Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

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? Which of these songs wins the prize for the most key changes? Is there a worse way to be castrated than with a croquet mallet? Is Harold The Barrell Peter Gabriel’s re-writing of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles? Why are British people obsessed by the Russians? And crucially, do Yes have a sense of humour?

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, what’s the connection between Steve Hackett and Jeremy Corbyn? How is it possible that the same man wrote Smallcreep’s Day and Like It Or Not? Why can’t Tony Banks pronounce the word ‘reggae’? Did Phil Collins’ wife leave him because of his cockney accent? Why don’t you ever see Tony Banks and Tony Blair in the same room? And of course, what would Stumpy do?

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? When did the scientology kick in? Who does worse fake laughter, the String Band or Joni Mitchell? And of course, which album will be number one?!

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? Do you have to be a musician to make music? How many times did Timothy Leary die? And is Ray Davies Shaun’s own personal Morrissey?

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 monsters on the cover emerging from Kate’s dress? Has anyone ever sat through a whole Ken Russell film? Are we really all just trying to get back to our mother’s breast? And is Babooshka trying to seduce her husband because she wants to win him back or is she just collecting material for the divorce papers?

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 California sound, why they bothered including Neil Young in the group, and where this hypothetical album would have stood in their canon, had it actually existed. Also, what is counterfactual history? How many grooves can you fit on a side of an LP? Why are there generally no girls in bands? Do all protest songs have to have a geographical name in the title? And how is David Crosby’s first album like The Gettysburg Address?

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 of the final title versus the working title, and the extent to which the album reflected the socio-cultural context in which the band were working. Also, should Revolution 9 be included? What’s the problem with CDs? Was the protagonist of Mother Nature’s Son run over by a milk van? Why does George Harrison hate other humans so much? And did the band tell Ringo the time signature of Happiness Is A Warm Gun, or just wait for him to figure it out by himself?

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 headphones. Also, what alternative titles has Peter invented for all the songs? What’s the smallest number of chords you need to write a song? What’s the most annoying use of rock music by a politician? Who’s the best guitarist at playing just one note? Is the ending of The Chain in the wrong key? And finally, there’s a welcome return for Turner’s Turntable.

This week, Shaun and Tim ranked their Top Ten side-long rock epics. Topics covered include: what constitutes a side-long track, how many different ways there are of structuring such a track, what differentiates normal art from working-class art, how many apotheoses you need in a side-long piece, and why all British side-longs seem to concern industrial development. Also, what’s the connection betwen Rick Wakeman and Paddington Bear? What does the Al-Hambra building have to do with the band Renaissance? What happened when Shaun’s art tutor met Vangelis? What’s the connection between Rush and Tom Jones? And most important of all, who will be number one?

This week, Peter and Tim discussed their favourite songs about animals. Which produce the best material, vertebrates or invertebrates? Which period produces the best animal songs? What do animals mean in art? What did Kant think of animals? Who really runs the planet, humans or insects? And can you get double points if both the song and the band name make reference to animals? Find out all this and more in this week’s (sort of Christmas special) episode.

This week, Shaun and Tim discussed the sixth studio album by Renaissance, Scheherazade And Other Stories. Topics discussed include: whether the album could be made today; whether Renaissance can be considered prog rock or symphonic rock; how many musical references to Rimsky-Korsakov the band include in this album (and others); whether or not the band were considered cool at the time; and how many octaves Annie Haslam can sing. Also, what’s the connection between Renaissance and Jilted John? What’s it like to go on a date with Roy Wood? What language do they speak in Cornwall? And how soon will Shaun be able to stage his hip hop version of the life of Admiral Nelson?

This week, Tim did a monologue about H to He Who Am The Only One, by Van der Graaf Generator. Topics covered include: whether VdGG are really heavy metal without guitars, whether H to He can be considered a pop album, the extent to which the album precipitates the band’s later work, and how the dialectic between voice and sax works in the band. Also, how did VdGG influence Iron Maiden? Do the wind parts represent the Freudian drives? Is the ‘hit’ song Killer a comic or a tragic piece? Is there a schizoid element in the band’s work? And can fishes fly? Or would that constitute a black swan?

In this week’s episode, Shaun and Tim discussed their top ten favourite Genesis outtakes. Topics covered include: the difference between outtakes from the classic and contemporary periods of the band, why Genesis didn’t write psychedelic pieces, how the Banks-Rutherford dialectic affected the sound of the band, and the influence of Phil Collins’ love life on the lyrics. Also, why did Steve Hackett keep getting quieter? What’s the essence of Stoic philosophy? Should some of the single albums have been doubles? Should some of the double albums have been singles? And was Mick Barnard the secret genius behind Genesis?