Tag Archives: Progressive Rock

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Sunday Postscript, An Interview With Karmamoi’s Joline Forshaw.

Joline Forshaw with Daniele Giovannoni of Karmamoi. Photograph repruced with kind permisssion by Lunatic Eye.

Joline Forshaw with Daniele Giovannoni of Karmamoi. Photograph reproduced with kind permisssion by Lunatic Eye and Karmamoi.

 

Arguably the centre of the Universe has to pass through Liverpool at some juncture; nothing else really can ever explain the abundance of musical talent that comes out of the city. Even those that have to live away from their beloved home still find that the passion for bringing new music into the world an overriding and natural part of the laws of attraction. Even for those based outside the sphere of arts in their daily life seek solace in it and for Karmamoi’s Joline Forshaw this is especially true.

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Sunday Postscript, An Interview With Karmamoi’s Joline Forshaw. full post

(2064 words, 1 image, estimated 8:15 mins reading time)

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Saturday Supplement, An Interview With John Young From Lifesigns.

With the odd exception, the world of Progressive Rock doesn’t feature too highly in the realms of Liverpool’s astonishing contribution to the world of music. There are elements, bands, even albums that go down that road, notably and arguably The Beatles opus Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is a tremendous foray into the genre but it still doesn’t get the airplay it deserves. There may be many reasons for it, but it doesn’t disguise the fact that there are many thousands of fans who clamber for any type of band delving into the unknown from Aigburth to Bootle and the surrounding, ever growing enclave that is Merseyside.

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Saturday Supplement, An Interview With John Young From Lifesigns. full post

(1661 words, estimated 6:39 mins reading time)

Ian Anderson To Weave New Magic At The Philharmonic Hall In May.

After two magic years on the road with the Thick As A Brick shows, legendary Prog Rock icon Ian Anderson embarks upon a U.K. tour, following the release of his new concept album Homo Erraticus in April.

The 22-date U.K. tour kicks off in late April, before moving on to Europe and the United States of America.The show will feature Homo Erraticus –an ‘epic voyage into the Progressive Rock pantheon of strangeness’ according to Anderson – in its entirety followed after the intermission by a collection of the artist’s favourite Tull classics. The performance will be illustrated and complemented by video and theatrical settings ‘to bring a tear to the eye’, an enthusiastic Anderson declared.

Ian Anderson To Weave New Magic At The Philharmonic Hall In May. full post

(266 words, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)

Genesis, Selling England By The Pound. 40th Anniversary Retrospective.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

When Selling England By The Pound was released in 1973, it confirmed what many already knew, that Genesis was to be heralded as one of the great Progressive Rock bands of all time. Following on from Foxtrot and especially side two which showed the intricate, fantastical and multi-layered nature of the group’s writing and musical talent. Selling England By The Pound was a trip into the English pastoral, the off-beat look at life in the country, swathed in lyrical expansion and would in time become the second of five classic albums on the trot, to be followed by the seminal Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Foxtrot and Wind and Wuthering.

Genesis, Selling England By The Pound. 40th Anniversary Retrospective. full post

(1399 words, estimated 5:36 mins reading time)

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Saturday Supplement. An Interview With Steve Hackett’s Biographer Alan Hewitt (Part One)

Alan Hewitt leans back on the chair in FACT and smiles, a man wistful with memories of gigs and stories which culminated in his book on Steve Hackett, the Genesis guitarist who has carved out perhaps the most productive solo career of all those that made Genesis one of the finest Progressive Rock bands to hail from the U.K. being enjoyed rightly by the multitude. Sketches of Hackett is a book of immense value and warmth and just chatting to him, time seems to lose its meaning as the 20 minute time limit we set ourselves becomes muddled and extended until we have broached the subject of almost every Steve Hackett solo album and his contribution to the richness of the second and third period of the Genesis era.

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Saturday Supplement. An Interview With Steve Hackett’s Biographer Alan Hewitt (Part One) full post

(1486 words, estimated 5:57 mins reading time)

Marillion, Script For A Jester’s Tear. 30th Anniversary Retrospective.

If anyone thought that Progressive Rock was dead in the water as the 1980s began, then certainly the cowbell that had once proudly rang out was joining the fat lady in beginning to sound decidedly croaky and worn out.

By early 1983 Genesis had moved so far from the Progressive line that they were considered cool in circles they couldn’t have envisioned 10 years earlier when they bought out the pastoral sound of Selling England By the Pound. Yes were going mainstream, Supertramp were going their separate ways, Queen had long since abandoned the genre, Pink Floyd, the standard bearers of the music from 1973 onwards were about to self-destruct with what seemed one final hurrah in the opinion dividing The Final Cut and countless others such as Caravan and Camel were running out of steam.

Marillion, Script For A Jester’s Tear. 30th Anniversary Retrospective. full post

(1750 words, estimated 7:00 mins reading time)

Camel, Camel. 40th Anniversary Retrospective.

When people think of Progressive Rock in the early 1970s, minds invariably wander to the likes of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes and even possibly Supertramp and Frank Zappa could be mentioned in there with hushed tones. All these bands and many more would get the nods of approval and songs readily ticked off the list to why they would be included in any compilation from that era, however unless they were dedicated fans, listeners of Progressive Rock might skip completely over the debut self titled album by Camel released in 1973.

Camel, Camel. 40th Anniversary Retrospective. full post

(1093 words, estimated 4:22 mins reading time)

KingBathmat, Truth Button. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The world of Progressive Rock has perhaps never been in a more healthy and thought-provoking state. The days of being labelled as dinosaurs and past it are long over, the new breed that fly the standard high, proud and youthful vigour such as Touchstone and The Reasoning sit alongside the giants of the genre and the old master who still show any aspiring musician just what is so cool about being able to thread together lengthy and intricate musical movements with a good lyric.

KingBathmat, Truth Button. Album Review. full post

(418 words, 1 image, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

Steve Hackett, Genesis Revisited II. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Since Genesis last took to the stage for their 2007 tour, the most productive two members of the stalwarts and guiding lights of Progressive Rock are the two that had left the band in the days before they become the corporate behemoth of the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Peter Gabriel has been busy giving his fans new looks of his back catalogue and inspired readings of other people’s works. Steve Hackett on the other hand has produced more solo work than any other member of one of the U.K.’s favourite Prog acts; he also seems to find time to keep the work of Genesis between 1970 and 1977 very much alive on his keenly anticipated touring schedule.

Steve Hackett, Genesis Revisited II. Album Review. full post

(507 words, 1 image, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Genesis, Foxtrot. 40th Anniversary Retrospective.

Genesis, especially the classic line up of Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett would become one of the U.K.’s favourite Progressive Rock bands on the strength of the 1972 album Foxtrot.

This eccentric band packed to the rafters with burgeoning talent had already broken parts of Europe with Trespass and the charming Nursery Cryme but as had up to that point failed to break the U.K top 20 album chart. Their first album From Genesis to Revelation had failed to convince the British public that their music was worth listening to, Trespass saw them make inroads and Nursery Cryme make friends, it was however the pastoral feel combined with an abundance of British eccentricity that would convince music listeners that these five performers had something worthwhile to say.

Genesis, Foxtrot. 40th Anniversary Retrospective. full post

(1191 words, 1 image, estimated 4:46 mins reading time)