For me, having begun to explore progressive music from around 1975, John Wetton is one of a much-loved group of artists who I have listened to and followed for close to 50 years now. In my case, it started with…
View More John Wetton – An Extraordinary Life (8CD Boxset)Author: Peter Hilton
Christina – Bar Stool Prophet
Christina Booth, lead vocalist with Magenta, has collaborated with her colleagues from the Tiger Moth stable to create her third solo album, Bar Stool Prophet. Unusually, these days, this is not a ‘lockdown’ album, with many of the tracks starting…
View More Christina – Bar Stool ProphetBruce Soord / Smalltape
Nell’s Jazz and Blues Club, London Saturday, 14th October 2023 This was the final night of Bruce Soord’s first ever solo tour, to promote his latest album Luminescence, released on 22nd September. The album was partly inspired by Bruce’s intention…
View More Bruce Soord / SmalltapeEdgar Broughton – Break the Dark
The Edgar Broughton Band (EBB), by their own admission, were impossible to pigeonhole. Having changed the band name as they evolved from a blues-orientated sound to an eclectic mix of rock and psychedelic influences over the course of their first…
View More Edgar Broughton – Break the DarkJudie Tzuke – Jude the Unsinkable
For some men, and women, of a certain age, Judie Tzuke’s appearance on Top of the Pops to sing hit song Stay With Me till Dawn was a life changing experience. I was a teenager at that time, and the…
View More Judie Tzuke – Jude the UnsinkableThe Id – Disaster Movie
The Id have been making music as a band since 2016. They work remotely on different continents and the band members are all involved in multiple collaborative and solo projects. Drummer Mark Murdock has a background in jazz fusion, also…
View More The Id – Disaster MovieHoward Jones – Celebrate It Together: The Very Best of Howard Jones
It’s not unusual to discover that pop stars of the ’70s and ’80s were influenced over the course of their musical career by Progressive Rock and a few, such as Gary Kemp and Nick Beggs (who also happens to be…
View More Howard Jones – Celebrate It Together: The Very Best of Howard JonesSparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
Sparks have been enjoying ‘another’ renaissance recently and this album has many of the hallmarks that you would expect to hear from such an accomplished and long-standing band. It’s full of great ideas, unexpected twists and turns, and of course…
View More Sparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her LatteAndrew Gold: The Fraternal Order of the All – Greetings from Planet Love
It’s possible that this album, originally released in 1997, was the first true example of the ‘Regressive’ music genre. Instead of borrowing influences and using them as inspiration for creating new sounds, Andrew Gold completed the circle by cloaking his…
View More Andrew Gold: The Fraternal Order of the All – Greetings from Planet LoveBig Big Train – Ingenious Devices
Ingenious Devices brings together a sequence of songs that were originally conceived by Greg Spawton as a trilogy. The release also includes a short orchestral piece woven into the main event and a ‘bonus’ live track recorded at the Friars,…
View More Big Big Train – Ingenious Devices