New Radio Documentary on Prog

^ Thanks for the tip-off, Flight123.

Next week's Radio Times says: Monday Radio 11 May, 10:00pm Prog Rock with Charles Hazlewood 1 of 4. In this first episode he looks at prog rock's 1950s and 60s origins and the significance of drums & percussion. Hazlewood talks to drummer/percussionist Bill Bruford . . . 

There is also an article on p.117 by Stuart Maconie on meeting ELP, in 1992, and discussing the election with Greg Lake.

Bizarrely, someone called Jane Anderson in the Today's Choices article, mentions Hazlewood's show then discusses seeing The Clash at Aylesbury Friars while avoiding the progressive rock bands. 

The first episode was fascinating and I liked the way Charles Hazlewood, himself a conductor, looked at the integration of rock with classical music. Bruford was interesting in describing and contrasting the ways in which Yes and King Crimson worked, although like Chris Squire he seems able to remember the name of every note he ever played. Another strength was in Hazlewood including a number of illustrative extracts, while giving them enough breathing space, including Rick Wakeman's solos in the middle of CTTE.

There were one or two astonishing comments (to my ears at least), including Hazlewood's belief that Yes were not massively complex, and Bruford's comparison between Yes being harmonies and no jazz plus no improvisation, while Crimson were jazz, improvisation and no harmonies. The later was explained by Yes working out tracks through lots of discussion.  I hasten to add that I am paraphrasing by memory.

The first programme is on BBC iplayer, at least in the UK, for about a month: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tkm9m

Extracts include:
Starship Trooper - Yes
A Lover's Concerto - The Toys (1965, based on ?)
Catch a Falling Star - Perry Como (1957, based on Brahms)
Nutrocker by B. Bumble and the Stingers (1962, based on Tchaikovsky)
Boree in E Minor - Jethro Tull
Pictures at an Exhibition - ELP
Several Species of Small Furry Animals - Pink Floyd
The Ancient - Yes
Interview with Bill Bruford
Close to the Edge - Yes
Larks Tongues in Aspic - King Crimson
Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream - King Crimson
Piece No 2 for Chamber Orchestra - Conlon Nancarrow
Stromboli Kicks - Earthworks

^ You've got some interesting playlists of your own there, David. It's good to see Nektar and Golden Earring getting some airplay down under.

Another curious thing I remember Bruford saying, was that he could have been next to be sacked after Banks and Kaye. He had a sense of humour, so he might have been joking - or he might not. 

Charles Hazelwood concentrated on the use of keyboards this week, with the following marvellous examples and an interview with Tony Banks:

Trilogy - ELP
Fools - Deep Purple
Awaken - Rick Wakeman
Supper's Ready - Genesis
Firth of Fifth - Genesis
Blade from Six Pieces for Piano - Tony Banks
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight - Genesis (chosen by Tony Banks)

Banks cited pop music and soul as particular influences, rather than other progressive bands (except The Moody Blues). He described the studio innovations of Pet Sounds as a particular influence. I had to laugh when Banks described other people's versions of his solos on YouTube as being better than his own. He said A Curious Feeling contained some of his best work. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight was chosen by Tony Banks as one of his favourite Genesis tracks, on the basis of the atmosphere created.
   
Genesis constructed tracks from improvisations and nothing written down at all, although they did not improvise on stage. Tony Banks created some of his ideas on guitar.    
   
I am beginning to feel this is one of the best radio shows the BBC have done since the glory days of Alan Freeman, and I am definitely going to track down the Six Pieces album. Next week's guest is John Wetton.    

^ That's interesting - I wasn't aware of the Chapter and Verse book. One of the reviewers on Amazon said he bought a copy at Poundland, so I'll have to keep my eyes open!

I first heard Trilogy on Alan Freeman's Saturday Rock Show in about 1974 and this was the frst time I had heard it on the radio since then, which is over forty years. Alan Freeman deserves a thread of his own. I'll get round to it one of these days. 

'Comedian' Harry Enfield parodied Alan Freeman on some of his shows, but the DJ took it in good grace (as a person who could tolerate fools). According to Wiki, Enfield subsequently praised Alan Freeman in Simon Garfield's book on BBC Radio 1, The Nation's Favourite, by categorising him along with John Peel as, "DJs who loved music as opposed to DJs who loved the sound of their own voices, like Dave Lee Travis".

I suspect Charles Hazelwood also fits the category of 'music lover'.

Thank you for recommending this documentary. I have just listened to the first episode, and I really enjoyed it. The programme conveyed a common understanding of progressive rock as a genre, which I can fully subscribe. I liked the comparisons that are drawn to classical music. And as a Bruford fan I enjoyed how he described his way from Yes to King Crimson and the differences in composing with those bands.

Also thanks to BigEars for the great summaries!

Big Ears wrote: There were one or two astonishing comments (to my ears at least), including Hazlewood's belief that Yes were not massively complex, and Bruford's comparison between Yes being harmonies and no jazz plus no improvisation, while Crimson were jazz, improvisation and no harmonies.

I think that Hazlewood regarding to Yes had 'classical' composers like Bach or Stravinsky in mind, and compared to some pieces of them Yes is indeed not 'massively complex'.
Also I tend to agree with Bruford, that in Yes was no jazz. To my ears the influence of late romanticism (Stravininsky) is much more prevalent in the music of Yes, then the influence of jazz. And about the harmonies, I think he meant vocal harmonies, which were not in important in King Crimson.

