The Progressive Underground - Progressive Rock Music Forum

kev rowland wrote:

moshkito wrote:

I appreciate the work you have done ... the listing is impressive ... but I don't know that many folks today will care ...

It's true, not many folks do, but there are also others who have found it invaluable. I never expected to sell tens of thousands, even though the amount of work was considerable (especially with all reviews written prior to 1998 as they had to retyped from the original hard copies) - for me it was always about shining a light into the dark places. I still writes hundreds of thousands of words each year reviewing music (not just prog), have been doing it for 35 years and can't see myself stopping any time soon.

Thanks for the kind words

Kev

Hi,

Welcome. Good work needs to be enjoyed and hopefully appreciated.

I have been doing Foreign Film Reviews for over 25 years, and they are all online, with one serious issue these days ... the major folks these days do not show foreign films and try hard to make sure you see their own releases 123 times before showing you a Godard film! And then the same thing for a Fellini film! Etc

While there are many great things about the commercial age, things are available, of all kinds, in the end, the history that it was then, and had created, was scary and left behind ... just like my neighbor thinking that "Ohio" is a stupid song ... and I lived through the NG and the ROTC in Madison frisking everyone trying to enter the Rathskeller, where I worked! You ought to have seen the frisking abuses on women ... downright embarrassing! And no one believes it because a podcast or some nobody said anything about it.

Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com

kev rowland wrote:

...

but even the famous bands included within sell very little compared to the Seventies, so while not underground as such, they certainly are not the chart sensations they once were.

Kev

Hi,

I think this is not true anymore ... a lot of bands, the older ones specially, have gotten a lot more exposure and sales since then than ever ... why? Easy ... there was not as much about them then, as there is now ... just about any band, and anything, you can get now, and this was not true in 1995 or before, the Internet came on full force, which I would suggest was past the year 2000.

I was around the Fido threads on "progressive" and "art" music, and many of the known bands were getting some appreciation that the regular media of the 1970's and 1980's would not show much of, and on occasion would have a review that is just ... insane ... like some one considering TD washing machine music which really specifies that this particular person that wrote that, had never heard a washing machine at all !!!!

Since then, it is really hard to believe that many of these bands are not selling more than they ever did ... because now they have the representation that they could not get THEN and the ability to get the product to the stores for sale.

We were, into the 80's and STILL doing imports, because so much of the stuff we love was not being released as yet, but in time it began showing up, but again, the distribution of the product was difficult as WEA owned most of the distribution in America and parts of Europe. And they did not like/represent independents at all ... and you could not get a Peter Hammill or Van der Graaf other than an import for the most part, into the mid 80's ... some of the stuff was released, but its distribution was very limited.

I appreciate the work you have done ... the listing is impressive ... but I don't know that many folks today will care ... the sad fact remains that the "history" is ignored by many fans these days, and all the old stuff is looked at as failed hits, instead of the music they were and how they appeared, and the effect of FM Radio in America, which is the main reason why "progressive" developed ... along with (later) many folks like yourself and others.

Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com

Sorry, I missed the point of this book.

Most groups belong to Underground but there are also the bands which are generally famous and popular.

I don't understand why people connect popular rock bands and let's say extreme metal bands only because there is the word "progressive".

I think that the word "progressive" is confusing and mustn't be misused by people who listen to e.g. Pink Floyd and Blut aus Nord.

These two bands are totally opposing each other.

I am pleased to be able to announce that all three volumes of the trilogy containing all my progressive rock reviews and interviews from 1991-2006 are now available. This is the most comprehensive look at the scene ever published, containing reviews which were written at the time by someone close to the scene, instead of looking back into it from the present day. With approximately half a million words and nearly 1000 pages over the three volumes, it is no wonder that Record Collector said, “A book that will be quickly referred to as “a bible””.

Volume 1

Foreword by Stu Nicholson, comments on rear cover by Greg Spawton and Clive Nolan.

