garethsprogblog
Referendum
Edinburgh (photo: Wix media) September’s referendum for independence for Scotland energised political debate north of the border and late...
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garethsprogblog
Jul 12, 20147 min read
The instruments of Prog: the Mellotron and the mini-Moog
I’ve been lucky enough to play around on a Mellotron but I didn’t have the foresight to buy the Beast. The instrument was in a music shop...
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garethsprogblog
Jun 26, 20145 min read
The beat goes on
Bill Bruford The idea of the Progblog is to challenge readers with my opinions so I don’t really have to warn you when I’m about to stray...
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garethsprogblog
Apr 17, 20145 min read
Rights of Man
Lewes is a really pleasant place, nestled in the Sussex Downs and only 50 minutes from Croydon. The name Lewes has two possible...
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garethsprogblog
Apr 13, 20145 min read
When did prog emerge?
When did prog emerge? That's one of the great prog questions...
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garethsprogblog
Feb 15, 20145 min read
National Health
I was a bit shocked, though not at all surprised, to hear Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has hired former M&S chief executive Stuart Rose...
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garethsprogblog
Jan 18, 20147 min read
The Lord of the Rings
Towards the end of the golden era of progressive rock, the denigration of the genre took a number of different forms. One of these was...
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garethsprogblog
Dec 22, 20134 min read
Let me bring you prog at Christmas (prog and the Christmas single)
The annual dash for number one at Christmas refers to singles and thus excludes the vast majority of prog. In recent years it’s been the...
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garethsprogblog
Nov 16, 20135 min read
Lean years for prog (part 4)
Lean years for prog? When I moved on from the Transfusion Centre in 1986 to work at Charing Cross Hospital, part of my leaving present...
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garethsprogblog
Oct 5, 20135 min read
Asia is not a four-letter word
Prog was born in an era of possibilities, at a time of cultural and social freedom brought about by some amazing technological...
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garethsprogblog
Sep 28, 20134 min read
Lean years for prog (part 3)
Neo-prog The rise of neo-prog coincided with my time at the Transfusion Centre, which largely passed me by. The absence of column inches...
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garethsprogblog
Sep 20, 20137 min read
Cold fusion
There’s an almost unspoken agreement that jazz-rock fusion comes under the prog umbrella. This relationship, forged in the late 60s and...
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garethsprogblog
Aug 24, 20136 min read
Lean years for prog (part 1)
University challenges I arrived at university with the best hi-fi system in my hall of residence. I’d worked at the steel mill in Barrow...
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garethsprogblog
Aug 24, 20137 min read
Lean years for prog (part 2)
Citizen Smith At the start of the third year Jim and I went to see Barbara Thompson at the Tramshed and, to Jim’s surprise, he knew the...
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garethsprogblog
Aug 16, 20136 min read
Little Red Record
There is an increasing amount of printed information about Rock Progressivo Italiano (RPI.) From the odd line or two in the original...
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garethsprogblog
Jun 29, 20134 min read
Vital
Barrow Civic Hall (subsequently Forum 28, now the Forum) was a concert hall with decent acoustics and the venue for my earliest gig...
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garethsprogblog
Jun 22, 20136 min read
Mountains come out of the sky
School inadvertently fuelled my love for all things prog. Our old fashioned wooden desks had lids so that you could leave your belongings...
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garethsprogblog
Jun 8, 20134 min read
Tripping
In mid-May I was in Dublin to see Steve Hackett and while I was there I indulged in some retail therapy. Tower Records in Wicklow Street...
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garethsprogblog
May 10, 20137 min read
Motivation radio
In the early 70s, radio was a vital medium which began to play an increasingly important role in my interest in prog. Though BBC Radio 3...
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garethsprogblog
Apr 14, 20134 min read
Definitions
Though most readers will have a good understanding of the term ‘progressive rock’ it is inherent in the nature of many prog fans to query...
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