The Poolie Bunker

I don’t expect this thread to get many replies but recently I liberated my many LPs from their hiding place to give them a once over/clean and found myself attracted once more to my collection of early Genesis albums, and been working through them. Some of them carry a value I believe but no matter, because they’re not for sale.

They are bonkers with elongated songs about the weirdest of subjects, stop and starts, time changes, Mellotrons, flutes, 12 strings - in fact the musicianship and the arrangements defy normal expectations, being almost classical in their structure!

Early to mid 70s music - you just can’t beat it.

I love a bit of prog. Caravan were great , in the land of the grey and the pink is a fantastic album. Also I'm a big fan of soft machine, was lucky enough to see the current line up at the Cluny in Newcastle just before lockdown.

You lost all credit on here musically when you had a dig at Roxy Music..Sussex never forgets,hth.

I’m not keen on Roxy Music either! I think it’s Ferry I dislike, with his lounge lizard image and his fox hunting. Back in the day I never got what the fuss was about and I did try the early stuff.

Prog is a long way from forgotten - Prog Magazine has been going strong since 2009. The old bands are revered and there's a load of new ones keeping the flame alive.

Can't stand most of it, to be fair, but very early Yes was OK till Jon Anderson got lost up his own arse.

Of the newer stuff Purson weren't bad - mainly because Rosalie Cunningham is really fit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c90mXA_Jrc4

It's each to their own,but what band would you name as having such a varied playlist with such success as them..Ferry after all covers the lot for me.


Abacab wasn't a bad album..

It's each to their own,but what band would you name as having such a varied playlist with such success as them..Ferry after all covers the lot for me.


Abacab wasn't a bad album..

Steeleyespan or Yes, but im an old bounder, and I'm pissed

Roxy Music started off pretty shit.
Then went brilliant from 79 with Danceaway to 83ish.

With Roxy Music I only know the singles and never checked out the albums so I can’t really comment, but through the the 70s there was so much talent and bands doing varied stuff that we were all spoilt for choice - off the top of my head 10cc, not Prog but they were clever and inventive. I don’t like Ferry, even when I was a teenager he seemed pretentious to me.

If you’re introduced to bands when you’re younger (through chance/friends/relatives) this stays with you. The first LP I bought was by Genesis as I saw all the artwork and posters on the London Underground and it tweaked my interest and I saved up. Then moved across to Thin Lizzy as they cut through in 76 and I liked their rock sound and image. I have a complete set of Lizzy albums.

its not for me, but all eras and types of music have there good and bad. sometimes the less heard stuff is actually better than the ones the public at large know. at least i have reached an age and avoided calling all music crap that i,m not keen on.

One of my favourite tracks ever is Genesis's ..I know what I like, the lyrics are fantastic. Also love listening to Focus and their tracks too....Hocus Pocus, Sylvia and House of the King.

I Know What I like is on, Selling England By The Pound album (73). Most critics agree that this is their best album, my favourite is A Trick Of The Tail (76)

Some Genesis albums are a bit extreme and take multiple listens, and a bit of work to digest.

Yes (the band) they take some effort, I struggle with them.

Thin Lizzy, now your talking, what a band should have been much bigger especially after John Sykes joined and moved them up another gear but sadly due to Lynott's death they never achieved what could have been.

Agree with your views on Thin Lizzy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_xqb416S7o

Back in 84 I was lucky enough to meet Lynott. I was in a band playing at a festival, and his band, Grand Slam was higher up the bill. He was charming, complemented us on our show and gave to me a signed photo.

It’s a saying you should never meet your idols but it wasn’t the case for me.

Thin Lizzy's duel guitar harmonies were a pure master class.Jailbreak was the master piece..I still look out for what Scott Gorham is doing nowadays,he's still got the hair btw...

Had a bit of success on the dance floor when Angel Eyes and Dance Away came on,Kev ?? Tell me about it!!


Come Patrick Hernandez's ' Born to be Alive'.. i had a crowd around me !

For me, the epitome of 'Prog Rock' was King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator, Yes, Genesis, IF, T2, Jethro Tull, Atomic Rooster, early Deep Purple and foreign bands such as Focus (Holland), Amon Duul, Dong, Faust (Germany) and Matia Bazar (Italy). I still have original vinyl for most of the above.

I also liked Roxy, Lizzy and Steeleye Span but would not consider any of them as 'Prog Rock' bands.

