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Yes Is The Answer: (And Other Prog-Rock Tales)
Progressive rock is maligned and misunderstood. Critics hate it, hipsters scoff at it. Yes Is The Answer is a pointed rebuke to the prog-haters, the first literary anthology devoted to the sub genre. Featuring acclaimed novelists, Rick Moody, Wesley Stace, Seth Greenland, Charles Bock, and Joe Meno, as well as musicians Matthew Sweet, Nathan Larson, and Peter Case, Yes Is The Answer is the first book that dares to thoughtfully reclaim prog-rock as a subject worthy of serious consideration. So take a Topographic Journey into a 21st Century Schizoid land of Prog-Lit!
- GenresMusicNonfictionEssays
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Marc Weingarten
14 books21 followersMarc Weingarten is an author, journalist, editor and filmmaker. He lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 2, 2019
DISCLAIMER: This review is overly long, somewhat bloated, and quite possibly pretentious and self-conscious. This is perfectly in keeping with the subject matter.
My introduction to “progressive rock,” or “prog” as it is more commonly known, was somewhere around 1976 or 1977. Bored with KISS and Aerosmith, I walked over to the local mall and hit my favorite record shop in search of new sounds. Punk had yet to coalesce and make its way to small-town America, and hard rock had become a shrill repetition of the same old chords. It was more than a feeling of cat scratch fever. Purple was experimenting with funk. Zeppelin was not much of a presence. Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles were making music for my big sister. We were a year or two away from Van Halen and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Disco was catching fire in the urban areas and all in all it was a generally depressing time in music.
And so I wandered off for a bit. I hated the stale prog music that corporate American bands like Kansas and Styx were trying to polish to a studio sheen. I had consulted my older brother. The only real solution was to go to the source, the Brits. Thumbing through the racks, I came upon a massive two-disc set from a band I was at least nominally familiar with, Yes. Those guys got FM radio play with songs like “Roundabout” and “I’ve Seen All Good People,” so I thought giving them a sonic shot was worth it. The big two-album gate fold had mesmerizing artwork and a solidly pretentious title that sparked my teen imagination. “Tales From Topographic Oceans” it was called. Four songs, each taking up one side of the vinyl. Dense lyrics that were steeped in Eastern mysticism. Sweeping music that boasted of complicated time changes and virtuoso command of the instrumentation. It was loud. It was majestic. It was overkill on a grand scale, and it expanded my musical vocabulary. From that moment on, I would have a soft spot in my heart for prog, even as I would abandon it for punk and metal not too far down the road. (The one exception to that is Hawkwind, a band that was SO cheesy and SO far out that they were Johnny Rotten’s favorite band. I can listen to THOSE guys anytime, anywhere.)
Now, later in life, I have recovered a deeper appreciation for prog. I still love my Floyd records. I dug a little deeper in the Peter Gabriel-led Genesis catalog. I gave ELP a bit more of a listen. I really don’t like much of the new age of prog bands, with the exception of Tool and Porcupine Tree. Dream Theater leaves me cold, and I’m only nominally interested in groups like The Mars Volta. And so I came upon this book, lost in the stacks at my favorite used book store. I like rock journalism enough to pick up stuff like this from time to time, and prog was an area of music that I feel like I still don’t have total command of. In other words, it was an easy six bucks to spend. “Yes Is The Answer” is a group of essays by different people with very different perspectives on the genre. Some of the essays focus on bands or the music that they made. Some highlight the performers more. Some seem more like personal reflections, snapshots in time and life with prog music as the soundtrack in the background. All of the articles are good to at least some degree, a couple are great, and one or two are outstanding. It’s probably best to do a short-story style rundown of each essay.
“Here Comes The Knife” - An examination of Keith Emerson’s (Of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer fame) first band, The Nice. It was an interesting read and made me go back through my record collection to find a copy of Five Bridges, the band’s final studio album. I hadn’t listened to it in decades. The title of the essay refers to Emerson’s theatrical habit of using a WWII-vintage combat knife to wedge two keys on his organ, freeing up all 10 of his other digits for duty. Authored by Seth Greenland.
“Out, Angels Out” - One of the longest and best essays in the collection. A missive on Peter Gabriel, his time with Genesis and his burgeoning solo career. The title recalls Gabriel’s press release upon his decision to leave Genesis. Pompous, full of itself, and brilliant. It’s a great story that focuses on the narrator and his best friend at the time, who suffered a horrible LSD dose that he never really came off of. There is a price to pay for knowing (or at least IMPLYING that you know) all of the mercurial Gabriel’s secrets. Extra points for describing in detail Gabriel’s opening act for his first solo tour, a band named Television. Television was an early New York punk band led by Tom Verlaine. They were the first punk band to incorporate odd tunings and tricky time signatures into their music. Television was truly a prog offshoot, though Gabriel’s audience clearly did not interpret them that way. Authored by Tom Junod.
“Your Magic Christmas Tree” - By Peter Case. A musing on a band that may or may not even be prog, depending on your personal definition of what that word even means. The Incredible String Band was a group that I only peripherally remembered, and I thought of them more as a wandering group of folk minstrels than a prog band. The only prog band that really could carry the folk thing to its logical conclusion was Jethro Tull, and they aren’t even profiled in this book, an omission that cost at least one star in my rating. The ISB DID manage to bring what would come to be known as “world music” to the prog stage, however, and this seems to be their saving grace. I looked at a few videos on YouTube. They were ok, didn’t move me much. I see why I largely ignored them at the time.
“Yes Is No Disgrace” - Written by Matthew Specktor. A short musing on the sheer absurdity of the band Yes, for which this book is named. Yes, of course, is one of the best known originators and definers of the progressive rock movement. Specktor hits the high notes, I guess. Here’s the thing, though. It’s only embarrassing to like Yes if you are a secret snob. True prog fans really don’t care what you think.
