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Dorsalia 
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Joined: February 21 2006
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 Topic: Books about the early days of progressive rock?
Posted: May 01 2010 at 12:13 |
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Are there any good books chronicling the early/golden days of progressive rock, i.e. 1969-1975?
This I would very much like to read about.
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"Es ist übrigens unmöglich, eine Meinung zu haben, ohne dass es unerfreuliche Überschneidungen gibt. Die Grünen sind für den deutschen Wald, die NPD ebenfalls."
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Dorsalia
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Posted: May 08 2010 at 22:24 |
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Danke sehr.
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"Es ist übrigens unmöglich, eine Meinung zu haben, ohne dass es unerfreuliche Überschneidungen gibt. Die Grünen sind für den deutschen Wald, die NPD ebenfalls."
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Easy Money
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Posted: May 13 2010 at 04:24 |
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I enjoyed Robert Wyatt's Wrong Movements, this was the first book that tipped me off to Hendrix's involvement in the early prog scene.
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Dick Heath
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Joined: April 19 2004
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Posted: May 13 2010 at 08:45 |
Books on the subject exist, but I have severe reservations of many of them. Perhaps my biggest complaint is that American authored books, tend to be relying on 3rd hand information - e.g. sourcing the rock industry press that is notoriously biassed and/or inaccurate (look how bad Classic Rock's research is). - I tend to place Jerry Lucky (sorry Jerry) and Ed McCann's books (e.g. Progressive Rock Files and Rocking The Classics) in this category - although these are good sources of other types of useful information .
There seems to be little and probably nothing written and published generally on the subject by people who were there. Instead you end up some excellent books by UK authors, dealing with an artist or band, so get selective snippets of info about other bands and the scene in which underground/progressive music started and grew (and then collapsed). Hence, check out Lost In The Woods about Syd Barrett, Out-Bloody-Rageous (by Graham Bennett) re Soft Machine, White Bicycles by Joe Boyd (his autobiog), for slabs of info wrt the London scene mid to late 60's - the three books have some degree of overlap of info. Mike Farren's (formerly of the Social Deviants - better known as an SF author nowadays), autobiography Give The Anarchist A Cigarette covers the period - here is more about why Farren became part of the central agiprop London scene, why music was part of this and then he writes about how quickly he moved away from the music scene. Richard Neville, (editor in chief of the London underground magazine OZ) wrote an autobiography Hippy Hippy Shake about 15 years ago, which also gives a sense of the underground politics at the end of the 60's. Further - if you can find it read Neville's 1970's publication Powerplay, which is jumble of information about surviving being a London-based Australian hippy. Then there is the likes of Sid Smith's excellent In The Court of King Crimson examining the evolution of a classic prog rock band.
Edited by Dick Heath - May 13 2010 at 08:51
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Stool Man
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Posted: May 13 2010 at 09:34 |
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Then it looks like a terrific book-in-waiting, for the right author.
Who might be best to write such a book? (assuming they get to interview a good cross-section of the surviving people from that time)
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rotten hound of the burnie crew
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Dick Heath
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Joined: April 19 2004
Location: England
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Posted: May 14 2010 at 06:34 |
 Stool Man wrote:
Then it looks like a terrific book-in-waiting, for the right author.
Who might be best to write such a book? (assuming they get to interview a good cross-section of the surviving people from that time) |
The aforementioned Sid Smith interviewed a lot of survivors from the early day for a book tentatively called Elastic Rock - I even got interviewed partly from the point of view of being a fan, weekend hippy and selecting and selling records for a record stop at the time. However, over 7 years later and Sid has had plenty else in mind especially to find money to survive as a freelance.
Edited by Dick Heath - June 28 2010 at 08:45
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Rottenhat
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Posted: June 26 2010 at 13:06 |
Eric Tamm's book about Robert Fripp? I am reading that at the moment. Not too bad. A lot of info there about King Crimson, of course.
Book name: Robert Fripp
Author: Eric Tamm
ISBN: 0-571-12912-9
Edited by Rottenhat - June 26 2010 at 13:07
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Language is a virus from outer space.
-William S. Burroughs
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cstack3
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Posted: June 26 2010 at 16:22 |
I find a lot of value from some of the really well-written interviews with the original music-makers back then, this one with Peter Banks is one of my favorites:
http://www.themarqueeclub.net/interview-peter-banks-yes
Check out his site on MySpace, he has a really interesting video interview that dials it all the way back to Mabel Greer's Toy Shop!
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cstack3
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Posted: June 26 2010 at 16:22 |
Sorry, here's the live link to Banks:
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The Truth
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Posted: June 28 2010 at 15:51 |
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The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock goes back to 1967 I believe but it is more of an album by album analysis.
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moshkito
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Posted: July 20 2010 at 20:09 |
Easy Money wrote:
I enjoyed Robert Wyatt's Wrong Movements, this was the first book that tipped me off to Hendrix's involvement in the early prog scene. |
This should be fun.
