Classic Rock And Prog Albums

Cream - Wheels Of Fire (Studio): Review

Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their opinions of the third album by Cream, Wheels Of Fire (Studio). The discussion includes: whether the band can be considered psychedelic or not, why they are masters of the art of syncopation and why they hated each other so much. Also, was Cream really a jazz band but noone had bothered to tell Eric? Is Pressed Rat And Warthog really like Wind in the Willows on acid? Is Ginger Baker doing satirical drumming on Politician? And were things really so great in the lost city of Atlantis?

Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast: Review

Peter and Shaun were busy this week, so Tim had a conversation with himself, about the third album by Iron Maiden, The Number Of The Beast. The ‘discussion’ includes: the programmatic nature of Maiden’s music, why this album is considered their best, why they always use the same chords, and which their best line-up was. Also, was Hallowed Be Thy Name based on a book by Dostoyevsky? Is this Iron Maiden’s most woke album? Is 22 Acacia Avenue based on Roxanne by The Police?  And did the title track ultimately lead to Brexit?

CRAPA RANKS: THE BEATLES BROWN ALBUM

This week, Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their least favourite songs by possibly the greatest band of all time, thus providing a potential track listing for a third mythical album to add to “The White Album” and “The Black Album”: “The Brown Album”. Topics discussed include the following. Will George and Ringo be over-represented in the list? Are later bad Beatles songs worse than early bad Beatles songs? Is ‘over-McCartneyish’ a legitimate criticism? And: is ‘the greatest Beatles song of all time’ actually their worst? Also: on how many levels can a bad song be bad? What was Paul McCartney really doing ‘in the road’? If Harrison was so tired on Blue Jay Way, why didn’t he just go to bed? And finally, if The Beatles really believed that ‘All You Need Is Love’, why did they start by quoting the Marseillaise, the most bloodthirsty song in history?

King Crimson - Red: Review

Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their opinions of the seventh studio album by King Crimson, Red. The discussion includes: the band’s incredible musicianship, the relative merits of the albums in the Mark III period, whether the group sounds better with or without violin, and whether Starless is the greatest King Crimson track of all time. Also, can Robert Fripp play the blues? Does Phil Collins sound like a seal? Does time literally slow down when the band is doing an over-long improvisational passage? And what would it sound like if cardboard could sing?

Camel - The Snow Goose: Review

Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their opinions of the third album by Camel, The Snow Goose. The discussion includes: the quality of Camel's musicianship, why they decided to do an instrumental album, where does the band stand in the British prog canon and to what extent can music represent images? Also, were the band influenced by 70's game show music? Why did they choose duck sounds to represent a goose? Why didn't the Nazis finish off the British army at Dunkirk? And does Canterbury really exist?

Queen - 1: Review

Peter and Shaun were busy this week, so Tim did a monologue about the newly-rereleased Queen 1. The monologue includes: the uneven development between Queen’s songwriters, the brilliance of Brian May’s guitar playing, whether Queen’s singles are better than their albums, and is the cover an early example of ‘queering’? Also, was Freddie a Christian? Did Roger Taylor really need a drum solo? And would Leon Trotsky have liked Bohemian Rhapsody?

Led Zeppelin - 2: Review

Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their opinons of the second album by Led Zeppelin. The discussion includes: the British blues explosion of the sixties, the difference between English folk and American folk, why couldn’t the band think of proper names for their albums?, and did John Bonham write Whole Lotta Love? Also: are the lyrics on this album good or not? Did they understand that the name Led Zeppelin was a metaphor? And which is better: Toad by Cream or Moby Dick by Led Zeppelin? There’s only one way to find out…

CRAPA RANKS: GENESIS STUDIO ALBUMS

Peter, Shaun and Tim rank the Genesis studio albums. There's a few surprises, and one or two good rants. Also, how many ways are there to count to 15? And what does Shaun's brother Steve think?

Jethro Tull - Aqualung: Review

Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their opinions of the fourth album by Jethro Tull, Aqualung. The discussion includes: Jethro Tull’s innovative lyrics, whether their style precipitated prog rock and heavy metal, why the album was so big in America, and, most crucially, was it a concept album or not? Also, did Ian Anderson really threaten to do a flute solo if the band didn’t nail their solos in two takes? What's the English word for pants? And what’s it like to share a bathroom with John Bonham?

Rush - 2112: Review

Peter, Shaun and Tim discuss their opinions of the fourth album by Rush, 2112. The discussion includes: Rush’s career swerve, the band’s fascination with Ayn Rand, why the album was considered better than Caress of Steel, and whether the whole concept for the album actually came from Tchaikovsky. Also, what actually happens in the title track? Would it really be so bad to live under the rule of the Priests? And is the postcode for The Temples of Syrinx SY or SX?