Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd
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Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Mark Blake (Author), Graeme Malcolm (Narrator), Hachette Audio (Publisher)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,330 ratings
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Mark Blake draws on his own interviews with band members as well as the group's friends, road crew, musical contemporaries, former housemates, and university colleagues to produce a riveting history of one of the biggest rock bands of all time. We follow Pink Floyd from the early psychedelic nights at UFO, to the stadium-rock and concept-album zenith of the '70s, to the acrimonious schisms of the late '80s and '90s. Along the way there are fascinating revelations about Syd Barrett's chaotic life at the time of Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the band's painstaking and Byzantine recording sessions at Abbey Road, and the fractious negotiations to bring about their fragile, tantalizing reunion in Hyde Park.

Meticulous, exacting, and ambitious as any Pink Floyd album, Comfortably Numb is the definitive account of this most adventurous - and most English - rock band.

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  1. Listening Length
    17 hours and 4 minutes
  2. Author
    Mark Blake
  3. Narrator
    Graeme Malcolm
  4. Audible release date
    November 17, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Hachette Audio
  7. ASIN
    B077J81H88
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 17 hours and 4 minutes
Author Mark Blake
Narrator Graeme Malcolm
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date November 17, 2017
Publisher Hachette Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B077J81H88
Best Sellers Rank #18,350 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#29 in Rap & Hip-Hop Musician Biographies
#75 in Music (Audible Books & Originals)
#97 in Rock Band Biographies

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,330 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dana F.
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent telling
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2016
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A wonderful book. I echo many of the sentiments already put forth, namely in that Roger Waters was arrogant and yet the prime driving force behind what gave Pink Floyd its depth, and that he was better with David Gilmour than he was alone -- and the same goes for Gilmour, despite what the large Floyd concertgoer numbers show to the contrary in the years following Waters's departure. I saw Roger Waters and the Wall in Louisville in 2013, and I was blown away. He truly plumbs the depths of the human condition in a way that few rock artists have ever been able to do, and for that, I am thankful for the man. I'm also pleased that as he is now in his 70s, he sees some of the errors of his younger days, times when he was, by many accounts, a prick. Blake also explores effectively the romance, the tragedy, and the reality of Syd Barrett's decades away from Pink Floyd. Though largely reclusive, he pops up in different portions throughout the book, and Blake conveys just the basic sadness of his demise. I love all of the members of Pink Floyd, and the Wall remains my favorite album of all time. Blake has done a great job of showing the brilliance and the sometime-misery of this rock band.
20 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Pink Floyd book
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2023
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I purchased this book for a Christmas present. I hope it’s well received by the recipient. Really good book about the band members and songs. Mainly facts, not opinions. I like that about this book.
One person found this helpful
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So far it's what I expected
5.0 out of 5 stars Book written about everything so far that I didn't know but glad I know now.
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024
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Used it for my own personal experience been a fan for a while.
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C. Stathos
5.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough and well crafted!
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2007
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This book is extremely well written and researched. The quality of writing is impeccable. Covering the history of Pink Floyd until the present, it is full of fascinating material and clarifies or fills in stories about the band which have circulated throughout the years. Any PF fan who enjoys learning all about the crafting of the music, the individual personalities and points of view, and how the miracle of Pink Floyd came about will surely be delighted.

I agree with everything that the previous reviewer had to say except for the comment about the Nick Mason book. I am not convinced that Nick's original intent was to go into depth about the band's various personality conflicts over the years. His book with its extensive collection of photographs was written from a loving perspective and with great humor. I value that book very much just as it is. It is a beautiful book with stunning artwork worthy of a true Pink Floyd product. I highly recommend both these wonderful books which compliment each other very nicely.
36 people found this helpful
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Dr Beverly R Vincent
4.0 out of 5 stars The definitive look at the band
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2008
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Mark Blake has done a yeoman's job putting together a profile of the evolution of the band members associated with Pink Floyd over the past several decades. Whereas Nick Mason's book glossed over some of the grittier aspects of their lives, Blake has dug deep and turned over every stone. It's not a tell-all expose, but a frank look at sex, drugs and rock and roll as it pertained to one of the more mysterious bands of the 20th century. Given how few interviews the band members granted over the years, a lot of it comes down to sometimes conflicting memories of events. When he encounters more than one recollection, he presents both (or all) sides without discernable bias. To his credit, he also keeps up with people who splintered off from the group in parallel with the obvious focus on the central five figures who defined Floyd: Barrett, Gilmour, Mason, Wright and Waters. He keeps tab on Barrett and forks off to Waters' solo career.

