A Mirror of Dreams – Andrew Wild (book report)

I'm not a very fanatic book reader but when I do, especially during the holidays, it's almost always a book related to music and prog rock in particular. Normally I don't post reviews about books on my site, but as you can read, this time I did.

So why now? Because the book reviewed here is really a gem and I enjoyed reading it so much that I can recommend every prog fan to read it.

As often, I had saved the book for our holiday in France. Because it was nice and warm every day, okay, sometimes very hot, I mainly got to read in the evening. During the day it was mainly listening to music and going out with my wife and dog, but after dinner and our evening walk with our four-legged friend I usually started reading. Fortunately, it got dark eventualy so I had a kind of deadline to stop and save some for the following days/weeks. The urge to read it in one go was great, but with the help of my wife, I was able to keep the discipline not to do that;  "Put it away otherwise you won't have anything for the next few days"

It is a special book because of the content, of course, but also because of the structure, which is purely chronological. You can also conclude that from the subtitle, which says that it is about the revival of prog in the early eighties. Writer Andrew Wild goes through the years very systematically and we start in 1981, followed by the years up to and including 1983. Does it stop there? No, in the meantime the sequel, A Playground of broken Hearts (a very famous quote) has been released, of course I bought it immediately and I am almost finished reading. Here we go through the following years in the same way, so start with 1984 and then up to and including 1989. This book continues in the same vein and is also a must read.

Let's get to the content. On the basis of six leading bands, we will follow the story of their ups and downs. The bands in question are; Marillion, Pendragon, IQ, Pallas, Twelfth Night and Solstice. It is very detailed and made with the cooperation of many witnesses and really contains a lot of information, photos and interviews. Pictures of all kinds of memorabilia, such as concert tickets and posters, also decorate the book and provide variety on the pages, which is very pleasant. Many other bands are also mentioned so it is more than complete in terms of the scene at that time. That's no surprise when you consider that Gregory Spawnton, yes the one from Big Big Train, and Jerry Ewing, yes the big man behind many English prog magazines, have collaborated. But many other well-known and lesser-known prog enthusiasts have also contributed.

In the book it becomes clear how difficult it was for these bands to survive in the time of punk, sometimes literally. Merciless reviews of music or performances by the established music press where bands are completely burned down in a way that I would be ashamed of. I sometimes get criticized for my honest attitude in reviews, but I treat all musicians with respect and they deserve that. I'm nothing compared to some of these butchers. After reading it, my respect for the endurance of all musicians has increased even more, because they had to fight so hard for their ideals. Where there is chopping, chips fall as they say in our country and so you read that it was sometimes hard around, but certainly also within, the bands mentioned. Much has now been reconciled, but certainly not everything, there are still some frustrations here and there. A lot of former and present bandmembers have their say. But, you should all read that for yourself because I really recommend this book because it only increases your appreciation for all those memorable, and sometimes genius, albums. You will probably listen to them all again, just like me, and that is another big plus of this book.

Well, my enthusiasm may be clear, I have read this book with so much pleasure and wish that to everyone. I immediately lent it to a friend and am sure it will make a round within my circle of friends. It is in English, but that will not be a problem for most of you.