Pundits

Do you mean there are also lots of other concept albums? And I thought we were doing something new with my band.   We were supposed to release the first conceptalbum ever. Now some bloody rapartist has stolen our thunder.

Btw. There seem to be hundreds of conceptalbums around. Recently someone posted a link to the progrock encyclopedia on the DT forrum about this topic and it showed every concept album made. Except ours of course which is soon to be released.

Edited by Aquarius

Quote:

The BBC has a 'devil' in their mist.The same one who allowed ELP to be sl*gged off in that BBC3 programme about prog rock. I truly resent paying a licence fee to these clowns.

But at least that BBC 4's (surely) documentary, at last attempted to give a more balance case, unlike anything for 30 years - for instance, check out  the p*ss-taking Channel 4's "Prog Rock Top Twenty" or the John Peel narrated "Rock Family Trees" prog special on BBC 1 which omitted Krimson? And there a hypocracy is exposed: Peel narrated the Rock Family Trees show but when interviewed on the most recent  BBC 4 documentary, states several times "I always thought prog was bo**o**s". Is that senility, or having lived through the 60's had forgotten it, or what? For 7 years he searched out and played the music - he  advertised for the Nice (CD1 on Castle Records "Here Come The Nice" compilation), and this the man who said he would never advertise anything unless he used the product himself. (However, somebody suggested to me that Peel was bitter that Emerson folded the Nice, and so wouldn't accept ELP???!!!). One big problem with those documentaries on British TV, is that the same pundits are dragged out to repeat their halfpenny's worth every time - how often do you get Stuart McConnie nowadays as the positive talkinghead?

Sometimes I feel that ELP asked to be sl*gged off for going over the top  - how many tons of gear shift did they shift around the USA, to a point of insolvency? There are stories of Greg  Lake  firing a roadie for not vacuuming his personal Persian carpet before a show - I can almost believe that is true.  But remember, Yes and ELP were the only prog representatives in long list of established rock and pop acts called "dinosaurs" by British punks - but alas these modern day pundits forget this fact when attacking prog. In some respects you can understand why younger people who wanted to play rock, had problems relating to the excesses in the mid 70's. Members of Clash (on another BBC 4 documentary) said at the time they asked themselves how could they relate to Yes, when they lived in high rise tower blocks, and there were strikes and power cuts, and the record industry didn't want to know about the anger many of them felt, especially having that on record. In the meanwhile the dinosaurs were safe with recording contracts, while oblivious of the social problems and changes going on. And rock/pop was due for some changes having reached the end of a 7 year cycle. But what has not been acceptable for over 30 years, is to have the UK media persistently putting the whole of the prog movement down - this has been  a form of fascism in the music industry. 

I found a cheap DVD of Bill Bailey and the music he plays there suggests he could have been a prog man. The BBC4 prog documentary was superficial, and I learnt nothing other than about the people spouting the words. Therefore I would agree largely tosh - but occasionally the premise "all news is good news" can work. Two record shop dealers in my home town (a university town) told me on the Saturday after the Channel 4 show, they had the best sales figures for prog albums in many a year. For instance, the music critic of the student union magazine, was buying copies of albums by each of the artists included (I was speaking to him when  he coincidently bought my copy of "Red", I had sold into a 2nd hand shop several weeks before), at least that 19 year old hadn't been influenced by the mainstream pundits.

However, John Peel, one of those guys I listened to regularly from the late 60s to the mid 70's for his discerning tastes (for instance that man played large chunks of Chicago Transit Authority album  in the 4 weeks leading up to its release in the UK), most certainly had shifted his opinion. I have  no problem if anybody goes off some music in time , but to state he always thought prog was "bo**o**s" doesn't ring true.