Out-Bloody-Rageous (Graham Bennett): Soft Machine

I see the original thread on this book, with reviews, is closed(?)

Edited by Dick Heath - May 13 2010 at 09:02

I'm glad Out-Bloody-Rageous won that prize back in 2006, beating (among others) Johnny Rogan's book on Van Morrison. At least there's SOME justice in this world! (I've read stuff by Rogan in the past and he simply isn't in the same league as Bennett.)

It seems that in the past four or five years a new type of rock critic has emerged: someone who writes assuredly, with a superior sense of style, but without hyperbole, about intelligent music. Prime examples: Bennett (with the book mentioned here), Sid Smith (with his book on King Crimson) and, of course, Bill Bruford (with his autobio, probably the most insightful volume on progressive rock to appear so far).

The great thing about all these authors is that they seriously try to analyse the music, and the scene it sprang from, without mythologising or deifying the artists. Exaggerated hero-worship was always a great problem with earlier generations of critics. Take, for example, Nicholas Pegg's gigantic volume on David Bowie. It's full of useful information, but Pegg seems convinced Bowie is (or was) the greatest thing to emerge since brown bread, and his inclination to emphasize this belief again and again really grates. Same problem with Ben Watson's entertaining book about Zappa: Watson venerates every note (and every word) Zappa ever wrote, which is just plain childish.

So I'm very glad to hear Bennett's book is making it into paperback - the only problem is that I may need to buy another copy, because of all the extra information it will offer! Meanwhile, I believe this Frenchman who's in charge of Calyx (a website devoted to the Canterbury Scene) is still working on his own book about the entire scene. Sorry, what's his name again? And does anyone have any idea how he's getting on?

If this thread is in praise of Graham Bennet's book on Soft Machine, I would like to add my own approval of this book. It is an excellent read and it has opened up a new universe to me. I am looking forward to the paperback which I will also purchase. 

Overall, an excellent read and must-have for every Caravan, Matching Mole and Soft Machine fan out there. 

calyx_AL wrote: fuxi wrote: Meanwhile, I believe this Frenchman who's in charge of Calyx (a website devoted to the Canterbury Scene) is still working on his own book about the entire scene. Sorry, what's his name again? And does anyone have any idea how he's getting on? Getting on, fine, thanks. I've published two books, one on Pink Floyd and just recently a history of prog. The Canterbury history should be next, hopefully late 2011. Need to trim it down & finish writing what isn't finished.Bad news: these are all in French. So perhaps of little use to you.An English translation would be logical... But how much more underpaid work would that imply? Hard to contemplate that extra ordeal right now I'm afraid.Aymeric Leroy (that's my name)

Thank you, Aymeric, I greatly admire your Calyx website and I look forward to publication of Za Big Book! (No offense; just paraphrasing Daevid Allen circa The Flying Teapot.) Meanwhile I'll definitely take a look at your existing titles on the French Amazon site!

And talking about un(der)paid work: I'm trying to survive as a literary translator myself, but I could make at least three times more money if I got into full-time teaching. (And teaching is not exactly the best-paid job in the world.) Ah, the things we do for love...

toroddfuglesteg wrote: If this thread is in praise of Graham Bennet's book on Soft Machine, I would like to add my own approval of this book. It is an excellent read and it has opened up a new universe to me. I am looking forward to the paperback which I will also purchase.  Overall, an excellent read and must-have for every Caravan, Matching Mole and Soft Machine fan out there.

I totally agree, the book is SO enjoyable... One of the main reasons is that (like Bill Bruford) Bennett is not only well-informed; he's also a truly gifted writer.

Many summers ago, I tried to enjoy THE MUSIC IS ALL THAT MATTERS, a historical survey of prog (NOT by Bennett). This contained some wonderfully comic passages but it was written rather sloppily. Around the same time, one American academic wrote ROCKING THE CLASSICS, another book analysing prog (both musically and thematically), and to my feeling HE took the entire genre a little too seriously. (Sorry, I forgot his name, but he has since written a huge volume on ELP. Anyway, it wasn't Bill Martin, whose work I find totally indigestible.)

When you look at Bennett, he's clearly a cut above the rest.

fuxi wrote: one American academic wrote ROCKING THE CLASSICS,

I agree to a certain extent since it read to me like an academic thesis - a superior masters rather than a weak PhD thesis, however. I'm fascinated that the book got issued on such a renown academic publishing house - and an English one too. But author Ed Macan is a Californian based music academic, although he does  dabble as a leader of a semi-pro band Hermetic Science, that seem to like their ELP (he wrote on book them too) and Rush covers. I reviewed the book on Amazon.UK quite some time go which chalked up it 25th favorable response only recently. I admit I reviewed the book relatively harshly (e.g. I think he is clueless about Canterbury guitarists), but Ed Macan still kindly sent me two of Hermetic Science's albums.

fuxi wrote: ^ Somewhere in ROCKING THE CLASSICS, Macan says that Hermetic Science use "mallet instruments" quite a bit. Which makes me wonder, are they similar in any way to Pierre Moerlen's Gong, or to Gongzilla? And if they are prog, why haven't they made it to Progarchives?

No. I don't Macan will be slighted if I said an amateur band of academic musicians, so not in the league of the bands you named. But they do interesting arrangements - Macan does a solo grand piano arrangement /version of Tarkus on one of the HS albums - not bad but you can hear the crickets chirping in back ground,

I'm glad to see a paperback edition is due shortly since used copies are going for out-bloody-rageous prices on the Amazon marketplace. I've been wanting to read this one for awhile now.

Drifter wrote: I'm glad to see a paperback edition is due shortly since used copies are going for out-bloody-rageous prices on the Amazon marketplace. I've been wanting to read this one for awhile now.

Hi