Interesting prog rock books
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=127861
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Topic: Interesting prog rock books
Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Subject: Interesting prog rock books
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 07:57
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What books about prog rock or artists would you recommend? Mine include. The Real Frank Zappa Book - Frank Zappa Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away - Martin Popoff Bill Bruford: The Autobiography. Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks and More - Bill Bruford A Wizard a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio - Paul Meyers Different Every Time: The Authorized Biography of Robert Wyatt - Marcus O'Dair Freak When Spoken To The Story of Freak Kitchen - Anastasia Jonsen King's X: The Oral History - Greg Prato and Kings X Not Dead Yet: The Memoir - Phil Collins Soft Machine Out-Bloody-Rageous - Graham Bennet Genesis: Chapter and Verse - Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherford with the help of Anthony Phillips In the Court of King Crimson An Observation over Fifty Years - Sid Smith Yes: Close to the Edge - Chris Welch Lifting Shadows the Authorized Biography of Dream Theater - Rich Wilson |
Replies:
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 08:42
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That is very interesting thread, Grumpy. Here's my recommendations: Edward Macan: Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford University Press 1997. Paul Stump: The Music’s All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books 1997. (this one can be quite a difficult reading) Bill Martin: Listening to the Future: The time of progressive rock, 1968-1978. Open Court 1998. (this one, written by a philosopher, might not be easy, either) Jerry Lucky: The Progressive Rock Files. Collector’s Guide Publishing 2000. Charles Snider: The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock (2007) Bradley Smith: The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music. Billboard Books 1997. Kevin Holm-Hudson (edit.): Progressive Rock Reconsidered. Routledge 2002. (this one might be less interesting) Dag Erik Asbjørnsen: Scented Gardens Of the Mind. A guide to the golden era of progressive rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European countries. Borderline Productions 2000. Jazz-Rock. A History (1998) by Stuart Nicholson. ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 09:12
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Ingeborg Schober's "Tanz der Lemminge" is a great book on Amon Düül II, although unfortunately probably only available in German. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 09:23
Force Majeure - Edgar Froese Maximum Darkness - Deke Leonard No One Here Gets Out Alive - About Jim Morrison and The Doors Marianne Faithfull - The Autobiography All of these are reviewed in my pages. ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Grumpyprogfan wrote:Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 09:24
Hi, This pisses me off so much!  ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 09:39
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Henry Cow - The World Is A Problem ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 09:51
Aaallriiight, that is something of a statement!  ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 09:51
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I have a few: The Progressive Rock Files - Jerry Lucky (first edition from 1998) Billboard Guide to Progressive Music - Bradley Smith The Music's all that matters - Paul Stump Listening to the future - Bill Martin Essential Mini-Guide Progressive Rock - Ronald Couture (founder of progarchives who unfortunately is no longer with us) Rush Biography - Bill Banasiewicz Yesstories: Yes in their own words - Tim Morse (also a prog musician who has a page on here for his music) It's funny how there were about four or five that came out in the late 90's. Those books are probably good for content about the old days but I don't think most mentioned much about the contemporary prog scene at the time. There have been a few that came out in the past 10 years or so but I think it's time for some new prog books.  Although I don't currently own it, I have read Close to the Edge by Chris Welch which was pretty good. |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 09:59
And you're right to be pissed off. Sorry!
