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Electric Eden (Faber Social) Paperback – August 13, 2019

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 265 ratings

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Rob Young investigates how the idea of folk has been handed down and transformed by successive generations - song collectors, composers, Marxist revivalists, folk-rockers, psychedelic voyagers, free festival-goers, experimental pop stars and electronic innovators.

In a sweeping panorama of Albion's soundscape that takes in the pioneer spirit of Cecil Sharp; the pastoral classicism of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Peter Warlock; the industrial folk revival of Ewan MacColl and A. L. Lloyd; the folk-rock of Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, Shirley Collins, John Martyn and Pentangle; the bucolic psychedelia of The Incredible String Band, The Beatles and Pink Floyd; the acid folk of Comus, Forest, Mr Fox and Trees; The Wicker Man and occult folklore; the early Glastonbury and Stonehenge festivals; and the visionary pop of Kate Bush, Julian Cope and Talk Talk,
Electric Eden maps out a native British musical voice that reflects the complex relationships between town and country, progress and nostalgia, radicalism and conservatism.

An attempt to isolate the "Britishness" of British music - a wild combination of pagan echoes, spiritual quest, imaginative time-travel, pastoral innocence and electrified creativity -
Electric Eden will be treasured by anyone interested in the tangled story of Britain's folk music and Arcadian dreams.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rob Young graduated in 1989 and was the editor of The Wire for 4 years up to 2004. He has recently been series editor of Black Dog's stylish monographs of influential record labels - including books on Warp Records and Rough Trade. He is currently in the middle of a novel based on the life of 17th century Jesuit polymath, Athanasius Kircher.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber & Faber Social (August 13, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 057134965X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571349654
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.7 x 7.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 265 ratings

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Rob Young
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Rob Young was born in 1968. He wishes he had been old enough to see his favourite group, Can, when they played at the Victoria Rooms, Bristol – 500 metres away from his home – in 1975. 43 years later, he would end up as Can's official biographer, with the publication of All Gates Open: The Story of Can (Faber & Faber, 2018).

He has worked as a music writer and editor since 1993, when he joined the staff of The Wire magazine. He edited the collections of Wire articles, 'Undercurrents: The Hidden Wiring of Modern Music' (Continuum 2002), 'The Wire Primers: A Guide to Modern Music' (Verso 2009), and a selection of commissioned pieces on a legendary musical genius, 'No Regrets: Writings On Scott Walker' (Orion 2012).

He wrote the first two in Black Dog Publishing's Labels Unlimited series of illustrated record company biographies: 'Warp' (2005) and 'Rough Trade' (2006). In 2010 he published his 650-page history of folk music and the British imagination, from the late 19th century to the present, 'Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music' (Faber and Faber).

He has contributed to many publications including Uncut, Sight & Sound, The Guardian, Frieze, Artforum, Art Review, London Review of Books and the New Statesman, as well as art catalogues on Jeremy Deller, Pink Floyd, Carsten Nicolai and Seb Patane.

allgatesopen.co.uk

Facebook: Rob Young

Twitter: @polyalbion

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
265 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book interesting and a must-read for British folk enthusiasts. They appreciate the well-researched and thorough information on artists like Vashti Bunyan, Anne Briggs, and The Trees. The writing is described as nice and enjoyable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

12 customers mention "Reading material"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and interesting. They appreciate the detailed coverage of British folk-rock and acid rock in the 1960s and 1970s. The book provides a lot of background on the roots of English folk songs and early recording artists. Overall, it's described as a thoughtful and insightful read about the musical movement.

"...If this a genre of music you have a taste for, this book is required reading." Read more

"...thrill of being there in the SF Acid-Rock scene, with bits of swinging folk-rock England. Hard going, though...." Read more

"...There is a lot of background on the roots of English folk songs, and on the early recording artists who introducted them to a new audience...." Read more

"...the international noise of say Fairport Convention, but played some great music in the late sixties into the seventies...." Read more

9 customers mention "Information quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides an informative and well-researched account of the music scene. They appreciate the thorough coverage of artists like Vashti Bunyan, Anne Briggs, and The Trees. The roots and history are described in great detail, making it an excellent aide memoire.

