Pink Floyd All the Songs - by Jean-Michel Guesdon & Philippe Margotin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The newest addition to the best-selling All the Songs series details the unique recording history of Pink Floyd, one of the world's most commercially successful and influential rock bands. Since 1965, Pink Floyd haven been recording sonically experimental and philosophical music, selling more than 250 million records worldwide, including two of the best-selling albums of all time: The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. While much is known about this iconic group, few books provide a comprehensive history of their time in the studio. In Pink Floyd All the Songs, authors Margotin and Guesdon describe the origin of their nearly 200 released songs, details from the recording studio, what instruments were used, and behind-the-scenes stories of the tensions that helped drive the band. Organized chronologically by album, this massive, 544-page hardcover begins with their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the only one recorded under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership; through the loss of Barrett and the addition of David Gilmour; to Richard Wright leaving the band in 1979 but returning; to Roger Waters leaving in 1985 and the albums recorded since his departure, including their 2014 farewell album, The Endless River, which was downloaded 12 million times on Spotify the week it was released. Packed with more than 500 photos, All the Songs is also filled with stories fans treasure, such as Waters working with engineer Alan Parsons to employ revolutionary recording techniques for The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios in 1972, or producer Bob's Ezrin's contribution in refining Water's original sprawling vision for The Wall."--Publisher's description.

Book Synopsis

A comprehensive look at the unique recording history of Pink Floyd, one of the world's most commercially successful and influential rock bands. Pink Floyd All the Songs tells the full story of every recording session, album, and single that the band has released.

Since 1965, Pink Floyd been recording sonically experimental and philosophical music, selling more than 250 million records worldwide, including two of the best-selling albums of all time Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. In Pink Floyd All the Songs, authors Margotin and Guesdon describe the origins of the band's nearly 200 released songs, including details from the recording studio, what instruments were used, and behind-the-scenes stories of the tensions that helped drive the band.

Organized chronologically by album, this massive, 544-page hardcover begins with the band's 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn--the only one recorded under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership--and runs all the way through their 2014 farewell album, The Endless River, which was downloaded 12 million times on Spotify during its first week of release. Packed with more than 500 photos, Pink Floyd All the Songs is also filled with stories that fans will treasure, such as Waters working with engineer Alan Parsons to implement revolutionary recording techniques on The Dark Side of the Moon during sessions at Abbey Road Studios in 1972, and producer Bob Ezrin's contributions that helped refine Waters' original sprawling vision for The Wall.

Review Quotes

"A must have for Pink Floyd completists"--Dayton Daily News

"A revealing guide for any curious about Pink Floyd's writing and recording some of the most vital and revolutionary music in the last 50 years."--Larson Sutton, Jambands.com

"Even superfans of the rock legends will learn something new."--Entertainment Weekly

"Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin are rock encyclopedists. . . With their latest volume, they turn their sights to prog-rock legends Pink Floyd. It makes sense. Unless you're a super-fan, you're going to need some help deciphering Pink Floyd's five-decade discography."--Rock and Roll Book Club, The Current

"This chronological presentation of everything Pink Floyd will satisfy the most hard-core fans and captivate those unfamiliar with the band's massive musical output."
--Booklist

About the Author

Jean-Michel Guesdon is a musician, composer, and sound engineer. Together with Philippe Margotin, he has written All the Songs books about the Beatles, The Rolling stones, Bob Dylan, and Pink Floyd.

In addition to writing multiple titles in the All the Songs series, Philippe Margotin has written several other books on music, including biographies of U2 and Radiohead.