Category: Rock music

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Ringo Starr 1940 โ€“ (The Beatles after the Beatles 3)

Richard Starkey, later known as Ringo Starr, is born in Liverpool in 1940. As a child, he was in poor health, which resulted in inactivity and boredom. After one of his many stays in hospital, he was asked to play a percussion instrument in the school band. That was helpful. Richard’s interest in music was further heightened when he and his friend Roy Trafford listened to skiffle, which was popular at the time. In the early 1960s, both joined the Hurricanes, a group that soon landed a contract to perform in Hamburg. There he met the Beatles, and the rest is history. 

Discography

  1. Sentimental Journeyย (1970)
  2. Beaucoups of Bluesย (1970)
  3. Ringoย (1973)
  4. Goodnight Viennaย (1974)
  5. Ringo’s Rotogravureย (1976)
  6. Ringo the 4thย (1977)
  7. Bad Boyย (1978)
  8. Stop and Smell the Rosesย (1981)
  9. Old Waveย (1983)
  10. Time Takes Timeย (1992)
  11. Vertical Manย (1998)
  12. Ringo Ramaย (2003)
  13. Choose Loveย (2005)
  14. Liverpool 8ย (2008)
  15. Y Notย (2010)
  16. Ringo 2012ย (2012)
  17. Postcards from Paradiseย (2015)
  18. Give More Loveย (2017)
  19. What’s My Nameย (2019)
  20. Look Upย (2025)

In addition, between 1990 and the present day, eight albums of live performances by ‘Ringo Starsโ€™ all-star band’ have been released. I will come back to that later.

Sentimental Journey and Beaucoup de Blues (1970)

His first album (1970) is mainly an experiment by the record company. To everyone’s surprise, Ringo was presented as a crooner singing songs by super crooners such as Frank Sinatra. For curiosity’s sake, you can listen to ‘Night and Day’ here:

With Beaucoup de blues (1970), Ringo returns to his ‘habitat’. Here you can hear him sing the title track ‘Beaucoup de blues’, an unpretentious song in country & western style. Critics responded favourably, but commercially the album was a flop. In the years that followed, the tide would briefly turn. From now on, Ringo combines his musical activities with appearances as a film actor.

Concert for Bangladesh (1971)

Ringo accepts George Harrison’s invitation to participate in the ‘Concert for Bangladesh’. For the occasion, Ringo and George write the song ‘It Don’t Come Easy’, which reached number four in the charts in both the US and the UK. It is a catchy pop song.  Here you can listen and see a recording from 2016, together with Joe Walsh, filmed during one of the ‘All-stars’ concerts.

Back of Boogaloo (1972) 

The single ‘Back to Boogaloo’ is also a co-production with George Harrison. The song was written for a documentary film about Marc Bolan. Unlike previous songs, this is a real ‘rocker’. The song reached number two in the UK and Canada and number nine in the US. Malicious tongues claim that the song is also a dig at the songs Paul McCartney wrote as a solo artist. Both Ringo and George vehemently deny this. The song features a beautiful guitar solo by George Harrison.  This song is also recorded during one of Ringo’s All-stars concerts. You can listen to this version here.

Ringo (1973) and Goodnight Vienna (1974)

The album Ringo is also successful. ‘Ringo’ was the first rock album released by Ringo. Two singles achieved high chart positions: ‘Photograph‘ scored as a number one hit in the US and reached eighth place in the UK. This song too, was  a co-production with George Harrison.  The second song, ‘You’re Sixteen’, was written by the Sherman Brothers and scored also high. You can listen to that song here. It was recorded in 2016.

This successful album was followed by an equally successful sequel, ‘Goodnight Vienna’1974). The title track scored high in the US and moderately in the UK.

Ringo’s Rotogravure (1976) and Ringo the 4th (1977)

Ringo’s Rotogravure (1976), featuring many old Beatles songs, was a commercial disappointment, even though he had put a lot of effort into promoting it. The record company decided to take a new direction. Ringo the 4th was a combination of disco and 1970s pop. This album was also a failure. To get an impression, you can watch and listen to the music video for the song Drowning the Sea of Love here:

Bad Boy (1978), Stop and Smell the Roses (1981) and Old Wave (1982) 

These three albums were neither commercially nor artistically successful. Ringo struggles to find a record company for this last album. There was a clear reason for Ringo’s artistic decline after his early years.

In 1979, Ringo suffers from intestinal problems related to peritonitis in his youth. During an operation, he hovered between life and death. That did not prevent him from performing at Eric Clapton’s wedding three weeks later, together with Paul  McCartney and George Harrison.   

The period of misfortune was not over yet. On 28 November, a fire destroyed his home in Hollywood, also destroying much of the material from his Beatles era. 

By then, Ringo and his wife have become heavy drinkers and spent six weeks in a clinic in Arizona. He later said of his long addiction: “Years I’ve lost, absolute years … I’ve no idea what happened. I lived in a blackout.” After leaving the clinic, Ringo became a teetotaler. 

Ringo Starr and his All-star band

Ringo changes course and came up with the brilliant idea of touring with a band every year.  He has done this 14 times. The name of the band is ‘Ringo Starr and his All-star band’ and its line-up changes every year.  The first edition took place in Dallas (1989) in front of an audience of 10,000. The band members, who usually perform as soloists in their own bands, each play several of their songs, while Ringo mainly sings songs from the Beatles’ repertoire. His son Zak Starkey usually performs as the drummer. 

Ringo Starr has toured worldwide with his ‘All-stars’ from the very beginning. To name a few examples, the first edition (1989) took him to Canada, Japan, France and Finland. During the second edition (1992), several other European countries were added, such as the UK and Belgium. The third edition (1995) focused mainly on Latin America. The fourth edition (1997โ€“1998) took him back to various European countries and to Russia. The eleventh edition (2010โ€“2011) again visited many European countries, including the Netherlands. During 2025 ten concerts – the fifteenth edition – are planned.

Eight editions have been released on album, none of which have ever reached the charts, except for the album ‘Live at the Greek Theatre’ (2008), which reached number one in Greece. Incidentally, the Greek Theatre is in Los Angeles!

Earlier in this post, I showed some footage of Ringo’s performance with his ‘All-star band’.  Here you can watch and listen to the song ‘Up the cripple creek’, which he sings together with Levon Helm during the 1989 edition.

Time Takes Time (1992)

Time Takes Time (1992) was the next studio album, nine years after the former one. Again, it was not a commercial success, apart from a minor hit at number 74, ‘Weight of the World’, which he sings together with a number of members of the ‘All-Star Band’, including Nils Lofgren, Todd Rundgren and Joe Walsh. These artists were also present during the All-Star Band’s performance in Montreux, where they played ‘No Time’, among other songs, and that recording is also on this album. Listen to this heavy rocker here:

Beatle anthology (1996)

Like George Harrison, Ringo contributes to the creation of the Beatles anthology. You can find out more about this in my post about George Harrison.

Vertical Man (1998), Ringo Rama (2003), Choose Love (2005)

These albums were produced by Mark Hudson and his band, the Roundheads, who form the core of the backing group. The albums all reflect the ‘All-stars’ formula, with many guest artists but no audience. Many of the songs are written by Ringo or come from the Beatles repertoire.

Guests on Vertical Man (1998) included Brian Wilson, Alanis Morriset, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Paul McCartney. You can listen to two songs from the album here: Love Me Do and La Da Da. The album was not a commercial success in the US or the UK. Only 2,000 copies were sold in the UK.

Ringo Rama (2003) also features a host of guest artists, including Charlie Haden, David Gilmour and Eric Clapton. The album also included the song co-written by Ringo, which he sang during the ‘Concert for George’ (at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2002) in memory of George Harrison: ‘Never without you’. Listen to it here:

This recording also comes from one of the All-Star concerts at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles (1990). The same goes for the next song: Honey Don’t. This album scored moderately, except for the single version of Never Without You.

Choose Love (2005) also followed the ‘All-stars’ approach, and the album again lacked commercial success. The same applies to Liverpool 8 (2008). It tried to piggyback on Liverpool’s election as European Capital of Culture that year. It was the last album on which Hudson participated as co-producer, alongside Ringo himself. The reviews were mixed: The Times wrote in a review, “Just because [the album] was fun to make, it doesn’t follow that you might enjoy listening to it.” 

Ringo produced the next album, Y Not (2010), himself. It ended up in the lower regions of Billboard’s top 100 and sold no more than 30,000 copies worldwide. Billboard wrote that Ringo’s friendly voice was interchangeable with his previous albums, full of fond memories of Starr’s days as a Beatle in Liverpool. Once again, a number of other artists joined in: Paul McCartney sings on the ballad ‘Walk with you’ and Starr sings on the last track, ‘Who’s your daddy’, a duet with Joss Stone in a catchy rock song. 

Ringo 2012, produced by Ringo himself, was again not a big hit, selling less than 10,000 copies worldwide. It is the third consecutive album in which he looks back melancholically on his years ‘In Liverpool‘. 

The next album, Postcards from Paradise (2015), again features a large group of colleagues and friends, and again the album does not make it beyond the lower regions of the charts. The critics were kinder than they had been to the previous albums. The song ‘‘Rory and the Hurricanes’ refers to the first band Ringo ever played in. It is worth mentioning that all the members of the then ‘All-stars band’ co-wrote the song ‘Island in the sun‘. On ‘Give Me More Love’ (2017), the now familiar group of colleagues and friends plays again, as well as Paul McCartney, who sings along in the background and plays bass on ‘We’re on the Road Again‘. Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic finds it an open and friendly album. Other reviews are moderate, and the album’s chart positions are once again in the lower half. 

What’s My Name (2019) again was not a big commercial success, but some reviewers were more lenient than on previous occasions. Erlewine from AllMusic notes that the mood is sunny and the songs melodious. Mark Smotroff from Audiophile enjoyed listening to the album, calling it one of Ringo’s best. The song ‘Grow Old with Me’ is one of the last songs John Lennon wrote. In Ringo’s adaptation, which you can hear here, Paul McCartney plays the bass part. It is the most highly rated song on this album. You can listen to it here.

In 2025, his last album ‘Look Up’ is released, an album in country & roots style. Most reviewers rated ‘Look Up’ positively, describing it as ‘full of sensitive accents’, ‘contemporary and energetic’ and ‘Ringo’s voice being true to himself’. Here is the music video for the title track ‘Look Up‘. Most of the songs on this album were written by T-Bone Burnett.

What else did Ringo do?

Like other ex-Beatles, Ringo helped fellow artists to release albums through his company Ring O’Records. At the same time, his inspiration for writing his own songs dried up because of his chronic alcohol and drug use. He eventually kicked his addictions and remained teetotal.

Ringo has appeared in numerous films and television programmes. For two years, he was the voice of Thomas, the blue steam locomotive in the series ‘Thomas & friends’. 

