The publishers of the UK monthly music magazines Q and Mojo are releasing a special edition on Progressive Rock titled "Pink Floyd and the Story of Prog Rock", which will include an in-depth story on Rush with a new interview with Geddy Lee. On newsstands July 14th, the special issue will be available as a Q Classic special edition in the UK and a Mojo Classic special edition overseas (including the US), and can be ordered online at Q or Mojo.

Thanks Tony,

There is a thread on this at the mo somewhere, but its good to know.

Thanks Tony!

I got it yesterday in the mail thanks to Mark... our friendly PA and Mojo staff member.  I understand that in the UK its under Q Classic.. but here in the States it will be published as Mojo Classic.

Check out the credits on page 5:

In the "Special Thanks To" section it cites Progarchives.com !!!

Just picked it up today. It is indeed an excellent publication. Interesting that it's called Pink Floyd (big letters) and the story of prog rock (smaller letters). Presumably an indication of the perceived marketability of PF above other prog bands.

Great features though on many of the prog greats.. plus Radiohead. For those who were around in the early 70's, there doesn't seem to be much we didn't already know, but younger members will learn a lot about the history of prog from it. 

A worthwhile purchase for everyone though.

FYI:

I indicate some of Q's more general treatment of the ususal suspects of prog in the New Prog Rock history book... thread, see http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8191&PN=1&TPN=2 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8191&a mp;PN=1&TPN=2 .

Well spoken.

And as I have documented in the thread mentioned above, Q/Mojo seems at the moment about to rewrite History when inisisting that they have not met any criticisms for their condescending attitude to prog...

I think they finally may have come to understand that music magazines have pissed off thousands of readers in the last decade and are attempting to regain some of the market.

I gave up buying Q and Mojo regularely years ago, the few issues I have bought have made me write angry letters each time

In
reference to Dick Heath's earlier post: these writers haven't
been "hiding for the past 25 years"; they've all been writing
about popular music in its many shapes and forms.

They may have been been writing about the many shapes and forms of music, but as for writing on the subject of progressive rock constructively, and/or pushing the rock magazine editors for copy space, this has not been evident with the majority.  I know Sid Smith and met with him after it was suggested he contact me in his researches, as one of the few who had kept my head above the parapet all this time, played the music on radio and not hidden in the closet. I've written too more often to the former editor of the Times Saturday Arts Supplement, because of their occasional anti-prog  reviews - he replied politely but.... Along with Sid Smith, I can only think of the handful of authors who have researched and written prog biographies and most of those in the last decade, who have kept the faith. Add to that list the likes of  Jon Newie, the present managing director and managing editor of Jazzwise,  who has been known to sneak in prog reviews into his magazine (btw he also did Q Collectibles jazz rock top 10 albums).

When once it was said any pop or rock group surviving more than 18 months,  went in and out of favour through a 7 years cycle, questions have to be asked why the music media has shown no tolerance for the genre since at least Marillion stopped getting hits? Or probably more likely the height of punk in the late 70's and the new generation of rock/pop writers, for instance those encouraged by NME. Q as opposed to Mojo have been guilty - Mojo was originally set up to parallel what the excellent Zig Zag magazine did in the 70's - good researched articles on an eclectic variety of musics.

However, I appreciate what Q/Mojo have produced here - I bought a copy (and in the local WHS). I now don't think they have jumped onto a band wagon, rather opened the door within the mainstream printed musical media, employing more than just a neutral level of enthusiasm for the subject. I've strongly  recommended  that the Prog Special  is a good written guide for any new boys/girls to prog who want something of the history,  putting the old and new into some context, providing details of important bands and the discography.  (BTW inclusion of Soft Machine did it for me - trust you guys at Q/Mojo review Graham Bennett's forthcoming biography of the band - but in passing, how old were the Mike Ratledge quotes??). Besides it doesn't pretend to be as academic as Rocking The Classic or as expensive!

Yes, that's one of the more bizarre prog anecdotes! Bryan Ferry also auditioned to join King Crimson...

There are two possible theories to the Heep/ Elton John thing:

Uriah Heep's first album featured Nigel Olsson on drums, who was later to join Elton John's band- in fact he's still there now; I saw him playing on Elton's live show at Live8.

The other connection is that Heep's singer, David Byron, sang on various cheapo compilations which featured covers of famous hits, as did Elton John. Among the ones I've heard David do are 'He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother' and 'All Right Now', and they came out on many cheapo albums on labels like Beacon and Windmill.

It would be hilarious if Elton ever did sing on a Heep song- imagine him taking on epics like 'July Morning'!

Spot on Salmacis, I don't think there was ever any suggestion of EJ joining Heep, but the link with David Byron through the Avenue records recordings is absolutely right. A couple of names who might have joined Uriah Heep are Paul Rogers (Free) and Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople). Ken Hensley wanted Rogers after Byron left, and at one stage Hunter was offered substantial amounts of cash to join, but turned it down.

On the King Crimson/Elton John thing, "almost joined" is perhaps too strong, but King Crimson's management did contract him as a sesion singer to add vocals to the second album. When the band found out, they instructed their managemnt to cancel the arrnagement.

I think Ian Hunter didn't particularly like Uriah Heep or Ken Hensley's material- he said the songs he'd written in 1977 (for 'Firefly' I reckon) were 'even worse than the songs I already knew'.

David Coverdale also auditioned but Ken Hensley called it 'a horrendous mismatch' and said they'd just sacked one drunk singer (David Byron) and Coverdale walked in with a bottle of alcohol...

Gary Holton, of The Heavy Metal Kids and classic UK TV show 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet' (he played Wayne) was also considered, and I think Jess Roden of long forgotten troupe Bronco was as well.

There is a Deep Purple connection to all this as well- Ritchie Blackmore wanted Paul Rodgers to join DP after Gillan, and even dropped a heavy hint that he wanted Rodgers to join in a mag at the time I think, but he didn't and formed Bad Company. John Lawton also was planning to audition for DP at this time, but the closest he came to any DP work was on the Roger Glover project 'Butterfly Ball' which had most of the '74-5 line up of DP.