The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock [PB,2008]

by Charles Snider

The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock by Charles Snider. Strawberry Bricks,2008

Genres: Music

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Herb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a record guide - a collection of album reviews - and a great listener's guide to progressive rock, amassing some 250-300 reviews of classic prog rock records. They're neither cursory nor hagiographic, and for the most part he's right on the mark with each album, with loads of facts on each. For the new listener, it's a goldmine of discovery. For the hardcore fan, it's an affirmation of what made prog rock such good listening.

[Mark Dickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most insightful book on Prog rock I've read, but a great primer for someone trying to learn about genre.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next to concept albums, I love Prog rock (and usually you find quite a few concept albums within the genre). I even created a playlist of 20 to 30+ minute epic songs by Prog rock groups of the past up to the present and there are A LOT of them. From Genesis' "Supper's Ready" to Van der Graaf Generator's "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" to Dream Theater's "Octavarium", I ran the entire scope, seeking out that next prog rock epic song longer than the last! (Steve Wilson has one that clocks in at 34 minutes!) To me, prog rock groups had to deliver the epic in order to prove themselves as true musician's musicians.

And as I listened to more than just the prog epics, I wanted to know more about the groups (the ones I am listening to but also the ones I'm not and should be) and Charles Snider's book kept coming up in discussions, readings as well as YouTube so, here we are.

The book itself is a treasurer trove of all things blessed in prog rock goodness, revealing to me groups I've never heard of, their albums and critical analysis of them. My only problem is: it's all rooted in the past! What about the Neo-Prog movement? Where's Marillion? Where's IQ? Frost*? Spock's Beard? Porcupine Tree? Opeth are you here with District 97? Well, yes and no. Yes, some are mentioned in passing or encapsulated in a quick synopsis and, no, ignoring a deeper look into their albums unlike the treatment of prog rock acts of the past get throughout the majority of pages.

This doesn't mean I don't love this book. I do. I can't put it down. But at edition #3 I was hoping the author got ambitious. Alas, not so. This why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, though it's close to the edge (see what I did there?).

Despite this flaw, Snider has put together an indispensable encyclopedia of Prog which should be on every music lover's shelf even if the genre isn't their cup of tea. It's packed with hundreds of groups and their catalogue of proggy compositions laid bare. Snider doesn't play favorites, reviewing each album with equal measure. Even the ones he doesn't care for he finds something positive to say about them which means you can trust him. I take this same approach to my Prog Epic Song playlist: everything goes on it even if it fails miserably because there's a diamond in there somewhere. It's how I fell in love with Yes' album, "Tales From Topographic Oceans". By just giving it a chance and regular spins, it grew on me. Snider's review of it is one of my favorites: "TFTO has the dubious distinction of being either the mother lode or motherf**ker of all prog rock albums." From there he goes into a fan's honest opinion of each track which veers into the negative to which I completely respect and agree with but to me the much maligned album is pure prog gold.

When Snider does get to the new bands within the genre from the early 80s to today he is respectful, honest and let's his prose encourage you to seek them out. He's not the "Get-Off-My-Lawn" Prog fan who lives in the past but his book belongs there and revels in it. And this is good. Prog history is the beginning to a wild, rewarding musical adventure.

Now excuse me while I rev up "Karn Evil 9" because Snider inspired me to. It's one of my favorite epics from the past. A masterpiece.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A personal run through the Prog Rock groups favoured by the author who is a keen enthusiast. Good reference book for those who have a soft spot for this kind of music which can be ludicrous, but also boldly experimental and exhilarating. Having grown up in the 60s and 70s I look back fondly on a time when playful, talented kids were given a recording studio as a playground and seemed to be granted the freedom to do what they wanted and get it recorded and released.

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like I did with the 1001 albums book, I went through this one at a rate of roughly 1 album per day, listening to the entire album in sequence while reading the review / history. This was an enjoyable way to expand my experience of this much-maligned genre, discover some new releases to add to my collection, and revisit some favorites. Snider is clearly a fan and writes as such, with each entry covering a bit about the musicians who played and wrote the album, frequently a touch of before and after history, and enthusing about favorite tracks, while mentioning weaker parts. So this book is more a series of compact reviews rather than deep dives in progressive rock in general.

The book ends with a single album from 1982, when prog was going through a decline in popularity, which makes me wonder if there is a similarly styled book out there that covers the resurgence of new bands who picked up the mantle again (Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Riverside, etc.)

[Peregrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of progressive rock from 1967 to 1982. I just listened to the last album in the timeline: Asia - Asia (1982).

[Arthur B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solidly researched, but with some gaps that are difficult to justify. (No Zappa? Really?) Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...

[Herb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fulfilling the prog axiom of "more is more," the second edition of Snider's progressive rock record guide offers almost twice as many reviews as the first edition. But most importantly, the quality of writing and high level of fact-checking make this an essential purchase for anyone interested in progressive rock. New to this edition are the interviews with 16 artists about their early years in the 50s and 60s, and how they got their start with music, including the late John Wetton, Jethro Tull's Martin Barre, David Jackson and Hugh Banton from Van der Graaf Generator, Derek Shulman from Gentle Giant, Rich Williams from Kansas, Gong's Steve Hillage and a whole slew of German artists including Eroc from Grobschnitt! The Prologue sets the stage for prog rock's birth in London in the late 60s, while the closing Epilogue follows the genre's rebirth with the US festivals of the 90s and beyond. Improved, edited and fact-checked, with must-have lists, a massive index and a complete discography of every album in the timeline. Bravo Snider, a welcome update with an emphasis on quality control to this fantastic record guide!