Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

This week, Tim and Peter ranked the Radiohead studio albums, from least to most favourite. Topics covered include: the shift from pop music to experimentalism; the importance of melody in the band's work; how the band responds retroactively to its own work; and whether Radiohead are the best British band of the last 30 years. Also: was Kid A about Tim as a kid? How easy is it to write a song in 6/8? Why did Radiohead record Treefingers? How did Peter clap at a Steve Reich concert? And what would the philosopher Hegel have thought of Radiohead?

This week, Tim and Shaun set out their top ten favourite progressive rock albums of 1972. Topics covered include: whether ’72 is peak prog or not, the development of prog rock musicianship and composition over the period, and whether some of these albums can be considered manifestoes for the future of prog. Also, following the prog proms, is it worth doing a prog Eurovision? Should aliens bother visiting earth? Is Wikipedia any good? Who’s the Greek chorus this week? And would anyone like a Quality Street?

This week, Tim tested the hypothesis that the 1972 track Close To The Edge by Yes is the best piece of rock music ever written. Topics covered include: the thematic unity of the piece, the track’s religious narrative, the way in which all the musicians and producers contribute to the writing of the track, and how the overall rhythmic structure of the track works. Also, how does one define the void?  What’s the connection between Rick Wakeman and The Wizard of Oz? What do rivers represent? Which musical key best represents spiritual enlightenment? What’s a “yes creature”? And why do people take car engines apart?

This week, Tim did a monologue on the second Crosby and Nash album, Wind On The Water. Topics covered include: the connection between this album and the unreleased CSNY album Human Highway, the jazz influence on the album, the division of labour between the two writers and the autobiographical nature of the lyrics. Also, are Californians metaphysical? Does flying represent erections? Is Graham Nash obsessed with carrying things? How many songs on the album are about rocks? Are lions good at multitasking? And no prizes for guessing which Wizard of Oz character David Crosby resembles…

This week Tim, Shaun & Peter ranked the Beatles UK studio albums. Topic covered include: which Beatle writes with the most interesting chords, how to construct a Beatles canon, how much Beatles material was contractual, whether the Beatles’ career can be divided into a John phase and a Paul phase, and when they came to terms with the album as form. Also, is David Essex from Essex? On which album is Ringo’s bass drum pedal squeak featured? Which is worse, Help the album or Help the film? Did the Beatles invent goth rock? And which is better, the Shaunometer or the Petergraph? There’s only one way to find out…

This week, Tim did a monologue on the fourth and final studio album by The Move, Message From The Country. Topics covered include: whether this is a concept album or not, the contrast between the chaos of the band’s career and the coherence of the record, whether The Move were one of the greatest groups of the 1960s and the significance of biblical references on the album. Also, are they the only UK band to have been sued by the Prime Minister? Exactly how much Christian eschatology is there on the album? When does a thing stop being a thing? And finally, when the band talk about a message from the country, which country exactly are they talking about?

This week, Peter did a monologue on the third album by Nick Drake, Pink Moon (for Jacob!). Topics covered include: Nick Drake’s biography, which album is Nick Drake’s best, the question of overdubbing, the guitar playing on the album, and the rediscovery of Nick Drake in the 1990s. Also, what’s the holy trinity of failure? Did Nick Drake leave the tapes for the album in the record company reception? What’s the meaning of 11? What happens if a Nick Drake song goes over 4 minutes? And the hardy perennial: is it a concept album?

This week, Tim and Shaun discussed their top ten favourite progressive rock albums from 1971. Topics covered include: the importance of virtuosity in prog, whether album covers are important for an album, the role of improvisation in progressive rock music, whether early minimalism was an influence on prog and the possible relationship between folk music and prog. Also, what was Prog’s Pol Pot year? Did anyone catch the prog-adjacent proms? What’s an eco-ballad when it's at home? How would Tim re-write various Yes tracks? Has Shaun brought his actuarial tables? And the question of the day: “is it prog”?

This week, Tim did a monologue on the compilation Wings Greatest, from 1978. Topics covered include: the significance of concept albums, what musical movements Wings might be said to belong to, whether the track listing is complete and the suite-like and programmatic nature of the compositions. Also, to what genre do Paul and Linda’s haircuts belong? What’s the opposite of lo-fi? How far is it physically possible to get from Allen Klein? Who’s Uncle Ian when he’s at home? And what’s the name of the Director of Man On The Run? If only we knew...

This week, Tim and Shaun discussed their top ten favourite progressive rock albums of 1970. Topics covered include: what prog actually is, how you would decide it one way or the other, what postmodernism is, the eclectic sound of the bands under discussion, and how these albums relate to later works by the same bands. Also, what’s our favourite song about fountains? Can we avoid mentioning the prog proms? What’s the most existentially stark rock track ever written? Who’s the HR rep for Yes? And, crucially, what would Stumpy do?