Well, in perusing Cygnus X1’s website just now, I found even more information about Rush. Stuff that had totally eluded me. Cygnus, what would we do without you??? Thank you!
Kevin J. Anderson has just announced that CLOCKWORK LIVES will be a graphic novel soon. How very cool.
Here’s the Cygnus X1 link: http://news.cygnus-x1.net/2017/04/clockwork-lives-graphic-novel-coming.html
And, here’s the direct link to KJA’s website: http://kjablog.com/clockwork-lives-graphic-novel/
Amazing moment in rock history. From Cygnus X1:
Ever since it was announced that the progressive rock band YES was to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, rumors abound regarding a possible involvement with the members of Rush, who are all self-proclaimed YES fans.
In January, the news many fans were waiting for arrived – both Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson would induct YES into the Hall. However as of that writing, there was no indication as to whether or not Geddy and/or Alex would actually perform during the evening’s festivities. Fast-forward a few weeks, and a huge story coming out of Billboard was published which all but confirmed that Geddy Lee would, in fact, be performing with YES. Less than a few hours after the story broke, Billboard posted a retraction indicating that Geddy Lee would NOT be performing.
To read the full article at CYGNUS, go here: http://news.cygnus-x1.net/2017/04/geddy-lee-alex-lifeson-set-to-induct.html
Thanks to John at Cygnus and Brian Sullivan!
So, I fell in love with The Fierce and the Dead from the moment I saw online the image of their first proper recording, PART 1. That was seven years ago. The image of the lone tree standing in a field took me back not only to the actuality of my childhood in central Kansas, but it also took me back to the fantasy of my childhood in Tolkien’s The Shire.
As such, The Fierce and the Dead has always occupied that tenuous place in the prog world–something undeniably tangible and real mixed with something almost too good to be true. Certainly, the wordless music of The Fierce and the Dead is analogous to my own inability to articulate fully how much joy this band brings me.
Continue reading “FIELD RECORDINGS by The Fierce and the Dead”
Paul O’Neill, founder of the prog-metal group Trans-Siberian Orchestra, has died at the age of 61. He had been battling a chronic illness.
I have seen Trans-Siberian Orchestra perform live twice, and the music, dancing, and vocals were incredible each time. Inspired by classical composers such as Bach and Beethoven, and prog-rockers such as Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, O’Neill created a truly unique band. I have always enjoyed their Christmas-themed albums, all of which feature beautiful stories of forgiveness and redemption. Furthermore, the band always contributes to a number of worthy charities, usually for veterans or children. Mr. O’Neill contributed a great deal to the music world, and he will be missed.
The Mountain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suy9S_8FOuc
Many years ago now, I bought my first Mew album, FRENGERS, because of the recommendation of Big Big Train’s Greg Spawton. Greg has impeccable music tastes (and book recommendations as well), so I was more than happy to learn of the Danish band.
I can state with no exaggeration that FRENGERS pretty much blew me away.
To a lesser extent, the same true of NO MORE STORIES.
Only very recently did I purchase AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES. For whatever reason, it’s difficult to obtain in North America. I had to order a used copy.
Whatever I thought of Mew’s other albums, this one is perfection itself. It’s not only magnitudes better than their other albums (which are already excellent), but AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES is up there with PET SOUNDS, SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR, and SKYLARKING.
In other words, we’re now in the realm of prog-pop godhood. Holy schnikees. If you don’t have AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES, get it now. Granted, the album art is simply terrible, but don’t judge an album by its cover!!!
A proper review is forthcoming.
I’m not in the habit of advertising for a company so blatantly, but I’m really taken with this Burning Shed postcard that came with the Steve Hackett release, THE NIGHT SIREN. Beautiful art.
Yes, I know this is a site dedicated to the beauty of music in all its forms. But, I also know that, like most music fans, I’m interested in a whole variety of things, especially if they’re done with excellence. My love of prog has always coincided with my love of science fiction. After all, whatever Ray Bradbury wrote, Roger Dean drew. Well, not exactly, but close enough.
How many hours did I stare at the world imagined on the gatefold of YESSONGS or ELO’s OUT OF THE BLUE? Too many to count.
Anyway, I’m guessing there are a number of other sci-fi/prog fans out there as well.
Back in 1980, I first got involved (obsessed would be more accurate) in RPGs. I started (and continued) with Dungeons and Dragons, but I also really got into Traveller. I still proudly have my Traveller GDW 301 Box, complete with the original booklets 1-5 as well as two adventures. All purchased before 90125 ever came out! Recently, I upgraded to Traveller 5–now, for better or worse, on CD-ROM. Not as attractive, perhaps, but still very nice.
The point of this post, however, is this. If you like sci-fi at all, make sure you pick up a copy of AGENT OF THE IMPERIUM, a novel by the founder of Traveller, Marc Miller. I found it not only engaging, but I also found it one of the most inventive science-fiction novels I’ve read in a long time. I have no idea if Miller is a progger, but, as I thoroughly enjoyed his novel, I couldn’t help but think of “Starship Trooper” and a number of other prog classics.
Prog Sphere Promotions has recently released the second edition in their Progotronics compilation series. The sampler is available from Bandcamp here.
Progotronics 2 includes 16 songs, one more than the Progotronics 1 compilation which was released back in February. The previous sampler was more focused on the Progressive Metal genre with a few exceptions. On Progotronics 2 Progressive Metal is naturally present, but the new compilation is more diverse stylistically, with songs ranging from Psychedelic / Progressive Rock, Post-Rock, RPI to Jazz Fusion. We are sure that everyone will find something interesting, and discover something new and to your taste.
Never mind albums and cassettes. Now CDs and digital downloads have had their day:
For the first time ever, streaming music has eclipsed both of those ways to get music. Streaming from Spotify, Apple, Pandora, even Tidal now accounts for 51% of all music sales according to the RIAA.
The gold record? A thing of the past. There is nothing to frame for the walls of rock stars. Maybe you get a digital wall now, too. In a virtual mansion.
The good news, they say, is that revenue was up for the industry by almost a billion dollars. It’s been flat or down for the last several years.
There are 22.6 million paid streaming subscriptions. (This means everyone else is listening to ads.)
But the bads news is for the artists. Royalties on streaming sales are much lower than downloads or CDs. The artist is suffering. The execs are not. So the Industry is happy.
Actual CDs sold– the total money value was down 20% from 2015 to 2016. Digital permanent downloads were the same or worse– Singles, which everyone thought was driving the business, are down more than albums.
Progarchy 