Our friends over at Fingal’s Cave had the chance to sit down with acclaimed author Rob Chapman, who to Floyd fans is best known for his books about Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett. Rob reflects on his early memories of Pink Floyd and Syd in the 1960’s and talks about his new book Unsung: Unsaid: Syd and Nick in Absentia which explores what if Syd Barrett and Nick Drake had a series of encounters in the mid-70’s and tells the story through speculative fiction. You can listen to the episode and read the synopsis below with links to order Rob’s new book.

Drawing on his exceptional knowledge of both artists, Rob Chapman serves up a palatable Syd Barrett and Nick Drake broth, replete with historical and cultural references.

For followers of the Fingal’s Cave Podcast, Rob is perhaps best known for his two groundbreaking books about Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett, An Irregular Head, published in 2010 and The Lyrics of Syd Barrett, published in 2021. Rob’s latest novel is Unsung: Unsaid, an exploration of the creativity of Syd Barrett and Nick Drake through the medium of speculative fiction.

Encouraged by hosts Ian Priston and Phil Salathé, Rob explains his inspirations, why he chose to trap Syd and Nick at the same Kensington Market café table, and his approach to characterisation and structure. Rob reflects on his early memories of Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett in the 1960s and his two solo albums. Guiding us on various tangents, Rob also explains why his love of Pink Floyd extends to 1971 and describes working with David Gilmour.

If you haven’t encountered Spike Hawkins’ Instant Poetry Broth, you will undoubtedly wish to search for details after hearing Rob’s explanation.

Order Unsung: Unsaid: Syd and Nick in Abesntia now: USA | UK

https://fingalscavepodcast.com

Pink Floyd announce the upcoming release of their iconic album Animals 2018 Remix for the first time in Dolby Atmos immersive audio on Blu-ray.

Animals is the tenth studio album by Pink Floyd, originally released in January 1977. It was recorded at the band’s Britannia Row Studios in London throughout 1976 and early 1977, and was produced by the band themselves. The successful album peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 3 in the US and was recorded by band members David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright.

The Animals 2018 Remix – Dolby Atmos, by James Guthrie, will be released on Blu-ray, which also includes High Resolution Stereo and 5.1 Mixes alongside the 1977 Original Stereo Mix. The Dolby Atmos mix goes beyond ordinary listening by immersing the listener in the music, revealing details with unparalleled clarity and depth. Listeners will feel like they are inside the song as music moves around and above them.

The album artwork has been reimagined especially for this release and presented in a digipak with a 16-page booklet, a sticker and a postcard. The front cover image still includes the iconic pig floating between two chimneys of the Battersea Power Station, conceived by Roger Waters. However, for this new release, the artwork has been re-created for the modern era by Storm Thorgerson’s Hipgnosis partner Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell and Peter Curzon from StormStudios, and shows the historic building as it looks now, complete with light projections, variations of which feature in the accompanying booklet.

DOLBY ATMOS MIX Details –
5.1 SURROUND MIX in 24bit/96kHz UNCOMPRESSED, and dts-HD MA STEREO MIX in 24bit/192kHz UNCOMPRESSED, and dts-HD MA 1977 STEREO MIX in 24bit/192kHz UNCOMPRESSED, and dts-HD MA Dolby Atmos, Stereo and 5.1 Surround mixes by James Guthrie. Release date is 5/17/2024.

Pre-order now: US | UK

We at AFG would like to wish a very happy birthday to the maestro himself, David Gilmour! Happy birthday David, we hope you enjoy your day. Cheers to many more! David has recently contributed to Mark Knopfler’s charity single “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)” which is due out March 15th, with all proceeds going to Teenage Cancer Trust. Also, fans may have noticed Mrs. Gilmour posting photos on social media of David in the studio working with an array of musicians! Hopefully more news on that in the coming months.

Another brilliant animation from ARTIST ON THE BORDER, this time featuring the Syd Barrett classic “Gigolo Aunt” premiered on the official Syd Barrett YouTube page just yesterday:

Douglas Arthur Peter Field was born on the 6th of August 1945. 18 months older than Syd Barrett, Duggie was an upcoming artist in London who blended the imagery of cartoons, fashion and advertising with Dalí and Mondrian. For all he learned at art school, however, Fields’ real education, and fame, came from the milieu of late 60s and 70s London, where he was a regular at parties, recognizable by his quiff and penchant for eyebrow makeup.

18 months older than Syd Barrett, Duggie Fields shared an Earl’s Court flat with Syd Barrett. He was an upcoming artist in London who blended the imagery of cartoons, fashion and advertising with Dalí and Mondrian. Syd and Duggie were artistically very different, but close to each other in other ways. Interestingly, the trenchcoat that we can see Syd wearing in the famous photo shoots from the flat was Duggie’s. Perhaps also an inspiration for the trench coat in the opening lyrics of Gigolo Aunt!

In 2016, Duggie painted a 80.3 x 95.3 inch acrylic canvas called “Study for Syd (No Use Trying)”. The image is based on an iconic Mick Rock photograph of Syd leaning against his Pontiac Parisienne. In typical Duggie fashion, Syd’s head is partially missing. A nod perhaps towards old Greek and Roman sculptures. Or to a far more personal experience of what Duggie saw happening to Syd in those years together.

Duggie Fields left us on March 7th, 2021.

ARTIST ON THE BORDER: It is a privilege to have been given the chance to collaborate directly with the Duggie Fields estate on this project. Conceptually Duggie’s art brings a well needed splash of colour to an otherwise suppressed, almost faded artistic project. Duggie’s art may remind us of the early days of computer graphics with sharp lines and colours on the verge of exploding. And that was my folly. I thought this one would be easy, but it was far from. Even with years of experience, modern software and a barrage of filters and gimmicks, one doesn’t just filter a Duggie Fields painting into existence. For “Gigolo Aunt” I carefully disassembled 25 of Duggie’s pieces so that the various objects could overlap and move independently. For each of these I had to create a template that maintained the sharp fidelity of Duggies brushwork. A process which takes time and numbs minds. Imagine staring into several multicoloured suns and you’ll get the impression.

Gigolo Aunt was released as the B-side opener on Syd Barrett’s second album “Barrett”. In 2000-2001 David Gilmour remastered and released the track officially on the 2001 compilation “Wouldn’t you Miss Me?” and again later on the 2010 compilation “An introduction to Syd Barrett”.