Making it up as you go Along: A Short Social and Political History of Rock 'n' Roll in South London 1966 -1980

Built on a series of light-hearted Facebook accounts of his time in the music business, 'Making it up as you go Along' is the story of Bill MacCormick's journey through the outer reaches of the music business in the 1960s and 70s.

Brought up on an early teenage musical diet of Beethoven, Brahms, the Beatles, Stax, and Tamla Motown, an accidental meeting with Robert Wyatt and the newly formed Soft Machine transformed his world view. Now, radically influenced by the Softs, the Mothers of Invention, Stravinsky, and Charlie Mingus, it describes his first faltering steps to musical anonymity with school friend and psychedelic guitar titan, Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera, and their school band, Pooh and the Ostrich Feather.

An 'accidental' bass player with failed prog rock combo Quiet Sun, he somehow survived to play, sometimes tour, and record with:

Robert Wyatt in Matching Mole and on his album 'Ruth is Stranger than Richard';

Señor Manzanera on his solo albums 'Diamond Head', 'Listen Now' and 'K-Scope';

with a briefly re-formed Quiet Sun on their album 'Mainstream';

on two Brian Eno albums;

with the short-lived 801 which spawned the highly acclaimed 801 Live album; and finally

with the doomed and doom-laden Random Hold whose guitarist, David Rhodes, later worked (and works) extensively with Peter Gabriel.

On the way, the book touches on the social and political issues which influenced the lyrics he and his late brother, and author of 'Revolution in the Head', Ian MacDonald, contributed to Phil Manzanera's 70s albums.

It contains pen portraits and, sadly for some, the obituaries of several musicians Bill met along the way: Phil Miller, Dave MacRae, Hugh Hopper, Gary Windo, Francis Monkman, Lloyd Watson, David Ferguson and more.

And, in appendices too numerous to mention, you may enjoy the press coverage, good and bad, the various projects generated.