Below is a list of other Pink Floyd-related sites we highly recommend you visit.
This list is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all Floyd sites on the net (if you want that, type Pink Floyd into Google, and then laugh). Instead, these are hand-picked sites that provide fans and historians a relevant, interesting, insightful and interactive Pink Floyd experience above and beyond all others. The details included after each entry are written by myself so as to present a unified comparative review of sites.
In order to have yours considered for inclusion in this list, please email unclecustard@gmail.com with the name and homepage url of your site. I'll review it and possibly list it here. If I decide your site is phenomenal enough to be included, I'll email you back (if you don't hear from me, then I'm sorry yours cannot be recommended here). While of course it would be appreciated that your site include a link back to us, such cooperation is not required in order to be listed below.
To be considered, your site must adhere to a few basic requirements in addition to presenting valuable Pink Floyd-related content...
1. No offer, advertisement or endorsement of MP3s. If ever there was a band deserving of their music distributed in lossless form, this is it. They spent their careers laboring to create the most cutting edge, sonically golden recordings (well, except for Animals, that is). To lop off the high and low end of their creations just to save some hard drive space, or so as to fit more on one's stupid iPod, is despicable. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read this: The Death of High Fidelity
2. Less than 1/3 of the site is ad-based. Of the ads presented, none can be pornographic, and most should be somewhat music related (where content is controllable).
3. No pop-up, shadow or arrow-trailing adverts. They irritate me.
4. No fee-based membership sites. Only free sites will be considered. If your site requires user registration, the process should be simple, user-friendly, and expeditious. Few things worse than finding a site and not being able to see any content before registering, followed by a waiting period that takes days to complete while you wait for the moderator to get off their lazy ass to activate your registration.
5. No over-stylized sites that use every possible coding technology. Flash this, blinking scrolling that, background music, streaming video, and so on. All these elements are nice and can make a site fun and interesting. However, when all of them bombard you simultaneously the instant you enter, it's frantic and distracting. So, if hitting on your site causes my hard drive to crank away just to keep up with your techno bs, no thanks.
Simple enough. Now here are the absolute best of the best Pink Floyd sites in alphabetical order...
ALL PINK FLOYD FAN NETWORK (www.pinkfloydfan.net)
An interesting concept, APFFN is set up as one massive bulletin board. Each category (Discography, Tablatures, Interviews, Lyrics, Articles, etc) is presented in forum style where main titled listings allow for member comments, input, corrections and additions. Membership is substantial (20,000+), categories are organized and well-thought, and contributions are extensive. You'd need a lifetime to read through everything, so the search feature is a plus. Free and simple registration is required.
BRAIN DAMAGE (www.brain-damage.co.uk)
Matthew Johns, longtime major contributor to the printed version of the magazine, launched the official Brain Damage site years ago. Since that time it has grown into a healthy and well-groomed 800-pound gorilla. It seems to be the first site to post breaking Floyd-related news (though there isn't much of that these days), includes a massive archive of articles and reviews, and promotes fan-inspired projects (tribute bands, fanzines, and even a Syd Barrett walking tour in Cambridge). A superbly designed site, easy to navigate, well written throughout, and completely open (no registration required).
ECHOES HUB (www.echoeshub.com)
This is the home site of a DC++ trading community. In order to access their hub, a software download and registration is required. Within the hub, as within all legitimate DC++ hubs, users trade unofficial recordings without charge. The only expectation they have is that you share back that downloaded material for the benefit of others, and never offer any officially released material. Although the main page is right on the cusp of being too chaotic, I'm listing the site here because of something I saw that had me clearing away bits of my jaw off the floor. Check out their roio recordings listing. Are you kidding me? Over 1500 non-duplicated listings for Floyd-related downloads, in addition to hundreds of additional non-Floyd listings (I presume more are added regularly). Each entry includes artwork, track listing, additional information about the recording, date, venue, and quality rating. The entire database is searchable no less, making this one seriously amazing resource for collectors. Theirs easily surpasses the now inactive, but once premier, Roio Database.
A FLEETING GLIMPSE (www.pinkfloydz.com)
Companion site to Brain Damage (each is run independently), AFG is operated by Australian mega-fan Col Turner. With a clean and functional design, you can spend days exploring the vast entries on this site. From an extensive interview archive to mountains of concert photos, from fan-inspired projects to current news, there isn't much this highly acclaimed site doesn't endeavor to tackle. Registration is required for their discussion forum (which boasts guests such as Dave Kilminster, Harry Waters and Storm Thorgerson), but other areas are open. What is particularly striking about AFG is the level of fan involvement by way of articles and submissions. This site remains true to its sub-title "By The Fans - For The Fans", and is every bit enjoyable as it is informative.
NEPTUNE PINK FLOYD (www.neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk)
The shadow ad for the NPF newsletter was certain to preclude inclusion of this site here. But hey, they're my rules, and if I want to make an exception, an exception there will be. But why would I? Well, quite simply, NPF is one of the best Floyd sites in existence. To not list it here would be an injustice, so I cannot allow one discomfort taint the overall goal of recommending the best of the best. A whole galaxy of Floyd radiates from this singularity. A full website with corresponding (and lively) forum, blog, feeds and newsletters, combined with contributions from well-informed fans, there are few sites to rival this one. I also found the NPF Magazine a superb idea, and an enjoyable read. While Neptune is our outermost planet now, least known and most mysterious, Neptune Pink Floyd is the center of the Floyd universe and should be thoroughly explored by all travelers. First in space?
YEESHKUL! (www.yeeshkul.com)
"This site is for the sharing of (mostly Pink Floyd related, but not exclusively) unofficial live audio and video recordings by way of the Bit Torrent p2p protocol." So again, another trading community. Unlike their DC++-based counterpart, here they use torrents. You need to register with them, and subsequently download a small bit torrenting program in order to actively trade. Unlike DC++ hubs, while trading you are not in social contact with the community. Yeeshkul compensates for this by having what is one of the premier Floyd-related discussion boards on the web. Highly informed fans and collectors post on a wide variety of topics, almost always insightful, informative, and even entertaining. The gold it's in the... exhaustive research topics this community undertakes. Explore those topics thoroughly, it's well worth your time, much to the benefit of your Floyd IQ.
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And then there was this other rather large Floyd site I reviewed...
... Perhaps the largest online accumulation of articles and interviews, arranged in an easily navigatible and logical manner. ... With a large and perky forum... One of my highest recommendations.
Until I noticed they endorsed and distributed mp3s. So I decided to lop off the top and bottom of their review. To illustrate the point.
