Kingmaker Publishing, run by Big Big Train founder Gregory Spawton and Prog magazine journalist / Big Big Train manager Nick Shilton, is delighted to announce the publication of its latest book. A Mirror Of Dreams – The Progressive Rock Revival 1981 To 1983 by Andrew Wild will be published on 21 June 2024.
Following Kingmaker’s two highly acclaimed books on Genesis (Genesis: 1965 to 1975 – The Peter Gabriel Years and Genesis: 1975 to 2021 – The Phil Collins Years) and several other successful publications (including the autobiography of Marillion keyboardist Mark Kelly, Marillion, Misadventures & Marathons), A Mirror Of Dreams is the first of two books by Wild which provide the definitive account of the intertwined stories of the six bands which led the progressive rock revival: Marillion, IQ, Pallas, Pendragon, Solstice and Twelfth Night.
For A Mirror Of Dreams, Wild interviewed no fewer than 85 musicians and other participants in the early 1980s progressive rock scene. These interviews included most of the members of all the aforementioned bands as well as Abel Ganz, Airbridge, Comedy Of Errors, Electric Gypsy, Galahad, Haze, It Bites, Jadis, Janysium, Lahost, The Lens, Liaison, Multi Story, No-Man, Pride Of Passion, Quasar, Tamarisk, Trilogy and Twice Bitten. Additionally Wild spoke with key non-musical figures such as veteran Aylesbury Friars promoter David Stopps, former Marillion manager John Arnison and Nigel Hutchings, the former manager of the legendary Marquee Club in London.
Edited by Spawton and with a 2,000 word foreword by Prog magazine editor Jerry Ewing, the book features over 200 photographs and illustrations, many of which have either been previously unpublished or are very rare.
Spawton comments: “This is a book which I have long wanted to see written. It’s the story of how, in the early 1980s, a number of rock bands ignored the naysayers and fashioned a second coming for the much-maligned and misunderstood genre of progressive rock.”
A second volume, due for publication by Kingmaker in 2025, will cover the years 1984 to 1989.
A Mirror Of Dreams – The Progressive Rock Revival 1981 To 1983 is available for pre-order now from Burning Shed via https://burningshed.com/store/kingmaker. All pre-orders received by 30 April will be signed by Wild and Spawton.
Andrew Wild is an experienced writer, music collector and film buff with numerous books to his name including the official biographies of Twelfth Night, Galahad and Geoff Mann and recent publications about artists as diverse as Queen, Pink Floyd, Phil Collins, Dire Straits and the Allman Brothers Band. His comprehensive study of every song recorded and performed by The Beatles between 1957 and 1970 was published by Sonicbond in 2019. Andrew lives in Rainow, Cheshire, UK.
His website is: www.andrew-wild.co.uk.