There are out there in various forms a lot of information from Daevid Allen, Kevin Ayers and about Syd Barrett ... and Robert Wyatt.
In general, this is an important group of folks and they really have their historical elements in much better perspective than anything else. It also helps explain the parade of movie folks and other people through out the film and the music in "Tonite We All Love In London" ... for example.
I write from that historical perspective, and I am working on putting together a book from it. It is extremely difficult to type these things in here and many folks simply ignore it, since they do not know/understand, or have any "comparative" relationship to the place and time and events ... which means that the only reason many like "prog" is because they like the music and can not even figure out what it is about and what it means ... they just like it!
The London scene, like the New York scene around Warhol, was massive and a part of the "liberation" of the arts in the 60's that were solidified in the 70's, some of which we call progressive because we do not want these to be considered "popular music", and it is not "classical music" ... so we invent a term that supposedly means something ... and in the end, the only thing that the term is trying to do is separate the music from the very arts and people and places that the music came from!
Daevid's stories (also on the website) about his Paris and London days are massive. He also talks about Syd. Few people talk about Syd, Kevin, Burroughs and Ginsberg living in the same house in London ... which of course, puts a whole other spin on those two ... but no one is going to talk to Kevin! And no one here is going to bother paying attention to what that means and how it even forged "progressive music".
In general, I have this suggestion ... it will take a longer detour, but it will be way more satisfying in the end. Check out the net, and see Robert Fripp talk about Gurdgieff ... now see that the Royal Shakespeare Company has a director that has been already playing with those concepts for acting and put together a massive string of works in the 60's that everyone went to and was influenced by ... now check out other bands also connected with theater. Now check out a band that thanks Jacques Brel and then sings like he did and does a mean Bertold Brecht ... ohhh my gawd ... progressive and Bertold Brecht? ... why would David Bowie even try to do that and Kurt Weill?
Unless you make a concerted and dedicated effort about studying the "art form" and its influences, all you gonna get is a planet out in the middle of nowhere land ... that has very little meaning in the totality of the planetary spectrum! And to me, this is the problem with the "progressive" mold ... the majority of the folks here are just rock fans ... and they do not have the educated/stated and desire to go check out any of these things ... to help make better sense of the music. Or the art.
And the majority of rock press books out there? ... they are nothing but family albums of pictures and kisses!
Just a thought ... when you see a film like "The Doors" (Oliver Stone's version -- which is not great but is fine) ... don't you wonder where all thos enames fit and why? ... or were you like most people around Jim, so stoned that they could not say anything worth while about the music or the arts in that day? ... that's really what the film is all about in the end! And many of us are doing the same thing ... we don't care ... we just like the music!
Edited by moshkito - July 20 2010 at 20:17
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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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AtomicCrimsonRush
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Posted: July 20 2010 at 22:50 |
great books
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The Progressive Rock Handbook [Paperback] Jerry Lucky (Author)
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2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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and
all these in fact
www.AngusRobertson.com.au 20% Off Books & Free Shipping! Online Now at Angus & Robertson
Search Results
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Kevin Holm-Hudson - 2002 - 280 pages
In this book, the glory days of progressive rock are relived in a series of insightful essays about the key bands, songwriters, and songs that made prog-rock such an innovative style. books.google.com.au - Book overview - Preview |
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Glenn Riley - 2004 - 96 pages
Finally, here is guidance for the guitarist who's ready to rise above and beyond the confines of simple rock 'n' roll and push the boundaries where few dare to go. The CD demonstrates the examples in the book. 96 pages. books.google.com.au - Book overview - Preview |
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Chris McDonald - 2009 - 255 pages
Canadian progressive rock band Rush was the voice of the suburban middle class. In this book, Chris McDonald assesses the band's impact on popular music and its legacy for legions of fans. books.google.com.au - Book overview - Preview |
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Jerry Lucky - 2000 - 152 pages
For progressive rock aficionados and all lovers of classical rock music, this book highlights the 50 most influential and important progressive rock bands, past and present, from around the world. Exploring the artists and their music, ...books.google.com.au - Book overview - No preview |
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Sheila Romeo - 1999 - 96 pages
Also, as we discussed in Chapter 7, there is a vast use of odd meter in progressive rock. ... Popular progressive rock keyboard sounds were, of course, piano and organ. But the 1960s and 70s were the decades of analog synthesis ...books.google.com.au - Book overview - Preview |
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Bill Martin - 1998 - 356 pages
I have written other books that explore various dimensions of radical social theory, as well as a book that readers of the present text may be familiar with, music of Yes: structure and vision in progressive rock. This book, about the ...books.google.com.au - Book overview - Preview |
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Edward Macan - 1997 - 290 pages
Here I can only confess that in this sense another book is needed to round out the picture, a book that tells the story of the progressive rock scene as opposed to surveying the music itself. In the meantime, though, there are good ...books.google.com.au - Book overview - Preview |
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Joe Bouchard, Sheila Romeo - 2007 - 128 pages
Chapter 2& ^Progressive Progressive rock evolved in the late 1960s and early 70s . It was an era where musical virtuosos brought elements of their classical and jazz backgrounds together with rock instrumentation, early analog ...
