Progressive Palaver

Bonus Episode – Force Ranking Fish Album Covers The group has some lighthearted discussion around the Fish catalog of album covers. The work of Mark Wilkinson is broad across Fish’s career and while the Fish logo is an all-time great, the album covers range from the sublime to the mundane. The impact of the music on our impressions of the art can sometimes prove quite revealing. Enjoy! Twitter: @p...

Episode 125 – Peter Gabriel Part 10, Peter Gabriel Soundtracks Ken and Joe take a trip back to the Peter Gabriel catalog to consider three of his soundtrack records Birdy, Passion, and OVO. This group of records provided quite a musical journey. Birdy provided a unique experience with previous material in the context of feature film. The music is not new, but certainly not what we had before. It i...

Bonus Episode – Force Ranking Fish Albums Having gone through the whole Fish solo catalog, it was time for some force rankings. We consider all ten solo studio albums. There are some surprises as you might expect. No two Palaver rankings are exactly the same. Ken brings in some math to clarify what the final rankings are. Enjoy some light and fun conversation on an amazing and enjoyable catalog. T...

Ken and Joe provide a brief update to explain the summer '22 hiatus and provide a short preview of what's to come on the podcast!

Bonus Episode – Steve Hackett In Collinswood NJ 2022 Pre-Show Palaver The group has a fun, light pre-show discussion before attending the Steve Hackett show in Collinswood NJ. Bad weather was brewing as Paul, Ken and Joe balance the excitement of being together for a concert with the concerns of growing older. We hope you enjoy this silly, unfocused discussion before the SCS episode for the first...

Episode 124 – Fish Part 10, Weltschmerz The end of the Fish catalog, forever! It is a bittersweet moment for the Palaver as we consider this most enjoyable album. Fish heads off into the musical sunset in a most delightful and powerful album. At first listen, the understated beauty of this album seems almost quaint, but more time spent is rewarded with discovery of a rich sonic and lyric tapestry....

SCS23 – Barry Manilow, Feb 2022 Special Concert Series continues with Barry Manilow. Yes, you read that correctly, Barry Freaking Manilow! Paul had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to catch Mr. Manilow in his residency and have some other fine adventures along the way. Paul and Joe relive the fun by discussing Paul’s trip and experience seeing the man who writes the songs. Enjoy! Twitter: @p...

Episode 123 – Fish Part 9, A Feast of Consequences While one of us knew the joy that is A Feast of Consequences, most of us did not. This is a powerful, thought-provoking work. We continue to discover how powerful Fish can be when he has the proper inspiration and working partner. There are few bumps in the road (looking at you, All Loved Up), but generally Feast is a gem worthy of your considerat...

Bonus Episode – Isaac Asimov’s Foundation SPOILER ALERT! This podcast is recommended for people who have both seen the TV show (season 1) AND read the source novels (all of them). Joe and friend of the Palaver Sarah Caffey explore the classic Isaac Asimov work Foundation. This is a free-ranging palaver on many different aspects of the Foundation, both the books and the TV series. Having recently d...

Episode 122 – Peter Gabriel Part 9, New Blood Peter Gabriel’s New Blood generates a wide range of reactions here at Progressive Palaver. In turns, we are all awed, inspired, turned off or bored. Those reactions will differ for each member from track to track. It was a bold move by PG to reinterpret his own works orchestrally to this extent. Some of the results are sublime while some are suspect. L...

Special Episode – Interview with Joe Bailey, Feb 2022 The Palaver welcomes back Joe Bailey to talk about his new record Devil in the White City. Joe provides us a full tour through the thoughts and inspirations behind the songs in this new concept album about American serial killer H. H. Holmes. An album over a decade in the making, Devil in the White City addresses most of the major story arcs of...

Episode 121 – Fish Part 8, 13th Star Palaver in a Cavern – We have to fess up right away to the sound quality issues on this record. Joe was in a large and very empty room and, well, you can tell. We embrace the absurdity and manage to have a fun and informative discussion on this most interesting of albums. A huge step forward after Field of Crows, 13th Star shows Steve Vantsis taking the musical...

Episode 120 – Fish Part 7, Field of Crows The group returns to the Fish catalog with the, at best, uneven Field of Crows. An album showing tremendous, if ill-advised, range with a large touch of whimsy, Field is perhaps not the follow-up to Fellini Days we were looking for. There are some good moments here that are certainly balanced out. We see this album as a transition for Fish. Twitter: @progp...

