Starting with "Pet sounds" of Beach Boys (called progressive pop by its own authors) and "Sergeant Pepper" of the Beatles, the author presents a history of the movement, through the main progtagonistes but also by musicians who flirted with the spirit of the movement in its early days, when he was not wrongly due to which the caricature that some were willing to make. So we met Hendrix, Clapton, Zappa and Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck and placed in the context of the time, which could seem shocking today seems much more evident with appropriate lighting.
The author is interested in the social and geographical origin of musicians (mainly petty bourgeoisie southeast of England) and a chapter or long (but very full) is dedicated to the main groups.
Christophe Pirenne in musicologist, addresses highly technical subjects (metric, harmonies and modal scales ...). This chapter may alienate non-specialists. But if your curiosity prevails, the price of some effort, you will feel like to finish if not more intelligent, a little more educated (you learn something every day, even those who think they know).
This study is very comprehensive, it covers the musical instruments, changing recording modes, the paradoxical side of the movement (worship of modern instruments, technical progress but reject this progress in its own philosophy and adulation of an idealized past).
This is certainly one of the most original books on the subject, very well documented. This is not an encyclopedia of enthusiasts, often not objective and because of that it will interest people usually rejecting this style by reinforcing them in their opinions or sharpening their curiosity.
