Fun prog facts

OK People, let's have some fun. Enough with the let-band-in symplex, we need to move on. Here's a new game to occupy our salvitating prog minds, a facts about prog string along!!

I go first, then the next person with a strange or wild prog fact. It has to be real, that's the only catch (you hear me Fates? - Greg didn't appear in your bedroom in a puff of smoke, sparkling blouse undone or any of that, ok?...   )

 

OK, and so let's begin!

 

From Gentle Giant, I wondered where Alucard was from - turns out it is dracula spelled backwards!

 

Next!

Dang, he did? Alright then, that was your fact!

Anybody else?

 

Edited by Gaston

Jethro Tull played their first show opening for Pink Floyd.

Edited by Vegetableman

Here's a bunch of fun CAMEL facts...

Album: CAMEL
Dave Williams the producer of the album, urged the band to find a real singer. The idea was finally dropped after the band auditioned a singer who started dancing on stage while the other were gigging through instrumental improvisations.

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Album: MIRAGE
The track "Supertwister" is named after the band SUPERSISTER.

Susan Hoover: "This was a Dutch band CAMEL toured with from time to time. They liked the band and the musician's and had a good time working with them. When searching for a title for the song, they decided to put a "twist" on the name SUPERSISTER and so called it "Supertwister."

In addition, Susan informs that the sound heard at the end of "Supertwister" is that of a beer can being opened by one of the members.

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Album: MUSIC INSPIRED BY THE SNOW GOOSE
Doug Ferguson's duffle coat, mentioned in the credits of the album, was used by Latimer and Ferguson to simulate a flapping of wings (Epitaph, 00:32) by waving it in the air.

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Album: MOONMADNESS
In Aristillus, the opening track, Andy Ward's voice in the background is saying "Aristillus Autolycus." Susan Hoover explains: "The band thought it sounded like 'Aristillus ought to like us' and so Andy repeated it during the song because he was the only one  who could say it over and over again without getting tongue-tied."

Album: MOONMADNESS
Andy Ward blew into a horse pipe for the intro effect on "Lunar Sea." Here's what Andy L. had to say about his drummer, "He was such an inventive drummer...blowing down  a horse pipe  into a bucket of water to create the intro to "Lunar Sea."

Well, that it.

Hope you learned something.

Peace & take care

Vegetableman wrote: Jethro Tull played their first show opening for Pink Floyd.

Queen in one of their earliest professional gigs opened for Yes.

U2 were originally a Yes tribute/covers band in Dublin.

Rumour has it the two lead guitarists of GTR, had once played for major prog bands

Robert Fripp, Steve Hillage and Peter Hammill all played once with the punk band the Stranglers.

Chris Spedding (Nucleus, Sharks, Jack Bruce, Roy Harper Band, Roxy Music), invented the opening riff heard on the first Sex Pistols' single.

Ginger Baker, Tony Williams, Steve Vai, Jonas Hellborg have all played on Johnnie 'Rotten' Lyden record(s).

Chick Corea has played straight rock on a Rick Derringer album.

Derek & The Dominoes made more records than some people think - check out the Apple Jams on George Harrison's All Things Must Passed.

A GOOD FUN THREAD!!, KEEP THE FACTS COMING!!

 

One of the keyboardists that auditioned for the first FLASH line-up was Patrick Moraz... but was rejected by Peter Banks, something that he would soon regret, since the best keyboardist that Flash could afford afterwards - Tony Kaye - agreed to play in the band for just one album as a part-time member. He was more interested in his other band, BADGER, which was more into R'n'B and not that progressive.

Kaye instead of Moraz... that's really a laugh!!

Dick Heath wrote:   U2 were originally a Yes tribute/covers band in Dublin.

Dick, I take it this is a joke!!!! I remember U2 in their pre-Boy days and they barely knew how to hold guitars the right way round, never mind play them and certainly never mind playing Siberian Khatru

Ya the U2 thing is scary. Does anybody have a solid link to that claim?

Journey opened for ELP on their 1977 arena tour, after the orchestra was dropped. This was right before Steve Perry joined and Robert Fleischman was the lead singer, along with keyboardist Gregg Rolie.