"...The beauty of this work is in the amount of information Rob Young gives the reader on those early pioneers who went to the trouble of finding this..." Read more

"Fairly academic with flashes that evoke the thrill of being there in the SF Acid-Rock scene, with bits of swinging folk-rock England...." Read more

"...Rob Young's book is an excellent aide memoire...." Read more

"...Very well researched and very well written with lots of little insider turns of phrase and anecdotes. Highly recommended!" Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality. They find it nicely written, informative, and enjoyable. The writing shimmers on the page like effervescent chords of an Incredible String.

"...The book's depth is amazing, and the writing is completely engaging. I learned about so many musicians and bands I had ever heard of before...." Read more

"...The writing shimmers on the page like the effervescent chords of an Incredible String band song..." Read more

"...Very well researched and very well written with lots of little insider turns of phrase and anecdotes. Highly recommended!" Read more

"Well written and interesting book that touches on a surprising number of areas of British history." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2014
    I bought this book based on an existing interest in British Folk and Folk Rock. My intentions were to fill in the gaps in my exposure and knowledge. From this perspective, this book will not let you down. Being an American, my exposure was based on what has been available to us, particularly during the time this book covers, that being from the 1950's through the 1980's. The beauty of this work is in the amount of information Rob Young gives the reader on those early pioneers who went to the trouble of finding this music in the remote areas of England and America, then archiving the work so that the songs didn't die with those who still knew them. These were all people I had heard of, like Cecil Sharpe, A.L. LLoyd, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Alan Lomax. Young gives ample details on all of these collector/musicians and many more of these early folk explorers.
    The book then takes you a chronological journey through the movements, and performers in those movements, from the rural based artists such as Vashti Bunyan and Shirley Collins, to the industrial based, like Ewan MacColl, to the mystical balladeers like Mr. Fox and so on.
    There is sufficient space given to the major artists of this genre, particularly The Watersons, Pentangle, Ashley Hutchings many projects, The Incredible String Band Etc. The most exciting discoveries for me were those artists that were new to me. Rob Young gave fairly thorough information on artists like Vashti Bunyan, Anne Briggs, The Trees, Mr. Fox, Kaleidoscope,etc. going into individual members backgrounds, their recordings, and subsequent works.
    This all led to a rather lengthy wish list of new recordings to track down. If this a genre of music you have a taste for, this book is required reading.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2024
    Everything went perfectly. Great vendor, great book!
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2015
    Fairly academic with flashes that evoke the thrill of being there in the SF Acid-Rock scene, with bits of swinging folk-rock England. Hard going, though. You have to slow down to absorb it, as if reading a tech manual. Could have used more humor and a lighter touch. Oh well.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2010
    Sometimes a reader really connects with a book. I bought an early edition of ELECTRIC EDEN off of Amazon UK after reading a review of it in the Financial Times. Over the past few years I had been listening to a lot of the artists this book talks about - Incredible String Band, Annie Briggs, John Martyn, etc. I liked the music, but only had a vague idea how the genre had developed. This book puts it all together in clear and magnificent detail. There is a lot of background on the roots of English folk songs, and on the early recording artists who introducted them to a new audience. The book follows it up with the great British folk explosion of the late 1960s. Rob Young goes into a lot of detail on the battles between the purists and the reinterpreters, how the artists ended up influencing each other, and how they influenced the broader music world in their wake. The scene in the 1960s and 70s was very fluid. Many of these musicians lived together and played together in frequently changing combinations. The book's depth is amazing, and the writing is completely engaging. I learned about so many musicians and bands I had ever heard of before. For any one interested in the British folk scene and its influences, this book is indispensible.
    21 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2012
    Electric Eden, by Rob Young.

