Pink Floyd : Behind the Music

Pioneers of what was once dubbed ''progressive rock'' with their extended songs, technical experimentation, challenging lyrics, and spectacular stage presentations, Pink Floyd have been hailed as one of the most influential bands in the last half century of popular music. And unlike most bands of the progressive persuasion, the group has endured in the public consciousness, via a string of iconic recordings now regarded as timeless classics.

Formed in 1965, the four-piece of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick Mason fused English pastoral whimsy with electrifying instrumental voyages. Their gigs at underground clubs, such as UFO and Middle Earth, are the stuff of psychedelic legend. But Barrett''s days were numbered, and in 1968 his drug dependency led to his replacement by guitarist David Gilmour, cementing the line-up that would persist through most of the band''s career.

Fully illustrated throughout, Pink Floyd: Behind The Music is a history of a band molded by the vision of its various members. Its legacy lies in the group''s recorded work, with their albums - as related in these pages - marking key milestones in their history; each representing something genuinely unique and expanding the landscape of rock music forever.