Even during its early ‘70s heyday, prog rock was often view as something terribly uncool. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing and a diverse scene blossomed away from the glare of the mainstream media. After it was felled by punk in 1976, prog rock licked its wounds and returned triumphantly at the dawn of the new decade. It is this era that Andrew Wild covers in his new book A Mirror Of Dreams: The Progressive Rock Revival 1981 to 1983. Written with a unique scholarly fandom, this story revolves around the “Big Six” (IQ, Marillion, Pallas, Pendragon, Solstice, Twelfth Night) who powered the revival and makes for a comprehensive compendium of those heady days.
With apolitical, intellectual lyrics and a shunning of rock’s blues roots, the original, first wave of prog rock was just as revolutionary as punk which would topple it a decade later, yet it is never characterised as such. To give this book a background story, Andrew Wild explores that innovative first wave and gives the reader a flavour of those times and does a good job in defining an indefinable, heterogeneous genre. This backstory is vitally important because, unlike punk, the prog rock revival of 1981 had no desire to tear up their roots. The bands who comprised the second wave were fans of the first, and while they definitely gave the revival its own sound and aesthetic, they had no qualms about wearing their influences on their sleeves (and Fish would later name check many of these on Misplaced Childhood). Likewise, a chapter titled Prog Ain’t Dead puts paid to the lie that punk killed prog, as a dedicated group of individuals kept the scene alive, passing tapes of Dark Side Of The Moon under the classroom tables, going against the commercial grain.
If punk was scathing of prog, then it was a one-way street; progressive rock was always something of a musical magpie and took inspiration from various places, and punk was a surprising source. Maybe not so much musically (although as with the NWOBHM, it could be argued that it gave bands such as Marillion a sense of urgency), but in terms of making cassette albums and producing fanzines. The covers of which are reproduced amongst the text and, along with flyers and amateur photographs (often taken on disposable cameras) add a nice visual aspect to the book and the do-it-yourself nature aspect of these forms shows a rarely seen side to the (perceived) polished side of prog rock. The genuine love that Andrew Wild has for the music really shines throughout these pages (although it never veers into gushing), and that means we can experience some of the excitement that surrounded a band like Marillion when they began to gain traction and force their way into the music industry. It is a magical time for any band when they’re on such an upswing and this book manages to bottle some of it. Yet, amongst the triumph there was also tragedy both are presented in equal measure.
A magical moment in time, captured and presented in this wonderfully-readable book. Some of the bands featured in this book went on to achieve amazing heights while others remain cult favourites. But whatever heights they attained, their stories have never been told with such chutzpah and sparkle. Welcome to A Mirror of Dreams.
- A Mirror Of Dreams: The Progressive Rock Revival 1981 to 1983 is released via Kingmaker Publishing on 21st June 2024.
