Nicholas Berkeley MasonCBE (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He has been the only constant member since the band's formation in 1964, and the only member to appear on every Pink Floyd album. He co-wrote Pink Floyd compositions including "Echoes", "Time", "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and "One of These Days".
In 2018, Mason formed a new band, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, to perform music from Pink Floyd's early years. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as a member of Pink Floyd. Mason collects classic cars and competes in motorsport races, and has produced books and documentaries on the subject.
The only occasions on which Mason's voice has been included on Pink Floyd's albums are "Corporal Clegg"; the single spoken line in "One of These Days"; and spoken parts of "Signs of Life" and "Learning to Fly" (the latter taken from an actual recording of Mason's first solo flight) from A Momentary Lapse of Reason.[7] He does, however, sing lead vocals on two unreleased but heavily bootlegged tracks, "Scream Thy Last Scream" (1967), penned by original group leader Syd Barrett, and "The Merry Xmas Song" (1975–76). In live performances of the song "Sheep", Mason delivered the spoken section.[7]
Despite legal conflicts over ownership of the name "Pink Floyd", which began when Waters left the group in 1985 and lasted roughly seven years, Waters and Mason are reportedly on good terms.[7] Mason joined Waters on the last two nights of his 2002 world tour to play drums on the Pink Floyd song "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", and he also played drums on some concerts of Waters' European tour in 2006, and during performances in Los Angeles and New York City in the United States.
In July 2005, Mason, Gilmour, Wright, and Waters played together on stage for the first time in 24 years at the Live 8 concert in London.[7] Mason joined Gilmour and Wright again for the encore during Gilmour's show at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 31 May 2006. Mason has claimed to be the link between Gilmour and Waters. He also stated in 2006 that Pink Floyd had not officially disbanded, but with the death of Wright in 2008, the band effectively came to an end, as confirmed by Gilmour.[8] While Gilmour and Waters continued to quarrel, Mason remained close to both.[9]
On 12 May 2007, Mason joined Waters on stage at Earls Court to play The Dark Side of the Moon. On 12 May 2011, Mason was featured (along with Gilmour) on the encore "Outside the Wall" at a concert by Waters, who was performing The Wall in its entirety (Gilmour also performed on "Comfortably Numb" that night).
Mason's book, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, was published in the UK in October 2004.[7] It is also available, abridged, as a 3-CD audio book, read by Mason.[7] An updated edition was published in paperback in 2011.
He performed in the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games on 12 August 2012. He produced and played on the charity single "Save the Children (Look Into Your Heart)", which also featured Beverley Knight, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood and which was released in May 2015 in aid of Save the Children's Nepal Earthquake Appeal.[11] On 17 October 2012, Mason was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge Award in recognition of his contributions to music.[12]
In 2018, Mason formed a new band, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, to perform Pink Floyd's early psychedelic material.[13] Along with Mason, the band comprises former Blockheads guitarist Lee Harris, bassist and Pink Floyd collaborator Guy Pratt, vocalist and guitarist Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet, and Orb keyboardist Dom Beken.[14] As many fans had discovered Pink Floyd with The Dark Side of the Moon, Mason wanted to bring their earlier material to a wider audience.[14] The band toured Europe and North America in 2018 and 2019, with a third tour postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] In September 2020, they released a live album and film, Live at the Roundhouse.[16]
Influenced by jazz and big band music, Mason embraced acoustic drums (both single- and double-headed), tuned percussion, electronic drums and Rototoms, melding all of these into a melodic whole. His snare drum sound shifted from harsh demarcation of beats 2 and 4 ("Careful with that Axe, Eugene") to a fatter and gentler timbre ("Echoes") — a change that reflected growing studio skills.[17]
Mason's style was gentler and more laid back than that of other progressive rock drummers of the time. He soloed on a few Pink Floyd compositions including "Nick's Boogie", "A Saucerful of Secrets", "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party", "Up The Khyber", "Skins", and "Time". Due to the dynamic live performances of Pink Floyd, Mason's style was more energetic and complex live, and can be heard on such albums as Ummagumma and Live at Pompeii.
He used Premier drums in the 1960s and occasionally in the 1970s[according to whom?]. After that, he used Ludwig drums from 1970 until 1992. He currently uses Drum Workshop (DW) drums, pedals and hardware. His kit is a DW double bass kit with the Dark Side of the Moon logo on the drums. He has also used Paiste cymbals during his entire career with Pink Floyd and currently uses a mixture of Paiste Traditional, Signature and 2002 cymbals. He also endorses Remo drumheads, Latin Percussion and Pro-Mark sticks.