Album reviews of:

A.C.T., Abarax, Abbfinoosty, Abel Ganz, Abiogenesi, Acid Mother Gong, Adachi Kyodai, Addison Project, AD Infinitum, Advent, Aelian, Aesculus Hipp, After, After Crying, After The Fall, After@All, Afterglow, Agarta, Ageness, Agent Cooper, Ajalon, Jan Akkerman, Alaska, Albion, Al-Bird, Alias Eye, Alien On My Mind, Alientar, Alkemy, Daevid Allen, Daevid Allen & Russell Hibbs, Amarok, The Amber Light, Ambervoid, Amorphis, Anabis, Anathema, Andeavour, Robert Andrews, Anekdoten, Animator, Annalist, Anyone's Daughter, Arachnes, Aragon, Archetype, Ardency, Areknames, Arena, Ark, Arkus, Artension, ARZ, Asgard, Ashada, Asia, Astralasia, Ataraxia, Aton's , A Triggering Myth, Atria, Attica, At War With Self, Ausia, Axiom, Kevin Ayres, Ayreon, Marvin Ayres, Mayvin Ayres + Peter Gomes, Azazello, Max Bacon, Vladimir Badirov, Frank Balestracci, Band of Rain, Peter Banks, Barclay James Harvest Featuring Les Holroyd, Barrock, Colin Bass, Adrian Belew, Believe, Robert Berry, Beyond The Labyrnith, Big Big Train, Black Bonzo, Black Bonzo, Blackfield, Black Jester, The Black Noodle Project, Tim Blake, Blow Up Hollywood, Blurt, Blyndsyde, Tomas Bodin, Jean Pascal Boffo, Bolt, The Bond, Andrew Booker, Christian Boule, Tim Bowness, Brassé, Brighteye Brison, Broadcast, Brother Ape, Budderfly, Tim Burness, Maryen Cairns, Cairo, California Guitar Trio, Laurent Calomne, Robert Calvert, Carpathia Project, The Carpet Knights, Carptree, Cashmere, Casino, Cast, Castarnac, Casual Affair, Marc Catley & Geoff Mann, Catweazle, Centrozoon, Cerebus Effect, Chain, Dennis Chambers, Jeff Berlin, David Fiuczynski, T. Lavitz, Chandelier, Chaos Code, Cherno, Chroma Kay, Circus, Cirkus, Citizen Cain, Citriniti, Cleopatra's Needle, Cliffhanger, Climate of Earth, Cloudscape, The Coenobite, Collage, Colorstar, Colosseum, Colt, Coltsfoot, Concerto Moon, Conqueror, Conspiracy, Court, The Covenant, Craft, Credo, Cross, David Cross, Cross 'n' Crazy, Cryptic Vision, Crystal Maze, Crystal Phoenix, Vedres Csaba, Curious Works, Curved Air, Cyan, Istvan Cziglan, D Sound, Daimonji, Damien Steele, Martin Darvill and Friends, Darwin's Radio, Darxtar, Alan Davey, Simon Davies, Dawnlights, Day Shift, Dead Soul Tribe, Death Organ, Degree Absolute, Deimos, Delta Cyphei Project, Deluc, Der Spyra, Deyss, DFA, DGM, Dialog, Different Trains, Difficil Equilibrio, Digital Ruin, Dilemma, Discipline, Djamra, Julius Dobos, Rudi Dobson, Tim Donahoe, Troy Donockley & Dave Bainbridge, Geoffrey Downes, Drahk Von Trip, Drama, Dreadnaught, Dream Aria, Dream Machine, The Dreaming, Drifting Sun, Sergey Dudin, Dulcimer, Dynamic Lights, Dyonisos, Earthling Society, Earthstone, East Wind Pot, Eat Static, Eccentric Orbit, Echolyn, Eden Burning, Edera, Edhels, Egdon Heath, Eldritch, Electric Outlet, Elegant Simplicity, Emerald, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Keith Emerson & The Nice, E Motive, Empty Tremor, Alan Emslie, Enchant, The Enid, Roger Eno, Ensemble Nimbus, Epidermis, Epilogue, Roberto Erdesz, Er Malak, Michael Ernst, Eskaton, Evenfall, Event, Evergrey, Everon, Evolution, Exhibit A, Existence, Eyestrings, Ezra, F.H.C., Faith, Fancyfluid, Fantasmagoria, Fantasyy Factoryy, Farmakon, The Fellowship, Mike Figgis, Final Conflict, Finisterre, Finnegan’s Wake, Finneus Gauge, First Band From Outer Space, Fish, Fitzpatrick, David Fiuczynski, Flamborough Head, Flat 122, Flight 09, The Flower Kings, Fluxury, Focus, Fonya, For Absent Friends, Forest Stream, Forgotten Suns, Jack Foster III, Frágil, Framauro, Frameshift, Framework, Free Love, Freewill, Sally French, Frog, Frogflavor, Frogg Café, Peter Frohmader, Frost*, Fruitcake, Fugato Orchestra, The Future Kings Of England , The Fyreworks, The Gak Omek, Galahad, Galahad Acoustic Quintet, Galleon, Gandalf, Garden Wall , Julian Garner, Jerry Gaskill, TheGathering, Gecko’s Tear, Peter Gee, Gentle Giant, George Velvet, Gerard, Jim Gilmour, Ghosts Of Dawn, Gordon Giltrap, Glass, Glass Hammer, Gong, Good Authority, Tadachi Goto, Grace, Grand Stand, Grass, Gratto, Greenslade, Grendel, Grey Lady Down, The Guardian’s Office, Yngve Guddal And Roger Matte, The Guitar Orchestra, Trey Gunn, Steve Hackett, Hamadryad, Happy The Man, Gordon Haskell, Annie Haslam, Hatfield And The North, Hauteville, Hawkwind, Haze, Head Pop Up, Hecenia, Henry Fool, Heon, Steve Hillage, Steve Hillman, Tracy Hitchings, Roger Hodgson, Holy Lamb, House Of Spirits, House/Goodway, Steve Howe, Höyry-Kone , Gary Husband.

