Weird ... no comments on books ... we must be too concerned with the next song by Upalubacrapola the newest prog band! Wait a minute ... you have to actually read something, instead of listen?

 

Sorry ... couldn't help it!

 

A different style for each subject matter.  When I want to luxuriate in the words of a book, good instrumental backgrounds are very important.  I listen to more song based material when reading lighter stuff and periodicals.  A pity more people don't regularly contribute to your linked thread.

 

Best to you all

 

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=104720" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=104720

 

I managed to get less than halfway through this before arriving at the conclusion that  BEno is not a diarist.

Seriously, "A Brief History of Time", the Illustrated Edition by Stephen Hawking, 1988.

I suddenly realized a few new things about how cosmos and everything here on Earth has worked and will work, also really for the first time understand what quantum mechanics stands for, I even understand how it works, at least something of it. Higher mats at school was somewhat difficult for me to really understand. But now I see much clearly. Without QM nothing couldn´t exist in the form we can see it now. The simple pictures and drawings just explain theories (QM, gravity, time & space etc.) so that a common man can understand the basic laws of nature, and there´s absolutely nothing mystical behind anything. Hawking as a true expert (scientist) can explain the Universe, actually we are living in a multiversum. Hawking is one of very few scolars who actually understands Einstein´s thoughts and is a one of the true great minds among us. Due to his illness over the decades he has lost nearly all his physical "functions" and communicates with a help from a computer, his mind still works brilliantly. After reading the book I take very seriously his warning not to try to contact aliens. 

This little magnum opus expands everybody´s mind, not only prog(ressive) heads´. For those who truly are willing to believe in natural sciences and not to believe all the rubbish and pseudo science that fills the media. 

As fascinating as Playdough was in its heyday I should point out at this moment that this thread is in the "Books and Miscellaneous Reviews" lounge, which is in itself a sub-forum in the Progressive Music Lounge, so convention dictates that the topics discussed therein should revolve around the general subject matter of the parent lounge, that is: Progressive Music. Since the PA does not share Pedro's view that any musician who can fart an augmented 4th is a progressive artiste, we further narrow this restriction to Artist listed in the PA database. Harsh and dictatorial as that may be, this is the Progressive Music Archives and not Rate Your Music, IMDB or Goodreads. For those members, like myself, who like to come here and discuss non Prog and non Music topics, we have a couple of lounges specficially for that where anyone can fill their boots to their hearts content (Sadly no Playmobil section for oogling pictures of scantily-clad ladies with inflated, a-hem, self-esteem, but Google-Ads frowns on that kind of thing and M@X kinda needs that income so he can continue to provide this website for "free")

Of course articles and reviews of non-PA listed artistes will not be summarily dismissed, deleted or purposely ignored, that would be grass, trite and asinine but such miss-targeted threads stand little chance of gaining the readership the author expects simply because the readership of this forum isn't interested in the topic. The error there is not in the 55,574 members who didn't want to read it, but with the one member who thought they would, or even should. In light of that creating this whining snot-dribble of a thread blaming the readers of this forum for not reading a review of Kim Gordon's memoir, (either of which may or may not be riveting reading for all I know, or care), comes over as petty and churlish, even when presented in a light-hearted (get out of jail free) faux-apologetic way. Maybe its just me but as I see it, an insult is an insult regardless of the amount of sugar-frosting used to cover it up.

Personally since Kim Gordon is not related to Barbara Gordon and Sonic Yoof is another of those Nu Yawn bands that leave me colder (and flatter) than a witch's mammary gland then the probability of me reading the book or its review, or even wanting to read either of them, is precisely zero. 

-Shout ...on the Beatles

-No One Gets Out Of Here Alive...the Doors

-Grace Slicks auto bio

-Hammer of the Gods...Zep bio

-Bruford's bio

 

I think I enjoyed Slick and Bruford's books the best.

 

Being that it's a Prog Rock forum, I write about Prog Rock, except the times I visit the books thread.

I have this book on my lists right now ... had forgotten about it.

I imagine that reading this will be tough ... sort of like reading Richard Pinhas stuff that was published in "Eurock", which, even I had a really hard time following.

I liked Grace's book, though a bit on the tame side it seems ... but interesting all the same. I don't recall that she spent enough time discussing Paul and her time with him, as if it was too personal for her to discuss. In general, I still remember some funny things, like ... her not wanting to be singing when she was old, and the like. I have a book on the Airplane thing on deck.

- LedZ's book was too much a fan book for my tastes.

- Bruford's book is very good, but a very tough book to review ... I am not sure how to start, even. But I liked the book. I still had the feeling that he did not say all he wanted to say about things, though.

- Doors's book is good. I have a few too many of them, I think, making for a confusing review.

- The Beatles' books, I can not say that I have found one that was better than the others, and too many of them leave too many things out, that they did and liked and had fun with ... all of which were inspirations that appeared in bits and pieces everywhere, including bootlegs by the bushel, and no one "knows" anything about that! To me, that was the fun part that made them "people", instead of "stars".

I would love to ... but so far have not been able to find a translation so I can read it! Total bummer, if you ask me!

Also having issues getting the Manuel Gottsching book, as the seller has a bad setup and it does not allow for foreigners to buy anything ... on top of that, he didn't return my money, and has ripped me off, although I would have gladly mailed him the difference in the 3 or 4 dollars for him to mail it to America! Poor business, and as usual, it hurts the artist more than it helps!

THANK YOU ALL, for posting, and it is appreciated. My post was not intended to be as serious and mal-nutritious as Dean made it sound like, but it's all good ... 

I'm calling bovine excreta on that. Your repetitive history of making similarly worded jibes belittling the members here belies your attempt to brush this one off as a bit of a jest. 

The bios were of varying quality, but I recall liking Keidis the least of the above and (probably) Hendrix the most.  Mean Deviation introduced me to great music that was largely far too extreme for my tastes and was a little dry in tone.  Citizens of Hope and Glory was a great read for me.  The more actual historical context or psychological awareness of the writer, the more interesting to me.  Accidental Revolution was surprisingly well rooted in the history of the Seattle (mostly) scene.

I have been doing foreign film reviews for 30 years and some of them (only half so far) are on my website, and more to come as I get unlazy after some much needed rest. 

My biggest comment in this area, is always how little the other arts are shown in parallel to music, and this is so fan oriented at times, that it is insane ... the late 60's was not only a musical revelation ... it was also a literary, theater, and film revolution and an extreme one at that, that in my book makes for the single biggest movement in the 20th century ... but I am not sure that all of us can see that within a historical context, and this is the reason why I do not support the naming of "progressive" to music, because it's like saying that film, theater and other arts did not have that same/similar attitude, and they DID, and in some cases much more so! Godard, Bunuel, Truffaut, Fellini, Bergman, Kurosawa and many others, make the "progressive" music scene seem tame by comparison, specially in a discussion context. Ohhh ... the music scene was also "late" and behind the other three! Think about it ... Miles Davis actually fits in this exclusive creative group ... for who they were and did! Totally different than anyone else!

The area of rock music is the problem, because rock music considers itself "superior" and above and beyond discussion, because it annoys the fans ... can you imagine if those other artists would have continued if they had given in to the mass ideal that is supported and fed today? And this attitude, has hurt the livelihood of other serious music/works that were put together at that time and since. Although, I do thank the internet for helping make sure other things are now seen and heard whereas 50 years ago this was not the case at all ... only word of mouth at that time, as opposed to the word of the arriving ship 45 days later as was the case 500 years ago.