    "Electric Eden" is the story of the revival and decline of English folk music in the 20th Century, with the focus on the peak decade overlapping the 1960s and 1970s.

    Young starts the story in the obvious place, with the rediscovery of rural folk music by Cecil Sharpe and his school in the early years of the 20th Century. He writes well about the collectors and they way they used it as an inspiration for their own works. Most of these early collectors were classically trained, including the unruly likes of Peter Warlock and George Butterfield and the more mystically inclined Ralph Vaughan Williams. In the absence of recording technology, they transcribed the robust and untutored singing of the farm worker into structured and metrical song. They also began the philosophical investigation into what folk music is.

    The genre remained the preserve of these collectors until after the Second World War until parallel growths of a more general interest in folk music were seen in the US and Britain. Many American folk musicians also spent time in Britain bringing in blues and Appalachian influences, but also invigorating the genre in Britain and stimulating the growth of folk clubs across the country. The growth attracted a share of pretenders, but also gave an audience to talented folk musicians and an array of musicians ranging from competent to brilliant. This led to significant commercial growth in the 1960s as newly prosperous youth with a hunger for novelty willing to listen to groups like Pentangle, Fairport Convention, the Incredible String Band, and Steeleye Span and buy their albums.

    This peak lasted for the better part of a decade, but was blighted by mismanagement, an excess of the rock'n'roll lifestyle and too many human failings and left the leaders of the genre unable to fully develop their ideas and the folk community ill-prepared for the rise of punk rock and its revolt into style in the 1970s. Young then sees folk music rumbling on as some form of aftershock or subsurface river contributing occasionally to the mainstream

    Young does a good job of tracing the spaghetti-like connections between generations of folk musicians and their ever-changing associations and ramifications of husbands and wives and groups. He also writes sympathetically, even movingly, about the unfortunate early loss of the great talents of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake. This historical and genealogical thread is the largest and strongest part of the book and does make the book worth reading.

    My major concern with this book is the perspective of the author. If you are going to deal with events you perceive as historical, you either need to have experiences of the events, or be born after the event and be ready to research the events once the dust has settled. Judging from clues in the book, Young was born a little late, but not late enough. His perspective in this book is largely informed by his youth in the period immediately after the passing of the peak of the era he is writing about. The time of his youth largely rejected the music of the period immediately before it, which is the time he is writing about. Such rejection is quite typical, and in the case of the rise of the punk and post-punk period it was quite extreme, and noisy. The consequence of this is an unbalanced view of a period of great imagination and originality in popular music. Some of his ideas appearing to be imbibed from the error-filled NME Encyclopedia of Rock and the slavish devotion of the NME to punk. (I was genuinely offended by seeing Robert Fripp described as the guitarist with King Crimson. Robert Fripp was King Crimson, and as a music journalist, Young should have understood that.) By being dismissive of so much music of the period, he is trying to tell us the story of an arch, but only by looking at a couple of stones of the arch after he has pulled out the keystone. This has to be coupled with criticism of an idiosyncratic definition ofEnglish folk music. The book is centered on English folk music, but Scottish musicians, such as Donovan, John Martyn, the McColls, and the Incredible String Band receive extensive coverage, as does Van Morrison whose bloated, blues-centered music looks clearly towards the US, and some how he manages to justify including David Bowie, Marc Bolan, and Led Zeppelin in a folk music pantheon. At the same time, other Scots, Irish, and Welsh music is ignored when Celtic bands like the Chieftains and the Battlefield Band helped shake up the genre and attracted new audiences.

    When the book finally comes to a working definition of folk music, after 400 pages, it is only half-right. Young appears to conclude that folk music (and other folk activities) are defined by their mode of transmission. For folk music, content also has to be a component. The topics of songs include history, myth, the burdens of everyday life, and cautionary tales. It is a way in which in an oral history of a culture is transmitted.

