Books about Canterbury scene?
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Topic: Books about Canterbury scene?
Posted By: kole
Subject: Books about Canterbury scene?
Date Posted: June 18 2010 at 03:04
| Been searching a little, but found nothing worthwhile - are there any good books about Canterbury scene? How it started, tales, messages in their songs, Canterbury humour etc. Thanks. |
Replies:
Posted By: CPicard
Date Posted: June 18 2010 at 04:27
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I know that Aymeric Leroy (who already wrote a book about Pink Floyd and another one about the whole progressive genre) is writing one about the Canterbury scene, but it's very far from being published. Otherwise... I don't know. |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: June 18 2010 at 05:13
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There's one gorgeous book about the Soft Machine called OUT BLOODY RAGEOUS, which has been discusssed in another thread on Progarchives. Brilliantly written and highly informative!
Also, Dave Stewart has written a splendid booklet about Egg, Uriel and related bands. More information can be found here: http://www.egg-archive.com/ |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: June 25 2010 at 08:26
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Since I got involved with Out-Bloody Rageous in varous minor ways, I totally endorse Fuxi praise - and an updated paperback verison is heading our way in the "near" future.
One interesting book, if in an unusual format, is Wrong Movements (do I call it a biog, or a 3rd person diary, or what???) about Robert Wyatt http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/0946719101/sr=1-3/qid=1277471774/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books&qid=1277471774&sr=1-3">
 Little snippets of info, e.g. Robert Wayatt joined Chicago for a one-off show to play drums - Wyatt doing 25 or 6 to 4.... there's a thought. Miles Davis standing in the wings for a Soft Machine gig when they toured with Hendrix. Please note I ordered this book and it took 7 months to come into stock - and I see Amazon.uk only are offering 2nd hand copies at the moment. Also see the following book bubble up at Amazon (but it is published only in French):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/2916944028/sr=1-2/qid=1277471774/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books&qid=1277471774&sr=1-2">
 I suggest for some related background to the London music scene in the late 60's, in which Soft Machine and perhaps Caravan moved, check out Joe Boyd's White Bicycles - the Syd Barrett's biog Lost In The Woods also provides some glimses of that scene, as does Mick Farren's Give The Anarchist a Cigarette
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/1852424893/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link">
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/1852424893/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/0752223283/sr=1-1/qid=1277472360/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books&qid=1277472360&sr=1-1">
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/0712667326/sr=1-1/qid=1277472296/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books&qid=1277472296&sr=1-1">  ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: June 25 2010 at 08:46
Aymeric Leroy is be far the leading light and fount of information on the Canterbury scene and has been editing/contributing to a serous fanzine Calyx for over 2 decades and run the website: Facelift. He is perhaps the most prolific wrt writing the liner-notes especially for the rediscovered live recordings by Soft Machine issued over the last decade. Hugh Hopper's brother Brian Hopper (saxophonist on Volume 2 and contributing song writer for their first album) is Machine's unofficial historian, so you'll also see his name at the end of liner notes.
------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
CPicard wrote:Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: June 25 2010 at 16:07
Yes.
I'm still waiting on the book: on the Calyx site http://calyx.perso.neuf.fr/ - http://calyx.perso.neuf.fr/ there's a tab with "Book" where he explains that a year ago he had written 3/4 of the book. I'm really looking forward to that one.
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Posted By: jorsan
Date Posted: July 06 2014 at 20:45
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Four ears has passed since last post ... something new about canterbury scene books? will be great to know . |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: July 19 2014 at 13:48
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Hi,
I'm a bit of a book hound, and sadly, this is one area that is grossly mis-represented, and I don't think that many of the people in it are interested in letting us know much.
Kevin Ayers should have had a lot to say, but "fame" was not his game, and he wasn't interested in talking about it.
Daevid Allen has spoken about it some, and it is in CD form, and it is lovely, but there are glaring holes and questions missing.
I just saw Robert Wyatt's book listed for some 30 or 40 bux. I passed!
There are/were members of Soft Machine, and even the Caravan folks that should be able to illuminate a lot of stuff here, but they don't.
I'm actually OK with it, since it was obvious that there were a lot of drugs, sex and rock'n'roll going around, not to mention actors, actresses, and other writers, all of whom helped a scene come alive. To protect their vanity, I'm quite allright with any of them not saying anything! Not that there is anything that anyone could learn from it all.
Right! ------------- 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: Moogtron III
Date Posted: July 20 2014 at 15:12
No news from the Canterburian frontier, I'm afraid
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