In The Music’s All That Matters, Paul Stump reassesses Progressive Rock in terms of transcendentalism, 1960s pop culture and the rise of the rock musician as Romantic Artist. He takes a wide ranging view of the social and cultural background and has carried out extensive interviews, paying equal attention to artists whose reputation has remained high and to those mocked by the punk reaction. First published in 1997 this fully revised and updated edition shows how Prog Rock has continued to recover from its post punk low and includes both the surviving older bands and emerging figures.
Paul Stump is often an outspoken commentator on popular music, he has written articles for many magazines and newspapers and is an authority who has written extensively on the English progressive rock scene. He is the author of Go Ahead John: The Music of John McLaughlin, and Digital Gothic a Critical Discography of Tangerine Dream as well as books on Roxy Music and Gentle Giant.
Reviews
The Wire, Chris Blackford (From the first edition)...fair-minded, rigorously argued, lucidly expressed and not without anecdotal humour Paul Stump has made a sterling effort to get Progressive Rock back on the critical agenda.