Waters fares the worst from Blakes unflinching eye, depicted as a controlling, abrasive personality who seems aware of his character flaws but unwilling or unable to change them. Gilmour is strong-willed and stubborn, but recalictrant and quiet. Mason and Wright are wallflowers, though the conflict between Wright and Waters is an ongoing theme.

All in all, an excellent in-depth treatment that is very readable and perceptive. Blake occasionally reviews the musical content, but that isn't his strength. Getting people to talk and digging out the facts--or the beliefs and suppositions and fading (or drug-addled) memories--is.

Highly recommended for anyone who has ever been a fan of Pink Floyd.
17 people found this helpful
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JFMP
5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Insight to Pink Floyd and Its Music
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2015
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It's not just a great narrative of the 5 characters that made up the band, their views of the band and the roles they played. Just as interesting is how the music came about, where the inspiration came from, and which of the members played and voted on the songs to include. It was fascinating to read that the band took a vote between doing The Wall or The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking, which Roger Waters would go on to do as a solo. The book does a superb job of upending many of the notions that are out there (e.g. Waters, after spurning the band, was desperate to reunite but it was David Gilmour who demurred; Syd Barrett's contributions were limited to a single record, more limited than I thought; the 1980s Floyd was not about raking money but about proving Waters wrong).

The book is strongest after Gilmour enters the picture, and Blake gets to concentrate on the band and its music, rather than the circles around them. The personalities are truly interesting, the talented but lazy Rick Wright, the happy go lucky Nick Mason, who becomes alienated from best pal Waters, the stoic Gilmour, who soldiers on as best as he can, and Waters, who comes out awfully from this history. From the early Barrett years, Waters was already being difficulty and a bully, and his narcissism and ego ends up blowing up group dynamics.

Superb read, couldn't recommend it any more.
37 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Carlos A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente livro
Reviewed in Brazil on September 15, 2023
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Se está em dúvida, compre, adorei
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Kislaya Sharma
5.0 out of 5 stars Iiiiiiiiii have become
Reviewed in India on November 5, 2016
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Brilliant band, awesome read, thanks Amazon for now I'm a lazy person who doesn't leave home even to buy books 😇
One person found this helpful
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KDakota630
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down
Reviewed in Canada on September 9, 2015
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Unlike some of the other reviewers, this is the first book about Pink Floyd I've read, and chose it based on a lot of the other reviewers saying that it was the best book about Pink Floyd there is.

Now that I've finished it, without reading any of the others, I would tend to agree with previous assessments. It is a VERY thorough and well-researched book. To be perfectly honest, I almost found the beginning couple of chapters almost TOO well researched at times. If I have a complaint, it's in those early chapters delving into some figures or details about the main five that I just didn't find overly interesting, hoping to start getting into the "meat" of the book.

As much as I like Pink Floyd, I was never a super ardent fan, so most of the behind the scene details were almost entirely new to me. I mean, I know Roger Waters left the band, but never really knew why or the degree of animosity there was. Roger Waters definitely does not come off looking very good in the book. To me it seemed that all the difficulties that he experienced in his early years that affected him so deeply, he decided to inflict those same difficulties on pretty much everyone surrounding him.

Despite everything that was going on, they still managed to create (in my opinion) five of the best albums of all time (everything between Dark Side of the Moon and The Final Cut).

If you're looking for the definitive (if not "official") biography of Pink Floyd, I would definitely recommend this at your starting point. (And music-wise, Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here as your starting point.)

(Side note, the book is 418 pages, not 448.)
2 people found this helpful
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Pedro Marques
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice story
Reviewed in Spain on October 13, 2015
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An almost defitive account of the Floyd's world. through Barrett days until the litigation over the group's name. Waters and Gilmour limited.
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Andrew Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars ... well written and well researched book which is a great read for anyone who is interested in the Floyd ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2014
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A really well written and well researched book which is a great read for anyone who is interested in the Floyd and their history. Well documented covering all the well known stories and rumours everyone has heard over the years but with so much more added and some really interesting interviews/comments from both band members and other associates and friends. Makes you realise and appreciate just how important Dave Gilmour was, perhaps with support from Rick Wright and Nick Mason, in keeping them above all as a "music" band. I always thought they managed to consistently produce some of the best music ever produced by an English rock band ( although you did have to wade through some not so good stuff sometimes to get to the sublime! ). So whoever cared about the stupid rantings and puerile lyrics of the self appointed leader. Also why the obsession over so many years with Syd Barrett's contribution? If he had stayed and Gilmour not joined it is difficult to believe that they would not have become a nothing band disappearing completely well before the end of the sixties. The book takes a more orthodox view but it is all in here - a great read!
5 people found this helpful
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