In 1998, Mason published a book, Into the Red, in which he documents his experience with his cars, along with some histories.[26] It was followed in 2010 by a second book, Passion for Speed: Twenty-four Classic Cars that Shaped a Century of Motor Sport.[27]
Mason is associated with the Italian manufacturer Ferrari, and estimates he has owned 40 Ferrari cars.[25] His first purchase in the early 1970s was a Ferrari 275 GTB/4, which he comments would regularly wet-plug (when spark plugs are coated with unburned fuel).[25] His most notable purchase was in 1977 from his proceeds from the sale of the Pink Floyd album Dark Side Of The Moon, when he paid £37,000 (equivalent to £290,360in 2023) for one of only 39 Ferrari 250 GTOs. He still owns the car, valued now in excess of £30 million.[24] Mason and Gilmour drove the first two Ferrari F40s back to the UK from Maranello.[25]
Mason was invited by Ferrari to purchase one of the 400 Enzo models. He appeared in an episode of the BBC motoring programme Top Gear in which he allowed Jeremy Clarkson to borrow it for a review, on the condition Clarkson promote the release of the book Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd.[28] Skirting BBC advertising rules prohibiting product endorsements, Clarkson referenced Pink Floyd songs and album titles in the review of the Enzo and the Stig drove around the Top Gear test track with "Another Brick in the Wall" playing, despite the fact that the Enzo does not come equipped with a stereo.[29] Mason later sold the Enzo,[30] and replaced it with a Blu Scozia-coloured LaFerrari.[31]
Mason appeared on Season 2, Episode 8 of The Grand Tour. He won against the Police drummer Stewart Copeland for the title of "fastest rock drummer from a band that begins with a P" (driving not drumming) in the Celebrity Face Off segment.[32]
Mason's first marriage (1969) was to Lindy Rutter, with whom he had two daughters.[citation needed] Lindy is an accomplished woodwind player; she played flute on "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" from Pink Floyd's 1969 album Ummagumma.[citation needed] The couple divorced in the late 1980s and Mason is now married to his second wife Annette Lynton (Nettie), an actress known for her adjudication role on the second series of Treasure Hunt in 1984.[citation needed] They have two sons and live in Hampstead, London. Since 1995 they have also owned Middlewick House, the Grade II listed former home of Andrew and Camilla Parker Bowles, just outside the Wiltshire town of Corsham.[35]
He is a board member and co-chairman of the Featured Artists' Coalition.[43][44] As a spokesman for the organisation, Mason has voiced his support for musicians' rights and offered advice to younger artists in a rapidly changing music industry.[45]
On 26 November 2012, Mason received the Honorary title of Doctor of Letters from the University of Westminster at the presentation ceremony of the School of Architecture and Built Environment (he had studied architecture at the university's predecessor, Regent Street Polytechnic, 1962–1967).[49]
On 24 July 2023, ahead of his Pompeii concert with his current band, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, Mason was awarded with the honorary citizenship of the Italian city of Pompeii.[51]
Steve Hillage – Green (1978); co-produced w/ Steve Hillage. Mason also plays drums on "Leylines to Glassdom"[10]
Collaboration
2008: Robert Wyatt & Friends – Theatre Royal Drury Lane 8th September 1974 – With Hugh Hopper, Mike Oldfield, Dave Stewart, Fred Frith, Julie Tippetts, Ivor Cutler, etc.
Books
At the Limit: 21 Classic Race Cars That Shaped a Century of Motorsport (with Mark Hales): Motorbooks International (1998) ISBN978-0760305706
Into the Red: 22 Classic Cars That Shaped a Century of Motor Sport (with Mark Hales) – 3 September 1998 (first edition), 9 September 2004 (second edition)
Passion for Speed: Twenty-Four Classic Cars that Shaped a Century of Motor Sport (with Mark Hales): Carlton Books (2010) ISBN978-1847326393
Related Research Articles
A Saucerful of Secrets is the second studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 28 June 1968 by EMI Columbia in the UK and in the US by Tower Records. The mental health of singer and guitarist Syd Barrett deteriorated during recording, so guitarist David Gilmour was recruited; Barrett left the band before the album's completion.
Ummagumma is the fourth album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It is a double album and was released on 7 November 1969 by Harvest Records. The first disc consists of live recordings from concerts at Mothers Club in Birmingham and the College of Commerce in Manchester that contained part of their normal set list of the time, while the second contains solo compositions by each member of the band recorded at EMI Studios. The artwork was designed by regular Pink Floyd collaborators Hipgnosis and features a number of pictures of the band combined to give a Droste effect. It was the last album cover to feature the band.
"A Saucerful of Secrets" is a multi-part instrumental composition by English rock band Pink Floyd from their 1968 album of the same name. It is nearly 12 minutes long and was composed by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and David Gilmour. The track features guitar feedback, a percussion solo section and wordless vocals.
Guy Adam Pratt is a British bassist. He has worked with artists including Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore, Madonna, Peter Cetera, Michael Jackson, the Smiths, Robert Palmer, Echo & the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, Icehouse, Bananarama, Iggy Pop, Tom Jones, Debbie Harry, Whitesnake, Womack & Womack, Kirsty MacColl, Coverdale•Page, Lemon Jelly, the Orb, All Saints, Stephen Duffy, Robbie Robertson and A. R. Rahman. In addition to his work as a session musician, Pratt has been a member of the Australian rock band Icehouse, a founding member of the American rock band Toy Matinee, and is currently a member of the band Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets.
