BOOK REVIEW: Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains by Victoria Broackes and Anna Landreth Strong

Shane | 23 August 2017 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains by Victoria Broackes and Anna Landreth Strong

Bloomsbury
July 2017
Hardcover, $74.99
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

Non-Fiction/Music/Photography

10/10

This collection of photographic artifacts and essays documenting the career of Pink Floyd is a work of no small beauty.

From its lenticular Dark Side Of The Moon cover, to the archival photographs dating back to the earliest days of the band, through the analysis of the different stages of the band’s musical and interpersonal careers, it is lovingly curated from start to finish, and released in unison with a major exhibition in the UK.

In a bold and intelligent move, Broackes and Strong have included analysis not just about the band itself and their music, but also about to socio-cultural impact they had, and the ground breaking changes they made to the art and practicalities of touring a rock and roll band internationally, especially vis-à-vis art and lights.

Floyd geeks will wig out to the ‘behind the scenes’ pics of album cover shoots, equipment used throughout their career, and personal sketches and lyric sheets from band members. There’s also due credit and love given to designers Aubrey Powell and the late Storm Thorgerson, a great part of the creative group surrounding Floyd.

Throughout it all the integrity and determination to be artistically challenging, especially to themselves, is clear. It’s a message lost on most artists and validates Pink Floyd’s rampant success – whether that be critical or commercial – as well as their shortcomings along the way.

Fascinating and essential – even if only to discover that Pink Floyd were the forerunner of Gwar, with an early acquaintance, Peter Dockley, squirting an artificial phallus at the crowd!