Author: bradbirzer

By day, I'm a father of seven and husband of one. By night, I'm an author, a biographer, and a prog rocker. Interests: Rush, progressive rock, cultural criticisms, the Rocky Mountains, individual liberty, history, hiking, and science fiction.

Nostalgia Rock: My High School Favorites, 1982-1986

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock3 Comments

220px-thomasdolbythegoldenageofwirelessTo say that I was obsessed with rock during my high school years would be a gross understatement.  Then, again, I was pretty much either obsessed with whatever I was doing (listening to music, playing DnD, debating, hanging out with friends) or I wasn’t doing it.  Anyway, over at Facebook, a lot of folks are posting their favorite high school albums.  Here are mine.  Narrowing it to fifteen was really tough, as I would’ve preferred to have added more Rush, some Jethro Tull, some Kansas, some Pink Floyd, more Genesis, more Tangerine Dream, and more Yes.

Still, I think this is a pretty accurate list.  I also tried to be honest.  As such, I’ve really not listened to Oingo Boingo, the Police, or The Tubes anymore.

My 15 favorite high school (1982-1986) albums.

  1. ABC, THE LEXICON OF LOVE
  2. Genesis ABACAB
  3. Genesis, DUKE
  4. Oingo Boingo, DEAD MAN’S PARTY
  5. Police, SYNCHRONICITY
  6. Rush, GRACE UNDER PRESSURE
  7. Rush, MOVING PICTURES
  8. Rush, SIGNALS
  9. Tangerine Dream, FORCE MAJEURE
  10. Tears for Fears, SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR
  11. Thomas Dolby, GOLDEN AGE OF WIRELESS
  12. Tubes, COMPLETION BACKWARDS PRINCIPLE 
  13. Wang Chung, TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA (soundtrack)
  14. Yes, 90125
  15. Yes, YESSONGS

Your turn.

 

Jacob Moon’s SUBDIVISIONS

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock4 Comments

Ok, so I had no idea who this guy was until today.  Progarchist Kevin Williams suggested checking out his cover version of “Subdivisions.”  Ok, call me impressed.

Rush’s 2112 at 40: The Super Deluxe Edition

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock5 Comments

Rush, 2112 (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition).  2CDs, 1DVD, 3LPs, 1 vinyl single, starman turntable mat, three collector buttons, June 1976 handbill, June 1976 ticket stuff, starman sticker, LP-sized photos of the three members of Rush, LP-sized liner notes by Rob Bowman, code for digital download, cd-booklet and liner notes, vinyl single adaptor, and starman sketch.  http://www.rush.com/2112-40th/

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So much stuff, I can barely contain my emotions!

***

Is there a greater anthem of individualism and anti-conformity in all rock history than Rush’s 2112?  No folk song of the 1950s or protest song of the 1960s comes close to matching Rush’s power of words and music.  Even more than “Bohemian Rhapsody,” 2112 makes us want to bang our heads and raise our fists.  Sorry, Garth.

Continue reading “Rush’s 2112 at 40: The Super Deluxe Edition” →

PROG is Back!

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock4 Comments

The purgatorial existence of PROG is over.  Cato the Younger is letting the magazine and staff pass back to the earthly realm.  God bless, Jerry Ewing!

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Stardust

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock1 Comment
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Unapologetic hippie prog!

The older I get, the more I love the past, even as I’m profoundly enjoying the present.  2017.  It has a nice sound.  2017.  Looking back over the years of which this current one is an important anniversary (ok, not the best writing in the world), I can’t help but think of several important years and albums that spring to mind immediately.

Continue reading “Stardust” →

Ripped into Little Pieces: LITTLE EARTHQUAKES at 25

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock7 Comments

A retro review of Tori Amos, LITTLE EARTHQUAKES (Atlantic, 1992), originally released January 6, 1992.  Twelve tracks at 57 minutes: Crucify; Girl; Silent All These Years; Precious Things; Winter; Happy Phantom; China; Leather; Mother; Tear in Your Hand; Me and a Gun; and Little Earthquakes.

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Originally released January 6, 1992.

Nothing quite prepared me for my first listen to LITTLE EARTHQUAKES by Tori Amos, twenty-five years ago this month (actually, twenty-five years ago tomorrow, to be exact).

Full of confessional anger and blasphemy, LITTLE EARTHQUAKES is nothing if not utterly honest.  Indeed, this first album from American vocalist and pianist remains one of the most honest and earnest albums I’ve ever heard in my 49 years of life.  Amos has a voice that could awake the dead who await the Last Judgment.  And, if she challenged God to a debate, I don’t think it would be a pretty sight.  Though, I can imagine Tori raising her fist pretty quickly at the first glimpse of the divine.  I’m not quite sure what God would do.

Continue reading “Ripped into Little Pieces: LITTLE EARTHQUAKES at 25” →

Bloody Dreams and Loveless Prog

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment
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LOVELESS, released November 4, 1991.

It’s rather hard for me not to feel a twinge of nostalgia as I think back a quarter of a century.  Through my great friends, Craig Breaden, Joel Haskard, and Kevin McCormick, I was discovering a world of neo-psychedelic pop.  Lush, organic, voluptuous.  The Sundays, Catherine Wheel, The Charlatans, House of Love, Mazzy Star, Jane’s Addiction, and the Cocteau Twins were in full (and fulsome!) form.  Phish, Smashing Pumpkins, and Lush were about to hit it big, though I really had no idea just how big they would hit.

Even old mainstays such as The Cure and XTC were releasing some of their best material at the same time.

Continue reading “Bloody Dreams and Loveless Prog” →

NPR Interviews Glass Hammer

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock1 Comment
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Glass Hammer from PROG, 2015

A really insightful interview with Steve Babb and Fred Schendel of Glass Hammer–about the band, the state of prog, the state of technology, and the state of culture.  The interviewer is not only intelligent, but he also knows which music to play.

http://wutc.org/post/glass-hammer-rock-stars-everywhere-their-hometown#stream/0

 

7Sleepers

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment
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7Sleepers

So, what happens when you mix one extremely talented musician with one extremely ditzy professor?  You get a notice about some amazing music six months too late!

As I was going through some research papers tonight, I found this package from Ann Arbor, Michigan– a CD (beautifully packaged, by the way) and a number of postcards from 7Sleepers.

Make sure you check them out.  I’ll be reporting on them a bit more in the near future. . . .

In the meantime, my apologies to Robin and to all progarchists!  Also, make sure you check out Iris’s reviews at GrendelHQ.