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Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 10:02
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I'm going to try not to duplicate what has been posted above me (forgive me if I fail): ItalianProg: The Comprehensive Guide to the Italian Progressive Music of the 70's / Augusto Croce (2016) Rock Progressivo Italiano: An Introduction to Italian Progressive Rock / Andrea Parentin (2011) The Living Years / Mike Rutherford (2015) The Musical Instruments of Progressive Rock / Gerard Bassols (2019) - currently reading and almost finished Magazine format -- these two were interesting because they had interviews from Melody Maker from back in the 1970s The Ultimate Music Guide: Genesis (2019) The Ultimate Music Guide: King Crimson (2019) Have these, but still need to read: Marillion : Separated Out ... Redux / Jon Collins (2012) Prog Rock FAQ / Will Romano (2014) The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock / Charles Snider (revised and updated edition 2017) Experiencing Progressive Rock / Robert G.H. Burns (2018) ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 10:06
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Also forgot these older ones: The Extraordinary World of Yes / Alan Farley (2004) Genesis : Inside & Out (1967-2000) / Robin Platts (2001) Saucerful of Secrets / Nicholas Schaffner (1992) ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 10:14
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some more from me, as well: Beyond and before. Progressive Rock since the 1960's (2011) by Paul Hegarty and Martin Halliwell Mean Deviation. Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal (2010) by Jeff Wagner Krautrock. Cosmic Rock and its Legacy (2009) edited by Nikolaos Kotsopoulos Kaleidoscope Eyes. Psychedelic Music from the 1960's to the 1990's (1996) by Jim Derogatis (it's mostly about Psychedelic bands but some Progressive are described as well)
------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 22 2021 at 13:26
I second this; we have the book. -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: essexboyinwales
Date Posted: November 23 2021 at 06:10
Ooh, thanks for bringing these to my attention!! Christmas list started
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Posted By: JD
Date Posted: November 23 2021 at 06:28
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I've only read Emerson's Pictures of an Exhibitionist. It was alright but I think most of the stuff was a little bland. Now, because it's an autobiography, it should be looked at a little differently than an historical type biography, as all autobiography's should. ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: November 28 2021 at 13:41
I certainly agree, as I for instance think it would be interesting with some stylistical analysis of the new Prog.
------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: November 29 2021 at 01:35
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Keith Emerson - Pictures Of An Exhibitionist. an absolute must for prog fans and of course lots of funny prog stories. I would have liked him to go more into post 1974 when a lot of bad things happened to him but perhaps he shied a bit away from that to keep it lighter.
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Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: December 15 2021 at 03:03
Hi, I'm the author of this one, did you finish reading it? I would appreciate your opinion and feedback about it. Thanks in advance! Gerard
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Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: December 15 2021 at 04:18
Yes, I finished reading it about two weeks ago. I really enjoyed it. What I liked most about it was the histories you gave for the various instruments. I learned a lot about many of them that I previously only knew a little, and in many cases, never even heard of. I was particularly fond of the section on keyboards/synthesizers because I've always had an interest in them. I like that you even brought in recent developments with DAWs and VSTs. Your enthusiasm for the instruments is clear in your writing style. I understand you wanted to keep the book at a reasonable length, but if you expanded it to twice its length, I'm certain it wouldn't have distracted me from completing it. The only criticism I can give, other than I wish it was longer, is the occasional English grammar error (I see there was also a Spanish edition, so maybe a translation error from Spanish into English?). But this didn't distract me because it didn't create any misunderstandings and the content was so highly valued that small grammar errors became rather insignificant. To my knowledge, this is the first book to cover prog rock from this angle. So, it's a unique effort. Your book filled a gap in my knowledge that I didn't know I had and is a very useful contribution to the history of prog rock. Great job! ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: December 15 2021 at 05:14
Thanks a lot for the feedback, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Indeed there are quite some books about the genre, the bands, the songs and lyrics... but no other book about prog written from the angle of the instruments, that was my goal, to write a book about prog which was original and different from every other existing book. I'm aware of the English translation weakness, I'm Spanish and I wrote the book in English myself, I could not afford a pro translator - proofreader. I'm glad that it didn't harm too much your enjoyment of the book! Just by the way, I assume you got it through Amazon? If so, would it be much asking to post a short review in Amazon? That helps me a lot! But of course it's up to you, no obligations! Cheers! Gerard |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 15 2021 at 08:36
