Hi, apologies for not putting an up-date on the book; finished it a couple of weeks back and meant to write a slightly more detailed piece but with everything that's happened of late its just not happened (I laugh at those who say 'you'll have time to write a novel or learn a new craft'.. ive just got more work on the farm/ garden to do and less help to do it!).. to be honest, i'll probably read it again as I actually got through it pretty quick.

My main impressions were very much as I mentioned earlier... too many typos and things that should have been picked up in proof reading and a bit of inconsistency in the way different bands/ themes were explored (which I put down to the authors personal tastes, maybe..) otherwise a very enjoyable read as a series of essays on the  bands and the context of the time period set out in the title. 

I do like the photo of the girl blowing bubbles at the festival on the front cover... sigh!

I'd certainly recommend the book and it'll be difficult for anything to surpass this 600-page epic in being the definitive account of the "classic" era of UK prog rock from the late 60s to mid/late-70s. Most of the sub-genres get a decent amount of space though I get the impression the author has a preference for Canterbury and this gets a lot of the attention. Notable omissions from my point of view included Argent and Uriah Heep, and folk prog also appears a bit short changed with barely a mention of the likes of Comus or Trees.

Barnes has a nice, under-stated and wryly humorous writing style and the book is an easy read despite its length. He obviously likes prog, but isn't a total fanboy and can be critical when the need arises. As mentioned above there are some annoying typos and repetitions but that didn't spoil my enjoyment too much. There are plenty of interviews, including with people who aren't around anymore, and these are interesting in showing how the genre came about and developed the way it did.