Provides a look at the five progressive music styles, with lists of sound recordings, recommended titles, and a list of record labels and importers that sell the music
Progressive music is about sounds, not songs.The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music covers the widest range of progressive music styles and genres, dealing not only with rock, jazz, and new age influences, but also electronic, minimalist, collage, ambient, ritual, industrial, conceptual, and avant garde influences. This book covers artists and recordings from the 1960’s right up to the late 1990’s, from many countries. There have been many publications about progressive music, but they have been specific only to the rock scenes of the U.K. or Germany, and are in the main concerned with the 1970’s.
Not only does The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music present a more diverse and in-the-moment view of the topic, it offers something that very few other sources dare to give you: an honest, artistically rigorous critical assessment. Others throw lengthy lists of discographies at you, telling you nothing about what the music sounds like, or what the good and bad titles might be. This book dares to make those distinctions.
What about progressive music in the 1980’s and 1990’s? The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music is the only source to really address this head-on. This book is the only one to deal with video titles - something never mentioned by any other writers. This book also comments on a disc’s sound quality, another important area that is ignored by others. Want to avoid getting ripped off by those hissy, poor sounding mastering jobs? This book will help.
Progressive Music is about sounds, not songs. Progressive music is about breaking new ground and always looking forward. This book is not a regurgitation of dated, vocal-oriented FM pop rock or moldy, retro traditional jazz. It is not another lame listing of Rick Wakeman solo albums. Progressive music is evolving, and is as vital as it always was, constantly reinventing itself.
For those collectors and fanatics who have been disappointed by the size of the book, or of what was included in it, you must understand that the budget for the book was not unlimited. The discipline that was imposed (by selecting a certain number of key titles) was meant to put a sharp focus on the genre’s best titles whilst still covering a wide range of styles. The collectors and fanatics must bear in mind that this book is meant for a general audience, and that a book that was filled mostly with rare, hard to find, and expensive imports would be confusing to newcomers. Those new to the topic would find it quite a lot to take in. Not everyone is a collector, and not everyone is going to rush out and buy 300 cd’s.
Also, many significant and great titles, whether new, reissued, or archival, were released after the final manuscript had been submitted in Spring 1997. Perhaps a sequel to the book in the future will address these noteworthy new releases. And not all the artists that are conspicuously absent from the book are missing out of spite. For example, the first Kraftwerk album (a true masterpiece) from 1970, posed many problems typical of the dilemma. First, there was the question as to whether it was a legitimate reissue. It is also a vinyl transcription. And it is yet another hard to find, expensive import. For these reasons it was not included, though perhaps it should have been. But the philosophy was to include titles that were both important and accessible. In a world where such a book could be unlimited in its scope, all such titles would be included. I offer this as an example of why some things were written about and others weren’t. These choices are not easy to make - there are many factors to consider, and there are grey areas. Please bear that in mind - and enjoy!
