Warner Theatre, Washington, DC Sunday 26th October 2025 When I interviewed Steve Hackett two years ago after he announced his “Lamb Highlights” tour for late 2024, I never imagined I’d be catching the end of it in October 2025. Speaking…
View More Steve HackettAuthor: Basil Francis
Mohini Dey – Mohini Dey
Here’s a story about stumbling upon a musical marvel independently in the modern era. As a casual drummer, it’s no surprise that Meta has flooded my feed with endless reels of exceptionally talented drummers, the kind that motivate me to…
View More Mohini Dey – Mohini DeyThe Alan Parsons Project – I Robot (Super Deluxe Edition Boxset)
Before reading this review of an album you probably know inside out, you need to know where I’m coming from with it. The nature of a reissue review is heavily dependent on whether the author is familiar with it or…
View More The Alan Parsons Project – I Robot (Super Deluxe Edition Boxset)Ange – Cunégonde
There are so many classic prog artists from the 70s still making a living from making music that I hardly get surprised anymore when a new one pops up. However, I must admit, I was pretty shocked to see the…
View More Ange – CunégondeRenaissance – Opening Out: The Albums 1977 – 1979 (3CD Boxset)
Esoteric’s series of Renaissance clamshell boxsets – which began with Running Hard, covering the years 1974-76 – continues with Opening Out, and contains the albums that followed: Novella, A Song for All Seasons and Azure d’Or. If Running Hard could…
View More Renaissance – Opening Out: The Albums 1977 – 1979 (3CD Boxset)Renaissance – Running Hard: The Albums 1974-1976 (4CD Clamshell Box)
Another day, another Renaissance release. It seems as if Esoteric has gone slightly bonkers with their treatment of the symphonically inclined prog favourites, but it’s no surprise that this extremely talented group are the darlings of their collection. Instead of…
View More Renaissance – Running Hard: The Albums 1974-1976 (4CD Clamshell Box)Skin Alley – Sun Music: The Complete Recordings 1969-1973 (Remastered 4CD Boxset)
Well, Skin Alley was certainly a surprise to me. The band’s name, coupled with the rather striking monochrome artwork of a copper sticking his tongue out, certainly evokes the image of a punk band like the Sex Pistols. But when…
View More Skin Alley – Sun Music: The Complete Recordings 1969-1973 (Remastered 4CD Boxset)Kevin Ayers – Shooting At The Moon (Remastered Vinyl)
Much like the Alan Parsons Project, I only ever bought Kevin Ayers’s first solo album, Joy of a Toy, back in the days when I was exploring a lot of new prog. As an addendum to the essay in my…
View More Kevin Ayers – Shooting At The Moon (Remastered Vinyl)Caravan – The Shows Of Ours… Live
It’s been a while since I was fascinated with Caravan. Their approach to prog was never too full-on, happy to mix pastoral pop-rock with longer jams that were loosely dressed up as suites. As a result, their music could sound…
View More Caravan – The Shows Of Ours… LiveGentle Giant – Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience
Gentle Giant is a band that needs no introduction, so I won’t give them one. Instead, I’ll commend them for slowly getting me interested in their latter-day releases, as the series of remasters has caused me to venture beyond my…
View More Gentle Giant – Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience