Yesterday I downloaded Stephen Lambe’s book, Citizens of Hope and Glory: The Story of Progressive Rock (2011), and am now about three chapters into it. Lamb is, according to his book’s site, a “co-promoter of the Summers End Progressive Rock festival since 2006” who is “also heavily involved with contemporary progressive rock band Magenta.” I’ve enjoyed the book so far; Lambe’s approach is a good mixture of the personal and the journalistic; the book strikes me as a fine introduction to prog music history for folks who are new to the topic but also an engaging guide for those who know prog fairly well (I’m somewhere in-between!). I appreciate that Lambe, in his introduction, explains what his book will and will not attempt to do (for example, his focus is on symphonic prog, with less material on other forms of prog). He is clearly both a huge fan of prog as well as a thoughtful musical critic. Anyhow, I will likely post a more formal review once I’ve finished the book.

In a section titled, “Yes—The Most Inventive Covers Band in the World”, Lambe provides some background to the legendary band’s formation: “Jon Anderson and Chris Squire met for the first time at La Chasse, a drinking club not far from the famous Marquee club, which was much frequented by musicians. … Their vision was that this was to be a rock band with an emphasis less on hit singles than on ambitious, sophisticate arrangements, great harmonies and high-quality players.” And then, in discussing the first Yes album—”Yes”, fittingly—Lambe writes of how the “band began playing radical rearrangements of other people’s songs, gradually combined with their own material … This include covers of ‘I See You’ by the Byrds and the Lennon/McCartney song ‘Every Little Thing’. Musically, it includes plenty of hints at the band to follow. … Closing track ‘Survival’ is marvellous, perhaps the first genuine Progressive Rock track.”

Which meant I had to download the album, which I’m embarrassed to say, I’d never heard before (shame!). It’s great stuff, more raw than the later Yes material, but with a really obvious jazz vibe, thanks for Bruford’s fabulous drumming. That said, what do you think? Is “Survival” perhaps the first genuine prog rock track?