Hi, That is a list of books on progressive music, not quite the biographies listed, which I would imagine you have not read, and likely won't since your interest is more of a Wiki thing, than it appears real at this moment. All these are reviewed on my web pages, as I love reading biographies. I would like to add more, but some of them are totally out of step with my ability to get them. I'm missing the one on Eno, but I can't find the book in the midst of my stuff! IF, there was a best one, I would say that Robert Wyatt's is the best, and he has the best lines of anyone, and specially about Syd. But the fake music listeners, would be insulted that Robert just made them look like fools! I quote it all the time, and everyone ignores it since it threatens their "musical" knowledge. The Real Frank Zappa Book - Frank Zappa Really with it, although we might think it is way too wordy sometimes. But the court scene in London is better than any of his albums, and he should have done a 100 Motels and Days, with it! Bill Bruford: The Autobiography. Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks and More - Great book, but I have a feeling that it was intended for drummers and not readers! Different Every Time: The Authorized Biography of Robert Wyatt - Marcus O'Dair The best. Lifting Shadows the Authorized Biography of Dream Theater - Rich Wilson Very good, although I kinda think that he is too much of a Portnoy fan, and does not really make/explain the musicianship in the other folks! Force Majeure - Edgar Froese Very good, but sadly it ends in 1990 or so before the Jerome time. I think that a lot of it has been taken away and won't be published because Jerome won't allow Bianca to have any satisfaction over it! Maximum Darkness - Deke Leonard A very nice book, but really sad. But it stands out! No One Here Gets Out Alive - About Jim Morrison and The Doors The most complete of all the books, as it is a veritable diary of the band. It many ways, it explains the band better than anyone else, and the romanticized pulp stuff out there! Marianne Faithfull - The Autobiography It's Ok, but not great. I think there are things that she is hiding and won't admit to, and I have the feeling that she thinks that the image of that pretty girl and model needs to stand up and be "alive" instead of showing a side that broke it all down, and showed someone else! Missing, until I find the books: - Eno - Future Days - Krautrock book (fantastic) - The Beatles - A lot of books, but I have no interest in saying anything else about it. Enough has been said including the hippocrisy and the attitudes about their "decline" and the media hate. And I was one of the few folks that said that "Let it Be" is NOT a sad movie, but a really nice postcard for Christmas, and one that you will shed a tear over. I guess the new rocumentary on it will also harp on that idea and thought! It remains the first of the great commercial melt downs, but it did not hurt enough for the mega corporations to give a damn! I also have Patti's book (wow, so bad!!!!), Anita's (magnificent just like she was!), and some by a few groupies that are nice, and more satisfying than the Clorox tasting and smelling of that Miss something or other ... that in the end, tells us nothing! But a couple of others are really strong and on it, and I guess that we could say shameless, but at least they were honest and not some fake crap!
------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 15 2021 at 09:08
Actually, I've read all this books, moshkito, and my Prog defining article are based on most of them - which can be seen in my article. I've read quite a lot other music books, as well. But that is mostly quite a lot years ago, and today yes, I may use Wiki for the most part.
------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Hewitt
Date Posted: December 15 2021 at 13:34
| Favourite Prog rock novel - The Rotters Club by Jonathon Coe. Not about prog rock strictly speaking but takes it’s title from the Hatfield and the North album, set in the 70s and contains several references to Hatfield and Yes. Also, it’s hilarious. |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 15 2021 at 22:50
Besides that, I can tell you, moshkito, that my education is in history, sociology and philosophy, and not in music or other arts - and that of course influence some how my interest and approach to music matters. ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Hugh Manatee
Date Posted: December 15 2021 at 23:31
"No One Here Gets Out Alive" deals heavily with the mythology of the band, as does Oliver Stones movie for which the book was a major source. Although I like the book (and the movie), I personally prefer "Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre" by Mick Wall for its more rounded (and up to date) perspective. ------------- I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of uncertain seas |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 16 2021 at 00:32
About my interests, by the way, it can maybe interest you that I've written a book, as well. It's not about music, though, but about the Danish movement against the European Union, Folkebevægelsen mod EU. ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 17 2021 at 10:33
Hi, I liked the "day to day" style of reviewing everything, and then seeing Jim's issues with the Whiskey is quite a story ... and an important one that helped usher the new kind of music, and also helped folks see that Jimi, and Janis and others were not a fluke! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 17 2021 at 10:36
Hi, That sounds cool, with only one bit in it ... for European artists, English and otherwise, to be able to survive better and have the ability to work a bit more, I would think that the union would be more important than the separation ... but I am not sure that I am a good person to discuss this with ... you ought to try Edgar Broughton, whose efforts to bring down the English thing that is hurting their artists in both sales and the ability to tour Europe more openly, and have a chance to make some few bits of money more than just a meal and a shack for your band! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Hugh Manatee
Date Posted: December 17 2021 at 10:39
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This excerpt from Wki is quite telling: "Published nearly a decade after Morrison's death by journalist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Hopkins_%28author%29" rel="nofollow - J erry Hopkins, the first draft was written solely by Hopkins, based on an extensive interview with Morrison. But attempts to find a publisher, during the years when the Doors were no longer popular, met with rejections from all major publishing houses. Ten years later, the second version of the manuscript, with additional sensationalistic content added by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Sugerman" rel="nofollow - D anny Sugerman, was what made it into publication."
------------- I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of uncertain seas |