Looking back

Ringo always did what he wanted to do. He loved drumming, but without much practising and never playss a beat too much.  He was able to support the Beatles well in this way, until their music became more complex and Paul McCartney started giving him instructions. That made him nervous. His vocal contributions to the Beatles’ repertoire are limited. He is the singer of ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’, written for him by Lennon and McCartney. He wrote and sang ‘Don’t Pass Me By’, ‘Octopus’s Garden’ and a handful of others. s

At the beginning of his solo career, Ringo distinguished himself with several well-received songs, such as ‘Back off Bogaloo’, ‘It doesn’t come easy’, ‘Photograph’ and ‘You’re sixteen’. He received a great deal of support from George Harrison and afterwards many of his songs were co-produced with George. His first albums, Ringo (1973) and Goodnight Vienna (1974), were successful. However, it is fair to say that most of his subsequent albums had little commercial and artistic success, except for a few songs that were released as singles. Ringo had to wait until 2025 for a positive turnaround in critical acclaim and sales, brought about by the album Look Up, inspired by country and roots music.

Ringo has done his own thing all these years, focusing on making enjoyable and accessible pop and rock music without artistic pretensions. His music is usually catchy, optimistic and playful, with a message of peace and love. His career got a boost when he decided in 1989 to go on tour every year with a changing line-up called ‘Ringo Starr and his All-star band’. On these occasions, he sings several songs โ€“ including many Beatles songs โ€“ and each of the band members sings hits from their own past as soloists or members of a band. This formula has proven successful to date and is enjoyed by the audience, the band members and Ringo himself. At the same time, this is also the reason for Ringo’s limited success in selling his albums. Unlike those of George Harrison and Paul McCartney, his own songs have hardly evolved over the years. Few people eagerly await Ringo’s next album: nice to listen to, but not a ‘must-have’.  An evening with ‘Ringo Starr and his All-starr band’, on the other hand, is a warm musical bath, but the albums made during these evenings also score poorly. One thing is certain. For the Beatles, continuing to perform live after 1966 was no longer possible. Ringo has managed to make up for this loss during his solo career.

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The beginning of the endย – The Beatles after the Beatles part 1

In September 1969, John Lennon announces that he will leave The Beatles. At the insistence of manager Klein, he refrained from making his departure public at that time. Paul McCartney did the same shortly afterwards. Incidentally, Ringo Starr and George Harrison had already discussed leaving soon.  George felt undervalued because only two of his songs were permitted to be included in each album. These were not the worst ones: “Taxman”, “Here Comes the Sun”, “Within You Without You”, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Something”. Ringo was becoming increasingly nervous about the comments on his drumming style from Paul, himself a talented drummer.

Growing artistic and personal differences

The Beatles’ break-up is the result of a series of mutually reinforcing developments. The role of John’s relationship with Yoko Ono is often exaggerated. Yoko was an artist with her own life. More important is that Paul gradually eclipsed John Lennon musically and commercially. This became apparent after the sudden death of manager Brian Epstein and his replacement by Allen Klein, who in fact ran the business into the ground. Paul was the only one to denounce this, even taking the matter to court, where he was proven right.  This mismanagement was particularly evident in the way Apple Corps, the Beatles’ company, wasted capital on its ‘artist-oriented’ policy, which allowed each Beatle to pursue his hobbies. These were avant-garde projects by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, making electronic music by George Harrison, and producing films by Ringo Starr. The problems of Apple Corps are widely discussed in the 2021 documentary Get back.

The best band of all time

Anyone who discusses the break-up of the Beatles is mentioning the exceptional quality of their music between 1965 and 1967. The album Rubber Soul (1965) marks a watershed between the appealing pop the band played before and the later songs, which have the allure of art music. I devoted a separate blog post to art rock, psychedelic rock and its main exponents some time ago; read it here.

There were several reasons why the group was able to realise this ambition. First and foremost was the creativity of the members, followed by their broad musical background and, thirdly, their use of drugs. ‘Norwegian Wood’ is the most striking song on Rubber Soul. It deviates from what was common at the time in terms of melody structure, composition and instrumentation. It is the first song ever to feature a sitar. 

Listen to this song again, filmed during the recording of the album.

The Beatles become a studio band

When the Beatles decided to stop touring in 1966, they were able to focus on studio recordings and explore its the growing capabilities. The album Revolver (1967) was the first result of this. The song ‘Eleanor Rigby’ (here performed by Paul McCartney in 2007) once again illustrates the direction the group had taken in terms of melody and lyrics. The same applies to the singles released shortly afterwards, ‘Strawberry fields forever’ , and ‘Penny Lane’ (1967). The song ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ opened the doors to psychedelic rock. Listen to it here:

‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ was less a new high point and more a confirmation of the path the Beatles have chosen and the consistency of the quality of their work. The same applies to ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and the albums that followed.

The Beatles opened themselves up to a wide variety of musical influences, like:

  • German avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen: Revolution 9, I โ€˜am the Walrus
  • Music hall sounds from the 1920s: When I’m 64, ‘With a little help from my friends’, ‘Maxwell’s silver hammer’, ‘Honey pie’, ‘Your mother should know’ and ‘Lovey Rita’.
  • Classical music: the piccolo trumpet on ‘Penny Lane’, the piano intermezzo in ‘My Life’ and the guitar on ‘Blackbird’.
  • The use of different types of scales, in addition to the usual minor and major scales. You can hear the effect of this in ‘Norwegian Wood’, ‘Golden Slumbers’ and ‘We Can Work It Out’. In the last song, this effect is reinforced by a change in time signature from 4/4 to 3/4.
  • Religious music: The hymn-like structure ofย ‘Hey Jude‘. The acoustic guitar in ‘Blackbird’ is inspired by Bach’s Bourrรฉe in E minor.
  • Folk music: โ€˜Eleanor Rigbyโ€™, โ€˜Norwegian Woodโ€™, โ€˜Dear Prudenceโ€™, โ€˜Iโ€™ve Just Seen a Faceโ€™, โ€˜Youโ€™ve Got to Hide Your Love Awayโ€™, โ€˜I Am a Loserโ€™, โ€˜Two of Usโ€™ and โ€˜Juliaโ€™
  • Indian music: โ€˜Within You Without Youโ€™ and โ€˜The Inner Lightโ€™ are entirely Indian. Indian influences can be found in: โ€˜Across the Universeโ€™, โ€˜Sexy Sadieโ€™, โ€˜Norwegian Woodโ€™ (sitar), โ€˜Love You Toโ€™, โ€˜Lucy In The Sky With Diamondsโ€™, โ€˜The Indian Droneโ€™, โ€˜Tomorrow Never Knowsโ€™ and โ€˜I Am The Walrusโ€™.

Although Rubber Soul was the first comprehensive example of the new direction, the older song  ‘PS I love you’ already showed upcoming changes. Just listen to it:

Recognition for the Beatles as the best band ever

Just how good were the Beatles really? The 2019 edition of Billboard, by far the most important music magazine in the world, ranked the Beatles as the greatest popular music artists of all time, followed by the Rolling Stones in second place. The Beatles’ first place applies on almost all fronts: number of albums sold, number of top scores in the UK and the US, the quality of lyrics and music, instrumental and vocal quality of the band members and variety of repertoire. Only when it comes to lead vocals does Mick Jagger beat John and Paul.

In his book ‘The Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles’, Dominique Pedler shows how the harmonic patterns that the Beatles use and combine in their songs have never been used before in pop music and have since become exemplary. Many of these patterns originated in the ‘magical’ interaction between Paul and John. This collaboration makes them the most successful songwriting duo in modern music history. The dichotomy between Paul McCartney’s optimism and John Lennon’s realism forced both to outdo each other, resulting in the unprecedented production of 180 songs, the most albums sold by any artist, and a still unbroken record of 20 number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Lennon said he wanted to write a pop song like McCartney; McCartney said he always wanted to have Lennon’s skeptical view of sacred cows. Meanwhile, the value of the collaboration with George Harrison and Ringo Starr should not be overlooked. The Beatles were not called ‘the fabulous four’ for nothing, and Mick Jagger spoke of a four-headed monster.

Let it be

Back to 1969, the year the Beatles decided to split up. Their work was far from over, apart from the solo albums each of them was preparing. The coffers were empty and they were contractually obliged to deliver two more albums, which would be called ‘Let it be’ and ‘Abbey Road’. 

The band members agreed that the next album would be a ‘live’ performance. Paul was particularly keen on this idea, but in the end, all that remained was an unannounced performance on the roof of the Apple Corps building in London.

Writing new songs was the hardest part and led to further tension between the band members. Paul wrote the songs ‘Let it be’ and ‘Get back’, which would eventually end up on the album. As a result, there was nowhere near enough material when the ‘rooftop concert’ was due to take place. Despite all the problems and the fact that it was cold and bleak on the roof, the Beatles celebrated their (last) party. More and more people flocked to the Apple Corps building. Traffic came to a standstill and eventually the police put an end to it.

You can watch and listen to the entire ‘rooftop concert’ on 30 January 1969 in Central London here:

Abbey Road

The group decides to put the finishing touches to ‘Let it be’ on hold for a while โ€“ which appeared to be one year โ€“ and concentrate on the Abbey Road album. Everyone now seems to be back on track. George Harrison writes excellent songs: ‘Here comes the sun’ and ‘Something’; John writes ‘Come together’, Ringo comes up with ‘Octopus’s garden’, which becomes a resounding sing-along, and Paul writes ‘O Darling’ and ‘You never give me your money’, a swipe at manager Klein.  There are still a few short fragments and unfinished ideas left, and then the brilliant decision is made to combine them into a medley, which becomes an overview of what the Beatles have written in recent years. The medley ends with ‘The End’, a song with short guitar solos by each of the band members and a drum solo – his first te be recorded – by Ringo. Many fans consider this medley to be one of the highlights of the Beatles’ oeuvre. There is no filmed recording of the medley. You can listen to how it sounds on the album ‘Abbey Road’ here.

It might be interesting to watch and listen to a live performance as part of the Sheffield Beatles Project (cover). You can do so here: 

To finish the last album, โ€˜Let it beโ€™, in addition to the songs played during the ‘rooftop concert’, a series of old unused songs are dug out and reworked. On 9 May 1970, the album hits the shops. By then, the Beatles are no longer together. Music critics praise both albums and, contrary to expectations, especially ‘Let it be’. 

Paul’s first solo album is released three weeks later, much to the annoyance of John, George and Ringo. Over time, they stop avoiding each other but they occasionally play on each other’s albums.

The Beatles after the Beatles

John, Paul, George and Ringo are determined to continue their musical careers as solo artists. They will each produce a considerable number of albums. According to critics, only a few of their songs come close to the work in the Beatles’ heyday. The main reason is the disappearance of the magic in the collaboration between John and Paul.

