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

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Pop & Rock, Rock, Music Styles
Cover of the book The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by David Weigel, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Weigel ISBN: 9780393242263
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: June 13, 2017
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: David Weigel
ISBN: 9780393242263
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: June 13, 2017
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation’s Leaders by David Weigel
Cover of the book Leela's Book: A Novel by David Weigel
Cover of the book Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture by David Weigel
Cover of the book The Wave-Maker: Poems by David Weigel
Cover of the book Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection by David Weigel
Cover of the book The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician's Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration by David Weigel
Cover of the book The Lost Spy: An American in Stalin's Secret Service by David Weigel
Cover of the book Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke, 1910-1926 by David Weigel
Cover of the book Full Bloom: The Art and Life of Georgia O'Keeffe by David Weigel
Cover of the book White Center: Poems by David Weigel
Cover of the book The End of Sleep by David Weigel
Cover of the book Angels in the Sky: How a Band of Volunteer Airmen Saved the New State of Israel by David Weigel
Cover of the book Not Yet Drown'd: A Novel by David Weigel
Cover of the book The Complete Poems of A. R. Ammons: Volume 1 1955-1977 by David Weigel
Cover of the book Elephantoms: Tracking the Elephant by David Weigel
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy