Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

This week, Peter and Shaun give a potted history of jazz for a rock audience. Topics covered include: how the lads took the path from jazz to rock (and sometimes back), the definition of jazz itself, the influence of the 1920s in the 1960s and the chronology of jazz movements as a whole. Also, is fear the driving force in jazz? Why did jazz happen at all? Who was in Bix Beiderbecke’s gang? Can ham...

This week Tim discussed the seventh studio album by ELP, Love Beach. Topics covered include: the album’s place in the ELP canon, the structural nature of the writing, the mediaevalist slant in the lyrics, the paradigm nature of some of these tracks and the classical music themes that are quoted on the album. Also, does Carl Palmer work undercover as an Estate Agent? Which track sounds like a churc...

This week, Tim and Peter gave their rankings of Bob Dylan’s 9 albums from the 1960s. Topics covered include: Dylan’s chaotic approach to recording, the change in Dylan’s voice over the years, Dylan’s sense of humour, how to identify the different phases of Dylan’s 1960s career, and the relationship between Dylan and The Beatles. Also, what does the word ‘existential’ mean? Does Woolworth’s still e...

This week, Tim and Shaun discussed Paul McCartney’s second post-Beatles album, Ram. Topics covered include: the difference between his second album and his first, the idea of Paul retaining The Beatles as musical interlocutors, whether this is Paul’s best album, and whether there’s a proto-glam element in some of the songs. Also, what was number one during Shaun’s birth? What did Paul and Linda us...

This week, Tim discussed a personal favourite: the debut double album by Manassas, called Manassas (featuring Stephen Stills). Topics covered include: the history of break-up albums, the Stills-Hillman nexus, the medleyish nature of the record, the Caribbean influence on the music, the music's economic nature, and the question of albums as therapy. Also, what on earth are the five stages of grief?...

This week, Tim, Peter and Shaun discussed their top five favourite double albums of all time. Topics covered include: why there aren’t more great double albums, the importance of packaging on double LPs, the fact that CDs killed the phenomenon of the double album, whether good double albums require a large surplus of material to be available, and which doubles received the greatest public acceptan...

This week, Tim analysed the second album by 10cc, Sheet Music. Topics covered include: whether the band has trademarks or not, the influence of Caribbean music on the band, the use of satire in the album, the different writing combinations within the group, the complexity of their harmonic and melodic writing and where this album stands in their canon. Also, are 10cc as funny as The Bonzo Dog Band...

This week, Tim and Shaun ranked all 13 King Crimson studio albums, from their least favourite to their favourite. Topics covered include: the Bartokian influence on the band; whether the 1980s incarnation of the band should have taken the name King Crimson; whether the band were the precursors of mathrock; which the best line-up of the band is and whether the band should be considered prog or not....

This week, in celebration of the new documentary 'Burning Ambition', Tim went backwards through the history of Iron Maiden, choosing a paradigm song from each of their albums. Topics covered include: the classical music influence on the band, which album is their best, how the line-up changes in the band have affected their approach, the programmatic aspect of Maiden’s writing, and whether the ban...

This week, Tim and Peter discussed the third album by Genesis, Nursery Cryme. Topics covered include: how this album stands in relation to the rest of the Genesis canon, the effect of the line-up change, why the album was recorded so quickly, the contrast between the various writing styles in the band, and the surrealist dimension of the album. Also, is it an Edwardian album or a Victorian one? Wh...

This week, Shaun did one of his critically-acclaimed “pods from the wood” series, this time on the third album by Gryphon, Red Queen To Gryphon Three. Topics covered include: the uniqueness of the band’s sound, the band’s connection with Rick Wakeman, how this record compares to the group’s other work, the visual nature of their music and the connection with Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland. Also, what’...

This week Tim did an analysis of the eleventh studio album by Genesis, Abacab. Topics covered include: the antipathy long-time Genesis fans have towards the album, whether there’s a difference between progressive and experimental music, the soul influence on the album, the difference between writing for guitar and writing for keyboard, and which bits of the record sound like Steve Hackett. Also, w...

This week, Shaun and Tim discussed the fourth album by The Bonzo Dog Band, Keynsham. Topics covered include: whether this is their best album, the relationship between comedy and music, the relationship between The Bonzos and The Beatles, the influence that the band had on the British comedy scene, the band’s musical skills, and their connections to the Monty Python group. Also, who exactly was Ho...

