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Books about prog rock ? |
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Zéphaïre 
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Joined: October 08 2023 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 34 |
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 Topic: Books about prog rock ?Posted: October 24 2023 at 08:50 |
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Hi ! I wanted to know if anyone here could recommend come good books about prog rock, bands, concept albums... Here in France we do not have a lot of books like that, it's frustrating.
I know I will find some good references here, I think I'm much more interested by "aesthetics" around prog music, but please do not hesitate to be exhaustive. Maybe one day as publisher I will make such a book in french :P (I would definitely love to do so)
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AFlowerKingCrimson
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Posted: October 24 2023 at 08:59 |
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Did you do a google search for "progressive rock books?" There's several but maybe not many from the past five years or so (most are older).
The Music's All That Matters - Paul Stump The Billboard Guide To Progressive Rock- Bradley Smith The Progressive Rock Files - Jerry Lucky Listening to the Future - Bill Martin Rocking the Classics - Edward Macan Mountains Come Out of the Sky - Will Romano The Show that Never Ends - David Weigel Close to the Edge - The Story of Yes - Chris Welch Those are just a few. I'm really only familiar with the first few and the last one (the Yes book). There are several others also. Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - October 24 2023 at 09:00 |
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Joel Julian Music
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Posted: October 24 2023 at 09:09 |
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Far from exhaustive, but Citizens of Hope and Glory by Stephen Lambe gives quite a nice overview of eras of prog, sub-genres, and also covers some classic commercial artists that dabbled in that pool. Concept albums are also covered.
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suitkees
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Posted: October 24 2023 at 09:10 |
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You might want to browse the publications by éditions Le mot et le reste, they have several books in French about prog rock. They have a book about prog in general (Rock progressif, by Aymeric Leroy) and books about: - King Crimson - Pink Floyd (several books, actually) - Yes - Deep Purple - Bill Bruford - Mike Oldfield - Can - Kraftwerk - Magma ...amongst others...
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The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
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David_D
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Posted: October 24 2023 at 09:20 |
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There has been a thread about it, Interesting prog rock books , and here are 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. Stephen Lambe: Citizens of Hope and Glory: The Story of Progressive Rock. Amberley 2013. Edited by David_D - October 24 2023 at 10:44 |
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quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond
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octopus-4
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RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams Joined: October 31 2006 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 14110 |
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Posted: October 24 2023 at 09:27 |
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I would suggest "PROG" by Donato Zoppo but it's in Italian and I don't know if it has ever been translated into English or other languages. Ray Thomas invites to mail the editor asking for an English edition Edited by octopus-4 - October 24 2023 at 09:30 |
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I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution
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moshkito
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Posted: October 24 2023 at 10:31 |
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Hi,
I kinda think that books about "prog rock" are too generalized and not as clear and concise as they could, or should be. In general, writing one of those for your music class is not going to get you a good grade as the comments about the music, often are more a preference and a commercial idea, than they really are about something which makes sense musically, and "fits" into a music history, as something that is logical, makes sense with the time and place, and has elements in it that show something about the "progression" of the music history over the years. To get this, it is far better to look at the artists individually, since they are all really different and have a very strong and artistic design in their minds for what they do, and in many ways, a lot of these ideas take apart the silly notions that a lot of "prog rock" or "progressive music" books and magazines have ... which has helped create a commercial sound that is not at all progressive ... and lacks the originality and focus of an artistic piece of work, instead of just some notes, a format, and then a bridge, and then ... heaven forbid, the guitar solo, and then a blue bass guitar ... and then ... something that is less about the music itself than it is the commercial interest of the music. You don't sit here and wonder about Paganini's blue violin, or brown violin ... you read and learn about how he influenced music and was able to improvise and add to the music, something that commercial music lacks, a "freedom" about it all. As such, there are some books that are more interesting than others. King Crimson, Can, Magma, Eno, Robert Wyatt, Gong, Banco, ELP, (earlier stuff) Bill Bruford, and even Frank Zappa, ... all of these show a mind at work ... and show a very special touch about how they feel about their music, and in many ways ... ALL of these are more "progressive" than any of those books. One last note ... something which is "anti-music" that we don't understand ... and it is in the Robert Wyatt book ... and it is about Syd Barrett, in a session for one of his pieces. A guitarist asks Robert what key Syd was in, and the reply? ... "... he don't know keys or chords. he just plays!" ... we do not even consider that some folks simply play (and in this case probably write) strictly by the sound they hear and are able to come up with ... it has less to do with notes and chords than it does by how it is interpreted ... and no book on "prog/progressive" has the balls or ability to tackle the most intuitive of it all ... that is the source of all new musics everywhere ... and by its very nature "progressive". So, ask yourself ... what do you want to learn about, other than some crap about the "star" ... ? One last'est note ... Archie Patterson's EUROCK book is a collection of his periodical going back to its start. In it are incredible articles and interviews with many artists, and the great thing about it? It's neat, but also strange. Reading Richard Pinhas ideas about music and what he does, is something that no one here will ever consider or bother discussing, besides the fact that the philosophical discussion around it is very tough reading for us simple rock minded folks! Take a plunge, if you dare!
Edited by moshkito - October 24 2023 at 10:35 |
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Awesoreno
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Posted: October 25 2023 at 00:28 |
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"Prog Rock FAQ" is a good one I'm currently working through. I enjoy it because it covers artists and topics that are a little more off-the-beaten-path, so to speak. So the stories are less well known. The author, Will Romano (same guy who wrote the aforementioned "Mountains Come Out Of the Sky") not only dug deep for some great quotes and info, but also included several interviews with musicians from all over the prog world.
The Real Frank Zappa Book by the man himself was a fun read, as well.
