Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

Fairport Convention - Liege And Lief: Review

This week, Shaun and Tim did a review of the folk-rock classic, the fourth album by Fairport Convention, Liege And Lief. The discussion included: what the album title means; whether this was the band’s last great album, or their first great album; how close to romanticism folk music is; and whether the album is optimally sequenced. Also, how do you pronounce ‘Hutchings’? What is that object on the back cover? What’s the difference between Matty Groves and Titanic? Is Shaun qualified to join the cast of Time Team? And is Jacob Rees-Mogg a were-fox?

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds: Review

This week Tim did a monologue on Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. He attempted to answer the question as to whether it is as good as everybody says it is. Did he manage it? Listen and find out!

Gentle Giant - In A Glass House: Review

This week, Tim discussed the fifth album by Gentle Giant, In a Glass House. Topics covered are: the band being dropped by their record label, whether the band is a prog band or a ‘sublimated pop band', the complexity of the band’s playing and writing and their relationship with the missing brother and how it affected the theme of the album. Also, had the band read Jean-Paul Sartre? What happened when the band supported Black Sabbath? Why the hell did they make Giant For A Day? How did Kant define the Enlightenment? And finally, who were The Moles?

CRAPA RANKS: THE TOP TEN U.S. BANDS OF ALL TIME

This week, Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their Top Ten favourite US bands of all time. The discussion includes: the difference between bands and solo artists; whether a subjective analysis is the same as an opinion; who the most influential bands were; and which decade produced the best music? Also, why was there a fetish for misspelling animal names? Why doesn’t Shaun listen to anything that was released after 1993? Why did noone mention The Doobie Brothers? And who will be number one?

Caravan - In The Land Of Grey And Pink: Review

This week, the first of an occasional series: “Pods from the wood”, in which Shaun goes back to nature and discusses one of his favourite albums whilst moving around in the Essex countryside. Today’s topic is the third album by Caravan, In The Land Of Grey And Pink. Themes discussed include: the influence of Chaucer on the band, where the album stands in the Canterbury canon, the Tolkeinesque nature of the cover, and how Caravan relates to its successor bands. Also, is that wind, or an earthquake in the Home Counties? Can you think of another band with cousins in? What is a winter wine (when it’s at home)? And who’s that on the phone?

CRAPA RANKS: THE BEACH BOYS ALBUMS

This week, Shaun and Tim did a marathon ranking of the 28 albums by The Beach Boys. The discussion included: the difference between a great album and a favourite album; who the best songwriter was after Brian; whether Pet Sounds is really that good; whether the Beach Boys discography is a curate’s egg or jam sandwich; and how many of The Beach Boys albums are concept albums. Also, how bad does one song have to be to ruin an album? What happened to Shaun when he was in the bath while listening to 20/20? And how many references to Stalin can the lads include in a Beach Boys ranking?

Curved Air - Air Conditioning: Review

Peter and Shaun were busy this week, so Tim did a monologue, on the first album by Curved Air, Air Conditioning. Topics that come up are: Curved Air’s role in the English rock scene post-psychedelia and pre-prog rock, the nature of the writing committeee they mobilised, how the album fits into the band’s career trajectory, and the extent to which they can be considered a fusion band. Also: how do Curved Air relate to French philosopher Alain Badiou? What would Kant have said? What would Stumpy have said? How does the band incorporate quantum mechanics in their work? And we know that something happened today, but what exactly was it?

Strawbs - From The Witchwood: Review

Shaun and Tim discuss their opinions of the third album by Strawbs, From The Witchwood. The discussion includes: whether it should be thought of as a concept album, where it stands in the Strawbs canon, why we can’t find any information on the cover, whether Wordsworth was an influence on the lyrics, and how important the Christian influence was on the band. Also, does Rick Wakeman ever stop playing? Can we trust Artificial Intelligence? Does the animatronic Oliver Cromwell have a Norfolk accent? And which is better, the English Civil War or the Norman Invasions? There’s only one way to find out…

CRAPA RANKS: THE TOP FIFTEEN BEATLES OUTTAKES

Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their favourite Beatles outtakes. The discussion includes: the ratio of John songs to Paul songs and of John and Paul songs to George songs; why there are so many early outtakes and late outtakes; who did the best solo album; and why they gave so many songs to Billy J. Kramer. Also, are there any Ringo songs on the list? Is there anything that shouldn't have been on the White Album? Is ‘Every Night’ brilliant or awful? And why did Cilla Black sound like that?

The Electric Light Orchestra - The Electric Light Orchestra: Review

Peter and Shaun were busy this week, so Tim did the second part of his ‘Birmingham Beatles’ duology: the first album by the Electric Light Orchestra. The ‘conversation’ included: the Move connection, the differences between ELO and the later prog movement, the incredibly high quality of ELO’s musicianship and the nature of the creative relationship between Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood. Also, why did so many of the songs have two titles? Why was the album called ‘No Answer’ in the U.S. (as opposed to, say, ‘Press one for hold’)? Where would one cry from if not from one’s eyes? And who led the Royalist forces against Cromwell in the English Civil War?