The English bassist and politician Bill MacCormick, who recorded several fundamental albums in his country’s art-rock tradition, has just published the book “Making it up as you go along… notes from a bass impostor”, whose epigraph is “A short social & political history of rock ‘n’ roll in London 1966-1980”.
Published by Iona Books, the book is “the story of Bill MacCormick’s journey through the confines of the music business in the 1960s and 1970s.”
According to the author himself: “From my school band with guitar legend Phil Manzanera, to my work with Robert Wyatt, Matching Mole, Quiet Sun, 801 and Random Hold. With some politics, a little football history, movie stars Julie Christie and Warren Beatty, and the occasional embarrassing moment along the way.”
Of 476 pages and 112 photographs, the promotional text for “Making it up as you go along” points out “an ‘accidental’ bassist, ‘he only has four strings, how difficult can it be?’, with the failed combo of progressive rocker Quiet Sun, somehow survived to play, sometimes tour and record with:
Robert Wyatt on Matching Mole and on his album “Ruth is Stranger than Richard”; Mr. Manzanera on his solo albums “Diamond Head”, “Listen Now” and “K-Scope”; with Quiet Sun briefly reformed on their “Mainstream” album, on two Brian Eno albums; with the short-lived 801 project that spawned the acclaimed album “801 Live”; and finally with the doomed and doom-laden Random Hold whose guitarist, David Rhodes, later worked (and works) extensively with the lovely person and great musician Peter Gabriel.”
Along the way, the book addresses social and political issues that influenced the lyrics he and his late brother and “Revolution in the Head” author Ian MacDonald contributed to Phil Manzanera’s albums in the ’70s.
It also contains pen portraits and, sadly, the obituaries of several musician friends Bill met along the way: Phil Miller, Hugh Hopper, Gary Windo, Francis Monkman, Lloyd Watson and David Ferguson.
Finally, in appendices too numerous to mention, you can enjoy journalistic coverage, good and bad, of the different projects generated.
Below, see the cover of “Making it up as you go along” and, below, listen to music from some of the albums that MacCormick participated in. *In the photo, next to Matching Mole, second from left to right.
Tags
#Bill MacCormick
#Making it up as you go along? notes from a bass imposter
