Asheville, NC ― When founding member Syd Barrett parted ways with Pink Floyd in 1968, it could have spelled disaster for the band. Instead, the band continued on a new path. And in early 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon catapulted Pink Floyd to superstardom, showcasing the band's fully developed, iconic and influential sound.
In Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon, veteran music journalist Bill Kopp explores the five-year period from Barrett's departure through 1973, tracing the winding creative path the band followed after losing its leader, which culminated in the making of one of the most popular albums in the history of the recorded medium.
As the book expertly illustrates, that path was filled with failed experiments, creative blind alleys, one-off musical excursions, outside collaborations and – most importantly – a dedicated search for a distinctive musical personality.
Reinventing Pink Floyd features:
- In-depth exploration of the music Pink Floyd made in the years between its founder's departure and the making of The Dark Side of the Moon
- Analysis of the group's development as creators of film soundtracks and how that work informed the band's own albums
- New, first-hand interviews with managers, collaborators and musicians connected to the group's work
- Relevant quotes and commentary from long-unseen reviews and interviews
Drawing upon new interviews with key personalities involved in the band's early years, as well as archival interviews and music journalism, Reinventing Pink Floyd will captivate both casual fans of rock music and hardcore Pink Floyd devotees.
Author Bill Kopp is a lifelong music enthusiast, musician, collector and – since the 1990s – music journalist. His writing has been featured in numerous music magazines (including Bass Guitar, Billboard and Electronic Musician), as well as more than a dozen alternative weekly newspapers.
He is the jazz desk editor and progressive rock editor at BLURT online, and has written liner note essays for 23 albums, including titles by Julian "Cannonball” Adderley, Larry Coryell, Edgar Winter, Rick Wakeman, The Ventures, Dave Mason, Ben Folds and Iron Butterfly.
He has interviewed several hundred musicians and music industry figures of note, and his musoscribe.com blog has featured new content – thousands of music reviews, essays, interviews and features – every business day since 2009. He lives in a nearly century-old house in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife, two cats, many thousands of vinyl records, and perhaps too many synthesizers and guitars. He is active on social media on Facebook and Twitter at @the_musoscribe and @reinvpinkfloyd.
For more information, please visit www.reinventingpinkfloyd.com.
Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon
Rowman & Littlefield
Release Date: February 15, 2018
Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and www.reinventingpinkfloyd.com