books.google.com.au - Book overview - Preview |
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Dan Maske - 2007 - 112 pages
From the classic sounds of the '70s to modern progressive stylings, this book/CD provides you with the theory and technique to play and compose in a multitude of prog rock styles. You'll learn how soloing techniques, form, rhythmic and ...books.google.com.au - Book overview - No preview |
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Stuart Borthwick, Ron Moy - 2004 - 246 pages
An accessible introduction to the study of popular music, this book takes a schematic approach to a range of popular music genres, and examines them in terms of their antecedents, histories, visual aesthetics and socio-political contexts. books.google.com.au - Book overview - Preview |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
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Posted: July 20 2010 at 22:50 |
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Holy heck! look at what the links did to that post ^^^^ sorry
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Matti
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 15 2005
Location: Finland
Status: Offline
Points: 2118
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Posted: August 09 2010 at 06:30 |
I have lately read the few prog books available in the libraries I use, and I must say I'm surprised to find out the low level they have. Well, I'm yet to read Listening to the Future by Bill Martin, but two books by his country fellow (both are American - funny) Jerry Lucky are nearly jokes to an advanced prog listener. Progressive Rock Files (Updated edition 2000) offers a year-by-year running of prog rock history but in the end it does not much more than lists albums by names without talking about them in critical light. The A-Z list of bands is vast (nearly 200 pages) but relatively useless as an aid of album collecting.
His another book 20th Century Rock and Roll - Progressive Rock tells of 50 of the most important prog bands, both classic and newer. The list itself is OK, but again, the text is quite empty of any critical approach or any closer look at the ALBUMS. The book may be nice for a newcomer but definitely not for one wishing to explore prog more deeply.
What kind of experiences do you have on prog books (those dealing with the genre, not with individual bands or artists!)? And more interesting question is: how would you see a PERFECT HANDBOOK ON PROG? Are there any books that come close? I can gladly share my own visions if this conversation gets fire.
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BaldFriede
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 02 2005
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 10261
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Posted: August 09 2010 at 06:44 |
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The biography of Amon Düül ("Tanz der Lemminge" by Ingeborg Schober)..It is not really about the beginning of prog, though that is talked about too in the book, it is more about the Krautrock scene and especially of course Amon Düül (1 and 2). But definitely worth reading. Music journalist Ingeborg Schober and her friend, director Rüdiger Nüchtern (who made a short movie about Amon Düül 2), were close friends of Amon Düül. The events described in the book are sometimes hilarious.
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 BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.
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Luca Pacchiarini
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 08 2009
Location: home
Status: Offline
Points: 530
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Posted: August 09 2010 at 07:00 |
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have you checked out Nick Mason's book?
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octopus-4
Special Collaborator
RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams
Joined: October 31 2006
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 14071
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Posted: August 26 2010 at 06:55 |
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I'm searching for "Making it. Famous names and Silly girls" written by Francesca Garnett, singer of Chimera that's their (The Chimera) bio in the decade 1963-1972.
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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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JeanFrame
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 01 2010
Location: London, England
Status: Offline
Points: 195
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Posted: February 10 2011 at 10:29 |
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I'm afraid that like most history, it depends who's writing it, to the victors go the spoils could be a theme song. The real roots of what happened are below the somewhat limited vision of the music press, who always go for the popular and commercially successful, and the visible anecdotes come from bands who prefer to write their own history rather than tell how it really was, in case it dents their egos and manufactured legacy. Why is there so little truth about?
That's then followed up by the book writers who use these thin and censored sources as sources, so we end up with a kind of watery soup. What music literature needs are serious historians who pay no attention to slogans and charts and instead go back to basic forensics. Then we might have a story we can take seriously.
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bucka001
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 16 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 864
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Posted: February 22 2011 at 10:49 |
Dick Heath wrote:
I have severe reservations of many of them. Perhaps my biggest complaint is that American authored books, tend to be relying on 3rd hand information - |
In the VdGG book, we (I'm American, my co-author is British) interviewed the VdGG guys extensively over a period of two and a half years, and also interviewed many others who were on the scene at the time (members of Genesis, Soft Machine, Hawkwind, Amon Duul 2, Rare Bird, Lindisfarne, Arthur Brown, etc). In a couple of the reviews we got it was mentioned that The Book was a good chronicle on the history of the band, but also gave a great flavor of the times as well (which we were very pleased about!)
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jc
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 14258
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Posted: February 24 2011 at 03:44 |
You can read online Listening to the Future 1968-1978 by Bill martin right now
here
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/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Books about the early days of progressive rock?