Emerson,Lake and Palmer..Fanfare for the Common man....It was -20 in that Montreal stadium as well,hats off to them..

Nice list there Joe, loving the krautrock prog, I've still got some amon duul in the house. I'm a big fan of Can as well, a little bit before my time but I saw their singer Damo Suzuki do a solo show at Stocktons Georgian theatre quite a few years ago, he was absolutely off the wall

When I was 17 I saw Van Der Graf Generator, Genesis and Lindisfarne at Newcastle City Hall for 40p. They were all on the same label and it was a promotional tour. Lindisfarne got to be top of the bill as it was their home gig.

To be fair, Alan Hull was the best songwriter of any of them, though I like Peter Gabriel's stuff after he grew up and went solo.

Also saw Deep Purple twice at the City Hall around 1971. They'd stopped being prog by that point and were really heavy, man. We laughed our heads off after we got back on the bus because all we could hear was our ears ringing Happy days.

I went to see deep purple at Leeds arena last year, or was it the year before...old age eh?.... Really enjoyed them, even though they wanted to 'play something from their new album' when they rocked out with their older stuff they were top drawer.

Lady Eleanor absolutely quality.
Must of been awesome to witness it live version.

Wishbone Ash. Maybe not entirely prog rock but a band who made the amazing forward thinking album 'Argus'. It was all a bit medieval and religious in feel with long guitar noodles and a theme.

A classic LP.

I think the band bogged off to America to try to lighten up their sound - then started falling out! Argus was a bit of a one off.

I knew I’d eventually agree with you on something

But I think 75’s Love is the Drug with its fantastic intro right through to my favourite album Avalon they were fantastic.

I remember when Virginia Plain was released, it came under severe criticism by some radio presenters, personally I thought it was great song.

It’s because it stops very abruptly I think.

Argus was indeed a classic prog rock album, in fact I would say that their first three or four albums were Prog Rock - including the double 'Live Dates' album. After that they were into flying V's and became a pure rock guitar band. The descriptive 'Progressive Rock' covered a broad church of bands in the early 70's, as I recall the term was initially coined in respect of bands who only made album's (LP's in those days) and almost never released singles (45rpm).

At the time it was trendy to be Prog Rock, so we had 'Progressive' Blues Bands, Country Bands, Folk Bands, Hard Rock bands, Keyboard bands, Synthesiser bands, Space Rock bands, Orchestra Bands, Funky Bands.

You could fit all of these 'Prog Rock' bands into one or more of the above categories in addition to those that I originally mentioned; Hawkwind, Tangerine Dream, Barclay James Harvest, Renaissance, Spocks Beard, Transatlantic, ELO, Gentle Giant, Traffic, Spooky Tooth, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Camel, Free, Quintessence, Pink Floyd, Uriah Heap, Moody Blues etc etc

Earlier this year we went to see basically a review of Lindisfarne and some insight into the group by two of its remains members……and some enlightening stuff came out
.l loved the Faces, but after Stewart’s head was turned, that did it for me.

Whilst Clapton isn’t regarded as a progressive musician I went to one of his concerts in Glasgow a few years ago, drove up straight after work and back after the concert finished. Biggest disappointment ever, he never spoke during the full show, all he did was play songs from a new album, 1000s sat waiting for some his classics albeit he did 10 minutes at the end but not Layla, no calls for an encore though.

I got roped in by the wife to see Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel …at the beginning he announced it was gonna be new music ..,went down like a submarine with the hatch left open…apart from a couple of women…long night that…furtive glances at my watch every five minutes.

Same thing happened when I went to see Bob Dylan and Van Morrison on a double bill at Newcastle Arena approx 20 years ago. Not a word to the audience, just going through the motions. Not keen on the arena either.

At the risk of blowing my credibility completely me and the wife went to see Leo Sayer at the Durham Gala, maybe 8 years ago. He was brilliant, chatting, telling stories and keeping it all together, not forgetting of course that once over he was a proper singer songwriter and wrote a lot of his hits. He played a bit of new stuff, then ran through his back catalogue - it’s what people want, some bands/singers are up their own arses.

Re Virginia plain, Vic and Bobs version on Shooting Stars made me cry laughing.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=su1gbmpFj0I ... -JvJk3tIEd

Ferry, chuckle.

Depends on the performer. We saw Paul Heaton last year at £35 a ticket (because he doesn't like to rip his fans off) and he was feckin' brilliant. Nowt wrong with the Arena either that night.