3 from Dumbo Press: Number One: Does it Mean I’m Woke
Sean MurphyThe only cliche more irritating than "make lemonade out of lemons" is "write what you know" even if both bromides are, on balance, worthy pieces of wisdom handed down from…
Steadfast and Inimitable: The Sound & Vision of Pharoah Sanders
Not a fan of Led Zeppelin, The Clash’s Paul Simonon once opined: “Just looking at their album covers makes me want to throw up.” When it comes to Pharoah Sanders,…
RIP Ian McDonald: MVP of the Best Prog Album Ever
If Ian McDonald had done nothing other than be a crucial (arguably the crucial) member of the band that, in 1969, recorded the album that launched a thousand pretentious, proggy,…
Robert Fripp at 75: The King of the Court
Happy 75th to an artist who has not merely helped shape and define whatever it is, exactly, prog rock has managed to encompass, but as a positive force for music:…
King Crimson’s ‘Lizard’ at 50
Considering that the only constant during the early years (and later, for that matter) of King Crimson was change, the quality and variety of their third and fourth albums are…
Keith Tippett: Prog God, Plus
RIP to a musician's musician, a complete and utter original, and icon of the underground. Beautiful tribute to Keith Tippett courtesy of The Guardian here. (I've written about him --and…
1969–2019: In the Court of the Crimson King at 50
I’ve written a little bit about prog rock; my series “The Amazing Pudding” at PopMattersand rankings of the best prog albums and Top 100 Classic Prog Rock songs (and many, many reviews, etc.) When it comes to the…
The 100 Best Classic Progressive Rock Songs Part 5: 20-1
Yes: “Awaken” (from Going for the One) 1977 was not only about clothespins and green-toothed sneers: just as punk was gaining steam, Yes, the band that represented everything everyone hated…
The 100 Best Classic Progressive Rock Songs Part 4: 40-21
Jethro Tull: “Heavy Horses” (from Heavy Horses) Meanwhile back in the year… 1978? It’s an embarrassing commentary on how close-minded so many folks are that they’ve probably never even heard…
The 100 Best Classic Progressive Rock Songs: Part 3, 60-41
Rush: “Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage” (from A Farewell to Kings) Rush is now, rightly, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (not that this dubious honor from…