Today Peter gives his ranking of The Incredible String Band albums. Topics covered include: the Edinburgh folk scene, the distinctive String Band cover art, the influence ISB had on other bands of the period, the band’s unusual lyrics and the Williamson-Heron dialectic. Also, who is the worst singer in the band? Exactly how cold is Edinburgh? Who is Wee Tam? Why is The Hedgehog Song so popular? Wh...

This week Tim had a conversation with himself about Roger Waters’ third studio album, Amused To Death. Topics covered include: whether this is Waters’ best solo album, the subterranean structure of the album, the difference between George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, whether the album is written like a musical, and the debt the album owes to Pink Floyd. Also, how does Roger Waters echo the 19th Centu...

This week, Tim, Shaun and Peter discussed their top five albums of 1968. Topics covered include: whether 1968 is very different from 1967, whether rock albums carry the day in 1968 or other genres, what role nostalgia plays in the albums, and whether the U.S. or the U.K. had better albums at that time. Also, do the 1970s begin in 1968? Did Roy Wood from ELO invent the general theory of relativity?...

This week Tim did a monologue on the newly-re-released second album by Queen, otherwise known as Queen 2. Topics covered include: whether the critical consensus on this album is accurate, why the band called one side white and one side black, the extent to which the album can be considered a concept album, whether this album is an originator of the later British heavy metal scene, and whether Quee...

This week, Tim discussed the third album by Kate Bush, Never For Ever. Topics covered include: Kate Bush's harmonic sophistication, the poetic mastery she displays on the album, whether she should be considered an underrated artist, the constant Freudian sexual motifs she uses and the literary and cinematic dimension of the record. Also, why is the angel and the whore motif so popular? Why are the...

This week, Tim and Shaun discussed their favourite prog bands of all time, with the exception of the ‘Premier League’. Topics covered include: what prog actually is, whether prog was superseded by jazz-fusion, the role of the Canterbury sound in the history of prog and the role of humour in the prog genre. Also, what would Genesis have sounded like if they’d come from Kent? What happened to Shaun...

This week, in the second of our heavily-trailed phantasy album series, Tim discussed his proposal for a hypothetical follow-up to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s Deja-Vu. Topics covered include: whether there is a stylistic difference between the Stills-Young axis and the Crosby-Nash axis, which member of the band had the best solo album, whether the first CSN album was definitory of the Californ...

This week, Tim and Shaun discussed the seventh studio album by Steeleye Span, Commoners Crown. Topics discussed include: the connection between folk rock and prog rock, whether we prefer Steeleye Span or Fairport Convention, the American anthropology of British folk music, what the parallels are between Steeleye and The Wombles, and the prospect of various heavy metal bands covering these songs. A...

In the first of our mooted fantasy albums series, Tim and Peter each set out their alternative track listings for The Beatles, the band’s ninth studio album, colloquially known as The White Album. Issues covered include: the idea of a non-concept concept album, the contrasts between the band members’ different writing styles, where the band had reached in their career by this point, what we think...

This week Tim discussed Brian Eno’s fifth album Before And After Science. Topics discussed include: the influence of Erik Satie on Brian Eno, the role of humour on the album, the Talking Heads connection, the extent to which Eno can be considered a minimalist, the hauntological dimension of Eno’s music, and what Eno understands by science. Also, how can one sum up the Carry On films? Why is Eno ob...

This week Peter and Tim discussed the eleventh studio album by Fleetwood Mac, Rumours. Topics covered include: the continuity between this album and the so-called California sound, whether this is Fleetwood Mac’s best album, the American versus the British aspects of the band, why Stevie Nicks’ best material was left off the album, and why you should and shouldn’t listen to music exclusively on he...

This week Tim had a conversation with himself about the fourth David Bowie album, Hunky Dory. Topics covered include: whether this is Bowie’s best album, which Beatle he is closest to in style, Bowie’s exceptional lyrical gift, whether there are trans themes on the album and the importance of Rick Wakeman's contribution to the album. Also, what’s Bowie’s favourite chord sequence? Is ‘My Way’ any g...