The albums of George Harrison (who died in 2001) are spiritual, melodious and perfectionist, with a penchant for world music, in which his love of Indian music is prominent. Paul makes melodious pop music and rock and is constantly searching for new forms. He misses the ‘band feeling’ and for this reason he forms the group Wings in 1972. John Lennon (murdered in 1981) wrote politically engaged songs with a very personal character, and Ringo did what he had never been allowed to do before and made party music.

The break-up of the band did not affect the members financially. Immediately after the band split up, each Beatle was worth between 10 and 20 million dollars. Their fortunes grew rapidly through concerts, solo albums, royalties, investments, film productions and other business ventures. John Lennon’s fortune at the time of his death (1981) was 200 million dollars. This has risen to 700-800 million (in favour of Yoko Ono). George Harrison had an estate worth approximately 400 million at the time of his death (2001). Exact figures are unknown, but at least half of that has certainly been added to date (in favour of Olivia Harrison). Ringo Starr’s estate is worth around 350 million dollars. Paul McCartney’s is worth between 1.2 and 1.5 billion dollars.

A chronological overview of the most important parts of the oeuvre and activities of George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney, including lots of music, is presented in each of the four upcoming episodes. These episodes begin with some notes about their lives. At the end, I will reflect on their individual careers.

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From ‘rock & roll to ‘rock’

From ethnical to age group based division of musical preferences

in the second half of the 1950s rock & roll was a previously unprecedentedly popular type of music. But ‘rock & roll’ was played in the black community in the US much earlier and was simply called ‘rhythm and blues’, boogie-woogie or jazz. Examples include: “Roll ’em Pete” by Big Joe Turner and pianist Pete Johnson (1939), “Rocking this house” by Memphis Slim and the House Rockers (1946), “Rock and Roll” by Wild Bill Moore (1948), “Rock the joint” by Jimmy Preston (1949), “Saturday night fish fry” by Louis Jorden (1949) and “Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston.

The following short film (15 minutes) shows many artists who can be retrospectively classified under the ‘rock & roll’ label. The influence of Afro-American roots, boogie-woogie in particular, is clearly audible.

While the term โ€˜rock and rollโ€™ was well known, it did not refer to a type of music in the beginning. It was the name of the movement of a ship on the waves (‘rocking and rolling’) and later took on an explicitly sexual meaning when, among others, Trixie Smith sings ‘My (man) rocks me with one steady roll’ in 1922 or Billy Ward ‘I rock ’em roll ’em all night long’ in 1951.

Disk jockey Alan Feed was the first who used the term in 1951 as a designation for a type of music. His radio show was listened to by both white and black American youths. โ€˜Rock and rollโ€™ has been said to be the first style of music to appeal to a specific age group and not an ethnic group as had been the case in the US until then. With that, the term is also linked to the development of a youth culture, with its own clothing, style of going out and dancing. The twist is inextricably linked to rock and roll. 

The genre’s breakthrough was caused by white musicians – or perhaps better their record labels – such as Bill Haley and his Commets with “Rock the joint“(1952), which had previously been sung by Jimmy Preston, “Rock around the clock” (1954), and “Shake, rattle and roll” previously sung by Big Joe Turner. 

The song “Rock around the clock” only became a world hit in 1955 thanks to the film ‘Blackboard Jungle’, a film in which later icon Sidney Poitier debuted. For the first time, riots broke out with fans wanting to attend a performance by the group. You can see Bill Haley and his Comets (and his audience) at work here

Bill Haley’s other hits included “See you later alligator” ,” Rock-a-beatin’ boogie“, “Rip it up“, “Hot dog buddy buddy” and more….

Bill Haley’s fame declined rapidly; when Elvis Presley appeared on the scene and appeared to have much greater sex appeal, his fans turned their backs on him. But first and foremost, he had a fantastic voice. Bill Haley was giant on whose shoulders, Elvis could glory. Here you can watch “Ready Teddy” (1957) on the Ed Sullivan Show. Usually only his upper body is in view, as people found the jerky movements with his lower body offensive to viewers.

In an earlier post, I  have explored his songs.

Rockability: Cross-over between rock and roll and hillbilly music

Others who rode the wave of rock & roll were Johnny Cash with “Folsom prison Blues” and, of course, Buddy Holly, whose career ended by a plane crash (1959). Buddy Holly gained great fame with songs “Peggy Sue“, “Oh boy” and “That will be the day“. Here you can listen to Peggy Sue during a performance on the Ed Sullivan show (1957).

Incidentally, some black artists did gain recognition as rock & roll artists, such as Little Richard, here with “Long tall Sally“(1955, with Bill Haley in the audience), Chuck Berry with “Johnny B. Goode“(1958) and Fats Domino. In 1957, the latter said: ‘What they call rock ‘n’ roll now is rhythm and blues. I’ve been playing it for 15 years in New Orleans’.

The now next song “Jambalaya” was certainly not meant to be rock and roll, but the musicians didnโ€™t care about that and the audience even less. The musicians are none others than Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Ron Wood (now Rolling Stones) and Paul Shaffer. The totally revved-up audience provides the background ‘vocals’ (well, background….).

Elvis Presley was well acquainted with and greatly admire ‘black’ rock & roll artists.  When he was called ‘King of rock & roll’ he held it off by referring to Fats Domino, in his opinion (rightly) the only singer to whom this title was appropriate. 

The record industry, which was responsible for landing Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, later thought it would do well to launch a somewhat more polished version of rock & roll that was accessible to a wider audience and therefore more commercial. Partly as a result, artists like Ricky Nelson, here with “Hello Mary-Lou“(1959), and Del Shannon with “Runaway‘ (1959). 

This ‘new’ type of music was named ‘rockabilly’, a word that refers to the crossover of rock and country & western (‘hillbilly’ music). This is an example of how whites left their mark on historiography. Rock & roll music, as you have heard, was played from as early as the 1940s and has African-American roots.

Rather, whites, some of whom were country singers until then, were adopting the musical style of their black colleagues. 

Provider of a British rock and roll version was Harry Webb, who later adopted the stage name Cliff Richard, and his band ‘The Shadows’, previously called ‘the Drifters’. Their songs and instrumental numbers became world famous. They were widely imitated, especially in the rest of Europe.

Here, Cliff Richard sings with the Shadows “Move it” (1958), which was considered the first authentically British rock and roll song. 

The record company pushed Cliff Richard to impersonate Elvis, to dress as much as possible. It looks a bit forced, but he does his best. Here you can also see him in “Do you wanna dance“(1958).

It is fun to compare this performance of “Move it” from a performance by the same Cliff, now with Hank Marvin, one of the former Shadows in 1995. They perform at London’s Dominion Theatre with ‘The Queen’ in the front row. You can see it here.

But Great Britain had another answer….  

By the late 1950s, ‘skiffle’ music had gained high popularity. In essence, skiffle has the same roots as American country music, which in turn emerged from European folk music.  This can be well heard on a recording of Lonnie Donegan’s “Putting on thes tyle”(1957). 

The rise of skiffle was in response to the growing commercialization of mainstream pop music. The thousands of skiffle groups that sprang up all over the UK used simple instruments like guitar, mandolin and washboard or drums. For many, Lonnie Donegan was the role model. For ‘The Quarryman’ too.

Over time, ‘The Quarrymen’ developed their own sound, by adding a bit more ‘beat’ to their songs. They changed their name and with it music history. You can see their first gig at ‘The Cavern’ here (1962)

With their new name, ‘The Beatles’ conquered the world, at least musically, the ‘British Invasion’. Countless other English ‘beat groups’, such as Freddie and the Dreamers, Herman Hermits, Dave Clark Five traveled to the States. This list could also include the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Yardbirds, but their music, especially in the early days, was more strongly inspired by the ‘rhythm & blues’ genre. All recordings date from the early 1960s.

The second half of the 1960s saw the emergence of many new styles of music, generally referred to by the term ‘rock’.  Within rock, a division tok place between ‘hard rock’, sometimes also referred to as ‘metal’, and ‘soft rock’, sometimes called ‘folk rock’.  Famous exponents of the former include Steppenwolf with, for example, “Born to be wild” and of the latter the Eagles with “Hotel California. From the turn of the century, the boundaries between pop and rock blurred and we also saw the rise of electronic (dance) music, with all its variations.   Of course, I will come back to all this later.

However, there are also musicians who keep the spirit of rock and roll alive. Some of them have recently formed the group “The Barnstones” and they made a brilliant album. This  super formation is featuring Jimmy Barnes, Slim Jim Phantom, Chris Cheney , Kevin Shirley and Jools Holland’, whose piano is unmistakably present.  Here you listen to the song ‘Johnny’s Gone โ€˜from this album, accompanied by a fast-paced cartoon. The best rock & roll ever from 2023….

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Prog rock nowย (Prog rock 1965 – 2025 part 10)

De Japanse formatie Koiai

In the final installment of this series, I will demonstrate that progressive rock is alive and well. To do so, I will dwell on bands active in the post-2020 period. Some of these are groups and soloists you met in earlier installments; new groups are also featured. Their selection is not random; all were among the winners at the annual progressive rock awards after 2020.

The characteristics of post progressive rock that I mentioned in the eighth episode almost all apply to the songs you are about to hear. Integrating elements of other styles is perhaps the most important feature.[1]

Fish – Garden of Remembrance (from album Weltschmerz, 2020)

Singer Fish (Ferek William Dick) was known for his poetic lyrics in his early days with Marillion. The spoken word became increasingly central in his later songs. You will notice this in the song โ€˜Garden of Remembranceโ€™. This is a subdued and melancholic song about dementia causing loss of connection with a loved one. ‘Garden of Remembrance’ is a metaphorical reference to a place where memories are preserved. The subtle accompaniment music adds impact to the lyrics. You can listen to this song here: 

Porcupine Tree: I drive the hearse (from album Closure / Continuation, 2023)

This melancholic and introspective song revolves around loss, goodbye and emotional pain, with a sense of resignation and reflection. The lyrics describe a deep personal bond that is broken, possibly through death or the end of a relationship. The metaphor of driving a hearse symbolizes the grief of the person who feels burdened by the final goodbye. 

You can listen to this song here: 

Haken : Nightingale (from album Fauna, 2023)

This complex song tells a story of an inner journey: a search for balance between darkness and light, chaos and order. A nightingale is often associated with beauty, inspiration and overcoming adversity.

Showcasing the group’s technical mastery, the song is a mix of heavy riffs, melodic passages and dynamic turns. You can listen to this song here: 

Steven Wilson: The harmony codex (from album The harmony codex 2023)

Surreal yet introspective, the song explores the power of art to create harmony in a chaotic world. It invites the listener to reflect on the relationship between order and chaos and transcending it through creativity. It is an experimental and atmospheric track that combines elements of progressive rock and electronic music. It is layered, with a mix of compelling melodies, complex structures, and it gives a cinematic feel. 

You can listen to this song here: 

Frost: Skywaving (from the album Life in the wires, 2024)

The text explores themes of communication and connection, referring to similarities and differences in ‘wavelengthsโ€™, evoking a sense of nostalgia and longing. The track combines Jem Godfrey’s airy vocals, lively keyboard parts, solid bass lines and complex drum patterns.                                                                                                                                                                

Musically, “Skywaving”, with its layered arrangements and dynamic transitions, belongs to the neo-progressive genre, with influences from electronic music and pop rock. 

You can listen to this song here: 

Big Big Train: Love is the light (from the album The likes of us, 2024)

This song explores feelings of alienation and feeling like an outsider. It highlights the search for connection and acceptance and how love serves as a guiding light in times of uncertainty. 

The song begins with a soothing violin intro, followed by rich melodies and interplay typical of Big Big Train’s progressive rock style. Alberto Bravin’s vocals add a fresh dimension to the band’s sound. 

You can listen to this song here: 

MEER – Golden Circle (from the album Wheels within wheels, 2024)

Golden Circle describes a protagonist struggling with inner turmoil and seeking meaning and solace in fleeting moments of euphoria. The song explores themes of longing and the search for meaning. It combines elements of progressive rock and pop, with innovative guitar chords and a dynamic build-up. Knut and Johanne’s vocals together create a compelling atmosphere that enhances the emotional charge of the song. 

You can listen to this song here: 

Geordie Greep – The New sound (from the album: The new sound 2024)

This song explores themes of ego, failure and the human need for recognition. It acts as a metaphor for “the museum of human suffering”, with the protagonist focusing on his pain and the desire to be remembered. ‘The New Sound’ mixes progressive jazz rock with unexpected twists and turns, alternating well-behaved melodies with subcutaneous tension. This combination reflects the balance between control and chaos explored in the song. 

You can listen to this song here

Transatlantic: The world we used to know (Forevermore 2021)

In the previous episode, I already featured some songs by supergroup Transatlantic. In 2021, the group outdoes itself once again by releasing two albums, partly with the same songs but in a different performance. The albums are: The breath of life and Forevermore. Together, they are referred to as ‘The absolute universe’. The epic song ‘The world we used to know’ expresses nostalgic longing for earlier times. It evokes images of a world once familiar and familiar but now changing, and highlights the search for meaning in this new reality. 

Characteristic of Transatlantic is its combination of complex structures and melodic passages. It contains impressive instrumental parts and harmonies reminiscent of classic progressive rock, with a modern twist. 

You can listen to this song here: 

Encore: Japanese super formation Koiai

Japanese guitarist Li-sa-X has been posting her music on YouTube since the age of 7 and in 2019 at the age of 14, she formed her own band, Koiai (close love). This consists of Li-sa-X, Hazuki and Rina who sings. They share their preference for complex progressive rock with jazzy undertones. You listen to this trio on the song โ€˜Looking up to youโ€™ (1922), a song written by Li-sa-X.


Shortly after recording this song, Rina decides for another career and Kotono succeeds her. The band was further expanded with Kanato Sato, one of the world’s top drummers despite her age. Wakazaemon becomes bassist.
You can watch and listen to the song A new Picture (2023). It could be the soundtrack to a rollercoaster ride. The contrasting atmospheres are breathtaking and a tour de force for the members of the band.


It is definitely worth listening to two other recent songs by this group as well:ย One Way or Anotherr andย Automatic.

Remarkably, many post prog rocksongs are contemplative in nature; perhaps one of the biggest differences between classic and contemporary prog rock.

This concludes this series. I hope you have become familiar with characteristics of progressive rock: often longer songs than usual, parts varying in tempo, measure and timbre, virtuoso playing, serious subjects ranging from mythological, fairy-tale, socially critical and introspective lyrics, and yet also a wide variety. With groups like Marillion, Porcupine Tree and Transatlantic, the emphasis is on melody and atmosphere; groups like Dream Theater, Haken and Rush explore the frontier with hard rock and metal.  You rarely find prog rock songs on charts; the ‘fan-base’ is too small for that. Concerts, on the other hand, are almost always sold out. 

Account of the series

To write this series, I used the English version of Wikipedia, articles by Daniel van Auken and others in Medium, the magazines Oor and Uncut, and Groen and Mourits’ book โ€œBeatles onthoud die naamโ€. Occasionally, ChatGPT offered help in structuring information.

[1] The description of individual songs is taken from Wikipedia, various editions of the ‘Prog Report’ and Chat GPT.

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Forerunners: Rick Wakeman, Peter Gabriel, Mike Portnoy, and Steven Wilsonย (Prog rock 1965 – 2025 part 9)

In the development of progressive rock, several musicians played an important role beyond the creative power of their bands. In this episode, I briefly consider four of these pioneers: Rick Wakeman, Peter Gabriel, Mike Portnoy and Steven Wilson. In doing so, I looked at their qualities as musicians, the extent to which their compositions broke new ground and their influence on other bands.

Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman was born in May 1949. In his younger years, he took several music courses and played in several bands. 

Wakeman was a member of progressive rock band Yes for 11 years between1972 and 2004, spread over five periods. In the remaining years, he undertook numerous solo projects and performed with the folk-rock band Strawbs. 

In 1972, he made the albums ‘Fragile’ and ‘Close to the edge’ with Yes. The latter album is considered a leading progressive one. Here you listen to the song ‘Get up, I get down’, in which Wakeman plays a church organ. 

Wakeman’s first three solo albums – all concept albums – are the best-rated recordings of his career: ‘The six wives of Henry VIII’ (1973), ‘The myths and legends of King Arthur'(1974) and ‘The knights of the round table’ (1975). You can listen to an excerpt from the second album here, including choir and orchestra.

That Wakeman was able to break through with his series on King Arthur was coincidental. Most viewers to the BBC had been gearing up to watch Andy Warhol’s motion picture ‘Blue movie’.  When this controversial film was cancelled at the last minute, viewers switched en masse to another net which was broadcasting a preview of King Arthur. Rick Wakeman commented: “Suddenly it seemed as if the whole country had discovered my music … it was a tremendous break.”

This is followed by a lesser period in which Wakeman hosts a TV show, composes film music but is also plagued by the effects of excessive drinking and smoking. He has constant financial problems and had to sleep on a bench in Kensington Gardens for a while. In the 1980s, Wakeman writes soundtracks for films, including the official 1982 FIFA World Cup aftermovie. He tackles all the musical jobs that he can get: In 1986, he released a solo album of new age music titled ‘Country Airs’. This contains ‘landscape music’, piano solos inspired by walks through the countryside. He also produces several albums of religious music. 

During his fourth stint with Yes, he and the group made two albums ‘Keys to ascention 1’ (1996) and ‘Keys to ascention 2’ (1997). He then works on new solo album ‘Return to the centre of the earth’ that would become his highest-grossing album in the 1990s, reaching a top 10 position in the UK. You are listening here to a recording made in 2005 during a performance in Cuba at the invitation of Fidel Castro.

Between 2002 – 2004, Wakeman toured with Yes – the fifth and last gig with the group. In next period, he performs in many places. The King Arthur trilogy plays an important role in this. He expands these albums and performs concerts worldwide. In 2023, he performs twice at the London Palladium, where he plays the complete trilogy.

In 2020, he returned to progressive rock with the all-instrumental album The Red Planet. Here, he performs with the English Rock ensemble, one of the occasional formations he has played with more often. 

Previous prog rock albums he has made as a solo project include No Earthly Connections (1973), Into the future (2000) and Out there (2003)

A prolific composer, Wakeman has a total of 108 albums to his credit. Only a limited number of these albums are commercial successes. 

In the early 1970s, Rick Wakeman was voted the best keyboard player in the popular genre along with Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake and Palmer). He went on to receive numerous awards for his virtuoso playing of the piano and other keyboards. In 2022, he received honorary membership of the Royal College of Music from the hands of the current King Charles. He is a Freemason and a member of the Conservative Party.

Finally, you can listen to a live performance during the Starmus festival, together with the English Rock Ensemble with special guest Brian May (Queen). A cross-section of Rick Waveman’s compositions will be played. 

Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel is an English singer (1950), musician and human rights activist, who until 1975 was a member of the band Genesis, for which he then wrote most of the lyrics. He attracts attention because of his theatrical announcements of the songs and his dressing up between songs.

Gabriel used the time after leaving Genesis to learn to play the piano and to write songs. His first solo activities involved the release of four albums, Peter Gabriel 1 to 4. Each album yielded at least one hit. ‘ Solsbury Hill’(1977) is about a spiritual experience of Gabriel at the top of a hill in Somerset. Gabriel himself says of it: ” It is about being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get”. Almost the entire song is written in 7/4 measure, which enhances the sense of (inner) struggle. From the second album, the song ‘Mother of violence’ (1978) stands out. This is an ode to rural compared to urban life. Gabriel sings the song, accompanied exclusively by piano and guitar. You can listen to it here:

Gabriel sees the third album as an artistic breakthrough. He gets interested in African music and experiences the value of a drum machine. Both this album and the song ‘Games without frontiers’ received high praise in the UK and the US. The song compares international diplomacy to a then-famous (children’s) game.  The song “Shock the monkey” (1982) on his fourth album was also successful. The monkey is a metaphor for feelings of jealousy. After each album, he made extensive tours, summarised on his live album ‘Plays live'(1983).

The next album was ‘So’ (1985), his best-selling album reaching top ten positions in both the UK and the US. So did four of the songs that appeared as singles: ‘In your eyes’, ‘Sledgehammer‘, ‘Big time’ and ‘ Don’t give up’ (featuring Kate Bush). Sledgehammer was a winner. Gabriel received the Brit Awards for best male solo artist and was nominated for four Grammy Awards. You can listen to ‘In your eyes’ here.

The following album ‘Us’ (1989) is introspective in nature.  The song ‘ Digging in the dirt’ refers to his psychotherapy, ‘ Come talk to me’ is about his struggle to get through to his daughter and ‘Blood of Eden’ which deals with relationship problems in general. This album garnered three Grammy Awards, including one for best music video. His next studio album,’Up’, took 10 years to release. During that time, he was touring or doing one of his many side gigs.

Peter Gabriel worked on his latest album to be named O/I for 21 years, interspersed with several worldwide tours and numerous other activities. When the album was released in December 2023, most of the songs had already been released as singles during the year: ‘ Panopticom ‘(++), ‘The court’(+), ‘ Playing for time’ (+), ‘Daddy long legs’ (+), ‘Four kinds of horses'(+++), ‘Road to joy’(_), ‘ So much, ‘Olive tree’ (++), ‘Love can heal’(++), ‘ This is home ‘(++), “ And still’ (+), and ‘Life and let life’ (+). You can listen to Four kinds of horses’ here 

Gabriel has written the soundtracks for several film, such as Birdy (1984) and The last temptation of Christ (1988), which is about the struggle between Christ’s humanity and divinity. In this film, Gabriel uses musicians from WOMAD, the World of Music, Arts and dance. This is an international arts festival, which he founded in 1982 and that still exists.

Peter Gabriel has won a host of awards during his lifetime, including six Grammy Awards, for best singer, songwriter, creator of music videos and of film scores. 

A prize of a very different nature was the Man of Peace award, presented to him at the seventh World Summit of Nobel Prize Laureates by former Soviet Secretary-General Mikhail Gorbachev.

From 1986, Gabriel organized Amnesty International’s Human rights concerts. From his long-term commitment to human rights, he founded Witness, an institution that trains activists in using video and internet technology to expose human rights violations.

Peter Gabriel’s life spans the entire prog rock era and developments within it have left a mark on his music. According to Rolling Stone journalist Gregg Greed, Gabriel is above all an “art-rock innovator, soul-pop craftsman and world music ambassador”. 

Mike Portnoy

Mike Portnoy (born 1967) is an American musician. He is best known as a drummer. His father was a DJ and his record collection familiarized Portnoy with various musical styles. At school, he took lessons in music theory; he taught himself how to play the drums. With a scholarship, he was admitted to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Here he met John Petrucci and John Myung and together they formed the band Dream Theater, for which he would write most of the lyrics. In 2010, he swapped Dream Theater for the band Avenged Sevenfold. When the latter did not renew his contract, he wanted to return to Dream Theater, but this band meanwhile had another drummer under contract.  It was not until 2023 that Dream Theater and Portnoy were reunited. 

Portnoy has performed numerous solo projects, formed new bands and played in others. These are mostly progressive metal bands, the genre that suits him best. I mention the so-called Liquid Tension Experiment, with which he made three albums, partly together with former Dream Theatre colleague John Petrucci. You can listen to the song ‘Acid Rain’, performed live in Los Angeles in 2007, here.

Portnoy had been walking around with the idea of organizing a package tour in which three or four prog rock bands would participate each time. In 2008, this succeeded for the first time and the tour was named ‘Progressive nation’. He kept this initiative going for a few years. Participating bands included Dream Theater, Opeth, Beardfish, Anathema, Transatlantic and many others. In 2014, the first instalment of ‘Progressive nation at sea’ took place, a four-day cruise from Miami. Later, this sailing festival would be renamed ‘Cruise to the edge’ and it still exists.

Transatlantic

In the list of activities, Portnoy’s participation in the international superband Transatlantic should not be missed. This is an occasional formation formed in 1999 by four virtuoso musicians from renowned bands. The intention is to occasionally make an album and do some performances at the highest level imaginable. The members are, besides Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Roine Stolt and Pete Trewavas. During almost all tours, Daniel Gildenlow plays keyboards. The first album ‘SMPT:e’ was well reviewed; Robert Taylor of AllMusic speaks of “some of the best progressive rock music ever written”. Here you listen to the 31-minute track ‘All of the above’, a paragon of prog-rock. 

The album ‘Bridge across forever’ (2001) followed a year later. This album consists of four songs: ‘Duel with the devil‘, ‘Suite Charlotte Pike’, ‘ Stranger in your soul ‘ and the relatively short title track ‘Bridge across forever’. After this, the group took a break until 2009 and in that year the band released the album ‘The wirlwind’, which contains only one song, not coincidentally called ‘The wirlwind’. After another break, the album ‘Kaleidoscope’ follows in 2014, which is named ‘album of the year’ at the annual progressive music awards. You can hear the title track here:

In 2021, the next album ‘The absolute universe’ was launched. You can read more about this album in the final instalment of this series.

Steven Wilson

In 2017, ‘The Daily Telegraph’ described Wilson as “probably the most successful British artist you’ve never heard of”.  So, there is still something to discover. Steven Wilson is an English musician (born 1967). He has formed several bands and made solo recordings. In the 1980s, Wilson and his friends experimented with recording on cassette tapes, which they then sold.

His first solo album is ‘Insurgentes’ (2008). As an introduction, you can listen to one of its songs  made during a live performance in Frankfurt

At this time, Wilson is working on his eighth solo album to be released in 2025. It will focus on the feelings evoked by seeing the earth from space, ranging from overwhelming beauty to awareness of its insignificance given the vastness of space.

In 1986, Steven Wilson launched two projects with which he would make a name. He formed the band Porcupine Tree, an experimental, psychedelic band playing progressive rock, at first heavily inspired by Pink Floyd. In fact, fans would later call Porcupine the Pink Floyd of the 1990s.

Again, Wilson initially releases recordings of the band on cassette tapes; however, a contract with a record company is not long in coming. The band’s first album is ‘Arriving somewhere but not here’, of which you can find a live recording here:

Porcupine Tree has grown into a well-known and esteemed rock band, which has performed worldwide.

The second project is No-Man. First a solo project and later a lifelong collaboration with Tim Bowness. Joined by changing session musicians, they also play progressive rock but mix it with synth pop, jazz and dance rhythms. The only genre avoided is hip-hop, which Wilson says he hates. The aim is to make mostly art-pop.

In 1989, No-Man released its first commercial single “The girl from Missouri”.  The first album โ€˜Flowermouth’ (1994) contains a wide range of styles. On the song ‘Teardrop Fall’, you can hear this very well. 

In 2013, Wilson’s third solo album is released, ‘The raven that refused to sing (and other stories)’ You can listen to a 2013 live recording of the title track here. 

This album throws high marks. The Prog rock report ranked it second among all progressive rock albums released since 2000. The title track is used in the trailer for the 2014 film Pompeii.

The album ‘Fear of a blank planet is Porcupine Tree’s best-sold and best-reviewed work. Here is a live recording of the title track

After touring in 2010, Wilson disbanded Porcupine Tree to devote himself entirely to solo projects. Incidentally, the band was reconstituted in 2021. One of these projects is the formation of a new band, Blackfield, together with Israeli musician Aviv Geffen. This duo is making six albums of what they call “melodic and melancholic rock”

From the first album, Blackfield I (2005), you can hear Pain here

You can also listen to another song, Jupiter, from Blackfield IV (2012).

The main difference with Porcupine Tree is that Blackfield mainly plays short songs with an appealing melody and a simple structure. More pop than progressive rock, in other words. My impression is that Steven Wilson did find it appealing to indulge in this genre for a change. The contribution to the six albums by Wilson and Geffen varies due to the time their other activities require. In all cases, production is in Wilson’s hands.

Wilson is a successful producer and in this role, he has worked with the likes of Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, XTC, Opeth, Pendulum, Yes, King Crimson, Fish, Marillion, Black Sabbath and Anathema.

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Marillion (Prog rock 1965 – 2025 part 7)

Marillion has been formed in Aylesbury in 1979 (Buckinghamshire). The band’s roots lie in post-punk and from there the group bridged towards prog rock. From 1984 to the present, the band consisted of Steve Rothery (guitar), Ian Mosley (drums), Mark Kelly (keyboards) and Pete Trewavas (bass guitar). Singer Steve Hogarth replaced singer  Fish in 1987 and is also still a member of the band. Mark Kelly said in 2016: “One of the reasons we still together is because we’re successful enough to make a living, but not successful enough not to have to do anything.”

The group is releasing its first studio album in 1983: ‘Script for a jester’s tear’. 19 others would follow, the last being ‘An hour before it’s dark’ in 2022. Many albums reached the top 10. I selected a limited number of post-1980 albums, and from each I chose songs that exemplify neo-progressive and, in some cases, post-progressive rock. in subsequent posts. I will go into this distinction between the two in more detail. But first a list of characteristics of neo-prog rock. These characteristics differ only gradually from those of ‘prog rock’ as discussed so far. 

1. More symphonic approach

2. Shorter songs, even if they consist of more parts.

3. Narrative, theatrical construction with lyrics and vocals full of emotion.

4. More dominant use of synthesisers.

5. In the case of a conceptual approach, greater use of topical and personal themes.

6. Atmosphere is more often melancholic and introspective.

7. Less need to demonstrate virtuosity.

8. Stronger influence from pop music, especially alt-rock.

Script for a jester’s tear (1983)

The title track ‘Script for a jester’s tear’ from this album illustrates the symphonic approach, but also the construction of several songs with different parts, the extensive role of synthesisers and the narrative structure. Especially its emotional lyrics and theatrical vocals set it apart from older prog rock songs. You can listen to it here.

The album also includes ‘He knows, you know….’. Here, too, Fish’s powerful, emotion-rich and theatrical vocals stand out. The lyrics are poetic and full of metaphors. The third track from this album I mention is ‘Chelsea Monday’. This illustrates the use of synthesisers in creating a dreamy and melancholic atmosphere.

Misplaced childhood (1985)

The single ‘Kayleigh’ illustrates that the group certainly does not shy away from shorter ‘poppy’ songs. Nevertheless, the melancholic and emotive vocals and use of keyboards stand out. The song is about a former girlfriend of the singer and the unhappy way the relationship ended. The group’s fame increased significantly after this accessible song. Incidentally, the number of children named Kayleigh also increased. Watch and listen to this song here.

The single ‘Blind curve‘ consists of several parts that together tell the story of a bizarre journey, based on contemporary themes.

Finally, from this album, I mention ‘Lavender‘. The structure and melody of this song are simple; not because the members of the band cannot play complex solos, but because the story comes out better that way. 

Clutching at straws (1987)

This album was also successful, especially the song ‘Incommunicado’. Key neo-prog rock characteristics of this song are its narrative nature, layered structure and the influence of 1980s pop music.  The recording dates from 1990, when Steve Hogarth already had replaced Fish.

Another track on this album is ‘Sugar mice’ Again, the emotion-rich vocals and melancholic atmosphere evoked using synthesisers, characterise the song as neo-progressive.

After going on one last tour with the band, singer Fish leaves the band due to the stress and fatigue such a tour caused, in return for which there were limited earnings.  He opts for a solo career.

During Fish’s time as vocalist, neo-progressive influences predominated. Partly due to the arrival of Steve Hogarth as vocalist, the band increasingly opens to other influences.  Some songs are still clearly neo-prog, others are post-prog or alternative in the first place. I will give examples of these.  However, the distinction between neo-progressive and post-progressive rock will be discussed in more detail in the following episodes.

Holidays in Eden

The band’s first album with Hogarth was ‘Holidays in Eden’ (1990). This album is heavily influenced by pop, much to the chagrin of hardcore fans. The band went on tour with it, completed at a sold-out Wembley stadium in London. At least in two songs, neo-prog characteristics can be heard: ‘Splintering heart’ and ‘The party’.

