Book Reviews

Bill Bruford: The Autobiography (Jawbone Press, Berkeley, CA 352 pages, www.jawbonepress.com) Progressive rock and jazz fans know Bill Bruford as one of the most influential, cerebral and greatest technical players of the last 40 years. Numerous drummers and percussionists working today cite his work as a drummer and electronic percussionist as an influence. And of course for 70’s-90’s rock fans, his name is synonymous with some of the most adventurous music ever to emerge from that era.

French Record Company founder and musicologist Jean-Marc Harari, (who is also a conductor and alumnus of the Paris National Conservatory and whose initial all-analog release, the "ERC exquisite" Marcelle Meyer Plays Debussy was recently reviewed on this website), has compiled this multi-language illustrated discography covering the "golden age" of the French classical music record industry.

Wavy Gravy (A/K/A) Hugh Romney was reputed to have said “If you remember the ‘60s you weren’t there.” The same was true really of the first half of the 1970s, which played out as if it was the late ‘60s. After all, Woodstock was 1969 and one could argue that that was the year that as a cultural phenomenon “the ‘60s” both began and ended.

Well Harold Bronson, co-founder of Rhino Records was definitely there in the 1970s and he seems to remember just about everything, including date, time, place and more.

There’s still time to give or get for yourself one or more of these provocative and/or visually opulent books.

Depot.' I knew just by looking at that record (especially the label), that it was something special compared to the American Reprise pressing I already had. Of course having been turned on to the Parlophone Beatles albums a few years earlier, I had a well-founded pre-conceived notion about the improved sound quality well before listening.