Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

This week Tim discussed the classic sixth album by Thin Lizzy, Jailbreak. Topics covered are: whether Lizzy is the greatest Irish group of all time, whether they are Iron Maiden avant la lettre, what the essential ingredients of their sound are, and the role that the Irish literary and poetic tradition play in the mix. Also, how many references to brothers are there on the album, and who exactly are they? What do the French say about gambling? Is Don Juan secretly gay? And there may be about to be a Jailbreak somewhere in the town, but presumably it will at least start in the jail?

This week Shaun and Tim discussed the third album by Peter Gabriel: 3 (Melt). Themes covered include: whether this is a psychological or a political album (or both), whether it’s a concept album about apartheid, the status of the album within Gabriel’s discography, the psychological resonances of the cover and the influence of world music on the album. Also, are some of the lyrics based on Freud’s analysis of the Schreber case? Was the track Intruder about the Milk Tray man? Are there too many songs on side one? Did Lee Harvey Oswald kill JFK? And what happened to William the Conqueror when they tried to put him in his coffin?

This week Tim discussed side one of Mike Rutherford’s first solo album, Smallcreep’s Day. Topics covered include: the playing on the album, the programmatic implications of the Smallcreep’s Day Suite, the differences between Smallcreep’s Day and Supper’s Ready by Genesis, and the decisive use of suspended chords on the album. Also, why is the cover better than the source material? Is Rutherford a romantic or a transcendental idealist? What exactly is the problem with the Marxist concept of alienation? How many apotheoses are required in a 24-minute piece? How is Smallcreep like James Bond? And how do you say “thief” in Spanish?

This week, Peter and Tim discussed the fourth album by Simon and Garfunkel, Bookends. Topics considered include: whether the album was an attack on hippy ideals and culture, whether it was a New York broadside against California, what connects Simon and Garfunkel and The Kinks, the nature of Paul Simon’s writing process and whether the album would be considered “meta” today. Also: what does “America” mean? Who was “Kathy”? Was Mrs. Robinson really Mrs. Roosevelt? Is it pronounced “Hazy Shade Of Winter” or “Whiter Shade Of Pale”? And is all the world really a stage?

This week Shaun and Tim discussed the ninth studio album by Genesis, And Then There Were Three. Themes discussed include: whether this was Genesis’ least experimental album, what Steve Hackett’s absence meant to the band, whether the unexpected is a necessary but insufficient condition for artistic creation and whether the album should have been called “Selling America By The Pound”. Also, was there any instrument on the album that couldn’t have been played by Tony Banks? Was Ballad of Big about Steve Hackett? Did Shaun get off the Genesis bus before or after Tesco’s? What the hell is Snowbound about? And which was the first Genesis track on which Phil start discussing his Mama?

This week, Tim discussed Frank Zappa’s 1979 album Sheik Yerbouti. Issues discussed are the artistic status of the rock double album, the role of humour in music, what to make of the accusation of racism, whether Frank Zappa had read Freud, the musical eclecticism one finds on the album and the role of aleatory music in Zappa’s oeuvre. Also: how are the musique concrète pieces like a Japanese restaurant? Is the character of Bobby Brown a metaphor for today’s culture? Who’s funnier: Frank Zappa or the Bonzo Dog Band? Is the closing track a veiled threat to his own musicians? And most important of all: do unicorns exist or not?

This week Tim and Shaun ranked the first eight (or is it seven?!) Yes solo debut albums. Issues which emerge are: what the thinking was in putting these albums together; who has the best musicianship on their album; how the sound of these albums relates to the Yes sound; and how the onstage dynamic might affect the group dynamic as a whole. Also, what would King Crimson have sounded like with Phil Collins on drums? Is the phrase Alan White a metaphor? Which exactly are the two sides of Peter Banks? Who plays pervy sax on Fish Out Of Water? Why is Richard Nixon on the cover of Henry? And what on earth is ramschackling?

This week, Peter and Tim ranked the 15 Pink Floyd studio albums. Topics covered included: Hipgnosis cover art, the transition from psychedelia to prog, or art rock, whether we can separate our views of Pink Floyd from their cultural significance and the relative merits of the different members of the band. Also: who has the best joke about Momentary Lapse of Reason? Is anyone prepared to watch an entire Barbet Schroeder film? How does Piper At The Gates Of Dawn resemble a chocolate box? Why is Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast so long? And which is the bravest 9 minutes in Pink Floyd’s career? And finally, the crucial question: how many Pink Floyds are there?

This week Tim did a monologue on the first album by Godley and Creme, Consequences. The discussion includes: the extensive artistic talents of the duo, the nature of the split with 10cc, what Deceptive Bends would have been like if Godley and Creme had stayed, and the environmental theme. Also, was the album a hello or a goodbye? Should it really have been a triple? Can it be described as the weirdest album in the history of rock? What was the Gizmotron? How on earth did they get Peter Cook and Sarah Vaughan involved? And is the answer to life, the universe and everything: “17”?

This week, Shaun and Tim did a ranking of the first six solo albums by the key members of Genesis. Topics included: the difference between band writing and solo writing, the difference between instrumental writing and songwriting, the punk-prog dialectic, the prevalence of journeying themes in the albums, and sexual difference when it comes to choosing your favourite Genesis member. Also, where is the Mick Barnard album? How many wine glasses did Steve Hackett actually crush? What kind of trade union member is Phil Collins? And how many members of Genesis does it take to fit cannons and tympanis in a canal boat?