Progressive Palaver

Episode 113 – Fish Part 2, Internal Exile “The album we were all waiting for?” The second Fish solo album finds the group having (most of) the experiences they wanted from the first. High marks all around for the overall musical presentation of this album. The band seem engaged and the lyrics are, as usual, spot on. The influence of producer Chris Kimsey is debated as well. The group wanders down...

Episode 112 – Fish Part 1, Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors The group switches tracks to our parallel segment on the Fish solo catalog. Two parts confounding to one part brilliance, Vigil is an album that elicits a wide array of responses. The album seems to switch from moments of sheer poetic brilliance to complete banality in the blink of an eye. As solo debuts often are, the album comes across...

Special Episode – Interview with John DeBella on Peter Gabriel (and Many Other Things) In this special episode we here at the Palaver are deeply honored to speak with Philadelphia radio legend John DeBella. The conversation was originally set up to question John on his unique and close relationship with Peter Gabriel. The interview covers how John and Peter’s friendship began, insights John has ha...

Episode 111 – Peter Gabriel Part 6, Peter Gabriel So This is the album that made Peter Gabriel a HUGE international icon in 1986. What makes So remarkable (as with most Gabriel albums) is that it blends elements of popular music, world music, progressive and art rock seamlessly into a delightful whole. Our palaver, of course, is heavily focused on the sublime production, songwriting and musiciansh...

Special Episode – Interview with Joe Bailey, May 2021 In this special episode we get to catch up with Joe Bailey and palaver about his latest release Ghost. We cover the inspiration for this captivating new release and go into the process Joe uses to create his music. Joe is able to provide a very detailed context for his work and there are some tasty teasers for future projects Joe has in store i...

Special Episode – Floyd on Film, Interview with Alan Haworth Author Alan Haworth joins the Palaver to discuss his latest book, Floyd on Film. A study examining the theory that Pink Floyd wrote, recorded and arranged three of the main sequence albums (Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall) to serve as an alternate soundtrack to the animated films Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland. Alan expands o...

Episode 110 – Peter Gabriel Part 5, Peter Gabriel 4 (Security) Rhythm, rhythm and more rhythm. The Peter Gabriel mystique comes into greater focus with this (essentially) fourth self-titled album. From the landmark first two tracks to the huge commercial hit Shock the Monkey to the undiscovered gem that is Wallflower, this album is a true landmark in creativity by an artist on the very verge of in...

Episode 109 – Peter Gabriel Part 4, Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt) Pt 2 On this episode the group finishes out our conversation on Peter Gabriel 3. The impact of this record can be illustrated by the breadth of topics covered; moving from the onset of phone sex in the US in the 1980s to the policy of apartheid in South Africa. One is left with the thought that two episodes still may not be enough. Twitter...

Episode 108 – Peter Gabriel Part 3, Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt) Pt 1 Yes, you are correct. This is the album on which the soon-to-be ubiquitous gated snare sound was created. We, of course, spend ample time discussing this development lol. There is so much to talk about for this pivotal album including the producer, the players, the songs, the lack of cymbals. The Palaver covers it all in this first pa...

Episode 107 – Peter Gabriel Part 2, Peter Gabriel 2 (Scratch) The group continues with the Peter Gabriel solo catalog with Scratch. This is an album that sees Peter start to focus his approach as a solo artist. More of what will become his genius is apparent although the overall production can sometimes mar the beauty. Twitter: @progpala Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com...

Special Episode – Interview with Dave Kerzner of Arc of Life, March 2021 Friend of the Palaver Dave Kerzner is back for another breakneck discussion about… well… everything. New band Arc of Life? Got it. Economics of the modern music industry? Check. Discussion of Dave’s current analog studio gear fascination? Covered. Teasers for Dave’s potential future projects? Of course! Cat pee? Well, yes we...

Episode 106 – Peter Gabriel Part 1, Peter Gabriel 1 (Car) The group begins our next large segment which will feature the solo catalogs of both Peter Gabriel and Fish. This episode covers Gabriel’s debut solo album which finds the singer exploring new ideas and looking what will define him as a solo artist. There are some gems, some holdovers from his previous life in Genesis and some bold experime...

