Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

This week, Tim did a monologue on the fourth and final studio album by The Move, Message From The Country. Topics covered include: whether this is a concept album or not, the contrast between the chaos of the band’s career and the coherence of the record, whether The Move were one of the greatest groups of the 1960s and the significance of biblical references on the album. Also, are they the only UK band to have been sued by the Prime Minister? Exactly how much Christian eschatology is there on the album? When does a thing stop being a thing? And finally, when the band talk about a message from the country, which country exactly are they talking about?

This week, Peter did a monologue on the third album by Nick Drake, Pink Moon (for Jacob!). Topics covered include: Nick Drake’s biography, which album is Nick Drake’s best, the question of overdubbing, the guitar playing on the album, and the rediscovery of Nick Drake in the 1990s. Also, what’s the holy trinity of failure? Did Nick Drake leave the tapes for the album in the record company reception? What’s the meaning of 11? What happens if a Nick Drake song goes over 4 minutes? And the hardy perennial: is it a concept album?

This week, Tim and Shaun discussed their top ten favourite progressive rock albums from 1971. Topics covered include: the importance of virtuosity in prog, whether album covers are important for an album, the role of improvisation in progressive rock music, whether early minimalism was an influence on prog and the possible relationship between folk music and prog. Also, what was Prog’s Pol Pot year? Did anyone catch the prog-adjacent proms? What’s an eco-ballad when it's at home? How would Tim re-write various Yes tracks? Has Shaun brought his actuarial tables? And the question of the day: “is it prog”?

This week, Tim did a monologue on the compilation Wings Greatest, from 1978. Topics covered include: the significance of concept albums, what musical movements Wings might be said to belong to, whether the track listing is complete and the suite-like and programmatic nature of the compositions. Also, to what genre do Paul and Linda’s haircuts belong? What’s the opposite of lo-fi? How far is it physically possible to get from Allen Klein? Who’s Uncle Ian when he’s at home? And what’s the name of the Director of Man On The Run? If only we knew...

This week, Tim and Shaun discussed their top ten favourite progressive rock albums of 1970. Topics covered include: what prog actually is, how you would decide it one way or the other, what postmodernism is, the eclectic sound of the bands under discussion, and how these albums relate to later works by the same bands. Also, what’s our favourite song about fountains? Can we avoid mentioning the prog proms? What’s the most existentially stark rock track ever written? Who’s the HR rep for Yes? And, crucially, what would Stumpy do?

This week, Tim, Peter and Shaun discussed the seventh studio album by The Kinks, Arthur or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire. Topics covered include: whether it’s the band's greatest album or not, the difference between the American and British reception of the band, whether Arthur is a concept album or not, what historical period it covers, and whether the lyrics make sense. Also, did King Arthur really exist? What’s the name of the teapot on the cover? Was Tim’s Great Grandmother (who died in 2004) a Victorian? Is Shaun planning to write the album up into a play? What is plus-de-jouir when it’s at home? And what’s the problem with the world today?

This week, Tim discussed Tusk, the twelfth studio album by Fleetwood Mac. Topics covered include: the problem of following up a mega-hit album, the deconstructionist and situationist nature of Tusk, how the track listing could have been improved, which of the three main songwriters did their best work on this album and the influence of punk and new wave on the band at the time. Also, if Peter Green really played on one track, why can’t anyone remember him actually being there? What would Samuel Beckett have thought of the album? Did Lindsey really cut his hair with nail scissors? In what way is the album like a tortilla? Why did the band keep excluding Stevie Nicks songs? And is that Mick Fleetwood, or is it a Kleenex box?

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uYVm0J7KdZsk04ioZ7C6D?si=GSCYDjR9Td-f6GruvjyzXA&utm_source=copy-link&pi=6rbryv-URACd5

This week, Tim did a monologue on the third Rush album, Caress Of Steel. Topics covered include: Rush’s relation to the prog rock canon, the influence Rush had on bands like Metallica, Rush’s arrangement gift, the nostalgic nature of some of the words, and how the album matches up to Rush’s more famous album, 2112. Also, are drum solos on albums ever a good idea? Can Thomas More’s Utopia be found in Canada? What would Woody Allen think of Rush? Who is the Greek God of having fun? Which bit of the album can be described as ur-Lifeson? And where do you find Ontario on the maps of Middle Earth?

This week, Tim, Peter and Shaun discussed their top five favourite albums from 1969. Topics covered include: the bubbling cauldron of creativity that was the 1960s, what the best year in the history of rock was, the balance between U.K. & U.S. albums, whether the albums from this period should be considered unrepeatable experiences, and the infamous prog proms. Also, what is Lammastide when it’s at home? What’s Alain Badiou’s theory of history? What’s the best play ever written about a carpet fitter? Does anyone remember Bagpuss? Who’s your Neil Young? What was Noel Redding angry about? And it’s a welcome return (one assumes) for round-up of the week.

This week, Tim discussed the only studio album by the band Refugee, from 1974. Topics covered include: why the album wasn’t rubbish, the virtuosic gifts of Patrick Moraz, whether prog is modernist or post-modernist, how the band measures up to The Nice and ELP, and why they never made a second album. Also, should the band have been called Asylum Seeker? What was Lee Jackson’s ex-wife like? Is music schizophrenic? What would TripAdvisor have made of this album? Did Lee Jackson waste his time in the library? And who chose that cover?