Episode 013: An Interview with Tom Brislin

In this, the final episode of Alexander's Ragtime Band, Jeremy, Elliot and James continue their Pink Floyd discussion from an earlier episode. Previously, they discussed the much-maligned post-Syd to Pre-Dark Side era. Today, they discuss the even more maligned post-Wall era - the 80s were a harsh decade for prog rock legends, that's for sure. Thanks for listening to the podcast, everyone, we hope you enjoyed it!

Alexander's Ragtime Band is winding down, so James and Elliot take this chance to rattle off some records and bands that they've always wanted to talk about, but never had the chance to. Elliot is on brand by talking about Jon Anderson, and James stays extremely on brand by talking about Gong non-stop for 20 minutes. Also, Focus.

We're going prog-adjacent again to talk about one of our favorite bands, the German electronic music pioneers Tangerine Dream! Elliot and I think that everyone should listen to Tangerine Dream, but with literally hundreds of albums, it can be a bit daunting to get into them. So we thought it would be best to share some recommendations for those who might want to dip a toe into their massive discography, but don't know where to begin.

Last month, we covered Pink Floyd, who are probably the most successful progressive rock act of all-time. This month we are discussing two bands who are decidedly not some of the biggest acts the genre had to offer; Mythos and Ekseption. But while you've probably never heard of these European obscurities, both Elliot and James think that both bands have a lot to offer prog fans!

Pink Floyd started as a psychedelic rock group, and were one of the most important bands of London's underground scene. But after Syd Barrett left the group, the band struggled to find their identity before eventually solidifying themselves as one of the greatest rock bands of all-time. The albums they recorded during this period might not all be great, but they're still a part of the Pink Floyd journey, and definitely helped the band form their legendary prog rock sound.   Elliot Long, Jeremy Parish, and James Eldred discuss these albums to find the good, the bad, and the Ummagumma.

Before Vangelis was known the world over for his scores to films like Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire, he was a member of Aphrodite's Child. The group started out as a rather by-the-numbers psychedelic rock act, but the band went full prog for their final record, a sprawling concept album about the literal end of the world called 666. Elliot and James are joined once more by Dr. Sparkle of Chrontendo to talk about this incredibly strange record.

The plan was to cover Manfred Mann's Earth Band in the same episode as Supertramp, but we talked so much about Supertramp that we couldn't fit Manfred in.   And it turns out that we had even more to say about Manfred Mann (the man), Manfred Mann (the band) and Manfred Mann's (the man) Earth Band, so it was a good thing that we dedicated a whole episode to them!   Manfred Mann's Earth Band aren't considered to be among the upper echelon of classic prog rock acts, but should they be? We discuss their early albums and talk in-depth about their most popular record, The Roaring Silence, and try and find out. We also briefly pay tribute to two prog legends that we recently lost; Vangelis and Ricky Gardiner of Beggar's Opera.

Elliot and James are joined today by very special guest Tom Brislin! Having toured with the likes of Meat Loaf, Yes, Camel and Renaissance, Tom is now the keyboardist for the legendary prog rock band Kansas! Tom shares stories about his times with these bands, life on the road as a working musician, and what it's been like being a newer member of one of the biggest prog rock acts in America.

The original plan here was for Elliot and James to each talk about one album that skirts the line between being prog and not prog, but they both love Supertramp so much that they decided to save the other album for another day. Breakfast In America is a fantastic record! Supertramp are a great band! These are facts that seem to be lost to the annals of time. Elliot and James discuss the group's strange history, its legendary run in the 70s that culminated with this all-time classic, how it all fell apart after, and if Supertramp are prog rock or not (although it doesn't really matter).

It's safe to say that without keyboards, progressive rock doesn't exist. And while there have been many different types of keyboards, pianos, and synths that have contributed to the prog rock sound, in this episode we cover the three biggest ones: the Hammond organ, the Mellotron, and early Moogs. Sorry ARP fans, maybe next time.