Splintering heart’ has an introspective intro that develops into a dramatic climax, which returns to a contemplative and melancholic part. This pattern repeats itself at the end of the song. You can listen to it here:

‘The party’ is an emotionally charged story that far exceeds the character of a pop ballad through its changes of timbres. In this song, prog-rock and alternative rock come close together.

Brave

The group used the whole of 1993 to make a new album, which would become one of the most impressive in its history: ‘Brave’, released in 1994. It is a rich and complex concept album, with longer songs, in which emotion masterfully finds a release. The album can be characterised as neo- and post-progressive. Examples include ‘Bridge’, ‘The great escape’ and the title track ‘Brave’.

The beginning of ‘Bridge’ is almost classic, the story is told against a varying musical backdrop and features a hard rock-like release with accompanying guitar solos. You can listen to it here.

 ‘The great escape’ is an epic song that can be listened to like as a pop song, but it evokes more atmosphere and commitment in its vocals and instrumentation.

‘Brave‘ is a mostly neo-prog, atmospheric and melodic song, full of synth sound and rhythm changes. You can see a live recording of the song ‘Brave’ (Brave, 1994) here. 

‘Afraid of sunlight’

The next album ‘Afraid of sunlight’ (1995) was a lesser commercial success. It contained a remarkable song ‘Out of this world’. The song is about Donald Campbell’s failed attempt to set a speed record with his speedboat. An atmospheric prog rock song that makes abundant use of synthesizers, complemented by Hogarth’s subdued vocals. This song prompted a successful attempt in 2001 to salvage the boat. You can listen to a 2008 recording here.

Another song that qualifies as neo prog-rock is ‘King’ which poignantly sings of the destructive influence of fame. The ‘poppy’ melody is wrapped in a sea of sounds that highlights destruction and transience with an overwhelmingly bombastic ending.

The band was not destitute, but the resources to invest in new tours or in developing a new album were lacking. Towards the end of the 20ste century, fans began to play an increasing role in financing the band. For instance, they raise the funds to enable a US tour and to promote the new album ‘This strange machine’ (1997). Later, they are willing to pre-order albums even before these are made. The band’s next step is organising holiday camps, worldwide. Fans are invited to a three-day stay during which they can attend three concerts. In February 2007, the first ‘Marillion weekend’ took place abroad, namely at Center Parcs, Port Zรฉlande in the Netherlands.

Marbles (2004) was another successful album, to be classified as (post) progressive rock. ‘You’re  gone’ and ‘Don’t hurt yourself’ have a solid dose of pop. โ€˜Neverlandโ€™ and โ€˜Fantastic placeโ€™ are closest to the neo-progressive period. The first because of its dramatic tension and the second because of the melancholic atmosphere it evokes. You can hear the second song here.

In 2009, the group released an acoustic album, ‘Less is more’. This consisted largely of older songs. You can listen to ‘This train is my live’ and ‘Anniversary‘. 

I am now making a leap in time.  During this period, the band produced a few more albums, toured regularly and the members worked on a few solo projects. A show at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2018 sold out within four minutes. A film was made of the performance: โ€˜All One Tonight – Live at the Royal Albert Hallโ€™. You can watch ‘White Paper’ here.

The band’s most recent album is ‘An hour before it’s dark’ (1922) The album is post-progressive and focused on current themes. Two examples are ‘Be hard on yourself‘ – an outspoken climate protest song – and ‘Care‘. Of the first song, the beat changes and tension building stand out. The second is atmospheric and contains a compelling melody

The music press in the UK always left the band loopy and wrote about them smugly, as if the band’s members were “prog rock dinosaurs”. Music by Marillion was rarely broadcasted on radio and TV appearances were scarce too. In contrast, the hard core of fans called ‘the Freaks’ have been and supported the band in many ways. Much recognition for the band also exists in the ‘Progressive rock community’. At the ‘2017 Progressive Music Awards’ ceremony, the band was voted ‘UK Band of the year’.

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Neo-progressive rock (Prog rock 1965 – 2025 part 6)

To understand the evolution from prog rock to neo-progressive rock and later to post progressive rock, it is necessary to dwell on what was happening on the musical scene in the period after 1975, in particular the rise of punk.[1]

Changing environment

Punk opposed what were seen as musical excesses, such as psychedelic-influenced musical styles, theatrical and virtuoso playing, long songs, imaginative themes and social utopias. This mainly concerned hard rock, metal, symphonic rock and prog rock. Fans also got tired of the long, complicated songs with sometimes inimitable lyrics. For this, see my post on punk in the history of rock after 1960 series. 

The popularity of punk was short-lived, after which most of the remaining groups improved mastery of their instruments and replaced political slogans with appealing lyrics. Initially, this new brand of punk was referred to as ‘post punk’; record companies started using the term ‘new wave’, music critics spoke of ‘alternative’ or ‘alt-rock’ and young people spoke of ‘underground music’. A wide variety of styles fall under this heading. Groups included in this category are R.E.M, Nirvana, Pearl jam, Red hot chili peppers, Pixies, Cure, Green day and many others. What these bands have in common is that they distance themselves from what they saw as commercial pop music, which of course is partly a sham.  You can also read about this in my post on alternative rock.

All this, of course, does not escape the notice of prog rock groups. They realise that adjustments are inevitable, first and foremost, improving the accessibility of their music. This would also increase the willingness of radio stations to play it. This went down well with groups like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Asia and Yes. Especially by taking substantial steps towards pop. Groups without an established tradition, such as Marillion, IQ and Pendragon were looking for a way to renew prog rock itself. This certainly succeeded well in the 1980s.

Characteristics of neo-progressive rock

I will list characteristics of neo-progressive rock below and for each of these you can look and listen to a song for illustration. Remember that the differences between prog rock and neo-progressive rock are gradual. For that matter, so are the differences between neo-progressive and post-progressive rock. Also, you must realise that typifying music on the basis of stylistic characteristics is usually done afterwards and musicians are hardly concerned with it.

1. Melody and accessibility (versus complexity and long songs)

Neo-progressive rock remains more complex than ‘mainstream rock’. There is more emphasis on catchy melodies and the articulation of emotion, making songs more resonant than older prog rock tunes.

And good example is: ‘Kayleigh’ (Misplaced childhood, 1985) by Marillion. This song has personal and emotional lyrics and a simple structure.

2. Synthesiser-driven sound (versus analogue instruments such as guitar and organ)

Synthesisers and other electronic instruments play a dominant role in neo-progressive rock, partly replacing guitar and piano. With electronic instruments, greater differences in timbre can be created, ranging from dreamy (or ethereal) to menacing and bombastic. You can now watch and listen to ‘Awake and Nervous’ (Tales from the lush attic, 1983) by IQ, a recording from 2019. The synthesiser creates a layered pallet of sounds to reinforce the emotion this song seeks to evoke.

3. Influence of pop and new wave (versus classical and jazz)

Influences from pop music, new wave and alternative rock result in a tighter and more polished sound, and as a consequence, music that resonates better with a wider audience.

A good example is ‘A man of nomadic traits'(Not of this world, 2001) by Pendragon, a 2008 recording. You can watch and listen to this song here

4. Introspective texts (versus philosophical, mythical and science fiction sources)

Song lyrics are often introspective and based on personal experiences or feelings of melancholy, sadness or anger. A good example is Marillion’s album ‘Script for a Jester’s tear’ (1983). You can hear the title track with the same name here, also recorded in 1983.

5. Less experimental with more focus on atmosphere (versus virtuosity and variation of beat, rhythm, timbre and volume)

Creating an atmospheric experience is more important than complexity and technical feats. A good example of such a melodic song is ‘The voyager’ (Men who climb mountains, 1994) by Pendragon. The version here was recorded in 2018. 

6. Conceptual approach

Albums, like their prog rock predecessors, often have overarching themes, but now with a more personal or introspective slant rather than a mythological character

A good example is ‘This Green and Pleasant Land’ (Out of order comes chaos, 2012) by Pendragon. You can watch and listen to this song here.

Other differences include focus on a wider audience rather than on a niche market and modern production techniques versus analogue recordings.

Similarities and differences between prog rock and alternative rock become manifest from the 1980s onwards . Both styles are reactions to mainstream rock and pop music. Prog rock is mainly driven by the pursuit of recognition as an art form and translates this into virtuosity and complexity.  Alternative rock also is experimental but is mainly driven by authenticity and introspection and expresses this through variations in timbre. The differences between the two styles are sometimes easily audible but sometimes not, for instance in the case of some songs by Nirvana, Radiohead, The Mars Volta and Tool. 

Marillion is one of the most pronounced neo-prog rock groups. This group will be in the spotlight in the next post and I will show why the above-mentioned characteristics of neo-prog rock fit this group well.

[1] This post is based on an analysis of articles in Wikipedia (Eng.) and recordings on YouTube. ChatGPT was used as an aid in structuring the information.

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Rush (Prog rock 1965 – 2025 part 5)

Rush is a Canadian band formed in 1968 in Toronto. After some personnel changes, until its disbanding in 2015, the band consisted of Geddy Lee (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards), Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart (drums, percussion). Lee and Lifeson wrote the music, Peart the lyrics.

Most prog rock groups were psychedelic-oriented in their early years, in the late 1960s. Rush, on the other hand, was a hard rock band and as such entered the world of prog rock. Hard rock has always remained the group’s DNA; the group made a conscious decision to be inspired by prog rock and smoothly moved with the different guises that prog rock took over the years. Hard rock combined with prog rock rock the phenomenal craftsmanship of the three members have led to the group always having a large following.

Giving attention to the band is warranted because it illustrates the development of progressive rock over three periods, giving a first impression of the changes that took place in the genre.  

Embracing prog rock 

The band’s hard rock roots still dominate its second album, ‘Fly by night’, which also shows the first signs of prog rock. A song like ‘By-Tor & the Snow Dog’ (Fly by night, 1975) consists of several sections, has complex arrangements and a mythological theme.

The next album, Caress of Steel, continues the trend towards prog rock. This is evident in the long compositions, choice of mythological themes and complex structures. You can hear this in the song ‘The Necromancer’ (Caress of Steel, 1975), an atmospheric epic song, b great success either. The fourth album ‘2112’ (1976) provides a breakthrough. You’re watching and listening here to an animation of the full title track ‘2112’ (2112, 1976) that covers one side of the record and consists of seven parts; here a live recording from โ€˜2112โ€™. It is a sci-fi epic set in the city of Megadon in the year 2112. Hard rock fans who like progressive rock are in the right place here, and vice versa. 

