by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd." The Final Cut was the last Pink Floyd album on which Waters would appear. When the group regathered itself, with Gilmour now clearly at the helm, for another album, Momentary Lapse of Reason, Waters began a public outcry about his former colleagues' use of the Pink Floyd name. To Waters, he was Pink Floyd and the only reason Gilmour and crew wouldn't create a new moniker for themselves is that they were more interested in money than in product quality. Unfortunately for Waters, through several court battles, the group has been allowed to keep its name and has made a few more, not very notable albums. To this day it seems there is animosity between Waters and the rest of Floyd. This book makes it clear that the potential for a future reunioun, while a wonderful idea, is not good because Waters has no respect for the other Floyd and they are scared to death of the thought of him returning to once again control their every musical whim. What is interesting to note is that none of the group's members have made any successful solo albums. Everytime one of them struck out on his own, it was obvious that he needed the others to make a cohesive rock statement. This is most likely a result of them being unfriendly with the press and not putting pictures of themselves all over most of their successful albums. Because they succeeded in putting up a cloud of mystery surrounding the group, none of the guys ever became stars independent of the group. All of them, however, are responsible for producing some of the best music ever made, and this book perfectly captures the aura of Pink Floyd and its troubled history.
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