"Pink Floyd 1967” by Ed Paule book review in Italian [translated to English of course]

[elvis4life]

Here's the original Italian link: https://floydiani.it/2025/09/10/antepri ... -ed-paule/ & via Google translation, here's what it says in English:

https://floydiani-it.translate.goog/202 ... r_pto=wapp

Book Preview: "Pink Floyd 1967" by Ed Paule
Posted on September 10, 2025 by mrfloyd

“ Pink Floyd 1967” by Ed Paule
(The Bee Smart Book – ISBN 978-90-831514-9-6)
Language: English
Limited edition of 450 numbered copies with hardcover and cloth binding.

Charles Beterams, editor of this and many other volumes, confirms his position as one of the most important historians and archivists of the Pink Floyd world. His numerous books dedicated to Pink Floyd attest to his love, expertise, and quality, offering within their pages new and increasingly relevant historical testimonies to the English band's immense career.

His new work, Pink Floyd 1967 , written by Ed Paule, is no exception. A short, dry, and simple title that unclutters the incredible content of this extraordinary volume.

On the back cover, we learn that Ed Paule, born in 1963, lives in the heart of New Jersey, USA, with his wife Lisa. Together, they have raised four children, whom he proudly calls "wonderful." By day, Ed is head of software development for a major company. In his spare time, he devotes himself to music, a passion he has had since his youth. He's been a devoted Pink Floyd fan since 1981 and, over the years, has become a collector and researcher of the British band's history and evolution. In the preface, Paule recounts how his passion for Pink Floyd began: a journey in which I've found much of my own journey through the Floyd world, and which I'm sure many of you share.

The volume Pink Floyd 1967 is visually imposing: 496 full-color pages, 22x28 centimeters in size, hardback, and fine, professional printing on 170-gram glossy paper, weighing almost three kilos. While the exterior already appears monumental, the contents are nothing short of extraordinary. It's incredible how 1967, an intense and pivotal year in Pink Floyd's career, continues to offer us an unstoppable avalanche of new and previously unseen insights to investigate, research, and study. Because 1967 was a pivotal year for the Floyd, one that—on the one hand—witnessed Syd Barrett's sad and inexorable personal and artistic decline. On the other, it opened up countless opportunities and developments that radically transformed the band's life and career.

As soon as I received my hard copy (number 218, to be precise), I gave it a quick initial browse, which I then explored in depth. For an obsessive and voracious researcher like myself, leafing through this book is like a child having unlimited access to Disneyland. On the eve of my fifty-year Floyd passion, I'm still amazed when I manage to read or discover something new and interesting. Thanks to this new book, that wonder is combined with a sincere and genuine amazement at the quality of the collected material.

The book's foreword—and it's no coincidence—was written by Ian Barrett, son of Alan Barrett, Syd's older brother. Ian writes:“The book you are about to read is an example of the wonderfully obsessive nature of many Syd Barrett fans. While this has caused us many problems over the years, as we’ve struggled to keep up with their knowledge and enthusiasm, it’s comforting to know that interest in Syd and his work has persisted. Considering how short his career was, and with such a small legacy, it’s incredible to think he’s still being talked about all over the world. (One of the countries with the most visitors to the official website is Chile, in South America. Who would have thought!). In 2023 alone, there were screenings of Roddy Bogawa’s new documentary film, Have You Got It Yet? Story Of Syd Barrett And Pink Floyd, in 19 countries around the world .”

Pink Floyd 1967 is more than just a collection of material: this work exudes research and dedication, the fruit of countless hours spent delving into every kind of archive, both paper and digital. Paule's work is further enhanced by the collaboration with numerous illustrious figures from Pink Floyd's history, including Joe Boyd, Ian Priston, and Glenn Povey, to name a few, who have helped clarify doubts and enrich the volume with valuable information. The text unfolds through the twelve months of 1967 in chronological order, interspersed with inserts that delve into key topics. There are twelve in total, one for each month of the year.

The discoveries documented in the book are so numerous that it's difficult to choose just one without depriving the reader of the pleasure of "discovery." The author consulted most of the music publications of the time—such as Melody Maker , New Musical Express , Disc and Music Echo —but also extended his research to newspapers and smaller publications. He thus supplemented this solid foundation with material drawn from two seminal works: Random Precision by David Parker and The Complete Pink Floyd by Glenn Povey. Thanks to Paule's work, some of the information in these two volumes has been updated, and in some cases refuted, obviously supported by evidence. Many pieces of information previously considered accurate have been meticulously revised.

I don't want to spoil too much, but I want to share the initial discoveries that struck me. Obviously, they're not the most important, but they were the first that caught my eye (there are hundreds, believe me)...

The first concerns the date and location of the video for "Jugband Blues."from Pink Floyd: a find attributed to Glenn Povey and promptly included in the volume. The second concerns the setlist of a concert (I won't reveal which one), which includes a Pink Floyd song I didn't even know existed. The third, but no less important, is the exact location where the studio rehearsals for Polydor took place between January 23 and 25, 1967.

From an iconographic standpoint, the content of Pink Floyd 1967 is simply breathtaking. There are over five hundred photographs, many of which are published in a book for the first time. The collected photographic and documentary material will be the essential basis for any future serious research on Pink Floyd's recording debut.

At the end of the book, Ed Paule authored the "Epilogue" section, where he reveals his intention to work on a prequel covering the period 1965–1966. The author demonstrates that this new project—which we all hope will come to fruition soon—has the potential to be equally valid. As proof, he shows us a rare photograph of Pink Floyd on stage at the launch of the International Times magazine at the Roundhouse in London on October 15, 1966.

“Pink Floyd 1967” deserves a place among my ten essential books in the extensive bibliography on the English band. An essential work for anyone who wants to delve, with passion and rigor, into one of the most fascinating and decisive years in the history of Pink Floyd.

Attached is the link to purchase the book online:
https://www.floydstuff.com/product/1929 ... ition-book