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There has been a resurgence of interest in prog in the millennium. Alan Jones chronicles some of the artists and bands who continue to fly the flag for the genre. Warning: Steven Wilson looms large …
Back in the day, and the day was the late ’60s / early ’70s, progressive rock both emerged and evolved from the psychedelic tripperama of the mid-1960′s.
With a few exceptions it was an almost exclusively British phenomenon, in the vanguard of which were the likes of King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and Camel.
Backed by a few record labels willing to take a punt (the likes of Vertigo, Harvest, Deram and Island/Chrysalis) these innovative bands with their weird time signatures and experimental song structures aligned to exceptional musicianship attracted large audiences eager to listen to real music – and repaid the labels’ faith in spades.
Of course, it only lasted until it was blown away in 1977 by the advent of punk rock – by which time much of progressive rock had sadly become bloated with its own self-importance and less relevant to all but the diehard proggers.
But some survived and even prospered once punk’s snot-rock revolution subsided into the blandness of the New Romantic ’80s.
Fast forward to 2003 and the birth of Get Ready to ROCK!
A lot of the bands are still around, but mostly living on past glories and touring “Greatest Hits” packages.
Nothing wrong with that, we all love a bit of nostalgia, but it opened up opportunities for new bands to make their own mark on the genre.
What was different this time round was the fact that so many of the newbies came from the four corners of the world and especially the ‘New Europe’.
Although great new British prog bands emerged – the likes of Anathema (pictured), The Pineapple Thief, IQ, Panic Room, Big Big Train and Porcupine Tree – there came a phalanx of top-notch bands from Europe - RPWL and Sylvan from Germany, Airbag and Dim Gray (Norway), Katatonia and The Flower Kings (Sweden) and even Russia gave up Iamthemorning.
Further afield, top bands were popping up everywhere – from Chile (Aisles), India (Coshish), Lebanon (Dreaming Madmen) and Canada (the superb Mystery).
Pre-eminent in this influx however, are Polish band Riverside (pictured), whose debut album ‘Out Of Myself’ more or less coincided with the birth of GRTR!
It was obvious from the twelve minute opener ‘The Same River’ that here was a truly progressive band that was going to challenge the Brits’ iron grip on the genre.
And so it proved, with a series of top class albums that mixed metal with melancholia to stunning effect.
I thought they had reached their zenith on 2015′s ‘Love, Fear And The Time Machine’ and was as devastated as anybody when lead guitarist Piotr Grudzinski died suddenly at 41, a few months after touring the album.
Everybody thought that would be that, but the band picked themselves up a couple of years later to produce the glorious ‘Wasteland’ – a sublime progressive rock tour de force and a worthy tribute to Grudzinski.
But the Brits weren’t done yet…
Marillion (pictured), despite forming in the death throes of punk, have continued to release albums of breathtaking quality and relevance – ‘Marbles’, ‘Somewhere Else’ and ‘Happiness Is The Road’ are all up there and more recent albums continue the success – ‘Sounds That Can’t Be Made’ (if you skip the hectoring opening track ‘Gaza’) is excellent as is ‘F.E.A.R.’ from 2016.
Much of this has been achieved with their innovative model of crowd-funding, which has freed them artistically from record company straitjackets.
There are two names, however, that almost define progressive rock in the 2000′s – ex-Genesis fretmeister Steve Hackett (pictured) and musical maven Steven Wilson.
Following his somewhat acrimonious breakup with Genesis, Hackett embarked on a stellar, if somewhat under the radar, solo career with a clutch of exceptional albums in the ’70s – ‘Voyage Of The Acolyte’, ‘Please Don’t Touch’ and ‘Spectral Mornings’ should be in any fan of the genre’s collection.
Despite a rather fallow period in the ’80s and ’90s, he returned with a bang in 2003 with ‘To Watch The Storms’ and has continued into the 21st Century releasing albums of majestic quality, the finest being ‘The Night Siren’, ‘At The Edge Of Light’ and 2022′s masterstroke ‘Surrender Of Silence’.
Parallel to his album releases, he has also assumed the mantle of ‘Keeper Of The Flame’ with frequent touring of the Genesis back catalogue. These gigs have given Hackett an almost Messianic persona amongst the Genesis cognoscenti, and deservedly so – the gigs (and I’ve seen a few) are just sensational. Long may they continue.
And so, finally, to Steven Wilson – surely the most significant figure in progressive rock in the 21st century.
From his formative years as the main man in Porcupine Tree, through Blackfield, No-Man, Storm Corrosion and a burgeoning solo career, Wilson has proved himself to be the leading light in both innovative musicianship and songwriting which, aligned with his acerbic world-view, puts him ahead of the curve among his contemporaries.
Often over-hyped to the max by a fawning media, Wilson himself prefers to keep a low profile and let his music take centre stage.
Must-have albums from GRTR!’s lifetime include Porcupine Tree’s ‘In Absentia’, ‘Fear Of A Blank Planet’ and 2022′s renaissance ‘Closure/Continuation’, whilst solo essentials include ‘Grace For Drowning’, ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing’, ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase.’, ‘To The Bone’ and the sublime live effort ‘Home Invasion’ – plus any of the six Blackfield albums. Oh, and ‘Storm Corrosion’ with fellow musical genius Mikael Åkerfeldt.
In addition to all this (as if it weren’t enough) he has become the go-to man for any band requiring a decent re-master and has done stunning work on albums by Jethro Tull, King Crimson and even Black Sabbath – he just gets that little extra out of original masters that no-one else seems to manage.
When the complete story of progressive rock is finally written, Steven Wilson will loom large in the pantheon of greats – and deservedly so.
And as for prog to come, it certainly is in rude health at the moment – given there’s a whole plethora of great bands that I haven’t even mentioned – and with the whole world now getting involved, a bright future looks nailed on.
Here’s hoping…
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Album highlights: We start our trek through twenty years of prog with an appropriate nod to the golden age of the genre. In 2003 Andy Tillison (The Tangent) co-opted Flower Kings’ Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold and Zoltan Csorsz, and Van Der Graaf’s Dave Jackson. As we wrote: “The only thing missing from this package is a greatcoat and flared trousers…” The selection runs the full gamut of millennium prog rallying with Norwegian melancholia merchants Dim Gray who seem perfectly attuned to the post-Covid age. 2002 PORCUPINE TREE In Absentia Get Ready to ROCK! Radio has dedicated sequences for prog. Mondays 19:00-22:00 GMT and Saturdays 13:00-18:00 GMT. Alan Jones sequences ‘The Eclectic Mix’ on the first Sunday of the month (18:00 GMT). Expect some prog! |
More to explore:
The Primer
Still Rocking by David Randall
Eclectic by Jason Ritchie
Melodic Rock by Andy Nathan
Singer Songwriter by Pete Whalley
Metal by Brian McGowan
Blues/Blues Rock by Pete Feenstra
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Latest session: Sunday 14 April
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 14 April 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 9 April 2024.
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Power Plays w/c 29 April 2024
BRIGITTE PURDY Sugar Fried Candy (Dirtshack Records)
ATTIC THEORY The Legacy (indie)
THE HOWLERS I Need Your Love (indie)
VELVETEEN QUEEN Bad Reputation (indie)
WILLS AND THE WILLING Scuffed Knees (Smash & Grab Music Ltd)
READY THE PRINCE Still Believe (indie)
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09:00-12:00 PRAYING MANTIS Defiance (Frontiers)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023
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