Rock The Classics: Edward Macan (OUP) - Progressive Rock Music Forum

I agree with Dick Heath that some of Macan's ideas about how and why prog rock came about might be mistaken. Also, Macan sounds a trifle too academic at times. But as a description of classic British prog this book is highly valuable. And it's definitely more readable than Paul Stump's THE MUSIC IS ALL YOU NEED.

I contact Ed Macan to send me his book and the Endless Enigma of ELP, hope that i read soon!!

cheers

Alberto

i saw his band in his home page, i will listen to his mp3 free samples

Cheers

The book takes on an extremely academic approach to the genre.

eg:

Few styles of popular music have generated as much controversy as progressive
rock. This style, which emerged in the wake of the counterculture, today is best
remembered for its gargantuan stage shows, its fascination with epic subject matter
drawn from science fiction, mythology, and fantasy literature, and above all for its
attempts to combine classical music's sense of space and monumental scope with
rock's raw power and energy. Its dazzling virtuosity and spectacular live concerts
made it hugely popular with fans during the 1970s, who saw bands such as King
Crimson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP for short), Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd,
and Jethro Tull bringing a new level of depth and sophistication to rock. On the
other hand, critics branded the elaborate concerts of these bands as self-indulgent
and materialistic. They viewed progressive rock's classical/rock fusion attempts as
elitist, a betrayal of rock's populist origins. Not only has progressive rock been
largely despised by the rock critics, it has also been largely ignored by popular
music scholars. This is probably because it does not prominently chronicle mi
nority or working-class disaffection in the manner of punk or reggae, and therefore
does not easily lend itself to the neo-Marxist interpretations which have been the
hallmark of popular music scholarship.

It seemed to me, then, that the time has been ripe for quite some time for a
comprehensive study that would offer a balanced perspective, while challenging a
number of key assumptions which have surrounded the style. But while the lack
of attention given to the genre by previous writers has provided me with significant
opportunities in writing this book, it also has raised certain problems. In searching
for a model upon which to construct my study, I found that I was venturing to a
certain degree upon terra incognita; while this book unites elements of musicol
ogical analysis, cultural/subcultural theory, and music criticism, strictly speaking
it falls comfortably into none of these categories. For this reason, I think it is best
to open by explaining my methodology.

Later the style settles down and we actually read things we want to know such as the lyrics, visuals and styles of prog. Many bands are featured such as Yes, VDGG, and King Crimson of course. Many are missed completely such as Magnum, and Queensryche - it focuses on symphonic and canterbury rather than metal or classic rock. There is a great discography at the back and a few interesting b&w pictures of well known greats such as Hammill and Emerson and some classic album covers - Jade Warrior and Genesis. Overall there is a plethora of info on prog but you need to wade through the academic musical lingo to find it. I loved the section on lyrics and time signatures in particular. Its great to read in depth about the concepts of albums such as 3 Friends and Tarkus.

Heres a snippet of info on the visuals -

Both the albums and the concert experience have a strong visual dimension; in
progressive rock certain conventions are repeated often enough both in album
cover art and in concerts that it is not inappropriate to speak of a visual style that
governs the genre. I have divided the following discussion into two categories,
album cover art and the concert experience, to reflect the two principal manners
in which audiences encountered progressive rock. In both realms I will point out
how the hippies' fondness for hallucinogens fostered the development of a surre
alistic visual style; I will also address the way in which progressive rock's music
and visuals are coordinated to convey a unified artistic vision and, in live perform
ances, to create a ritualistic, almost liturgical experience.

Also some info on the lyrics:

The Onyx, the I Ching, tarot cards, and God's eyes. (Hesse's) Stoppenwoff
(and) Siddhartha, (Tolkien's) Middle Earth, and Merlin. The peace sign,
yin/yang, astrology, and yoga . . . from the welter of American Indian lore,
Arthurian daydreams, Oriental smoke rings, science fiction ciphers, and
their own growing compendium of psychedelic syllogism, the hippies
seemed on the verge of achieving a grand synthesis, striking the final har
monizing metachord. ¹

In this passage from his book Stairway to Heaven: The Spiritual Roots of Ro
ck'n'Roll, Davin Seay criticizes what he perceives as the hippies' emphasis on
symbolism over substance. He goes on to argue that the hippies' "theology," so
far as it existed, was so syncretistic, so given to trying to reconcile imcompatible
beliefs and practices, that it was ultimately nothing more than an empty set of
symbols that could never contribute to the formation of a genuine religion.

Seay may be right, although it seems to me that the hippies' pantheistic Eastern
inspired sense of the oneness of things, of an overarching superawareness in which
all consciousness is joined--ultimately, a belief that each man and woman is
God--has contributed to the formation of the modern New Age movement. None
theless, in this chapter I will not primarily be concerned with exploring to what
degree--if any--the hippies' belief system can be said to constitute a "religion."
Rather, I will explore how the symbols mentioned by Seay--drawn from mythol
ogy, fantasy and science fiction literature, and a host of sacred texts from the past--
are used in progressive rock lyrics as symbols of resistance and protest: used to
symbolize both an idealized society toward which we might strive and a night
marish technocracy which the hippies believed is on the verge of overwhelming
us. I will also consider the impact of surrealism on progressive rock lyrics, and
explore how progressive rock and heavy metal each came to develop certain mu
tually exclusive elements of the psychedelic legacy.

anyway I loved the book and highly reccommend it to all prog fans worlkdwide - it has something for everyone!

Finally i have this book in my hands.

Reading the prologue, i like to see that Macan put limits in his work and also defend quite well the musicologist argument.