I waited for the hardback edition of Wonderous Stories by Jerry Ewing - which popped through my door on Sunday. What a great, coffee table book, Just flicking through the pages and seeing the wonderful albums and bands that have been the soundtrack to much of my life, was a lovely feeling.
Is it mainly photographs? Yes - but what an array to meet your eyes. Does the text give me much extra that I don't know already? Not much, but it collects it all together remarkably well and does as good a job as I've seen in putting it all into context and giving it a timeline through to the current era.
Of course Jerry obviously puts his spin on the emphasis and choices - but despite only getting into prog via Fish-era Marillion, he has a wide knowledge and is humble enough to seek advice from others around him. Anyone who is a regular reader of Prog Magazine will not be surprised in Steven Wilson and Hogarth-era Marillion get a few more pages than others and its slight UK bias overall, but he admits it's a personal overview rather than a definitive take on prog. I might not agree with every choice or omission - how Images and Words by Dream Theater didn't get the nod over the debut album, I'm still pondering, and I still wonder if Thick as a Brick might have edged out Aqualung from a prog perspective - but that is what debate is all about.
I'll treasure it as a comfort blanket to dive into when I need to top up with a bit of prog warmth, and provided you take onboard that it won't give you much new insight, it is heartedly recommended even for the most knowledgable prog fans who frequent forums like PA. The foreword by Steve Hackett (bless 'him!) is as eloquent as his musical works.
However, for any youngsters out there just finding out about prog and enjoying the new bands and wanting to visit past glories from the classic era onwards - it is a great introduction and you really won't get a better user-friendly, accessible and well-crafted book for the price. In fact, for the newbies, it might be an essential purchase. Get it in hardback, though - to let it survive the years to come.
Well done, Jerry! Prog on....and on....and on...
Edited by Squonk19 - February 20 2018 at 13:12