A blog about Bloomsbury Academic's 33 1/3 series, our other books about music, and the world of sound in general.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Beyond and Before - A Prog Rock Sampler


The publication of our much-anticipated Prog Rock book is fast approaching. We expect to see the book in stores during the first week of June.

Martin Halliwell and Paul Hegarty have put together a really brilliant book detailing the history of Prog Rock, or at least that's what Simon says.

"Examining every aspect of progressive rock - words and music, theatre and politics - Hegarty and Halliwell deftly unpick the tangled threads of tradition and radicalism that make up the genre's tapestry. In addition to shedding vital new light on an often maligned and misunderstood phase in rock's history, this probing and incisive study tracks prog's continued and unexpected reverberations through popular music long after punk had supposedly vanquished and banished it." Simon Reynolds, author of Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past and Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-84

We've got a little treat for you as well. Clicking the link below will direct you to a sample of the book which included the introduction, Chapter 13 and various bibliographies.

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/56070053?access_key=key-1ij9pnr06noktb5hr0aa

And if you'd like to be alerted when the book becomes officially available (a one-time only deal - we promise never to email you again after the book is published!), send a quick note to:

progrocksampler@yahoo.com

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very excited to read this. Prog has been creeping back into my life again lately. Soft Machine, Van Der Graffe, Magma, King Crimson, and of course, Yes and ELP all made some really amazing and challenging albums, on par and worthy of anything punk accomplished....

wendy said...

Exciting! Will make sure my local indie record store has it in stock.

Masque said...

A couple of promo copies were sent to me (thank you whoever that was) Looks really brilliant from first look, VERY well written and great they go back to the roots, when a handful of bands spawned the genre. Highly recommended.

Semperet said...

It arrived yesterday and I'm dipping into it--once it gets into the music itself it's a detailed look that never fails to bring the reader fresh perspectives on this music. Recommended, even if I disagree with the opinion on the narrative voice(s) in Kayleigh!

Noel said...

Does the book mention anything about "avant-prog," or bands like Art Zoyd, Thinking Plague, or U Totem?