Search results for ""Author Will Romano""

From its artful beginnings (Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd the Mothers of Invention and those progressive forebearers the Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles) through the towering guitar solos monumental synthesizer banks and mind-boggling special effects of the Golden Age of Prog (Rush Pink Floyd Yes ELP Genesis Jethro Tull King Crimson UK) through the radio-friendly pop era (Asia the Phil Collins-led Genesis and a reformed Yes) and right up to the present state of the art (Marillion Spock's Beard and Mars Volta) this is a wickedly incisive tour of rock music at its most spectacular. This is indeed the book prog rock fans have been waiting for the only one of its kind as fantastic as the subjects it covers.

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The first half of the 1970s was an especially fertile period for British progressive rock laying claim to classics such as ÊTarkusÊ ÊSelling England by the PoundÊ ÊLarks' Tongues in AspicÊ ÊThe Dark Side of the MoonÊ and ÊThick as a BrickÊ. Collectively these and other works represent the best British progressive rock had to offer. Yet it's Yes's 1972 three-track masterpiece ÊClose to the EdgeÊ that presents a snapshot of an adventurous rock band at the peak of its powers daring to push itself musically both as individuals and as a unit. In this absorbing chronicle which draws upon dozens of original and archived interviews and features rare photographs and an extensive discography acclaimed music journalist Will Romano examines why ÊClose to the EdgeÊ is the ultimate prog rock album.ÞYes had previously penned epic tracks for ÊThe Yes AlbumÊ and ÊFragileÊ but nothing on the magnitude of the musical gems appearing on ÊClose to the EdgeÊ. It's something of a small miracle ä perhaps even magic ä that the virtuoso quintet crafted such a cohesive and compelling album during an often-hectic recording process that very nearly relegated this monumental work to the dustbin of history. So potent was the power of ÊClose to the EdgeÊ that even before its release it had forever shifted the personal dynamics of the group and the course of progressive rock. Rarely had Yes or any rock outfit for that matter been simultaneously so expansive and concise spiritual and savage profound and nebulous.

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Moving Pictures takes a novel historical approach to the making and recording of Rush's album by the same name. This 1981 release was a landmark record, not only for Rush, but also for the entirety of progressive rock.There's nothing else like it in the Rush catalog. Permanent Waves and Hemispheres were important releases in their evolution as a progressive band, but neither provided the necessary commercial firepower to blast the Canadian trio into the stratosphere of rock stardom. Moving Pictures, with its thematic work and positioning as the antithesis of a concept record, balanced opposing creative sensibilities, garnered the attention of radio programmers across North America, and sold millions of copies around the globe.As the title of the record suggests, each track projects unique filmic properties, allowing the collective work to escape into the realm of the audiovisual. Unparalleled in the band's recorded output, Moving Pictures boasts multisensory qualities, such as a snarling synth portal opening the record ("Tom Sawyer"), pulse-quickening cyclical patterns corkscrewing through the genre fluid "Vital Signs," a spine-tingling sci-fi thrill ride thinly masking social commentary ("Red Barchetta"), technically precise musical jousting amid time signature changes ("YYZ"), chilling glimpses of a hellish, torch-lit mob haunting "Witch Hunt," the wide-screen dual optics of "The Camera Eye," and a ferocious guitar tone taking a bite out of fame ("Limelight"). Put simply, the seven-track offering solidified the band's global appeal and continues to inspire musicians of all walks of life—forty years after its release. This is its story.

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