Special Episode – Interview with Robert Berry, Feb 2021 We were very pleased to speak at length with Robert Berry regarding the latest stellar release from 3.2, Third Impression. From the inspiration for the songs to the method Robert used for creating this epic album, almost no topics are left uncovered. Robert was very kind to open up to us about his thoughts on this record, its relationship to...

Bonus Episode – Genesis By the Numbers Have you ever wondered which percentage of Genesis songs end in a fade? Or have you ever asked how many “pop” songs did Genesis actually record? Well certain members of the Palaver did ask those questions and more. With more time than sense, we attempt to bring data analytics to progressive rock. Genesis by the Numbers… Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmai...

Star Wars Palaver – The Mandalorian, Season 2 SPOILER ALERT – The episode will spoil Season 2 of The Mandalorian. If you do not want to be spoiled, watch the full season before listening The group continues our conversation about The Mandalorian covering season 2. Easter eggs and character development abound. There is a Festivus-style airing of grievances to start us of as we consider the use of s...

Star Wars Palaver – The Mandalorian, Season 1 SPOILER ALERT – The episode will spoil Season 1 of The Mandalorian. If you do not want to be spoiled, watch the full season before listening The group finally get the chance to talk about the first eight chapters in The Mandalorian saga. Ken binge watched to bring his thoughts to the table. We have a great time going over the various aspects of this tv...

Episode 105 – Marillion Part 14, B’Sides Themselves (Again) The group completes our revisit of Fish-era Marillion with this collection of singles. Spanning the full time that Fish was the singer with the band, this album presents and interesting look at the development of the band. The general feeling is that this studio version of Grendel doesn’t capture the excitement of the live performances. T...

Bonus Episode – Marillion Lessons Learned with Dan Sherman It seems safe to say that no one else in North America has had the experiences with Marillion that friend of the Palaver Dan Sherman has. Getting in at the ground floor in 1983 and developing a lifelong connection and love for the band, Dan’s story is captivating and we barely scratch the surface. From being the Marillion point man in Nort...

Episode 104 – Marillion Part 13, Clutching at Straws (Again) There are some mixed opinions on this installment of the FishMar revisit. The group seems to agree to on the musicality of this release but the impact of the lyrical subject matter seems to generate varied responses. As always, these differences lead to some compelling conversations as the group share their experiences and interactions w...

Episode 103 – Marillion Part 12, Misplaced Childhood (Again) Lore and controversy abound in this revisit of this iconic Marillion album. As the group continues to revisit the Fish-era Marillion albums we spend some quality time getting deep into the weeds about this album. What does Misplaced Childhood have in common with Tori Amos? Why does Tom hate Kayleigh. What exactly IS the concept of this c...

Bonus Episode – 2020 Year End Review and 2021 Objectives The group takes some time to review our progress against our 2020 objectives. Obviously we, as with the rest of the world, were impacted by the global pandemic but overall we did well. Our accomplishment highlights include the live events with Total Mass Retain and the 100th episode and our impressive slate of interviews throughout the year....

Episode 102 – Marillion Part 11, Fugazi (Again) The Emperor’s New Groove – A few sidetracks can be expected as the group dives back into the second Marillion album. There is much to discover here as the band begins to refine their sound and skills and Fish’s lyrics continue to impress. A fun journey that we hope you all enjoy. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com...

Episode 101 – Marillion Part 10, Script for a Jester’s Tear (Again) The group returns to where we started. We go back to the beginning and start a redo of the Fish-era Marillion albums in current Palaver style. Using our current format we are able (and willing) to delve deeper into the context, lore and import of these songs than we did first time around. The feelings about this record are not una...

Episode 100 – Progressive Palaver Extravaganza Prog, Not Prog - The group celebrates our 100th episode with our most indulgent palaver yet. The full palaver group each put forth an album that while spectacular would be unlikely to appear in a regular episode. The bands represented in this way are Judas Priest, Jeff Buckley, Catherine Wheel, Devin Townsend, The Grateful Dead and Rise Robots Rise. T...

Bonus Episode – Palaver Holiday Music 2020 The group takes some time out of busy end-of-year schedules to share some thoughts about holiday music. Our picks run the gamut from Jon Anderson to Rob Halford and December People to Narada. There is something for everyone in this lighthearted chat about music that so many of us take for granted. Of course, there are the expected side trips that add some...