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Gerinski
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Joined: February 10 2010 Location: Barcelona Spain Status: Offline Points: 5154 |
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Posted: October 25 2023 at 02:09 |
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If I'm allowed some self-promotion, my book "The Musical Instruments of Progressive Rock; An Illustrated Guide" is published in English and Spanish (readers' rating 4.4 out of 5 in Amazon for its English version, and 4.9 out of 5 for its Spanish version).
Kindly check out the book synopsis and the readers' reviews, nearly all of them are 5-stars. I attempted to write a book about Prog which is different from all the other books about Prog (which may talk about the genre's history, the bands, bios, the songs, the lyrics etc). My book combines the history of Prog with the history of the musical instruments most frequently used in it, so it's a book about Prog told from a different angle. And Amazon.com has it currently with a 25% or 28% price discount. I would love to see it once published in French and/or any other languages, but so far I have been unable to find any interested publishers, and self-translation and self-publishing is too expensive for me. Edited by Gerinski - October 25 2023 at 02:13 |
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Progishness
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Posted: October 25 2023 at 11:29 |
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As an interesting complement to all the works mentioned, try 'The Work of Hipnosis - Walk Away René' (publ. 1978) if you can find it as it delves into much of the classic artwork created by Hipnosis. ISBN 0-905895-08-8
Edited by Progishness - October 25 2023 at 11:32 |
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"We're going to need a bigger swear jar."
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Nogbad_The_Bad
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Posted: October 25 2023 at 11:40 |
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Sid Smiths recently updated book on King Crimson is definitive.
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Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
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Sean Trane
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Posted: October 25 2023 at 14:01 |
Dag Erik Asbjørnsen: Cosmic Dreams at Play (Krautrock) Vernon Joynson: Tapestry Of Delight 63 to 76 UK Vernon Joynson: Fuzz Acid & Drealms 63 to 76 USA Vernon Joynson: Dreams, Fantasy & Nightmares - Oz, NZ, Can, Latin Am & South Africa 63-76 It's a little sad that all these Borderline Books stop at 76, not only inside the bands' discographies, but also up & coming bands outiside the 76 time frame - there are odd exceptions .
Edited by Sean Trane - October 25 2023 at 14:02 |
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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
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Psychedelic Paul
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Posted: October 25 2023 at 14:05 |
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Zéphaïre
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Posted: October 27 2023 at 12:24 |
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Thank you so much for all your answers ! They are very precise and various, this is all I was searching for. Now all I can do is trying to obtain all of them
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progaardvark
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Posted: October 27 2023 at 14:44 |
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I don't think these have been mentioned yet:
Rock Progressivo Italiano: An Introduction to Italian Progressive Rock - by Andrea Parentin, published in 2011. ItalianProg: The Comprehensive Guide to the Italian Progressive Music of the 70s - by Augusto Croce, published in 2016. Essential Mini-Guide to Progressive Rock: Past & Present - by Ronald Couture, published in 2006. |
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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 |
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moshkito
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Posted: October 28 2023 at 06:28 |
Hi, As is THE ALBUM COVER book, even though it is not exactly about prog rock", but it shows quickly that the more interesting bands that became known as progressive and prog, were indeed at the forefront of a lot of things, not just the music! In general, I prefer the material that is not a part of the "machine" like so many of these were and became. And, sadly, many of the books, only discuss the parts that made them famous and prettier than Twiggy! The thing that bothers me the most, is the obvious one ... the "instruments" of this and that ... like these were not used by everyone else all over the world. Heck, where did many synths come from? Japan and a clock maker! Where did Fender come from? America. Where did Hammond come from? Where did ... you name it ... it's all over. But we, somehow, are convinced that the instruments made the difference, and it was the highlight of the show ... sorry ... that's a crock ... the piece of the pig became a bigger highlight than the show itself ... which was about the fans, by that time, not the music. And this is the main issue for me with the "instruments" of this or that!
Edited by moshkito - October 28 2023 at 06:33 |
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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 |
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MortSahlFan
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Posted: October 28 2023 at 09:48 |
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I just finished Keith Emerson and Greg Lake's autobiographies, which I read simultaneously, so I could be around the same period/events, and compare their writings. I think biographies are the way to go. I always liked the quote, "History is biography"
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https://www.youtube.com/c/LoyalOpposition
https://www.scribd.com/document/382737647/MortSahlFan-Song-List |
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Gerinski
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Posted: October 29 2023 at 01:58 |
If you are unable to understand the importance of technology in the development of music in the 60s and 70s (and beyond), obviously you will not be able to appreciate a book which discusses the subject. Fortunately (for me) the readers' opinions (ratings and reviews) prove that most fans do understand and appreciate the existence of such a book.
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moshkito
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Posted: October 29 2023 at 06:47 |
Hi, You are incorrect about this. And it is specially clear with synthesizers that became an "instrument" during the time of progressive music, which should be given the credit for its development, more than any of the lab stuff from before. You miss the point, I think. It's not the color of the bass that makes the music, or any other fancy guitar or that funny bass with The Grateful Dead. It's the player behind it, and the band itself, that were able to come up with something that worked well. If your book was "The story of Prog Rock" ... I would think it was fine. But it's title is a fan's dream to catch a piece of the pig. I don't go to concerts for the "instruments! I go to concerts for the music! And that's the massive difference between your work and my view of life.
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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 |
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Gerinski
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Posted: October 29 2023 at 08:01 |
Well, critizicing a book solely by its title, particularly if you have not read it, IS missing the point. If you think the book discusses the colour of the instruments...  ...Kindly read the readers' reviews first, and perhaps then you will get some grasp about it. One of the reviews is titled "Don't judge this book by its cover!".
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David_D wrote: