Beyond and Before. Progressive Rock since the 1960s

A sweeping new study, Beyond and Before argues that progressive rock is the most concentrated expansion of form in the history of popular music. The book traces the ways in which folk, blues, jazz, psychedelia and classical music of the 1960s were drawn together by progressive musicians, against a backdrop of technological innovation. Rather than pigeonholing progressive rock, the authors explain its diverse roots and argue that a fusion of musical styles and approaches defined the 1970s even after the assault of punk. These connections are grounded by close analysis of albums and key tracks, and an examination of performance and cultural contexts.
Hegarty and Halliwell show that ‘progression’ underpins many subgenres of rock, including major progressive albums and bands of the 1970s, alongside neo- and post-progressive musicians from the 1980s to the 2000s. Featuring artists as diverse as Marillion, Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree and Midlake, Beyond and Before is ideal reading for anyone interested in exploring the history and meaning of progressive rock – in all its forms.
Table of Contents
Part 1: Before and During
Chapter 1 Extended Form
Chapter 2 Roots of Progressive Rock
Chapter 3 Out of the Garden
Chapter 4 The Concept Album
Chapter 5 Myth and Modernity
Chapter 6 Progressive Fusion
Chapter 7 Performance and Visuality
Part 2: Beyond
Chapter 8 Social Critique
Chapter 9 Responses to Punk
Chapter 10 Neo-Progressive
Chapter 11 The Female Voice
Chapter 12 Post-Progressive
Chapter 13 The Return of Folk
Chapter 14 The Metal Progression
Coda: The Future Now