Volume 2

Foreword by Mark Colton, comments on rear cover by Nick Barrett and Martin Orford.

Album reviews of:

Icon, Igzit-Nine, Ilúvatar, Iluzjon, Imagin'Aria, Incandescent Sky, Ines Project, The Inhabitants of Yip, Inkább Holnap, Interpose +, Into Eternity, Iona, IQ, The Ire, Iron Clowns, Ivanhoe, Ivory Tower, Daniel J, Jadis, Jaén Kief, Janison Edge, The Jelly Jam, Jeremy, Jeremy + Progressor, Guillermo Cazenave, Guill & Jem, Jeronimo Road, Steve Joliffe, Jones, Evans & Turner, Nigel Mazlyn Jones, Jump , Kada, Marius Kahan, Kaipa, Kalo, Kambium, Kamelot, Kampec Delores, Kansas, Kara, Karcius, Karda Estra, Karfagen, Kava Kava, KBB, Kenziner, King Bathmat, King's X, Kino, Kitaro, Knitting By Twilight, Nelko Kolarov, Kooch, Kopecky, Alexander Kostarev Group, Krel, Sonja Kristina, K², James Labrie, Landberk, Landmarq, Lands End, Lana Lane, Lanfear, Lanvall, Last Tribe, Last Turion, Last Warning, Legend, Leger De Main, Lemur Voice, The Lens, Lest, Light, The Light, Lightspeed, Like Wendy, Par Lindh Project, Liquid Scarlet, Little Atlas, Little Tragedies, Lives and Times, Kerry Livgren, Lizard, Huw Lloyd Langton, Llyn Y Morynion, Loermel, Bertrand Loreau, Lorien, Lost World, Lucas, White & Edsey, Lunar Chateau, LU7, Bjørn Lynne , Madrigal, Maestoso, Magellan, Magenta, Magic Moments At Twilight Time, Magic Pie, Magnesis, Magnitude 9, Nick Magnus, Magus, Martin Maheux, Malombra, Mangala Vallis, Manitou, Geoff Mann, Manning, Man On Fire, Marillion, Mk II, Masque, Mastermind, Matter of Taste, McGill, Manring, Stevens, Medicine Man, Melbourne, Men of Lake, Mentaur, Merchants Vice, Mercy Train, Mermaid Kiss, Metagaia, Metamorphosis, Mico, Millenium, Mindflowers, Ming Fighters, Minimum Vital, Minoke?, Miosótis, Mirage, Mr. Gil, Mr. So & So, Mist Season, Mizukagami, Molca, Francis Monkman, Montefeltro, Moon Safari, Moria Falls, Neal Morse, Tim Morse, Morsof, Moscow Riley, Mostly Autumn, Musical Witchcraft, Music Station, My Empty Room, Myster Kah, Mystery, Mythologic, Naikaku, NDV, Necrost, Negative Zone, Nemo, Nepenthe, Neronia, The New Grove Project, New Sun, Niadem's Ghost, Nice Beaver, Nil, Noekk, The Noisy Room, Clive Nolan & Oliver Wakeman, no-man, No Name, Noom, Erik Norlander, Nosound, Novact, November, Now, Gary Numan, Nûs, Nyl, October Equus, Odyssice, Office of Strategic Influence, Ryo Okumoto, Olyam, Øresund Space