    My second concern is that he simply does not understand the period he is writing about. It was a period of massive social change, some in Britain happening almost overnight, and some in the US being the fruits of a decade of bravery in the face of bigotry. He makes no mention of the perception that we were standing at the edge of the apocalypse and the apocalypse was staring back at us during much of the 50s and 60s. There is no mention of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Berlin Wall, of the great events of 1968 that made US society stagger, or of the Vietnam War. All of these events, and many others brought a whole generation to the point of wanting to change the world, or flee from it. This is what gave rise to the explosive changes in ideas, and in dress, music, philosophies and behaviors. Folk music was carried by this wave of change, and it deserves more recognition than it gets.

    Finally, Young uses the idea of a mystic Albion as one of the linchpins of his narrative, as if the yearning for a mythical golden age is a uniquely British thing. It isn't. On top of this, he misunderstands some of the mysticism he does talk about. He says that the Beatles were influenced by Buddhist mysticism, although it was largely Hindu. His comments about modern druids are patronizing at best, and the one person in the book who does understand neopaganism is not the author.

    The descriptive aspects of the book, the discographies, biographies, and musicographies are well done, but there are too many failures of understanding of the world where these events took place.
    11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Afandi Fiedorowicz
    5.0 out of 5 stars English Folk music
    Reviewed in Germany on April 29, 2022
    The most comprehensive history of English Folk and the people behind the scenes. Fascinating
  • Bryn Griffith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exhaustive. Anything but exhausting
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2019
    Rob Young has put a tremendous amount of work into this outstanding overview of British folk music. The book covers a great deal of ground, starting with classical composers such as Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holtz, but the bulk of the book covers the Ewan MacColl purist/traditionalist era through to the folk-rock of Fairport Convention, John Martyn, The Incredible String Band, Nick Drake, and a host of lesser lights (Mr. Fox, Trees, Strawbs, etc). It appears the stars of this fruitful era, according to the author, are The Incredible String Band who embraced the whole mystic country-based lifestyle whilst creating music of amazing diversity and originality.
    The later part of the book concerns itself with the influence on bands that appeared in the late 60s, early 70s. This includes the likes of T. Rex, Bowie and Pink Floyd.
    Rob Young really has gone the extra mile in putting together a book that is very high on detail whilst retaining a very readable style. I'd even say this book constitutes a work of academic value as he successfully argues that the music of this era, which was created by the post-WW2 generation with its attendant childhood trials and restrictions, as one that turned away from industrialisation/urbanisation, and harkened back to an idyllic rural Britain that was in touch with its mythical and spiritual past (that never really existed). He illustrates his point with copious examples of lyrics, album covers, instrumentation.
    Of course he picks examples to make his point and he does this with great skill, whether you agree with him or not.

    To illustrate just how exhaustive his research has been (or perhaps his team of researchers?), and why I loved reading this book, I'll quote his overview of one of the ISB's songs called "A Very Cellular Song" (which he introduces as a thirteen minute cluster of disparate musical molecules)

    "Over the song's duration it splits into seven distinct segments and even ingests two other songs whole. One is 'Bid You Goodnight', a joyful Caribbean call-and-response song by the Pinder Family which itself lifts lines from the Old Testament and the Psalms. The other is 'May the Long Time Sun Shine upon You', a Sikh farewell blessing used in kundalini yoga."

    If you think this reads like someone trying too hard, then it might not be for you, but I just loved every page.
  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Italy on February 5, 2019
    Libro in ottimo stato. La Bibbia del Folk inglese.
  • tom meszaros
    5.0 out of 5 stars “LISTEN-THERE’S THE MUSIC, TELLING US WE ARE COMING HOME.”
    Reviewed in Australia on September 13, 2023
    Electric Eden is expansive, exhaustive, enlightening yet an eminently readable examination of English folk music: its origins and development. Rob Young is to be commended for his research, insights, analysis and sheer grit.
  • ambrogiounknown
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eden
    Reviewed in Italy on May 9, 2013
    is a beautiful book on folk.
    is very important for lovers of the subject,
    as there are the big names and works of history.
    to be read