Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

This week, Tim discussed the only studio album by the band Refugee, from 1974. Topics covered include: why the album wasn’t rubbish, the virtuosic gifts of Patrick Moraz, whether prog is modernist or post-modernist, how the band measures up to The Nice and ELP, and why they never made a second album. Also, should the band have been called Asylum Seeker? What was Lee Jackson’s ex-wife like? Is music schizophrenic? What would TripAdvisor have made of this album? Did Lee Jackson waste his time in the library? And who chose that cover?

This week, Tim did a ranking of all 24 studio albums by The Kinks. Topics covered include: the role of genre music in the Kinks catalogue, the difference between the American and the British reception of the band, the importance of having a concept for an album, the political correctness issue, the Ray/Dave Davies dialectic and the singles/albums split. Also, how many times do you have to kill Antigone? Is there a connection between Ray Davies and Morrissey? Is Ray Davies serious when he says he hates education? Do soundtracks have to be any good? Is there any universality that isn’t subjective? And is a spectre haunting The Kinks?

This week, Peter and Shaun brought their history of jazz for a rock audience up to date. Topics covered include: the relationship between individual jazz musicians and bands, whether there was a ‘golden era’ of jazz, what the ‘cultural revolution’ of the 60s meant for jazz, whether jazz is essentially an American art form, and do we like modal and free jazz? Also, does anyone remember Les Dawson? Did Frank Zappa try to put his audience off from listening to him? What’s the exact temperature of cool jazz? Can you beat jazz flute? And is something jazz just because Ginger Baker says so? Will anyone mention Miles Davis? And is it pronounced Porgy or Porky?

Link to Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3DBe4plpktVOuKFyV6T9LR?si=eHnSdIR4TEyYzuqiQBVRjg&pi=iw2MwbMnRUWqU

This week, Tim discussed the debut album by Jack Bruce, Songs For A Tailor. Topics covered include: Bruce’s eclectic musical influences, whether this is Jack Bruce’s best album, the story of Jeannie Franklin, the surrealist dimension of the album’s lyrics, the unusual harmonisations on the record and what a follow-up to Cream’s Wheels Of Fire might have sounded like. Also, which song on the album could have been played Metallica? What was Jack Bruce’s favourite local record shop? How do you represent quantum physics in R&B form? Should you tell a Beatle when he’s playing out of tune? Is Imaginary Western a tautology? And how many points do we get for mentioning the Mahavishnu Orchestra?

This week, Peter and Shaun give a potted history of jazz for a rock audience. Topics covered include: how the lads took the path from jazz to rock (and sometimes back), the definition of jazz itself, the influence of the 1920s in the 1960s and the chronology of jazz movements as a whole. Also, is fear the driving force in jazz? Why did jazz happen at all? Who was in Bix Beiderbecke’s gang? Can hamsters play jazz? Who is the John the Baptist of jazz? Which is the rudest pre-war jazz song? What would have happened to Hank Williams if he’d been able to shake his hips? And exactly how many shenanigans are there in jazz? Here's the episode playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3umw0kBfjdFRWGZQu9w08U?si=XKzKN9_hTOKyvJdjvu9FEA&pi=6_ux3V0eSLmYZ