Beyond and Before, Updated and Expanded Edition - 2nd Edition by Paul Hegarty & Martin Halliwell (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The original edition of Beyond and Before extends an understanding of "progressive rock" by providing a fuller definition of what progressive rock is, was and can be. Called by Record Collector "the most accomplished critical overview yet" of progressive rock and one of their 2011 books of the year, Beyond and Before moves away from the limited consensus that prog rock is exclusively English in origin and that it was destroyed by the advent of punk in 1976. Instead, by tracing its multiple origins and complex transitions, it argues for the integration of jazz and folk into progressive rock and the extension of prog in Kate Bush, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree and many more. This 10-year anniversary revised edition continues to further unpack definitions of progressive rock and includes a brand new chapter focusing on post-conceptual trends in the 2010s through to the contemporary moment. The new edition discusses the complex creativity of progressive metal and folk in greater depth, as well as new fusions of genre that move across global cultures and that rework the extended form and mission of progressive rock, including in recent pop concept albums. All chapters are revised to keep the process of rethinking progressive rock alive and vibrant as a hybrid, open form"--

Book Synopsis

The original edition of Beyond and Before extends an understanding of "progressive rock" by providing a fuller definition of what progressive rock is, was and can be. Called by Record Collector "the most accomplished critical overview yet" of progressive rock and one of their 2011 books of the year, Beyond and Before moves away from the limited consensus that prog rock is exclusively English in origin and that it was destroyed by the advent of punk in 1976. Instead, by tracing its multiple origins and complex transitions, it argues for the integration of jazz and folk into progressive rock and the extension of prog in Kate Bush, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree and many more.

This 10-year anniversary revised edition continues to further unpack definitions of progressive rock and includes a brand new chapter focusing on post-conceptual trends in the 2010s through to the contemporary moment. The new edition discusses the complex creativity of progressive metal and folk in greater depth, as well as new fusions of genre that move across global cultures and that rework the extended form and mission of progressive rock, including in recent pop concept albums. All chapters are revised to keep the process of rethinking progressive rock alive and vibrant as a hybrid, open form.

Review Quotes

"Generously expanded to survey the various vibrant prog scenes of the last decade, and to encompass an even wider definition of the fertile borderlands of the genre, this new edition of Beyond and Before offers a gloriously definitive guide to this most eclectic and ambitious form of popular music." --Greg Walker, Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature, University of Edinburgh, UK

"Examining every aspect of progressive rock - words and music, theatre and politics - Hegarty and Halliwell deftly unpick the tangled threads of tradition and radicalism that make up the genre's tapestry. In this expanded update, the authors extend their analysis to adjacent genres and musicians not conventionally seen as 'prog, ' making the book even more encompassing and definitive." --Simon Reynolds, author of the postpunk history Rip It Up and Start Again and the glam rock + art-pop study Shock and Awe

"Beyond and Before provides a genuinely superb exploration of the amphibious identity of post-60s rock. As an artist who has navigated through various musical subcultures over the years, I am impressed with the broad scope and meticulous research of this comprehensive text." --Benjamin Vierling, painter and illustrator

"Beyond and Before is the smartest book ever written on Progressive Rock - and in this expanded and updated edition it's even bigger and better!
In their impressively sweeping, transnational account, Hegarty and Halliwell take their readers on an exhilarating journey from the concept albums of Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington - part of a welcome reintegration of Black musicians into the wider story of Prog that embraces giants such as Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Janelle Monáe, Beyoncé, and Frank Ocean - through the seminal recordings of the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Moody Blues, to the classic Prog of Pink Floyd, ELP, PFM, Yes, and King Crimson, the Neo-Prog of Marillion, Kate Bush, and Pallas, and the 21st century work of Radiohead, Joanna Newsom, Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta, and Sleep.
Fascinating, informed, and insightful at every turn, the book rescues the oft-ridiculed Prog from the condescension of history and reminds us of what a protean and globally influential music it has always been - and will continue to be." --Brian Ward, Professor in American Studies, Northumbria University, UK, and author of Just My Soul Responding and A&R Pioneers: Architects of American Roots Music on Record

"Beyond and Before ticks all the boxes in moving the whole discussion forward and providing a 360 degree view on where [progressive rock] began and, more importantly, where its future lies ... This [is a] hugely important book. The depth of detail is mind-blowing and it will take several revisits to even begin to take in many of the key points it makes in its examinations and analyses. You will emerge from it feeling even more enriched and enthused about prog rock. This is highly recommended." --Music Street Journal

About the Author

Paul Hegarty is Professor of French and Francophone Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK. He is the author and editor of 11 books that span critical and cultural theory, rock, experimental and noise music, as well as audiovisual art including Noise/Music (Bloomsbury, 2007), Rumour and Radiation (Bloomsbury, 2014) and Annihilating Noise (Bloomsbury, 2020). He is also Co-editor of Bloomsbury's Ex: Centrics series.

Martin Halliwell is Professor of American Studies at the University of Leicester, UK. He is the author and editor of 14 books that span intellectual, cultural and literary history and the health humanities, including Neil Young: American Traveller (2015), Reframing 1968 (2018) and American Health Crisis (2021).