The "Live 8" concert that took place on the 2nd of July 2005 at London's Hyde Park, was a very important event whose message was the everlasting fight against world poverty. I am really not sure how successful it was in terms of managing to assist that noble cause, and whether people's lives have improved as a consequence, but that is a totally different story...one more thing that this "humane festival" has managed to bring to the surface is the hope and expectation of the music world that one day we will be able to witness the re-formation of one of the biggest rock bands ever - Pink Floyd.

In the aftermath of this event, and following constant and intense rumours that the legendary quartet Mason, Waters, Wright and Gilmour were to bury their "axes of war" and join their musical geniuses for one more time, Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason decided to publish a book with the title "Inside Out - A Personal History of Pink Floyd". Many people will probably say that this was a good way for the musician to "cash in", following the success and publicity of the festival, and others may claim that it was the right moment for him to make sure that some theories will either vanish or put into perspective...anyway, the fact is that Orion Publications have decided to release an audiobook version of this book, that I'm sure that many people will find quite interesting.

"Inside Out - A Personal History of Pink Floyd" is the first audiobook that I had the pleasure of ever getting my hands on, so I'm afraid that I am unable to compare it with any other similar products that are out in the market. This release contains a three and a half hours of Mason's narration, during which he provides us some really important and quite hilarious moments throughout the band's rich history - from the days when, as a student at the Regent Street Polytechnic, he first met Roger Waters, till the band's performance at the "Live 8".

We know that when the four musicians decided to follow their separate ways, this didn't exactly happen under the best of circumstances, and many people may question this audiobook's subjectivity as far as the events round that period in the band's history are concerned, but in my opinion, Mason has managed to retain quite a neutral position when describing these events, and tried to present the arguments from both "sides of the fence" to the maximum of his abilities.

In all honesty, Nick Mason is not the most charismatic narrator that I have ever heard in my life, yet I found myself quite attracted by the way his material was composed and stayed focused till the last seconds of the third audio CD.

I don't believe that I need to provide any further explanation as to why any Pink Floyd fan must make sure to get their hands on this release. Additionally, I suggest that any music fan should invest in it, seeing as it is quite a good eye opener as far as the music industry is operating, and also proves that even one of the biggest-selling bands in the history of music had to climb mountains in order to reach their legendary status.

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Review by John Stefanis