Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

This week, Tim discussed a personal favourite: the debut double album by Manassas, called Manassas (featuring Stephen Stills). Topics covered include: the history of break-up albums, the Stills-Hillman nexus, the medleyish nature of the record, the Caribbean influence on the music, the music's economic nature, and the question of albums as therapy. Also, what on earth are the five stages of grief? Why was Stephen Stills so unlucky in love? Why didn’t George Harrison and Eric Clapton have an affair? Should the album have been called Suite: Rita Brown Eyes? How good is Stephen Stills at Spanish? And we may finally reveal who Carly Simon’s ‘You’re So Vain’ was written about. Or not.

This week, Tim, Peter and Shaun discussed their top five favourite double albums of all time. Topics covered include: why there aren’t more great double albums, the importance of packaging on double LPs, the fact that CDs killed the phenomenon of the double album, whether good double albums require a large surplus of material to be available, and which doubles received the greatest public acceptance. Also, what double album would have made a very bad film? What’s the name of the guitarist from U2? Who has the best voice in rock? What line from Hey Jude did Paul McCartney want to change, until John Lennon intervened? Are rock bands, in fact, idiots? And crucially, is Shaun’s handyman at work a neo-fascist?

This week, Tim analysed the second album by 10cc, Sheet Music. Topics covered include: whether the band has trademarks or not, the influence of Caribbean music on the band, the use of satire in the album, the different writing combinations within the group, the complexity of their harmonic and melodic writing and where this album stands in their canon. Also, are 10cc as funny as The Bonzo Dog Band? Which is the most Shakespearean track on the album? Is it a good idea to anthropomorphise a plane? Are there any pop albums that contain more songs about the oil crisis than this one? Can Tim make his way through the album’s complicated chord sequences without embarrassing himself? And who is that at the door?

This week, Tim and Shaun ranked all 13 King Crimson studio albums, from their least favourite to their favourite. Topics covered include: the Bartokian influence on the band; whether the 1980s incarnation of the band should have taken the name King Crimson; whether the band were the precursors of mathrock; which the best line-up of the band is and whether the band should be considered prog or not. Also, what do King Crimson have in common with Cher? How do you pronounce Gamelan? What’s the most Foreigner-like album King Crimson ever made? What was on JG Bennett’s shopping list? What did people do for fun before the internet was invented? And who will be the first to mention Angine de Poitrine?

This week, in celebration of the new documentary 'Burning Ambition', Tim went backwards through the history of Iron Maiden, choosing a paradigm song from each of their albums. Topics covered include: the classical music influence on the band, which album is their best, how the line-up changes in the band have affected their approach, the programmatic aspect of Maiden’s writing, and whether the band can be considered ‘prog-adjacent’. Also, what’s the connection between Iron Maiden and theoretical physics? What’s the most historically inaccurate film ever made? Is Britain a country of hobbyists? What would the philosopher Wittgenstein have thought of Iron Maiden? Can you imagine ELP playing a Maiden track? And why is Bruce Dickinson’s autobiography unreadable?