I came to the third part, originally broadcast on 25th May, late this week and enjoyed it as always. Charles Hazelwood concentrated on the use of bass this week, with the usual  compelling examples and an interview with John Wetton.

To show the considerable difference in style over a short period
Heart of the Sunrise - Yes 1971 (Chris Squire)
Hot Dog Buddy Buddy - Bill Hailey 1956 (Al Rex)

Dance of the Maya - Mahavishnu Orchestra 1971 (Rick Laird)
Money - Pink Floyd 1973 (Roger Waters)
Atom Heart Mother Suite 1970 - Pink Floyd (Roger Waters)

Starless from Red - King Crimson with Wetton, although the bass riff came from Bill Bruford
Nevermore - UK, first album
Wildest Dream - Asia
My Own Time (I'll Do What I Want) - Asia
Night After Night - UK
Rock of Faith - John Wetton

The interview with John Wetton revealed that he was inspired by church music and piano was his first instrument. He joined a Ventures type group and played guitar, but was not a rock 'n' roll fan until he heard The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Intriguing quote no. 1: "Elvis leaves me cold . . . give me Whiter Shade or Eleanor Rigby and I'm in." Quote 2: "Progressive is moving forward, while pop is repeating."

Wetton wanted to improvise, after the verse, inspired by church organ music. This was the case with Crimson and he implied (or I inferred he was saying) Asia were similar. Hazelwood and Wetton described how Robert Fripp could take a simple song and turn it into a lengthy epic. Quote 3: "I would've liked KC to have gone on for another twenty years."

Wetton has no formula for writing, but enjoys collaboration. Hazelwood sees Asia as influential. Although he did not give his reason(s), he seems to like the combination of fairlight, big chords and harmonies. Wetton certainly welcomed the cross-gender appeal of Asia, contrasted with KC and UK which had a predominantly male following). Heat of the Moment, declared Wetton, seems simple but is complex.
    
From a personal point of view, I found it hard to believe I was hearing UK again on UK radio since Alan Freeman played the first album on its release (nearly forty years ago). Wetton discussed the UK tour, although made no mention of the musicians or any likelihood of returning to the studio.  I also missed the fourth and final part last night. Anyone hear the 1st June episode?   

Link to Part 3 of 25th May on iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vxxmt

I finally listened to the fourth and last episode of Prog Rock with Charles Hazelwood this morning, when I should have been doing other things! He looked at the use of wind instruments and interviewed Ian Anderson. Hazelwood played a Family track; the band being omitted from the previous 'Wetton' episode.

Examples used:
1. A track from the first Family album
2. Janis by Focus feat. Thijs van Leer (Moving Waves)
3. Hocus Pocus by Focus (also from Moving Waves)
4. Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin feat. the recorder (Four Symbols)
5. All the Madness by David Bowie (The Man Who Sold the World)
6. The Musical Box by Genesis (Nursery Cryme)
7. Roland Kirk's Serenade to a Cuckoo played by Jethro Tull
8. Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull, described by Hazelwood as 'through-composed'
9. Living in the Past by Jethro Tull
10. Heavy Horses by Jethro Tull
11. Budapest by Jethro Tull (Crest of a Knave)

Ian Anderson started playing the flute while waiting for the superior guitarist Mick Abrahams to become available. He traded his Fender Stratocaster, previously owned by Lemmy, for a flute he saw hanging on the wall of the music store. He claimed it was a random decision. Told he sounded like Roland Kirk, Anderson explored Serenade to a Cuckoo. Anderson said his experimentation with music, later became known as progressive rock.
 
Weird Anderson quote: "Monty Python were not clever, but were funny." This came from seemingly nowhere, although I would imagine him to be influenced by the Python members, so I think there has been some editing of these interviews and dialogue (there are other inconsistencies). Anderson claimed he had not heard a symphony until 1974, although he enjoyed the grandeur and pomposity. He then explored folk music. Anderson, somewhat disingenuously, considers himself a 'karaoke flute player'.

Anderson implied folk rock was inspired by the American West Coast, so Tull were not 'folk-rock'. He described how an orchestral project with Tull, The Nice, Santana and Zubin Mehta failed due to his lack of technical knowledge. Recently, he has been writing a recitative, for a version of the Tull catalogue, which tells the tale of the eighteenth century agriculturalist. It involves adding new verses to old songs.     

Listening to Hocus Pocus now, it is astonishing to think it was a hit single. Those were the days!

I used to listen to Maconie in the days of steam radio, but when I sought him out on digital radio, he had a show dedicated to a Norwegian avant-garde big band. Perhaps I should give him another chance.

Listened to the first three and am about to listen to the last episode- have found it (personally) moderately enjoyable and Charles Hazelwood takes an informed and passionate view of the genre without being too much of a 'fan'.. i enjoyed the interview with Bill Bruford most and as a 'taster' for people discovering progressive rock form it was a mildly quirky and positive critique without being too serious or arse-licky. I'm glad Family have been mentioned as that was an obvious omission from the JW episode. UK on the radio eh? i remember 'Caesers palace blues' on the Old Grey Whistle test... Mental!!