BOOK: ‘Prog Rock FAQ’ by Will Romano
Progressive rock emerged in the late ’60s as a more extreme outcropping of psychedelic rock, building on its introduction of longer, more elaborate compositions; influences from classical and world music styles; literary, fantastical lyrics; and unusual instrumentation and time signatures. Fans embraced “prog,” and such prominent bands as Genesis, Yes, ELP, Jethro Tull, and King Crimson, as the intelligent future of rock ‘n’ roll. Haters dismissed it as pretentious navel-gazing, more focused on technical showboating than crafting hooks or rocking out in the usual sense. After the explosion of punk and new wave in the late ’70s, it seemed as though prog’s enemies had triumphed in wiping the genre from the critical and commercial discussion. Nevertheless, prog rock has maintained a sizable, fiercely devoted cult through the decades, and continues to inspire new bands intrigued by the expanded palette of possibilities the genre offers.
Will Romano’s new entry in Backbeat Books’ “FAQ” series, Prog Rock FAQ, isn’t likely to sway too many minds about “rock’s most progressive music,” nor does it work well as a primer for newcomers to the genre. The book’s greatest utility is stringing together features and interviews that wouldn’t be extensive enough for their own book or longform piece, but which nevertheless champion overlooked acts or delve into curious byways. (Typical of the “FAQ” series, each chapter is a self-contained article that can be read in any order or at any time, according to the reader’s interest.)
While Prog Rock FAQ is geared toward readers who are already well acquainted with the genre, several of the chapters easily appeal to general-interest music fans. One explores the history of the Mellotron, a tape-based keyboard sampler originally used by groups like the Moody Blues and King Crimson to generate orchestral sounds on the cheap, but which soon became prized for its own unearthly sound. (Non-prog fans will most likely recognize it from the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever,” as well as several of the band’s other late-’60s recordings.) Another chapter tells the story behind “Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band: how a group best known for ‘60s pop hit “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” made a hard turn into prog, covered a song by up-and-coming (and decidedly un-prog) singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen and scored the genre’s first #1 hit. And, of course, what could be more prog-rock than a chapter devoted to concept albums, and Romano’s precise delineations as to which LPs fit the definition? (Hint: some of his answers may surprise you!)
While Romano’s essays and list pieces are uniformly compelling (and contagiously enthusiastic), the bulk of Prog Rock FAQ is made up with interviews of more varying interest. Occasionally, Romano talks with former members of major acts, such as guitarist Steve Hackett (Genesis) and saxophonist David Jackson (Van der Graaf Generator), but typically the subjects are more peripheral figures on the prog scene. Some, such as onetime Genesis guitarist Anthony Phillips, who left before the band made it big, and artist Gini Wade, who designed the intricate, mystical cover of King Crimson’s 1970 album Lizard, are insightful and surprisingly compelling. Others, however, are most assuredly for fans only. (How many prog heads are clamoring to know more about the late-era recordings by “Heat of the Moment” supergroup Asia, made after most of the original members had left?)
Romano admirably attempts to explore prog’s reach beyond the UK/US axis, interviewing members of Museo Rosenbach (Italy), Univers Zero (Belgium), and Änglagård (Sweden). The book also stretches beyond the genre’s ’70s glory days, covering ‘80s and ‘90s recordings by classic prog-rock bands, as well as delving into current acts, including a segment devoted to Christian Progressive Rock. While these sections may not appeal to fans keen to uncover behind-the-scenes gossip about Yes or Jethro Tull (though there’s a decent amount of that elsewhere within Prog Rock FAQ), they do help to justify the book’s subtitle: “All That’s Left to Know About Rock’s Most Progressive Music.”
As befitting such a much-maligned genre, one of Romano’s motives seems to be striking back at many of the criticisms frequently leveled at progressive rock. One chapter is devoted to quoting — and rebutting — negative reviews of various prog albums and live shows, which were seldom beloved by critics, especially as the ’70s wore on. Another attempts to contradict the narrative that punk slayed the prog dinosaur, under the questionable proposition that the prog rockers were the true rebels and outsiders. A third chapter appears to delve into prog’s gender divide — it’s highly male-oriented, even by rock standards — but instead cites a handful of female exceptions and brushes off stories of harassment as “boyish shenanigans.”
This defensiveness seems particularly unnecessary when an effective case for the genre can be found in the pages of Prog Rock FAQ itself. Chapters on progressive rock’s lengthiest compositions and most striking cover art will send readers scurrying to YouTube and Google Images, while the variety of artists and styles profiled can convince all but the most determined prog-hater that the genre offers something for them. Appropriately enough, reading Prog Rock FAQ is rather like listening to progressive rock. At its most indulgent, it can be scattershot and inwardly-focused to the point of tedium. At its best, however, it offers moments of surprise, expansiveness, and insight that make its ambition worthwhile.