"Time" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd. It is included as the fourth track on their eighth album The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and was released as a single in the United States. With lyrics written by bassist Roger Waters, guitarist David Gilmour shares lead vocals with keyboardist Richard Wright.
"Atom Heart Mother" is a six-part suite by the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, composed by all members of the band and Ron Geesin. It appeared on the Atom Heart Mother album in 1970, taking up the first side of the original vinyl record. At 23:38, it is Pink Floyd's longest uncut studio piece. Pink Floyd performed it live between 1970 and 1972, occasionally with a brass section and choir in 1970–71.
"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, appearing on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets (1968). It was written by Roger Waters, taking lyrics from a Chinese poetry book, and features a drum part by Nick Mason played with timpani mallets. It is the only song recorded by Pink Floyd to feature material from all five band members, as there are several different guitar parts recorded by both David Gilmour and Syd Barrett, although the guitar parts are buried in the mix.
"Let There Be More Light" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd and the opening track on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets. It was also released in edited form as the fourth American single by the group.
"Fearless" is the third track on the 1971 album Meddle by Pink Floyd. It is a slow acoustic guitar-driven song written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, and includes audio of football fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone".
"Remember a Day" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, written and sung by their keyboardist Richard Wright, appearing on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets (1968). It was performed by Pink Floyd only once, as an encore in May 1968; it was subsequently performed by David Gilmour in September 2008 in memory of Wright, who had recently died of cancer, on Later... with Jools Holland, and by Nick Mason during his Saucerful of Secrets tour. The dreamy, poetic lyrics are about nostalgia for the lost paradise of early childhood.
"Arnold Layne" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd. Released on 10 March 1967, it was the band's first single and was written by Syd Barrett.
"Astronomy Domine" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. The song, written and composed by the original vocalist/guitarist Syd Barrett, is the opening track on their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). The lead vocal was sung by Barrett and the keyboard player Richard Wright. Its working title was "Astronomy Dominé ". Domine is a word frequently used in Gregorian chants.
"Burning Bridges" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1972 album Obscured by Clouds. It shares a similar tune to the instrumental "Mudmen" on the same album.
"If" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd on their 1970 album Atom Heart Mother. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.
"Green Is the Colour" is a track on Pink Floyd's 1969 More. It was composed and written by Roger Waters and sung by David Gilmour. A tin whistle is heard in the song, played by drummer Nick Mason's then-wife Lindy. A live version of the song was released as the third single to promote The Early Years 1965–1972 box set in October 2016.
Pink Floyd World Tour 1968 was a Pink Floyd world tour spanning February to December 1968 in which the group visited Europe and North America.
Richard William Wright was an English keyboardist and songwriter who co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He appeared on almost every Pink Floyd album and performed on all their tours. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as a member of Pink Floyd.
The Early Years 1965–1972 is a box set that compiles the early work of the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 11 November 2016. It was released by Pink Floyd Records with distribution held by Warner Music for the UK and Europe and Sony Music for the rest of the world.
Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets are an English rock band formed in 2018 to perform the early music of Pink Floyd. The band comprises the Pink Floyd drummer and co-founder Nick Mason, the bassist Guy Pratt, the guitarists Gary Kemp and Lee Harris, and the keyboardist Dom Beken. As many fans had discovered Pink Floyd with their bestselling 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon, Mason wanted to bring their earlier material to a wider audience.
Live at the Roundhouse is a live album and film by the English rock band Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, released on 18 September 2020 through Legacy Recordings. It features performances of the early music of Nick Mason's band Pink Floyd.
References
↑ Leonard designed light machines, which used electric motors to spin perforated discs, casting patterns of lights on the walls. These were demonstrated on an early edition of Tomorrow's World. For a brief time Leonard played keyboard with them, using the front room of his flat for rehearsals.[4]
↑ "Bill Mason". The British Entertainment History Project. Retrieved 11 December 2021. my grandfather was lord mayor of Birmingham
↑ Blake 2008, pp.37–38: Mason meeting Waters while studying architecture at the London Polytechnic; Fitch 2005, p.335: Waters meeting Mason while studying architecture at the London Polytechnic.
↑ Pincombe, Sean (26 March 2020). "Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets 'Live at the Roundhouse' release delayed until September 2020". Retrieved 7 July 2020. Further to the postponement of their 2020 tour, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets 'Live at the Roundhouse' concert video and audio releases have also been delayed. Owing to the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, the release has been pushed from April, and will now hit store shelves on September 18th 2020.
↑ Passion for Speed: Twenty-four Classic Cars that Shaped a Century of Motor Sport Hardcover (2nded.). Publisher: Carlton Books Ltd; Revised & enlarged edition (10 Sept. 2010). 2010. ISBN978-1-84732-639-3.
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