The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock

The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock
Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages : 432
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780393242263
ISBN-13 : 0393242269
Rating : 4/5 (269 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by : David Weigel

Download or read book The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock written by David Weigel and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2017-06-13 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The wildly entertaining story of progressive rock, the music that ruled the 1970s charts—and has divided listeners ever since. The Show That Never Ends is the definitive story of the extraordinary rise and fall of progressive (“prog”) rock. Epitomized by such classic, chart-topping bands as Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, and Emerson Lake & Palmer, along with such successors as Rush, Marillion, Asia, Styx, and Porcupine Tree, prog sold hundreds of millions of records. It brought into the mainstream concept albums, spaced-out cover art, crazy time signatures, multitrack recording, and stagecraft so bombastic it was spoofed in the classic movie This Is Spinal Tap. With a vast knowledge of what Rolling Stone has called “the deliciously decadent genre that the punks failed to kill,” access to key people who made the music, and the passion of a true enthusiast, Washington Post national reporter David Weigel tells the story of prog in all its pomp, creativity, and excess. Weigel explains exactly what was “progressive” about prog rock and how its complexity and experimentalism arose from such precursors as the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper. He traces prog’s popularity from the massive success of Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade of Pale” and the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” in 1967. He reveals how prog’s best-selling, epochal albums were made, including The Dark Side of the Moon, Thick as a Brick, and Tubular Bells. And he explores the rise of new instruments into the prog mix, such as the synthesizer, flute, mellotron, and—famously—the double-neck guitar. The Show That Never Ends is filled with the candid reminiscences of prog’s celebrated musicians. It also features memorable portraits of the vital contributions of producers, empresarios, and technicians such as Richard Branson, Brian Eno, Ahmet Ertegun, and Bob Moog. Ultimately, Weigel defends prog from the enormous derision it has received for a generation, and he reveals the new critical respect and popularity it has achieved in its contemporary resurgence.


The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock Related Books

The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock
Language: en
Pages: 432
Authors: David Weigel
Categories: Music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2017-06-13 - Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

GET EBOOK

The wildly entertaining story of progressive rock, the music that ruled the 1970s charts—and has divided listeners ever since. The Show That Never Ends is the
Mountains Come Out of the Sky
Language: en
Pages: 611
Authors: Will Romano
Categories: Music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-09-01 - Publisher: Backbeat Books

GET EBOOK

(Book). From its artful beginnings (Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, the Mothers of Invention, and those progressive forebearers, the Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles), throu
Citizens of Hope and Glory
Language: en
Pages: 347
Authors: Stephen Lambe
Categories: Music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-09-15 - Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

GET EBOOK

A detailed history of the rise, fall and rise again of Progressive Rock, from its beginnings in the 60s to the vibrant contemporary scene in the new millennium.
Twilight of the Gods
Language: en
Pages: 306
Authors: Steven Hyden
Categories: Music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2018-05-08 - Publisher: HarperCollins

GET EBOOK

National Bestseller * Named one of Rolling Stone's Best Music Books of 2018 * One of Newsweek's 50 Best Books of 2018 * A Billboard Best of 2018 * A New York Ti
A New Day Yesterday
Language: en
Pages: 0
Authors: Mike Barnes
Categories: Progressive rock music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020 - Publisher: Music Sales

GET EBOOK

Music journalist Mike Barnes (MOJO, The Wire, Prog, and author of the acclaimed biography Captain Beefheart) goes back to the birth of progressive rock and surv