The upward trend in interest in Rush as a prog rock band continues in ‘A farewell to kings’ (1977) and Hemisphere(1978). The group now also lends its ear to established prog rock groups such as Yes and King Crimson. You are now watching and listening to ‘A Farewell to kings’ (A Farewell to kings, 1977)

The transition to neo-progressive rock

In albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s such as “Permanent Waves” (1980) and “Moving Pictures” (1981), more neo-progressive characteristics come through. To this end, Lifeson starts experimenting with classical and 12-string guitars and Lee adds bass pedal synthesisers and Mini Moog. Peart expands his already no small amount of percussion instruments to include triangles, wood blocks, cowbells, timpani and a gong. Besides adding instruments, the band stayed in tune with progressive rock trends by composing long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy themes, which are more accessible than the songs from the previous period.  โ€˜Permanent wavesโ€™, and especially โ€˜Moving pictureโ€™ penetrated to the top of the charts in Canada, the US and Europe. and were even appreciated by the critics.

A number of songs from both albums Pictures’ also scored high as a single.

The ‘Spirit of Radio’ (Permanent Waves, 1980) is a complex yet accessible composition with diverse styles, including reggae and new wave elements. The content of the songs shifts from a fairy-tale and mythical fantasy world to current social themes.

Rush toured with ‘Permanent waves’ for six months and reached some 650,000 fans during that period. 

‘The camera eye’ (Moving Pictures, 1981) combines neo-progressive elements and contains experiments with electronics. This song, which lasted 11 minutes, was the band’s last long song. The same album also features ‘Tom Sawyer’ (Moving pictures, 1981). You can watch and listen to that now, a recording from 2007 in Ahoy, Rotterdam.

These two albums were followed by another series of albums, for instance โ€˜Signalsโ€™ that found a warm reception and, while retaining the hard rock DNA, went along with the changes that prog rock was undergoing.

‘Subdivisions’ ( Signals,1982) is an introspective song in which synthesisers play a more important role than the guitar. This makes this song a model for neo-progressive rock. Other songs on this album, such as ‘Digital man‘, ‘The weapon‘ and ‘Chemistry’ show that the band was also influenced by ska, reggae and funk and, of course, hard rock. You watch and listen to Chemistry here.

Post-progressive influence

Over time, Rush evolves further with a focus on textures, atmospheres and simpler structures. Synthesisers continue to play an important role in this initially. The album ‘Grace under pressure’ (1984) builds on the style of ‘Signals’. The title is a paraphrase of Hemmingway’s quote ‘Courage is grace under pressure’. This is followed by ‘Power window’ (1985) and Hold your fire (1987). Illustrative songs in the last album are ‘Time stand still’ย and ‘The pass’. In this album, the guitar again resonates more strongly than in the previous albums.

In the early 1990s, Rush further abandons the heavily keyboard-dominated sound. This is evident in the albums Presto (1989), Rolling the bones (1991), Counterparts (1993) and Test for Echo.  From the latter album, you can hear here the title track ‘Test for Echo’, performed live in Toronto (1997). After the ‘Test for Echo’ tour, the band took a break, eventually lasting five years. Cause were tragic events in Peart’s life.

The trio picked up where they left off in 2001 and the first album the group released is ‘Vapor Trails’ (2002). All songs were recorded without keyboards and synthesizers. The same applies to Snakes & Arrows (2007), whose song ‘Far cry’ became a hit. You can listen to this song here. The recording was made at Rotterdam Ahoy in 2007. 

The group’s latest studio album is Clockwork Angels (2012). You can listen to three songs from this album; ‘Caravan‘, ‘Halo effect‘ and ‘The garden’. In the latter song, hard rock has finally largely given way to more introspective neo-pro rock sounds, accompanied by a string section.

In August 2020, Peart dies of brain cancer. Lee and Lifeson declare that they will still play songs together but will never tour again.

The band has sold about 40 million albums. โ€˜Moving picturesโ€™ was the best-selling and also highest-rated album, which you should definitely listen to in its entirety once.

In essence, Rush remained a hard rock band with an open eye to other styles, the development of prog rock first and foremost. This led to long songs, irregular and shifting tunings and changing time signatures. In the 1980s, the band added elements borrowed from new wave, reggae and pop. At the time, synthesisers and electronic percussion were widely used. The mix of hard rock, technical virtuosity and features of prog rock made Rush unique, and the group in turn influenced the further development of post-progressive rock. 

Generalising, you could say that neo-progressive rock is more concerned with atmosphere and emotion and less with demonstrating technical virtuosity. Long songs are less prominent and there is more focus on accessibility. Post-progressive rock further opens to other genres, such as alternative rock and pop music. In the next post, I discuss the differences between the first and second periods more systematically, then shift the focus to the third period and put the three periods side by side.

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The heydays (Prog rock 1965 – 2025 part 3)

This post covers 11 characteristics of prog rock. Each is illustrated with recordings by prominent groups such as Yes, King Crimson, Soft Machine, Caravan and, of course, Pink Floyd and Genesis. Become aware of their differences and similarities

In the early 1970s, the building blocks that ‘proto prog’ groups had provided in the 1960s fell into place. This resulted in progressive rock becoming an identifiable style within rock music in general. Below, I will summarise its characteristics. In doing so, I recall some songs by Pink Floyd, which you could listen to in Part 2 of this series. I also refer to songs by Genesis, a group that will take centre stage in the next instalment. Most of the songs come from four bands, each of which made its own contribution to the development of prog rock: King Crimson, Yes, Soft Machine and Caravan.

Four innovative bands

King Crimson

Formed in 1968 by Robert Fripp, the band disbanded in 2021, after a few periods of inactivity. More than Pink Floyd, King Crimson has an experimental, sometimes avant-garde character and the music has a high degree of complexity. The members of the band play a variety of instruments, leading to a broad palette of sounds. You can hear Starless here. This complex instrumental song showcases Robert Fripp’s unique guitar playing (Starless and Bible Black, 1974) 

Yes

Yes was founded in 1968 by Jon Anderson and still exists to this day,  after dozens of line-up changes. Like King Crimson, the band is known for its complex compositions, virtuosity, spiritual lyrics and unusual time signatures. At the same time, the band’s songs are more accessible. The band has announced it will release a new album in 2025. To get acquainted with the group, I will show you here a live performance of โ€˜Round aboutโ€™ (Fragile, 1971) The song opens with acoustic guitar playing by Steve Howe, followed by dynamic and complex bass lines, harmonies and a catchy chorus.

Soft machine

This is an English band from the Canterbury area, formed in 1966. Initially with a strong psychedelic orientation, the group later developed towards prog rock with a jazzy accent. You can listen to ‘The tale of Taliesin’ย (Love makes sweet music, 1969)here.

Caravan

Formed in 1968 by David and Richard Sinclair. The band still exists after several interruptions, although its predicted success never quite has materialised. Its style is more melodic and accessible and less influenced by jazz than Soft Machine’s. The group combines complex structures with a warm, playful atmosphere and is known for its dreamy and sometimes humorous approach. Here you are listening to ‘Golf girl’ (In the land of grey and pink, 1971).

Characteristics of the heyday of prog rock (late 60s, early 70s)

1. Long numbers

Prog rock broke with the standard three-minute pop structure and embraced long songs with individual parts, like classical music. This applies to most of the songs you can listen to below.  I particularly mention Pink Floyd’s suite ‘Dark side of the moon’ (1973), which filled the entire album of the same name.

2. Experimentation , improvisation and innovation

Many songs arose from improvisations during performances and jam sessions in the studio, trying out different instruments and technical aids. Listen and watch Pink Floyd‘s song ‘Interstellar Overdrive’ (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 1967). You can at most hear that the song was born out of improvisations during live performances by its lack of structure at the end before the band picks up the theme again. Moreover, widely different long versions of the song circulate among themselves, including the soundtrack of the film London ’66 – ’67. Anyway, you  hear the band’s psychedelic roots.

The ability to improvise makes it attractive for musicians to play in a prog rock band. This is especially true of the most experimental band King Crimson. ‘Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part I’ (Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, 1973) is an avant-garde song with great rhythmic complexity and strong dynamics, partly due to the combination of strings with heavy guitar playing.

Another example is Soft Machine’s ‘Facelift‘ (Third, 1970). The organ parts of this 18-minute song were improvised. The song ‘For Richard‘ (If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You, 1970) by Carava is one of this band’s most iconic songs. It lasts 18 minutes and begins with a subdued introduction that develops into an intense climax.

3. Dynamics and complex structures 

Almost all the songs by all the bands I review here, consist of contrasting parts that differ in tempo, rhythm and measure. They often start out simple and then build up to a layered and complex whole. You can listen to Caravan’s 22-minute suite ‘Nine Feet Underground’ (In the Land of Grey and Pink, 1971). It consists of several jazzy improvisations that seamlessly blend together, even though they are recorded separately. This live version was recorded in Paris, 2003.

The song ‘Heart of the sunrise by Yes (Fragile, 1971) starts with an explosive bass part by Chris Squire and alternates between intense and subdued moments. Alternating time signatures and virtuoso instrumentation also add to the dynamics. This song is one of the classic examples of prog rock. Finally, you can take another listen to Pink Floyd’s ‘Brain Damage/Eclipse‘ (The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973). This is the last part of the suite that, as mentioned, covers the entire album. 

4. Unusual time signatures

Prog rock experiments with time signatures such as 7/8, 5/4 and other non-standard patterns, giving the melodies a special character. The King Crimson song you can listen to and watch below, ’21st century schizoid men’ (In the court of King Crimson, 1969) is taken from the group’s debut album. This album later turns out to be their most successful and influential album. In the song, 4/4 and 6/4 bars alternate. The last part (the ‘outro’) has no beat at all. The song combines an unusual beat with cryptic lyrics and an epic arrangement with symphonic grandeur. This 2016 recording enhances this effect as the group now performs with three (!) drummers.

I also mention Pink Floyd’s song ‘Money’ (The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973). It is written in 7/4 time.

5. Instrumental virtuosity

In prog rock, technical prowess of the musicians played an important role. This was linked to the presence of extended instrumental passages, often with solos by all members of the band. This applies to all the bands you can listen to here. Still, a couple of examples. The first comes from Yes‘ Homeworld’ (The Ladder, 1997).

After the group had increasingly turned to a polished pop style in previous years, ‘Homeworld’ is a successful balance between accessibility and the bandโ€™s 1970s prog rock roots. King Crimson also revives ’70s ements in one of its later songs, ‘FraKtured’ (The constrKuction of light, 2000). Furthermore, this recording (Berlin, 2000) shows even more matured virtuosity. ‘Winter Wine‘ (In the Land of Grey and Pink, 1971) by Caravan combines dreamy melodies with a nostalgic atmosphere and imaginative lyrics. It shows the introspective and lyrical side of the group.