Episode 119 – Peter Gabriel Part 8, Up A decade after Us, Peter Gabriel returned with Up. The group finds this album to be confounding in multiple ways. Is the album a brilliant refinement of previous themes or a completely unoriginal rehash? Is this album beautiful and engaging or noisy and grating? Is this album prog? Regardless, from the opening bombast of Darkness through the majesty of Signal...

Special Episode – Interview with Mark Anthony K of Projekt Gemineye, Jan 2022 The Palaver welcomes back Mark Anthony K (Yes Music Podcast, KissFAQ) on the eve of the latest Projekt Gemineye release In the Year 3073 Book III. We get to delve into Mark’s creative process as it pertains to this new album and the impact on the results. In the Year 3073 Book III culminates the story established in the...

SCS22 – Genesis, Philadelphia Dec 2021 In December 2021, Ken and Joe attended both Genesis shows in the Wells Fargo Center for The Last Domino? Tour (with an assist from Barclay!). Paul and Ken Fuller join them for a post-brunch discussion to cover the experience. There is much to discuss between personnel, setlist and audience weed use. Enjoy our musings and reflections on what turned out to be a...

SCS21 – The Musical Box, Nov 2021 with Ken Fuller Ken Fuller joins the Palaver for this Special Concert Series episode to share his experiences seeing The Musical Box at the Keswick theater at the end of November 2021. This delightful conversation served as a prelude to the group talking about the Genesis shows in Philadelphia a few weeks after. It’s always fun to compare and contrast the set list...

Episode 118 – Fish Part 6, Fellini Days A strained masterpiece or a completely unexpected gem. Fellini Days was the album no one at the Palaver was ready for. From the opening experience which finds one focusing on the harsh tones and uneven production through the moments of epiphany, this is an album that captures the listening and eventually captivates. From the magic of the title track to the j...

Episode 117 – Fish Part 5, Raingods with Zippos “It’s nothing about the Zippos or the hat…” Fish and Steven Wilson part 2 with a healthy dose of prog sensibility. The group is entranced by this most excellent record that showcases Fish’s ever-expanding repertoire of musical capabilities. Twitter: @progpala Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__...

Bonus Episode – Peter Gabriel Lessons Learned with Simon Godfrey of Tribe of Names The group welcomes new Friend of the Palaver, Simon Godfrey. Simon shares some of his many experiences with Peter Gabriel’s music. Whether it was having to choose between Elke Brooks or Peter Gabriel singles or his overall PG album preference, Simon’s thoughts are enjoyable and insightful, as one would expect. We al...

Bonus Episode – Palaver Mailbag, Late Delivery Part 5, September 2021 Paul, Ken and Joe dive into the Palaver mailbag after a lengthy hiatus. There is much to catch up as we review listener input from all platforms. Ken and Paul provide short concert reviews for King Crimson and My Morning Jacket and we all talk about things we’ve been listening to. As always, we enjoy and benefit from the comment...

Episode 116 – Fish Part 4, Sunsets on Empire Fish and Steven Wilson? Yes please!!! The group delves into this most enjoyable album featuring a creative pairing that makes us all giddy. Some in the group claim that the album goes too far but I disagree. This album goes all the places it should in creating a lovely, immersive soundscape and Fish himself has never sounded better. Enjoy our spirited d...

Episode 115 – Fish Part 3, Suits Joe and Tom have an intimate discussion around the third Fish solo album, Suits. This album is a clear transition as Fish settles into the artist he will become. Does the album satisfy expectations? Does this album foretell the achievements to come? Listen to our palaver and see where we land on this intriguing entry into the Fish catalog. Twitter: @progpala Facebo...

Bonus Episode – The Rothko Chapel, May 2021 During the discussion of the song “Fourteen Black Paintings”, the group discovered that the eponymous paintings are housed in a purpose-built chapel in Houston Texas dedicated to social rights and human justice. Joe was able to arrange to visit the Rothko Chapel and share the experience with the other members of the Palaver. Twitter: @progpala Facebook:...

Episode 114 – Peter Gabriel Part 7, Us In this episode, the group switches back to the Peter Gabriel track with his first album since the smash hit So, Us. There are strong feelings on this album, both in the music and in our feelings. Us is an album that sees PG as an artist continuing to define his own playing field and exploring topics not many are willing (or able) to cover. We consider the un...