read any good books lately... - Progressive Rock Music Forum

Recently finished The Medusa and the Snail by Lewis Thomas, probably my favorite author.

Blank Space Records

GhostPony750 wrote:

I love classics. o_O

Me too. I read The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson last week and it's really good.

A thin book, but quite interesting. Not boring in any way.

Edited by Moogtron III - July 15 2014 at 15:09

Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust by Ken Scott 2012

Any autobiography by a record producer/engineer is bound to target two main audiences: the mic spotting pocket protector crowd and the 'Classic Albums' collecting Rawk fan. Scott therefore straddles this divide admirably and I think suceeds in giving both camps what they want. The technical data is there for those who seek it while the anecdotal pace is well judged and all the stories are corroborated by third parties. This latter fact is important, as it illustrates an overriding perception about Scott's character imbued in his work that one man's 'exemplary attention to detail' is another's 'fastidious pedantic obsessive'
No rock related autobiography would be complete without a large dollop of irreverence and Scott doesn't disappoint. He is however, never in thrall to the artists he is working for and such sober pragmatism is very refreshing in a milieu where gushing disciples would have us believe their messiah's indefensible behavior is proof of their genius etc
There are many fascinating accounts of working on albums with Lou Reed, the Beatles, Elton John, Bowie, Jeff Beck, Devo, the Tubes, Level 42 (the list goes on)
For Prog fans there is a very interesting and detailed chapter on Supertramp's Crime of the Century album plus shorter sections on Happy the Man, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Procol Harum, Pink Floyd, Dixie Dregs, Billy Cobham, Stanley Clarke and Kansas.
I really enjoyed this and I believe it's an important book simply because Ken Scott makes no bones about being an old school producer/engineer so his recollections of a rapidly disappearing time when music was a genuinely collaborative process has to be a valuable testimony.

Edited by ExittheLemming - July 19 2014 at 19:32

^ an incredibly eclectic author who introduced me to (amongst other things) existentialism, the credible occult, Wilhelm Reich and Aleister Crowley etc, and yes, Wilson writes like the imaginary illegitimate offspring of Raskolnikov. Wink

ExittheLemming wrote:

^ an incredibly eclectic author who introduced me to (amongst other things) existentialism, the credible occult, Wilhelm Reich and Aleister Crowley etc, and yes, Wilson writes like the imaginary illegitimate offspring of Raskolnikov. Wink

Absolutely a joy to read his books on philosophy, and the occult and paranormal in general. I have also read 2 of his fiction novels...not bad.

One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin

A series of books from a former Doctor Who writer,the Rivers of London series can best be described as urban fantasy police procedurals.Really good series of books so far. Clap

Now I am reading...

I'm coming to a point where I derive more genuine escapism from fiction written in completely different times and places than contemporary Western authors deliberately trying to evoke them. A good example is how I really like the air of Victorian British faith in modern rationalism but with that layer of varnish still wet on top of pre-modern tradition you find in many of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writings. Amusing how it's the same basic plot twists crime fiction writers are using today as he invented back then....

"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook

I am into serial killers books since i have read the fascinating book of Charles Whitman. Now it's Helen Morrsion :

Music is the refuge of souls ulcerated by happiness.

Emile M. Cioran

Re-reading one of my all time favorite non-fiction books? (Is it non-fiction or fiction?!)

A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960