6. Concept albums and thematic cohesion

Many prog rock songs tell a story with a philosophical, mythical or sci-fi background. In some cases, this background extends over an entire album. Pink Floyd has carried this feature furthest in both album art, music videos and films. Here you are listening to an excerpt from the filmed version of ‘Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)’ (The Wall, 1979). Both the album and the film revolved around alienation and the impact of a repressive upbringing.

Another example is ‘The dark side of the moon’, also by Pink Floyd. Theme of this album is time, mortality, and the human condition. You can hear ‘Time’ (The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973) here. 

7. Orchestral character with influences from classical music and jazz

Prog rock integrates among others classical compositional techniques (such as fugues and symphonic structures) and jazzy improvisation. You can watch and listen to ‘Firth of fifth’ (Selling England by the pound’, 1974) by Genesis. The piano intro, with its complex beat and Steve Hackett’s guitar solo are heavily influenced by classical music. The awkward piano intro was usually omitted in live concerts.

Yes’s song Close to the Edge (Close to the Edge, 1972) lasts almost 19 minutes and has an epic character with symphonic grandeur. The album is considered as the high point of Yes’s career. Moon in June (Third, 1970) by Soft Machine marks the transition from psychedelic rock to jazzy prog rock with long instrumental passages with surreal lyrics. The fully instrumental song ‘Slightly all the time’ (Third, 1970), also by Soft Machine, features extended and virtuoso saxophone and organ parts and moves smoothly between jazz, rock and avant-garde. Caravan’s song ‘If I could do It all over again, I’d do It all over you’ (If I could do It all over again, I’d do it all over you, 1970) combines a catchy melody with complex jazzy parts.

8. Use of synthesizers and other electronic instruments

All bands increasingly used electronic keyboard instruments such as mellotron and mini Moog from the early 1970s to create orchestral, sometimes bombastic sounds.  The song below, ‘Out-bloody-rageous’ (Third, 1970) by Soft machine starts with electronics, followed by more traditional jazz-rock instrumentation.

In Genesis‘ ‘Watcher of the Skies’ (Foxtrot, 1973), you can hear the ominous sounds a mellotron can produce The mellotron intro is one of prog rock’s most iconic ‘samples’. King Crimson’s orchestral number ‘Epitaph‘ (In the Court of the Crimson King, 1969) has a classically epic and melancholic atmosphere thanks to the mellotron.

9. Philosophical and esoteric texts

Many lyrics are poetic and profound, focusing on abstract concepts such as the universe, the human condition and spirituality. Caravan’s song ‘In the Land of Grey and Pink’ (In the Land of Grey and Pink, 1971) is light-hearted, dreamy and playful, with surreal and humorous lyrics and has a relaxed, almost pastoral atmosphere. This is another classic within prog-rock.

Pink Floyd’s ‘Comfortably Numb’ (The Wall, 1979) is also an introspective song about isolation and losing touch with reality.

10. Dynamics and atmosphere

Prog rock plays with dynamics by contracting between quiet, introspective moments and bombastic outbursts. Spatial effects are often used, which can have a hallucinatory effect. Genesis‘ next song ‘The Musical Box’ (Nursery Crime, 1971) combines an imaginative storyline with musical dynamics and theatrical vocals.

Echoes (Meddle, 1971) by Pink Floyd is a 23-minute song that combines complex structures with atmospheric sounds and experimental instrumentation. What you can see is a live performance in Gdansk (2006). The song ‘And You and I’ (Close to the Edge, 1972) by Yes has a poetic, almost spiritual atmosphere, partly due to the combination of mellotron and acoustic guitar.

11. Visual effects and multimedia

Needless to say, Pink Floyd in particular could afford fascinating visual effects in its final years, performing to audiences of tens of thousands, as here in “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)” (Wish You Were Here, 1975), performed in London (2004).

But Genesis also attached great importance to stage decoration and lighting. During the tour to promote the album ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ (1974), three giant screens were used on which eight projectors projected 1450 images. Furthermore, there was a laser show.

Prog rock had a great influence on the development of other forms of rock, including metal, in the 1970s. In Part 6 dealing with ‘neo-progressive rock’, I will show how the genre has renewed itself in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the further use of electronics and improving the songsโ€™ accessibility. 

The next episode focuses on Genesis, one of the leading and most inspiring rock bands during the last years of the 20stecentury.

[1] This post is based on an analysis of articles in Wikipedia (Eng.) and recordings on YouTube. ChatGPT was used as an aid in structuring the information.

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Beyoncรฉ: Megastars of pop music in the early 21st century

In a previous episode, I described how skillful producers are betting that new songs will achieve high sales. At the time, I used songs by Beyoncรฉ and Rihanna as examples. In separate posts, starting with this one, I will pay attention to both mega-stars. The story about the development of prog rock will continue in the next post.

Beyoncรฉ Giselle Knowles-Carter is born in Houston, Texas, in 1981. Her name is an homage to her mother’s birth name (Tina Beyincรฉ Carter). She owned a hair salon, and her father was a sales manager at Xerox. As a child, Beyoncรฉ was a steady participant in singing and dancing competitions. At her 7the, she won a talent contest with John Lennonโ€™s song Imagine. She pursued a musical education. Due to the requirements of her fast-developing career, she did not finish it. 

From the age of eight, she attempts to become known on the girl groups circuit. Her father quit his job to become a full-time manager, bringing the family to the brink of poverty. At her 15th, success glimmered when the group signed a contract with Columbia Records, resulting in the first album ‘No, no, no’, The group was called Destiny’s Child from then on, inspired by the Bible book Isaiah. Large success came in 1999 with the groupโ€™s second album ‘Writings on the wall’, and with the third album ‘Survivor’ that followed a year later.  

Listen to the song ‘Say my name’ from the second album

In the meantime, Beyoncรฉ struggled with severe depression. In varying line-ups, the group would go on to become the best-selling girl group ever. Beyoncรฉ was the brains behind the music and choreography.  The group went on a lengthy successful world tour. After slowing down and producing another album, the group broke up amicably. 

Before Destiny’s Child ceased to exist, Beyoncรฉ released a solo album “Dangerously in love”.  It sold 11 million copies, and she received 5 Grammy Awards for it, the highest accolade in music.

From her debut album, you can see the best-selling single here. The recording also captures the large-scale set-up of her shows, which would continue to grow with each subsequent tour. Today, she is considered one of the best entertainers, surrounded by extremely costly and sophisticated choreography, for which the world’s best dancers are hired. So far, only Taylor Swift has caught up with her on this.

The second solo album followed in 2006. The third ‘I am… Sacha Fierce’ (2008) consists of two parts.  In the first part, she is herself; in the second part, she ‘plays’ ‘Sacha Fierce’, her ‘alter ego’.  The first part contains more quiet songs, while the second reveals more dance influences.  This album added eight Grammys to her collection.

Now, you can listen to the ‘quiet’ Halo, not a live performance, but a music video. A halo is an attribute, with which statues of saints were generously provided. 

From the album ‘4’ (2011) Beyoncรฉ’s lucky number, you can listen here to ‘(Girls) run the world’, performed on the 25th anniversary of the Opray Winfrey show, also her last one.ย 

Each new album received more rave reviews from public, press and music critics.  This was especially true of album six, ‘Lemonade’, the best album of the entire decade because of the music, but also the cocktail of styles. The album is a modern form of R&B primarily, but it has also components of reggae, blues, rock, hip-hop, soul, funk, americana, country, gospel, electronics and rap. It also contained frank lyrics, for example about her husband’s infidelity. Beyoncรฉ calls herself a “modern-day feminist” and many of her songs are about love, relationships, female sexuality and independence.

With music mainly from this album, she toured all major stadiums around the world from 2016, the ‘Formation tour’, named after one of the songs from the album ‘Lemonade’. Here the song ‘Formation’. On 16 July 2016, she performed at the Amsterdam Arena.

Her seventh album, ‘Renaissance’ (2022) was also particularly well received, and it is the basis for the world tour Beyoncรฉ just finished. The song that you can listen to now is ‘Break my Soul’ and was filmed at the London performance of the show in June 2023. Electronic dance music dominates. More than 80 performances of this mega-show were scheduled. The cheapest tickets in London cost around โ‚ฌ250; in Toronto, you could go for โ‚ฌ100 less.

Even before the tour is over, Beyoncรฉ has achieved just about everything imaginable musically before Taylor Swift took over.  Never has an artist has earned 28 ‘Grammys’.  She has now sold 200 million albums (physical and digital), which can be added to the 60 million together with Destiny’s Child. Leading magazines like Billboard and Time name her as the best female artist of the 21stecentury. She is on the list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Beyoncรฉ’s nickname is ‘bee queen’ and her fans are called the bee-hive.

Finally, some details about the context of her life. Beyoncรฉ married (also) world-famous rapper Jay-Z on 4 April 2008. Here, the couple is pictured together. They have a daughter aged 11 (Blue Ivy) and twins born in 2017 (Rumy and Sir).

Beyoncรฉ was the face of her own fashion line, House of Derรฉon, which she set up with her mother in 2006: ‘Where sidewalk and catwalk meet’.  Their clothes were wildly popular among fans, but sales declined eventually due to a lack of innovative momentum.  The line was discontinued in 2012, partly after a fuss about overly sexy clothes for young girls. It has been revived in 2020 in connection with the then upcoming world tour. Later Beyoncรฉ launched a swimwear line with Adidas. Now she is working in partnership with Balmain. Several perfumes have been named after her. Beyoncรฉ has further appeared in numerous films, such as Pink Panther. Her voice is also heard in Lion King (Nala).

According to US business magazine Forbes, Beyoncรฉ’s wealth is about $540 million. She has earned most of it from her singing, but the clothing line and her long-term association with Pepsi, for which she received $50 million, also contribute. From the ongoing world tour, whose gross proceeds are estimated at $2 billion, she is also sure to make several hundred millions.

It wasn’t just making money that rang the bell. Beyoncรฉ also collaborates on campaigns to encourage schoolchildren to exercise. A nice clip to illustrate.

Beyoncรฉ’s fortune stands in the shadow of that of her husband, rapper Jay-Z, whose name is derived from the two underground lines (J and Z) that run through Brooklyn. He grew up in one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous neighbourhoods, repeatedly got into trouble with the police but managed to break away from the criminal milieu and became a successful musician and businessman. Unlike Beyoncรฉ, he owes his fortune mainly to successful business activities; besides his own record label (Roc-A-Fella), he invests in beauty products and in expensive champagne and cognac brands. He owns his own film company and finally, he owns a large collection of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Forbes estimates his wealth at over $2.5 billion. This makes him the richest hip-hop artist in the world, falling just short of the 1,000 richest people in the world (place 1208). In June 2023 Jay-Z and Beyoncรฉ bought the most expensive house ever sold ($200 million) in the state of California.