Posts

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Traffic- Low Spark of High Heeled Boys- Steve Winwood,the late Jim Capaldi

Not always considered a Progressive Rock band, nevertheless the title song to Traffic's most popular album, November 1971's "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" fits easily high atop any list of the most popular and creative songs of the Progressive Rock era..In my classic rock interview In the Studio prior to Jim Capaldi's death in 2005 from cancer, it is clearly evident how much Steve Winwood and Capaldi loved woodwind player ChrisWood, and each other. 
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YES- Fragile- Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman

The remarkably durable breakthrough fourth album by progressive rockers YES has turned out to be anything but "Fragile"... YES co-founder Jon Anderson is joined In the Studio by keyboard innovator Rick Wakeman who joined the band to make "Fragile".

Pink Floyd- Meddle- David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters

Judging by the sheer outsized volume of well-deserved attention heaped on Pink Floyd's 1973 game changer "Dark Side of the Moon", one could easily assume it was the Cambridge, England quartet's first of any consequence. "Meddle", containing the embryonic epic "Echoes", my guests Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and co-founder with Syd Barrett, Roger Waters unanimously maintain that "Meddle"  was their Apollo 8 musical mission which soon after allowed  Pink Floyd's lunar landing on the far side of rock history.
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Kansas- Leftoverture- Kerry Livgren, Phil Ehart, Steve Walsh, Richard Williams, the late Robbie Steinhardt

By 1976, it was go big or go home for this intrepid six-man band from Topeka, Kansas. Because of the hit "Carry On Wayward Son" ( submitted by the prolific Kerry Livgren even as the band was packing up to leave rehearsals ) and radio hits "Miracles Out of Nowhere","The Wall", "Cheyenne Anthem", and "What's On My Mind ", Leftoverture   gave Kansas rock statehood to the tune of over four million sold. Livgren is joined by Richard Williams, Phil Ehart, Steve Walsh, & the late original Kansas violinist/singer Robbie Steinhardt here In the Studio.
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Genesis- Abacab- Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins

The September 1981 release of Genesis "Abacab". The veteran English band's eleventh  studio album, nevertheless it was the first Genesis album to breach the American Top Ten album sales on Billboard , and surprisingly the first Genesis million seller. Yet it is no minor miracle that my guests Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, and Tony Banks could make it to the Progressive Rock promised land.

Kansas- The Prelude Implicit- Phil Ehart, Rich Williams, Ronnie Platt, David Ragsdale

Five years ago the first new original studio album in sixteen years, "The Prelude Implicit",  from all-American progressive rockers Kansas, was one of the most pleasant musical surprises in 2016...like discovering the "lost"  album which would have fit naturally between early mid-Seventies efforts "Song for America"  and "Masque". Lifers drummer Phil Ehart and guitarist Richard Williams are joined here In the Studio  by violinist David Ragsdale and impressive veteran lead singer Ronnie Platt.

Moody Blues- Every Good Boy Deserves Favour- Justin Hayward, John Lodge, the late Graeme Edge

"Every Good Boy Deserves Favour"  was the Moody Blues' seventh album in a string of commercially and critically popular efforts including "Days of Future Passed" , "On the Threshold of a Dream" , and "A Question of Balance" . Singer/ lead guitarist Justin Hayward, singer/ bass player John Lodge, and drummer Graeme Edge take "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour"  to share here In the Studio insights into some of the Moody Blues' best of those early years.
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Genesis- Invisible Touch- Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Phil Collins

Concerts came back just in time for the anniversary of Genesis' biggest album in their long fifty year+ career, Invisible Touch  (worldwide sales estimated at 15,000,000), so we convene Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, and Phil Collins here In the Studio  to discuss the blockbuster sales behind "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", "Land of Confusion", "In Too Deep", "Throwing It All Away", and "Invisible Touch".
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Peter Gabriel- So

(cont)...It was not until stumbling into the broadcast media/entertainment business that I got to witness, up close and personally, individual musicians who have been given enormous powers of influence through the modern phenomenon of celebrity, by the very people who they entertain. Case in point is this week's classic rock interview subject: ex-Genesis lead singer Peter Gabriel had a cult following after four studio solo albums, with his most significant creation being the ground-breaking "Shock the Monkey" video. But with the May 1986 release of So (#1 UK,#2 U.S., over 5 million sold; 4 Grammy nominations including Album and Record of the Year for the #1 hit "Sledgehammer"), Peter Gabriel was vaulted into international pop stardom with all of its attendant door-opening , barrier-eliminating amenities...(more)

Moody Blues- Long Distance Voyager- Justin Hayward, John Lodge

After scoring a worldwide #1 seller with "Seventh Sojourn" in 1972, then spending the next two years mounting the largest concert tour in history at the time, the Moody Blues baffled everyone by taking practically the rest of the Seventies off as a collective. To fill in the missing piece of the puzzle, as well as mark the fortieth anniversary of their #1 selling album "Long Distance Voyager", Moody Blues lifers Justin Hayward and John Lodge are my guests here In the Studio.