The Show That Never Ends

The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock

27 June 2017

David Weigel (Author)

Description

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 behind-the-scenes story of the extraordinary rise and fall of progressive ("prog") rock, epitomised by such classic, chart-topping bands as Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and Emerson Lake & Palmer, and their successors Rush, Styx and Asia.

With inside access to all the key figures, The Washington Post national reporter David Weigel tells the story with the gusto and insight Prog Rock’s fans (and its haters) will relish. Along the way, he explains exactly what was "progressive" about Prog Rock, how it arose from psychedelia and heavy metal, why it dominated the pop charts but then became so despised that it was satirised in This Is Spinal Tap and what fuels its resurgent popularity today.

Reviews

"A new history of [prog] written by an ardent, straight-faced defender who also understands what is most outlandishly entertaining about it." — The New York Times Book Review

"Savvy." — The New Yorker

"It [The Show that Never Ends] works as an invitation to explore the dark corners of prog rock." — The Economist

"... certainly a worthy addition to your bookshelf." — The Prog Report

"Weigel’s book is the comprehensive overview of prog that fans have been waiting for, and a long-needed reevaluation of the genre’s best bands... It’s an impressive feat of research and storytelling." — Rock Guitar Tech

Hardback

9780393242256

165 x 244 mm • 368 pages

£20.99

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Ebook

9780393242263

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£13.99

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