Collective, Martin Orford, Orplid, Cliff Orsi, Murat Öztürk Trio, Out of Abbfinoosty, Ozone Quartet, Ozric Tentacles, Paatos, Pain of Salvation, Paley's Watch, Pallas, Carl Palmer, Pangaea, Peter Panka's Jane, Panopticum, Paradogs, Parallel or 90 Degrees, Matthew Parmenter, Rog Patterson, Henning Pauly, Payne's Gray, Pendragon, Alain Pernot, Persephone's Dream, Persona Non Grata, Peter Room, Phideaux, Gary Pickford Hopkins, Pictorial Wand, Pineapple Thief, Michael Pinnella, Planet X, Platypus, Podsdarapomuk, Bill Pohl, Poisoned Electrick Head, Jon Poole, Poor Genetic Material, Popol Vuh, Porcupine Tree, Poverty's No Crime, Present, Mark Price, Prime Mover, Primitive Instinct, PRKLZ, Product, Project Creation, Prong, Proto-Kaw, Psyambience, PTS, Pulse Engine, Puppet Show, Pursuit, Qango, Qoph, Quarkspace, Quasar, Queensrÿche , Quest, The Quest, Quidam, Quikion, Radiomöbel , Rakoth, Ravana, Ray, Razor Wire Shrine, Red Jasper, Regenesis, Relayer, Renaissance, Retroheads, Revelation, Revolver, RH Factor, Ricochet, Ring of Fire, Ring of Myth, Ritual, Riverside, Rocket Scientists, Kurt Rongey, Rook, Root, Round House, Rousseau, RPWL, RSC, Runaway Totem, Sad Minstrel, Saens, Saga, Salem Hill, Sandstone, Satellite, Lee Saunders, Scenes, Schloss Adler, Don Schiff, Secret Saucer, Il Segno Del Comando, Senses, Sensitive To Light, Seraphique, 7 Months, Shadow Gallery, Shadow Keep, Shadowland, Derek Sherinian, Shingetsu, Michael Shipway, Shizuka, Show-Yen, Shub-Niggurath, Side Steps, Sieges Even, Silent Edge, Silver Lining, Richard Sinclair, Sinister Street, Sinkadus, Sixnorth, Jósef Skrzek, Skyron Orchestra, The Skys, Skywalkers, Sleeping Giant, Sleepy People, Gilli Smyth, Doug Snyder & Bob Thompson, Solar, Solaris, Solstice, Solstice Coil, Sonic Music, Sonic Pulsar, Sonus Umbra, Space Avenue, Spaced Out, Spacehead, Space Mirrors, Space Nelson, Space Ritual.net, Special Experiment, Specimen 37, Spektrum, Sphere, Sphere of Souls, Spock's Beard, Starless, Star One, Steelwind, Simon Steensland, Stereoscope, Roine Stolt, Strangebrew, Strangefish, Strangers On A Train, Stream of Passion, The String Cheese Incident, ST37, Subaudition, Subspace Radio, Summer Indoors, Sunseth Sphere, Svann, Sylvan, Symphony X, Syzygy, Witsend.

Volume 3

Foreword by Artur Chachlowski and Steve Paine, comments on rear cover by Gary Chandler and John Dexter Jones.