“Achilles’ Heel” - Another of the better essays in the book. Author Wesley Stace takes on the Canterbury music scene of the '70s, particularly the bands The Soft Machine and its spin-off, Matching Mole. Those were quality bands making quality music, though they never achieved the fame of the other prog giants of the time. I do recommend hitting YouTube and listening to The Soft Machine. It’s delicate, exciting music that was ahead of its time, even in the prog world.
“Defending The Indefensible” - Rick Moody uses a fun format to make his case that Emerson, Lake, & Palmer are not as bad as many people both in and out of the prog scene make them out to be. ELP, for better or worse, does seem to be the big scapegoat band that historically gets paraded out as the bloated dinosaur that not only killed prog, but Classic Rock in general. Personally, I see it more as a timing thing, though the “Works” albums, with their classical flourishes and pompous, self-conscious formatting certainly didn’t make things harder for the punks when it came time for the changing of the guard.
“The Cherokee Record Club” - Author Paul Myers muses on how prog informed his musical and creative life as a member of a group of friends united by a love of the music and a shared experience as social outcasts. This essay was the first to note that True Prog was pretty much a British phenomenon. American bands like Styx couldn’t cut the mustard. This essay also identifies prog as the domain of nerdy and socially awkward boys, though I think Metal may possibly share that distinction. It’s a short, fun, and nostalgic read.
“City In My Head” - An overview of Todd Rundgren's work with his band Utopia. It’s not a stretch to classify Utopia as prog. They had the relentless grandeur, the scope, the epic command of the musical space, that much is certain. Nonetheless, I personally see them as more of a refined version of the Mothers of Invention without the sly lyrics. But it’s a fun essay. I kinda wish that Rundgren and Utopia had found more of a commercial niche back in the day. As it is, they are merely a footnote for most of the '70s nostalgia. Authored by Larry Karaszewski.
“Ode To The Giant Hogweeds” - A thorough examination of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. There is absolutely no question that Genesis ceased to be a progressive rock band after Gabriel departed, trading in the complex rhythms and lyrics in favor of huge commercial success with Top 40 tripe and Motown covers. It’s a story that recalls Yes’s reimagination as an arena juggernaut. Written by Jim DeRogatis.
“The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging” - An offering by James Greer, formerly of indie US proggers Guided by Voices. This is yet another Genesis article, this time focusing on the one work of the band that might rightfully be called genius. I’m speaking, of course, of the two-disk epic “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” The Lamb would be the album and tour that killed the Gabriel era of the band, but it sure was a great way to go out. Fans obsess about all of the hidden meanings and obscure references on that record to this day. It was unquestionably the high point of their career. If you only ever own one record by Genesis, this is the one to have.
“The Satori Underground” - By John Albert. Ostensibly an essay on King Crimson, it’s really more an essay on the “experience” of King Crimson. An affecting and effective slice-of-life tale with the band as a background soundtrack. It’s really nice writing.
“A Clockwork Wall” - By Spanish author Rodrigo Fresan. A beautifully written article that makes a deep relationship between Pink Floyd’s classic album “The Wall” and director Stanley Kubrick’s ultraviolent cultural statement “A Clockwork Orange.” The comparison mostly works. This is an extremely well constructed essay. This is quite possibly my favorite work in the collection.
“Do Gay Guys Listen To Yes?” - A personal reflection on how prog rock got author Andrew Mellen through a difficult adolescence. Another essay that focuses less on the actual bands and more on the effect that prog music had as a balm and an escapist experience for the writer. For the record, he has a bit of a point. Prog seems like a natural fit for a gay male, with its emphasis on theatrics and operatic bombast. Prog has always walked a fine line between music and performance art, but maybe in the end, that’s a bit of stereotype that we really don’t need.
“The Fool Explorers” - Author and grunge-era historian Margaret Wappler reduces King Crimson down to a soundtrack for sexual exploration with her boyfriend. It’s not the only piece to use a band or its music as a frame of reference for a fondly-held memory. Indeed, this is one of musics most powerful functions in our lives. We ALL equate songs and albums with specific points or rites of passage. It’s one of the reasons why so many bands clean up on the nostalgia circuit, trotting out the hits one more time for the aging faithful trying to reach back and relive that ONE SPECIAL MOMENT. Glory days, they’ll pass you by. It’s a fun article, though, and highlights one of the central strengths of prog: the ability to give us permission to experiment. That’s reason enough to be a fan.
“The Angular Wheel” - Nathan Larson gives us a real insiders view as he documents the experience of his band, Shudder to Think. Signed to a big-league recording contract on Epic, the band would go on to produce nothing of note beyond a cult following. More of a precursor to math-rock bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan than to outright prog, they at least displayed the prog-rock ethos admirably well. Haughty and pretentious, they aspired to be arena-worthy RAWK STARS. Had the universe aligned a bit better for them, they might have actually done it, too.
“Catch The Mist” - Beth Lisick muses on life, the universe, and everything to a backing soundtrack of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”. If you enjoyed FM radio rock in the early 1980s, then Tom Sawyer was unavoidable. It was Rush’s biggest “hit” from their most popular album up to that point. This is another of those life portraits that uses the music as a backdrop for the zeitgeist of the moment. The saving grace of this essay is the observation that Rush was possibly the most sincere in their weirdness and awkwardness of all of the prog groups. And it’s true. The members of Rush have NEVER bothered to care what the critics might think. They just do their thing and ride the wave. Enjoy it or not, at least you know exactly what you are getting, and it will be from people who know exactly who they are. THAT is one hell of an important life lesson.
“Hung Up On These Silver Strings” - An examination of Be-Bop Deluxe, one of those proggy bands that got lost in the shuffle. They made something of a commercial dent on the UK charts, but they never made the transition to popularity across the pond. I had to go to YouTube to refamiliarize myself with the bands output. The reality is that they were only nominally prog. Be-Bop was the vehicle for Bill Nelson’s guitar histrionics more than they were a traditional prog band. Yes, they had all sorts of tricky time changes and weird rhythms, but that really doesn’t define prog. What you really have here is an early British version of Dinosaur Jr. They were not that exciting, nor is this essay. Authored by Nick Coleman.
“Set An Open Course For The Virgin Sea” - By Jeff Gordinier. Man, Styx really WAS an embarrassing band. The less said about them, the better.
“In The Court Of The CrimsonKing02” - Author Charles Bock takes a bit of artistic license with this essay about a forlorn website called MetalSludge.com, making his story revolve about a mysterious poster with the avatar CrimsonKing02. It was a bit odd seeing a King Crimson fan posting on a board dedicated to 1980s hair metal, but Bock does a great job making a humanistic story out of this fodder. It’s a fact that both Prog and Metal share a lot of characteristics as far as the devotion of the fan bases to the music are concerned. It’s hardly unusual to find Metal fans owning a substantial portion of Prog in their musical collections, and vice-versa. There is also a degree of truth that King Crimson was an influence on Metal. At the very least, they introduced significant elements of danger and darkness into the Prog scene. Crimson has toured with nu-Metal proggers Tool, and many of the more progressive minded Metal bands have picked up on their odd rhythms and unique guitar stylings.
“There Is No Rush” - By Joe Meno. Rush again serves as a backdrop for a coming-of-age tale. Personally, I don’t think that many here in the U.S. REALLY understand the inherent Canadian-ness of Rush. Pure to their roots, they are consummately nerdy and a slight bit distant. Perhaps they are a bit alien to us here south of the border. Or it could just be that they really ARE just smarter than we are. I was lucky enough to take my daughter to Rush's final tour when they came here to Austin. It was a mammoth show, her first “real” rock concert. We have seen many other classic bands since then, but that particular concert was special. I think that perhaps Rush DOES make a great soundtrack for growing up. Catch the mystery, catch the drift……
All said, a great book if you enjoy the subject matter. Don’t buy it if you don’t. Like the music itself, it will only bore you and disengage you if you are not intrigued by the hidden mysteries. This is only for the die-hards, the True Fans, the Seekers. It should have come with its own secret handshake. But if you GET IT….if you UNDERSTAND it….if you have a scratched up copy of “Tales From Topographic Oceans” in your collection….then brother or sister, it’s ON!!!!!
My introduction to “progressive rock,” or “prog” as it is more commonly known, was somewhere around 1976 or 1977. Bored with KISS and Aerosmith, I walked over to the local mall and hit my favorite record shop in search of new sounds. Punk had yet to coalesce and make its way to small-town America, and hard rock had become a shrill repetition of the same old chords. It was more than a feeling of cat scratch fever. Purple was experimenting with funk. Zeppelin was not much of a presence. Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles were making music for my big sister. We were a year or two away from Van Halen and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Disco was catching fire in the urban areas and all in all it was a generally depressing time in music.
And so I wandered off for a bit. I hated the stale prog music that corporate American bands like Kansas and Styx were trying to polish to a studio sheen. I had consulted my older brother. The only real solution was to go to the source, the Brits. Thumbing through the racks, I came upon a massive two-disc set from a band I was at least nominally familiar with, Yes. Those guys got FM radio play with songs like “Roundabout” and “I’ve Seen All Good People,” so I thought giving them a sonic shot was worth it. The big two-album gate fold had mesmerizing artwork and a solidly pretentious title that sparked my teen imagination. “Tales From Topographic Oceans” it was called. Four songs, each taking up one side of the vinyl. Dense lyrics that were steeped in Eastern mysticism. Sweeping music that boasted of complicated time changes and virtuoso command of the instrumentation. It was loud. It was majestic. It was overkill on a grand scale, and it expanded my musical vocabulary. From that moment on, I would have a soft spot in my heart for prog, even as I would abandon it for punk and metal not too far down the road. (The one exception to that is Hawkwind, a band that was SO cheesy and SO far out that they were Johnny Rotten’s favorite band. I can listen to THOSE guys anytime, anywhere.)
Now, later in life, I have recovered a deeper appreciation for prog. I still love my Floyd records. I dug a little deeper in the Peter Gabriel-led Genesis catalog. I gave ELP a bit more of a listen. I really don’t like much of the new age of prog bands, with the exception of Tool and Porcupine Tree. Dream Theater leaves me cold, and I’m only nominally interested in groups like The Mars Volta. And so I came upon this book, lost in the stacks at my favorite used book store. I like rock journalism enough to pick up stuff like this from time to time, and prog was an area of music that I feel like I still don’t have total command of. In other words, it was an easy six bucks to spend. “Yes Is The Answer” is a group of essays by different people with very different perspectives on the genre. Some of the essays focus on bands or the music that they made. Some highlight the performers more. Some seem more like personal reflections, snapshots in time and life with prog music as the soundtrack in the background. All of the articles are good to at least some degree, a couple are great, and one or two are outstanding. It’s probably best to do a short-story style rundown of each essay.
“Here Comes The Knife” - An examination of Keith Emerson’s (Of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer fame) first band, The Nice. It was an interesting read and made me go back through my record collection to find a copy of Five Bridges, the band’s final studio album. I hadn’t listened to it in decades. The title of the essay refers to Emerson’s theatrical habit of using a WWII-vintage combat knife to wedge two keys on his organ, freeing up all 10 of his other digits for duty. Authored by Seth Greenland.
“Out, Angels Out” - One of the longest and best essays in the collection. A missive on Peter Gabriel, his time with Genesis and his burgeoning solo career. The title recalls Gabriel’s press release upon his decision to leave Genesis. Pompous, full of itself, and brilliant. It’s a great story that focuses on the narrator and his best friend at the time, who suffered a horrible LSD dose that he never really came off of. There is a price to pay for knowing (or at least IMPLYING that you know) all of the mercurial Gabriel’s secrets. Extra points for describing in detail Gabriel’s opening act for his first solo tour, a band named Television. Television was an early New York punk band led by Tom Verlaine. They were the first punk band to incorporate odd tunings and tricky time signatures into their music. Television was truly a prog offshoot, though Gabriel’s audience clearly did not interpret them that way. Authored by Tom Junod.
“Your Magic Christmas Tree” - By Peter Case. A musing on a band that may or may not even be prog, depending on your personal definition of what that word even means. The Incredible String Band was a group that I only peripherally remembered, and I thought of them more as a wandering group of folk minstrels than a prog band. The only prog band that really could carry the folk thing to its logical conclusion was Jethro Tull, and they aren’t even profiled in this book, an omission that cost at least one star in my rating. The ISB DID manage to bring what would come to be known as “world music” to the prog stage, however, and this seems to be their saving grace. I looked at a few videos on YouTube. They were ok, didn’t move me much. I see why I largely ignored them at the time.
“Yes Is No Disgrace” - Written by Matthew Specktor. A short musing on the sheer absurdity of the band Yes, for which this book is named. Yes, of course, is one of the best known originators and definers of the progressive rock movement. Specktor hits the high notes, I guess. Here’s the thing, though. It’s only embarrassing to like Yes if you are a secret snob. True prog fans really don’t care what you think.
“Achilles’ Heel” - Another of the better essays in the book. Author Wesley Stace takes on the Canterbury music scene of the '70s, particularly the bands The Soft Machine and its spin-off, Matching Mole. Those were quality bands making quality music, though they never achieved the fame of the other prog giants of the time. I do recommend hitting YouTube and listening to The Soft Machine. It’s delicate, exciting music that was ahead of its time, even in the prog world.
“Defending The Indefensible” - Rick Moody uses a fun format to make his case that Emerson, Lake, & Palmer are not as bad as many people both in and out of the prog scene make them out to be. ELP, for better or worse, does seem to be the big scapegoat band that historically gets paraded out as the bloated dinosaur that not only killed prog, but Classic Rock in general. Personally, I see it more as a timing thing, though the “Works” albums, with their classical flourishes and pompous, self-conscious formatting certainly didn’t make things harder for the punks when it came time for the changing of the guard.
“The Cherokee Record Club” - Author Paul Myers muses on how prog informed his musical and creative life as a member of a group of friends united by a love of the music and a shared experience as social outcasts. This essay was the first to note that True Prog was pretty much a British phenomenon. American bands like Styx couldn’t cut the mustard. This essay also identifies prog as the domain of nerdy and socially awkward boys, though I think Metal may possibly share that distinction. It’s a short, fun, and nostalgic read.
“City In My Head” - An overview of Todd Rundgren's work with his band Utopia. It’s not a stretch to classify Utopia as prog. They had the relentless grandeur, the scope, the epic command of the musical space, that much is certain. Nonetheless, I personally see them as more of a refined version of the Mothers of Invention without the sly lyrics. But it’s a fun essay. I kinda wish that Rundgren and Utopia had found more of a commercial niche back in the day. As it is, they are merely a footnote for most of the '70s nostalgia. Authored by Larry Karaszewski.
“Ode To The Giant Hogweeds” - A thorough examination of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. There is absolutely no question that Genesis ceased to be a progressive rock band after Gabriel departed, trading in the complex rhythms and lyrics in favor of huge commercial success with Top 40 tripe and Motown covers. It’s a story that recalls Yes’s reimagination as an arena juggernaut. Written by Jim DeRogatis.
“The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging” - An offering by James Greer, formerly of indie US proggers Guided by Voices. This is yet another Genesis article, this time focusing on the one work of the band that might rightfully be called genius. I’m speaking, of course, of the two-disk epic “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” The Lamb would be the album and tour that killed the Gabriel era of the band, but it sure was a great way to go out. Fans obsess about all of the hidden meanings and obscure references on that record to this day. It was unquestionably the high point of their career. If you only ever own one record by Genesis, this is the one to have.
“The Satori Underground” - By John Albert. Ostensibly an essay on King Crimson, it’s really more an essay on the “experience” of King Crimson. An affecting and effective slice-of-life tale with the band as a background soundtrack. It’s really nice writing.
“A Clockwork Wall” - By Spanish author Rodrigo Fresan. A beautifully written article that makes a deep relationship between Pink Floyd’s classic album “The Wall” and director Stanley Kubrick’s ultraviolent cultural statement “A Clockwork Orange.” The comparison mostly works. This is an extremely well constructed essay. This is quite possibly my favorite work in the collection.
“Do Gay Guys Listen To Yes?” - A personal reflection on how prog rock got author Andrew Mellen through a difficult adolescence. Another essay that focuses less on the actual bands and more on the effect that prog music had as a balm and an escapist experience for the writer. For the record, he has a bit of a point. Prog seems like a natural fit for a gay male, with its emphasis on theatrics and operatic bombast. Prog has always walked a fine line between music and performance art, but maybe in the end, that’s a bit of stereotype that we really don’t need.
“The Fool Explorers” - Author and grunge-era historian Margaret Wappler reduces King Crimson down to a soundtrack for sexual exploration with her boyfriend. It’s not the only piece to use a band or its music as a frame of reference for a fondly-held memory. Indeed, this is one of musics most powerful functions in our lives. We ALL equate songs and albums with specific points or rites of passage. It’s one of the reasons why so many bands clean up on the nostalgia circuit, trotting out the hits one more time for the aging faithful trying to reach back and relive that ONE SPECIAL MOMENT. Glory days, they’ll pass you by. It’s a fun article, though, and highlights one of the central strengths of prog: the ability to give us permission to experiment. That’s reason enough to be a fan.
“The Angular Wheel” - Nathan Larson gives us a real insiders view as he documents the experience of his band, Shudder to Think. Signed to a big-league recording contract on Epic, the band would go on to produce nothing of note beyond a cult following. More of a precursor to math-rock bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan than to outright prog, they at least displayed the prog-rock ethos admirably well. Haughty and pretentious, they aspired to be arena-worthy RAWK STARS. Had the universe aligned a bit better for them, they might have actually done it, too.
“Catch The Mist” - Beth Lisick muses on life, the universe, and everything to a backing soundtrack of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”. If you enjoyed FM radio rock in the early 1980s, then Tom Sawyer was unavoidable. It was Rush’s biggest “hit” from their most popular album up to that point. This is another of those life portraits that uses the music as a backdrop for the zeitgeist of the moment. The saving grace of this essay is the observation that Rush was possibly the most sincere in their weirdness and awkwardness of all of the prog groups. And it’s true. The members of Rush have NEVER bothered to care what the critics might think. They just do their thing and ride the wave. Enjoy it or not, at least you know exactly what you are getting, and it will be from people who know exactly who they are. THAT is one hell of an important life lesson.
“Hung Up On These Silver Strings” - An examination of Be-Bop Deluxe, one of those proggy bands that got lost in the shuffle. They made something of a commercial dent on the UK charts, but they never made the transition to popularity across the pond. I had to go to YouTube to refamiliarize myself with the bands output. The reality is that they were only nominally prog. Be-Bop was the vehicle for Bill Nelson’s guitar histrionics more than they were a traditional prog band. Yes, they had all sorts of tricky time changes and weird rhythms, but that really doesn’t define prog. What you really have here is an early British version of Dinosaur Jr. They were not that exciting, nor is this essay. Authored by Nick Coleman.
“Set An Open Course For The Virgin Sea” - By Jeff Gordinier. Man, Styx really WAS an embarrassing band. The less said about them, the better.
“In The Court Of The CrimsonKing02” - Author Charles Bock takes a bit of artistic license with this essay about a forlorn website called MetalSludge.com, making his story revolve about a mysterious poster with the avatar CrimsonKing02. It was a bit odd seeing a King Crimson fan posting on a board dedicated to 1980s hair metal, but Bock does a great job making a humanistic story out of this fodder. It’s a fact that both Prog and Metal share a lot of characteristics as far as the devotion of the fan bases to the music are concerned. It’s hardly unusual to find Metal fans owning a substantial portion of Prog in their musical collections, and vice-versa. There is also a degree of truth that King Crimson was an influence on Metal. At the very least, they introduced significant elements of danger and darkness into the Prog scene. Crimson has toured with nu-Metal proggers Tool, and many of the more progressive minded Metal bands have picked up on their odd rhythms and unique guitar stylings.
“There Is No Rush” - By Joe Meno. Rush again serves as a backdrop for a coming-of-age tale. Personally, I don’t think that many here in the U.S. REALLY understand the inherent Canadian-ness of Rush. Pure to their roots, they are consummately nerdy and a slight bit distant. Perhaps they are a bit alien to us here south of the border. Or it could just be that they really ARE just smarter than we are. I was lucky enough to take my daughter to Rush's final tour when they came here to Austin. It was a mammoth show, her first “real” rock concert. We have seen many other classic bands since then, but that particular concert was special. I think that perhaps Rush DOES make a great soundtrack for growing up. Catch the mystery, catch the drift……
All said, a great book if you enjoy the subject matter. Don’t buy it if you don’t. Like the music itself, it will only bore you and disengage you if you are not intrigued by the hidden mysteries. This is only for the die-hards, the True Fans, the Seekers. It should have come with its own secret handshake. But if you GET IT….if you UNDERSTAND it….if you have a scratched up copy of “Tales From Topographic Oceans” in your collection….then brother or sister, it’s ON!!!!!
April 19, 2013
I am pretty sure that I hate Prog music. The album covers, the dry ice (although to be honest they share some visuals with my beloved glam artists), the capes, the knee length boots for the gentlemen, and the god awful lyrics regarding the future, fantasy, and whatever. Its all a form of hell for me. The Editors Marc Weingarten and Tyson Cornell has put together what in theory would be either a torture test or at the very least a death day aimed at yours truly - an anthology focusing on the what I consider the horrors of Prog. And to be honest I love the book!
Writers like Rick Moody, Joe Meno Beth Lisick, and others wrote fantastic essays on how Prog has entered and affected their lives. Most it seems for the better...or perhaps worst. Nevertheless all the pieces in this book are first-class works that actually makes one (like me for instance) give Prog a chance out there. in my case, as second-chance.
There is one outstanding essay by Rodrigo Fresan that is probably the best piece i have ever read on Pink Floyd and... Stanley Kubrick. Brilliant even! I never heard of this writer, but I am now a fan due to his original observations on Kubrick's work as well as the world of Pink Floyd. Essential reading and the rest is pretty great as well. I strongly recommend this book because it was put together with a lot of love and respect for that genre of sound, as well as the terrific writing and thinking that went into this book. And for god sake, its Prog!
Writers like Rick Moody, Joe Meno Beth Lisick, and others wrote fantastic essays on how Prog has entered and affected their lives. Most it seems for the better...or perhaps worst. Nevertheless all the pieces in this book are first-class works that actually makes one (like me for instance) give Prog a chance out there. in my case, as second-chance.
There is one outstanding essay by Rodrigo Fresan that is probably the best piece i have ever read on Pink Floyd and... Stanley Kubrick. Brilliant even! I never heard of this writer, but I am now a fan due to his original observations on Kubrick's work as well as the world of Pink Floyd. Essential reading and the rest is pretty great as well. I strongly recommend this book because it was put together with a lot of love and respect for that genre of sound, as well as the terrific writing and thinking that went into this book. And for god sake, its Prog!
July 20, 2013
Spotty.
Some of the essays were good. Some, I'm still trying to figure out why they were even in the book. (One basically amounted to "why I don't listen to Rush" and another was "ode to a deceased heavy metal forum poster who happened to like King Crimson.")
Lots of "I was a teenager, geeky and high, so naturally I liked Prog" anecdotes.
It could have used some more actual music discussions.
That said, I do have more than a few bands to go research. And I really do need to give early Genesis another shot. I'd never been able to get into them.
Bands that were only mentioned in passing that could have used more meat: Can, Caravan, Gentle Giant, Hawkwind, anything after 1990.
I did appreciate that one writer said outright that Asia killed prog. I don't disagree.
Some of the essays were good. Some, I'm still trying to figure out why they were even in the book. (One basically amounted to "why I don't listen to Rush" and another was "ode to a deceased heavy metal forum poster who happened to like King Crimson.")
Lots of "I was a teenager, geeky and high, so naturally I liked Prog" anecdotes.
It could have used some more actual music discussions.
That said, I do have more than a few bands to go research. And I really do need to give early Genesis another shot. I'd never been able to get into them.
Bands that were only mentioned in passing that could have used more meat: Can, Caravan, Gentle Giant, Hawkwind, anything after 1990.
I did appreciate that one writer said outright that Asia killed prog. I don't disagree.
July 1, 2014
Extremely disappointing. Gave up half-way through. Some of the essays were mildly interesting, but far too many were clearly by someone who used to be a fan but is embarrassed by his fandom now. Look, I know prog music is not wart-free... but the repetition was tiresome. Not serious reviews or analysis, just sophomoric reminiscences.
March 12, 2015
Nice little collection of personal essays on Prog Rock. As with any anthology, some pieces will speak more to you than others, but I enjoyed most of the contents, and the book piqued my interest in several bands/musicians I've skirted around for awhile, inspiring me to check them out. If you're a fan of prog you'll find some here to enjoy and some here to disagree with. A fun, light read.
November 13, 2021
Why are all of these writers (well, the first four, anyway) embarrassed and/or defensive about liking prog music? "I was young, I was on drugs, I was a geek, I was pretentious...." Bla bla bla. I assume some of them actually do like the music still. Alternative title: But Later I Became Much Cooler.
October 12, 2019
I started this book a few years after receiving it as a (very thoughtful) gift. Initially, I was concerned the essays were all going to trot out the familiar stereotypes of progressive rock and its fans. Some did, right away, and, as other have noted, rather repetitiously. What I didn't expect, however, and only recently discovered, was the intense beauty of the reflections found in such essays as Out, Angels Out, Yes Is No Disgrace, and Do Gay Guys Listen to Yes?. Other essays were worthwhile for other reasons; some were technically fascinating, others were funny, still others were simply well-written and interesting. Out, Angels Out, among its many virtues, helped me appreciate Peter Gabriel more than I already do. The collection's quality was mixed, however, and it contained too many of the criticisms of prog easily and usually found elsewhere - there was no need to collect them here - and they make me hesitate to recommend this collection. Instead, I find myself hoping this collection might be the first of a few on the topic, and that subsequent collections will pick up where the best of the essays here left off: enjoying a genre of music that, despite what detractors might say about it, clearly accomplished much of what music is revered for: enjoyment, expansion, transport, and grace.
November 18, 2017
I enjoy prog rock pieces, some more than others. I’ve always liked some groups such as YES, but I have never been a diehard FAN of prog. As such I wanted to read this book for information on the bands as well as finding out other people’s opinions.
I found most of the essays in this collection to be enjoyable; a couple were excellent, a couple were somewhat tedious, and one was just poor in writing and attitude.
In particular, I found “There is No Rush” by Joe Meno, “In The Court Of The CrimsonKing02” by Charles Bock, and “Achille’s Heel” by Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding) to be particularly well-written and interesting. Meno’s “There Is No Rush” is quite entertaining.
I really had to think about “Yes Is No Disgrace” by Matthew Specktor. It wasn’t the thoughts that I’m sure the author wanted to generate with his particular style; my thoughts (and that of my husband, who also read the book) were “Why was this included?” The basis of the essay was what legal writers would describe as “tortured;” there was a grain of conflict that was pushed and pulled out of all shape to fashion an argument. What argument? That the author was desperately embarrassed of liking YES, didn’t understand it, but still liked to listen to it. “Disgrace” was difficult to hack through. Perhaps Specktor should’ve read “Achille’s Heel,” in which YES’ lyrics are brilliantly described as “…syllables of sound….” And mocking Jon Anderson’s voice? Have you ever taken a voice lesson Mr. Specktor? I studied voice privately and was a soloist of classical music; I can definitively say that Jon Anderson has a crystal clear, soaring voice.
The biggest drawback to the book were the NUMEROUS mistakes and misspellings in the text. An editor that doesn’t professionally proof read a manuscript is showing disrespect to the author or authors. Chevy Camaro is misspelled on pg 169; Mahavishnu is misspelled on pg 129; New Wave is misspelled at the end of the book; plus there are many other typos throughout. The essays are worth reading but the editorial gaffes are unprofessional.
Finally, just a note to Rick Moody regarding his “Defending The Indefensible:” good essay, but no way were you and your friends AND your friends’ mom in a Piper Cub. As you suspected, it was definitely a different airplane. I’ve flown a Super Cub and I assure you there isn’t enough room for all of those people on board!
I found most of the essays in this collection to be enjoyable; a couple were excellent, a couple were somewhat tedious, and one was just poor in writing and attitude.
In particular, I found “There is No Rush” by Joe Meno, “In The Court Of The CrimsonKing02” by Charles Bock, and “Achille’s Heel” by Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding) to be particularly well-written and interesting. Meno’s “There Is No Rush” is quite entertaining.
I really had to think about “Yes Is No Disgrace” by Matthew Specktor. It wasn’t the thoughts that I’m sure the author wanted to generate with his particular style; my thoughts (and that of my husband, who also read the book) were “Why was this included?” The basis of the essay was what legal writers would describe as “tortured;” there was a grain of conflict that was pushed and pulled out of all shape to fashion an argument. What argument? That the author was desperately embarrassed of liking YES, didn’t understand it, but still liked to listen to it. “Disgrace” was difficult to hack through. Perhaps Specktor should’ve read “Achille’s Heel,” in which YES’ lyrics are brilliantly described as “…syllables of sound….” And mocking Jon Anderson’s voice? Have you ever taken a voice lesson Mr. Specktor? I studied voice privately and was a soloist of classical music; I can definitively say that Jon Anderson has a crystal clear, soaring voice.
The biggest drawback to the book were the NUMEROUS mistakes and misspellings in the text. An editor that doesn’t professionally proof read a manuscript is showing disrespect to the author or authors. Chevy Camaro is misspelled on pg 169; Mahavishnu is misspelled on pg 129; New Wave is misspelled at the end of the book; plus there are many other typos throughout. The essays are worth reading but the editorial gaffes are unprofessional.
Finally, just a note to Rick Moody regarding his “Defending The Indefensible:” good essay, but no way were you and your friends AND your friends’ mom in a Piper Cub. As you suspected, it was definitely a different airplane. I’ve flown a Super Cub and I assure you there isn’t enough room for all of those people on board!
October 30, 2022
This book is a collection of essays written by various writers describing their experiences, or lack thereof, with Progressive (Prog) Rock. Various mentions of early Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, and ELP to name a few, are interspersed in the essays. The essayists can’t seem to make up their minds about whether they love (or loved), or hate (or hated) Prog Rock. The opinions and stories vary. Some stories you come away with some valid facts mixed in with a whole lot of opinions. Lots of pimple face teenage angst mixed with garage band experiences, with a dose of influences from various musicians and bands are found here.
One thing you can do with this book is listen along to the songs that some of the essayists describe. If you feel so inclined, you can dig out your collections, or you can surf your favorite music providers to discover or reminisce certain album cuts described.
For me there is one touching story of CrimsonKing02, a fan of a certain blog who became famous (or infamous) for his unique way of commenting and challenging others on the subject of music and musicians. He unfortunately passed away young, leaving his daughter parentless.
Does this book sound ambiguous? That’s how I would describe it. Many of the essayists could not decide whether they loved or hated Prog Rock. Read for yourself, if you dare!!
JCT
One thing you can do with this book is listen along to the songs that some of the essayists describe. If you feel so inclined, you can dig out your collections, or you can surf your favorite music providers to discover or reminisce certain album cuts described.
For me there is one touching story of CrimsonKing02, a fan of a certain blog who became famous (or infamous) for his unique way of commenting and challenging others on the subject of music and musicians. He unfortunately passed away young, leaving his daughter parentless.
Does this book sound ambiguous? That’s how I would describe it. Many of the essayists could not decide whether they loved or hated Prog Rock. Read for yourself, if you dare!!
JCT
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2022
Quality is high, but 20 times you have to rev up and get in the mode and then stop -- exactly like an issue of "The Years Best ______ Writing". People seem to dock this book a star or two because it is so de-focusing. But it does a great job. I wanted to re-read some of the essays.
There are bildungromans here by 20 different essayists. It's lots of different answers to the question what was it like to be male, white, and teenage in the 70's?. Within that limitation, the range is excellent:
- professional novelists Rick Moody and Seth Greenland have good essays in here
- the bass player for Bad Religion writes a poignant essay about his friend, the only black character in the book, who becomes entrained in the prison system, and is dead by 23
- astonishing to me, a fellow who haunted my own hometown records store weighs in: Andrew Mellen
There are bildungromans here by 20 different essayists. It's lots of different answers to the question what was it like to be male, white, and teenage in the 70's?. Within that limitation, the range is excellent:
- professional novelists Rick Moody and Seth Greenland have good essays in here
- the bass player for Bad Religion writes a poignant essay about his friend, the only black character in the book, who becomes entrained in the prison system, and is dead by 23
- astonishing to me, a fellow who haunted my own hometown records store weighs in: Andrew Mellen
February 2, 2021
Who are these people that read this book and give it a low rating, and start their review with, "I hate prog rock..."? WHY DID YOU READ THIS BOOK?
I'm assuming if that you are thinking about reading this book, and are a rational human being, that you have some history with progressive rock and enjoy that style of music. If that is correct, you will find these essays to be nostalgic and entertaining. You might even find some recommendation for music that you might have missed in your formative years.
I'm assuming if that you are thinking about reading this book, and are a rational human being, that you have some history with progressive rock and enjoy that style of music. If that is correct, you will find these essays to be nostalgic and entertaining. You might even find some recommendation for music that you might have missed in your formative years.
May 2, 2015
The book consists of a number of essays that focus more or less on the sub-genre of Progressive Rock. Most of the essays are autobiographical or semi-autobiographical pieces that consist of the authors' experiences (many of them quite negative) growing up listening to, being influenced by, and in some cases trying to avoid, progressive rock music (e.g., Genesis, Emerson Lake & Palmer, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes, Rush, Todd Runggren, Styx, etc.). Overall the essays are a bit more critical of Prog-Rock than I thought they would be -- some of the authors go a bit more over the top in their criticism than I care for …
Yes, some Prog-Rock is a bit cheesy and tacky, etc. but for some of us its appeals include its more escapist, out-side-of-the-mainstream elements, its complexity, creativity, and originality, i.e., something more interesting or maybe thought-provoking than your tired, straight-forward 1980's-style rock 'n 'roll / pop love songs ,etc.
Yes, some Prog-Rock is a bit cheesy and tacky, etc. but for some of us its appeals include its more escapist, out-side-of-the-mainstream elements, its complexity, creativity, and originality, i.e., something more interesting or maybe thought-provoking than your tired, straight-forward 1980's-style rock 'n 'roll / pop love songs ,etc.
July 19, 2016
I burned through this book in a day and half I loved it so. This is not just for Prog fans, it's also for the haters, maybe even more so. It's really about memories about growing up awkward and misfit with large doses of weed and masterbation. None of the essays focus on two of my favorites Magma or Van Der Graaf Generator. Emerson Lake & Palmer and Genesis figure prominently. There are also essays on Yes, The Nice, King Crimson, Styx and the Caterbury scene. Pink Floyd and Utopia. I recommend most "Out, Angels Out" by Tom Junod (about Genesis and Peter Gabriel), "Defending The Indefensible" by Rick Moody (laying out the case for and against ELP), "Do Gay Guys Listen To Yes?" By Andrew Mellen (answered in the subtitle: "at least one does") and the finale "There Is No Rush" by Joe Meno who stopped listening to Rush because they led to car crashes and a lifetime of virginity.
September 5, 2013
Fun read! A series of personal essays about Prog music, varying from "Prog is awesome and you shouldn't be ashamed to listed to it" to "Yes, you should be ashamed." I feel both ways. The book isn't really a history of the form, instead a series of personal encounters with the genre. I spent much of my early music learning on prog bands and can appreciate much of the book. The only thing missing was attention to the new wave of prog bands, but if you have any kind of soft spot for Yes, early Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, etc. you will probably enjoy this book and maybe learn something.
August 26, 2013
First off, this is not a book for someone who isn't a fan of progressive rock. If you're not familiar with some of the bands in the genre, you're just going to be lost. Second, because the book is a collection of essays written by different authors, there is no consistency. Some essays are better than others. Some are just plain bad. Some seem to stray off the topic of progressive rock, while others fit my expectations a little bit better.
Overall, I'm going to call this collection mediocre. There too many good things to trash it completely, but too few good things to get excited about.
Overall, I'm going to call this collection mediocre. There too many good things to trash it completely, but too few good things to get excited about.
December 21, 2013
Since becoming a Prog Rock fan as a freshman in High School in 1975, I have followed the career arcs of many of the Bands written about in this book. Yes,Genesis,ELP,King Crimson,BeBop DeLuxe and Jethro Tull to name a few were embraced wholeheartedly by my friends and provided the soundtrack for my High School experiences. These essays rightfully praise the musicianship and skewer the ridiculous excesses of Progressive Rock and were very fun to read.
February 27, 2015
Some of the entries in this book were really great. John Wesley Harding stuff was especially great. What wan't great was the essay by the Shudder To Think dude. Not sure how his essay made it into the book. The Rush dude was definitely a Rush poser but whatever - when this book was good it was really good. I put together a Spotify playlist by the same name as the book title if anyone is interested.
August 27, 2013
This is a very interesting collection, but kind of uneven. Some of the essays are very thoughtful and insightful, and others are less so. Some common threads emerged, and several artists and songs/albums were mentioned by several authors, which was interesting. Overall, it was worth reading if you are at all interested in progressive rock.
January 6, 2015
Even if you continue to find prog rock more absurd than tolerable, this is an entertaining series of well-written essays that explores what it means to have been youthfully passionate about music that's easy to mock in retrospect. Everyone's got musical skeletons in the closet. Fun to have a dance with them.
August 26, 2015
I am deeply disappointed with this book. I expected some serious discussions about the genre I love and admire, and what I got instead was a series of teenager anecdotes about Prog Rock, many of them quite negative, the least mentioning some recognized bands, a lot of obscure names, and some of the essays even doesn't have anything to do with the Prog issue.
October 24, 2019
The essay/ memoir on Peter Gabriel is worth the entire price of admission alone. I think that the book does, however, spend too much time lamenting the fall of progressive rock and trying to justify the music to outsiders. I didn't read this book for the apologies and the sheepish defenses given by its authors. Just love the damn music and embrace it.
June 16, 2013
Beautifully arranged and printed, lovingly compiled. Let Prog into your life, if it's not already part of it. Thank me later.
April 27, 2015
Citizens of Hope and Glory: If you're a prog-rock nerd, or a music nerd in general, or hey, just a nerd, you might like reading this. Lots on Yes and Genesis in here, but others as well.
Want to read
June 12, 2015I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13417091
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13417091
December 21, 2015
cool book. Got me to listen to the Soft Machine. Still going nowhere near ELP.
February 8, 2016
Excellent. Can't wait to read the next volume.
September 23, 2024
prog is my life and this book is awful
July 12, 2013
Excellent set of essays. You have to be interested but ...
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