Although a lifelong New Yorker, Nicholas Schaffner was an authority on British bands, particularly those of the British Invasion, and especially the Beatles. In addition to writing one of the best general Beatles histories (-The Beatles Forever), he wrote the best overview of the British Invasion (-The British Invasion), and the best Pink Floyd biography, -Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey. In the '70s, Schaffner started writing about rock and the Beatles in publications like -Rolling Stone, the -Village Voice, and -Trouser Press. His first book, -The Beatles Forever (1977), was a thoroughly readable, well-illustrated and reasonably detailed account of their career and '70s solo work, concentrating primarily upon their music, but also integrating commentary on their personal lives and cultural influence. Although subsequent Beatles volumes went into greater depth to uncover some of the stories and mysteries, it is still a good pickup for general readers who want a breezy read that's informative, intelligent and capably conveys the Beatles' significance.

Schaffner was a fan not just of the Beatles, but of British rock in general from the British Invasion onwards. His 1982 book -The British Invasion devoted sizable chapters to seven major British acts of the '60s and early '70s: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and T. Rex. There was also a general chapter about U.K. punk and new wave, and (with help from some other contributors) a hundred small bios about important British artists of the '60s and '70s. Often this imbalanced approach doesn't work, but in this volume it did, and it remains an important and valuable effort, both for reference purposes and for its enjoyable writing. Schaffner did some more writing about the Beatles by collaborating on -John Lennon: In My Life with Pete Shotton, one of Lennon's closest childhood friends, and one of the few people to have known Lennon pretty well throughout most of the musician's life. In the early '90s he issued his most important work, -Saucerful of Secrets, which included a great deal of firsthand interview material from Pink Floyd members and crucial associates. Schaffner was well-equipped for the task, as he had been a big fan of the band since the summer of 1967, when they were virtually unknown in the U.S.; his British mother, however, brought him a copy of their debut LP after a visit to London, which got him hooked. Schaffner was also a singer-songwriter, releasing a song-cycle album in 1991, Magical Kingdoms, and composing songs and music for films and off-Broadway productions. Sadly, he died in 1991 of AIDS, aged only 38. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi