Endless Enigma: A Musical Biography of Emerson, Lake and Palmer: 04 (Feedback) Paperback – 31 Aug. 2006

A very informative book that takes a look at the three men and their respective careers. it gives an indepth look and analgy of their music and musical form. It occasionally loses its way painting scenes of the cultural times which have a lose conection but on the whole a great book, a must for any fan!

Bought this on the back of the reviews and must say I found it a fascinating read. Don't be too put off by the technical musical theory if you are not classically trained. Yes it's loaded with that type of info which is way over my head and I'm a bass player but every track is given huge amounts of assessment as is each album as a whole and these are very enjoyable whether you understand music theory or not.Some things I disagree very much with e.g. their first album would have been better conceptually if Lucky Man had not been added (what??!!) others i found very enlightening e.g. Jerusalem fits perfectly within BSS as it (like the KE9 concept) is about the changes/fight of man over machine (Jerusalem was comparing the rural/human lifestyle with the new industrial mechanical revolution in England) I never considered this before and I agree, even if ELP were not aware themselves.It's a very big read but once you get into it, it zooms along - a great bedtime read!

Macan has already written the best overview of progressive rock in "Rocking the Classics", but now he has surpassed himself with this epic 800 page tome on one of the most important (and unjustly maligned) bands in rock history. This is probably the most in depth assessment of any band from any genre, and refreshingly Macan approaches it from the position of a musicologist, composer and instrumentalist - i.e. someone who's actually studied music theory and has experience of creating and performing music himself (makes a nice change, doesn't it!). Technical jargon is kept to a minimum though, and the prose is balanced and clear. He is by no means slavishly sycophantic in his appraisal, but simply praises the good, and criticizes the bad in what must be the most honest and correct judgement of this music ever committed to print.For me, one of the highlights of this book is his response to "blues orthodoxist" critics such as Lester Bangs and Robert Christagau and others associated with leading rock press publications of the early-70s, who have had such an influence on the critical reaction to ELP and progressive rock as a whole even to this day, as well of course as laying much of the critical groundwork for the "necessary" arrival of punk. Macan squarely takes on their arguments - prog is too removed from the Blues to be "authentic", pretentiously tries to ape 19th century classical music to become more "respectable", ELP are too "cold" and unemotional etc - and refutes them all convincingly. He is especially good on the underlying assumptions behind the view that the Blues represents a uniquely authentic and vital popular expression, tracing this view back to dangerous 19th century notions of the "noble savage". As Macan states "In sum: Blues Orthodoxy is ideology, not divine revelation". My only criticism of these sections is one of omission, as he does not go into enough depth in directly responding to what is perhaps the most common negative criticism of ELP, Yes etc heard today, which is what I call the "Good Prog, Bad Prog" thesis: "Good Prog" is Henry Cow, Red-era KC, Can, VDGG, Canterbury scene etc, "Bad Prog" is Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull and (above all!) ELP. But this is a minor quibble in an absolutely first-rate book. Macan has expressed a desire for a study to be written of the critical shift from the prevailing "Utopian Synthesist" critical position of the late 60s and early 70s to the "Blues Orthodoxist" hegemony from the mid 70s (arguably the most important change in all of rock culture) and I can think of no one better than Macan himself to pen it and address these issues further.

Undoubtedly comprehensive at near 800 pages of small text (so much so I have had to purchase some new spectacles in order to be able to read it). Only dipped in so far but looking forward to more in depth read soon, over winter!