Album reviews
t, Tale, Talisma, Tangerine Dream, Tea For The Wicked, Tempest, Tercia, Thessera, Thieves’ Kitchen, David Thomas & Ronnie Gunn, Steve Thorne, Threshold, Tiemko, Tiles, Timeline, Timelock, Timothy Pure, Tin Scribble, Ádám Török & Mini, Top Left Corner, Touchstone, Devin Townsend, Tr3nity, Tractor, Tranceport, Transatlantic, Transience, Trans-Siberian Orchestra , Treebeard, Trespass, Trion, Trio96, Tripod, Tristan Park, Akihisa Tsuboy, Natsuki Kido Duo, Tsuki no Umi, Tsunami, La Tulipe Noire, Twelfth Night, U I Blue, Ultime Atome, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Unbroken Spirit, The Underground Railroad, Upright, Van & Borner, Vanden Plas, Vanishing Point, Janos Varga Project, Csaba Vedres, Vertical Alignment, Vietgrove, Violent Silence, Violet District, Visible Wind, Vision, Volare, Von Daniken, Voyager, Vulgar Unicorn, Adam Wakeman, Oliver Wakeman, Rick Wakeman, Rick & Adam Wakeman, Walking On Ice, Walrus, Wappa Gappa, Paul Ward, Wastefall, The Watch, Waterclime, John Wetton, Whistler’s Mother, White Door, White Willow, Alan Whittaker, Wicked Minds, Harry Williamson, Willowglass, Damian Wilson, Ray Wilson, Wingdom, Wings Of Steel, Winter, Without Face, Without Warning, Withoutending, Woolly Wolstenholme, World Turtle, Wyxmer, Xaal, Xinema, You And I, Ywis, Dweezil Zappa, Zaragon, Zazen, Zen Orchestra, Zenit, Ziff, Zone Six

Smaller reviews
5:01 AM, Abraxas, After Crying, Airborne, Ancient Curse, Blue Shift, Brian Hirsch, Court, Crucible, Deluc, Die A Tribe, Evidence, Fig Leaf, Fruitcake, Geoffrey Downes, Ghosts Of Dawn, In The Labyrinth, Indeed, Ines, Iris, Ivanhoe, J.R.S., Jeremy, John Wetton, Lands End, Lanvall, Magus, Maryson, Mystery De Notre Dame, New Sun, Quasar Lux Symphoniae, Quidam, Rachel’s Birthday, Sigmund Snopek, Silent Lucidity, Simon Says, Smokin’ Granny, Solaris, Tea In The Sahara, The Moor, The Wishing Tree, Tristan Park, Truth In Advertisement, Zello

DVD/Videos
Jan Akkerman, Asia, Chain, Roger Chapman, Colosseum, Discipline, Dream Machine, ELP, Genesis, Glass Hammer, Icon, IQ, Jadis, Landmarq, Lana Lane, Legend, Magenta, Geoff Mann, Neal Morse, Mostly Autumn, Nektar, Erik Norlander, Pain Of Salvation, Pendragon, Plackband, Quikion + Lithuma Qnombus, Saga, Sanity, Shadowland, Spaced Out, Spock’s Beard, Threshold, Tractor, Twelfth Night, Uriah Heep, Rick Wakeman, Yes

Interviews (some multiple times)
Nick Barrett, Brian Devoil, Stu Nicholson, Clive Nolan, Geoff Mann Tribute, Tracy Hitchings, Rog Patterson, Steve Paine, John Dexter Jones, Clive Nolan/Mick Pointer, Fish, Clive Nolan/Ian Salmon, Steve Howe, Neal Morse/ Nick D'Virgilio, Alan Morse, Karl Groom, Kerry Livgren, Martin Orford, Woolly Wolstenholme, Peter Nicholls, Neal Morse , Nick D'Virgilio, Gary Chandler, Manfred Mann, Henning Pauly, Mark Colton, Empathy, Richard Sinclair, Guy Manning, Adam Wakeman, After Crying, Solstice Coil, Jeremy Morris, Richard Wileman, Mangala Valis

Gigs
Aerie Faerie Nonsense, Ars Nova, Asgard, Big Big Train, California Guitar Trio, Casual Affair, Credo, Damian Wilson, Different Trains, Enchant, Freewill, Galahad, Grace, Grey Lady Down, IQ, Jadis, Jump, Landmarq, Legend, Llyn Y Morynion, Mastermind, Mentaur, Mr. So & So, Neal Morse, Power Quest, Revelation, Rick Wakeman, Saga, Shadowland, Sphere, Spock’s Beard, Steve Hackett, The Flower Kings, The Morrigan, Threshold, Tracy Hitchings , Vietgrove, Winter, World Turtle

Artwork for all 3 by Martin Springett, published by Gonzo Multimedia, link to Amazon.com in my signature (to get to my author page on any other Amazon site just edit the .Com to .co.uk, .de, .jp etc) 

All five volumes of The Progressive Underground now available
https://www.amazon.com/Kev-Rowland/e/B07RJVRB2X