Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

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?

This week, Tim and Peter discussed the third album by Genesis, Nursery Cryme. Topics covered include: how this album stands in relation to the rest of the Genesis canon, the effect of the line-up change, why the album was recorded so quickly, the contrast between the various writing styles in the band, and the surrealist dimension of the album. Also, is it an Edwardian album or a Victorian one? Which of these songs wins the prize for the most key changes? Is there a worse way to be castrated than with a croquet mallet? Is Harold The Barrell Peter Gabriel’s re-writing of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles? Why are British people obsessed by the Russians? And crucially, do Yes have a sense of humour?