What are you listening to now? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

TGM: Orb wrote:

Trilogy - ELP quite a lot. Headbanging of an embarrassing order to Abaddon's Bolero...

me:

Listen Now

If you young progholes don't know this terrific 1977 album, you bloody well should -- it's a classic! So well produced! So deep, so layered, so intelligent -- so freakin' COOL!

Bassist Bill MacCormick writes:

"801 was a good outlet for songs that Phil and I had got together. By this time he’d bought Manzanera Towers as we called it, a huge house over in Chertsey. We just used to go over there and spend days working on various new ideas.

Listen Now came out of a lot of half finished things that Phil had, which Ian and I took away to write lyrics and melody lines and generally knock into shape. It took a long time to record, December 75 through to July 77, and featured a cast of thousands including Simon Ainley on all lead vocals, Simon Phillips, Dave Mattacks, Mel Collins, Eno, Francis Monkman and Eddie Jobson."

"Around this time I also had a brief foray into journalism. I did a few things for the NME, the first one about football hooliganism, then an interview with Julie Christie about her anti nuclear stance, and finally a look at the unwelcome rise of the National Front . The latter piece caused a few problems as I ended up receiving a death threat and subsequently had Special Branch crawling all over the place. These sort of issues were reflected in the lyrics on Listen Now, it was an unpleasant and threatening time in this country, it seemed like we were moving towards a totalitarian state.

^ Yes, the lyrics are very dark, very political, and anti "big brother," overall. A powerful, intelligent, thought-provoking album!

Read more on great related albums with MacCormick & Manzanera, Robert Wyatt, etc, here:

BillMacCormickInterview

Edited by Peter - November 09 2008 at 00:45

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.

Cooperativa Del Latte

Edited by tszirmay - November 09 2008 at 01:00

I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.

Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson

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Colt - Admin Team MMA

http://www.last.fm/user/colt2112

Colt - Admin Team MMA

3 7 for 4 records in a row.

King By-Tor wrote:

^^^ How does that one stack up to "Rising"? I've considered getting it
a few times but never have. Oh, "Long Live Rock and Roll" is another
one I like

It's the one and only album I truly enjoy by Rainbow, just like Antoine.
But as Antoine said, Rising is quite more ambitious and "experimental", proggy, whatever. While Rainbow's debut has more classic hard rock tunes, simple but great, a mix of the Blackmore oriented songs from Burn and Stormbringer and a new feel that will be later developed on Rising.
Snake Charmer

http://www.last.fm/user/colt2112

Colt - Admin Team MMA