Issue 2025-055
Kevan Furbank — 1977: How Progressive Rock Defied Punk
Jan Buddenberg
And so the discussion continues: did Punk really kill prog?
Take a look at the 12,500+ reviews on DPRP and the short and clear answer is a loud no! Because prog simply went underground for a few years. To then triumphantly return for a second wave in the early 80s and many other waves in the decades that followed.
However, it is fair to state that the quickly arising and short-lived punk movement explosively did make quite an impact on the music scene in 1977. Combined with cultural aspects, it changed musical preferences. And an overly excited music press in favour of shorter songs resulted in prog to quickly disappear from the public eye. In the end it didn't kill prog though! And happily retired author Kevan Furbank illustrates this with a broad selection of classic studio albums released in 1977 that defy this statement.
Purely a subjective selection of pinnacle albums as a humorously engaging Furbank so aptly points out, this 21-effort shortlist (in descending order of favouritism again, Kevan?) begins with the mighty trinity of Animals (Pink Floyd), Going For The One (Yes) and Songs From The Wood (Jethro Tull). Albums that need no further punk-defying explanation at all, I guess, as these masterpieces have all brilliantly stood the test of time and are still highly appreciated among progressive rock fans. To some extent this also applies to the subsequently addressed Works Volume 1 & Works Volume 2 by ELP. Although I do have some reservations towards the latter which is not their finest hour if you ask me. Based on ELP's past achievements, the inclusion of these albums is fully justified. As is Hawkwind's Quark, Strangeness, and Charm for that matter.
Also fully deserving to be part of the albums that progressively shaped 1977 are The Grand Illusion by crossover prog-act Styx, Rush's A Farewell To Kings (duh), Camel's Rain Dances, and Peter Gabriels eponymous debut. Even though I'm not even a huge fan of these last two myself (complaints can be sent to our usual no-reply email address). And also I Robot by Alan Parsons Project and the efforts by Gentle Giant (The Missing Piece) and Van Der Graaf (The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome) that in their own unique way, exhibit various punk influences.
Following a basic three-step principle (personnel + album info, The Story So Far, The Album), per album description, Furbank analyses all these efforts with great enthusiasm and devotion and plenty of (trivial) knowledge. His humourous way of writing gives the book a delightful speed reading appeal. This is matched with excellent research, complementary insider jokes, informative insights, accurate recollections, quotes, and other topics of importance (themes, concepts, song analysis) that Furbank meticulously incorporates into his story. Curiously, he does mention, and I quote, that "by the end of 1977 and into early 1978, ELP were a three-piece again - and it would be the last tour they ever played". Which is pure poppycock. This minor mistake aside, though, his intel probing is as CSI worthy as can be and leaves nothing to be desired.
Equally satisfactory is Furbank's gift in creatively speaking his unfiltered opinions. He certainly doesn't hold back on these judgements. And just as easily praises an album into must-have heaven (Steve Hillage - Motivation Radio) as that he applauds an effort with the flattering advice: heat in the microwave, use as a plant pot. I'll spare you the details. But suffice it to say, I don't always agree with some of these hilarious compliments. For instance, there's Starcastle's third album, Citadel, which Furbank briefly mentions in the They Also Served... chapter, which I personally consider the complete opposite of rubbish. But then again, my thick skin can handle these remarks just fine. And they even inspired me to listen to several of these lesser-regarded works.
This also goes for the three prog-anomalies that Furbank describes in the main section of his book. As a result, I now have a very good idea where Nubdug Ensemble got their inspiration from. That the two Brian Eno efforts dissected by Furbank are not for me. And that the mind-boggling Consequences by Godley & Creme, both formerly of 10CC, is a well-assessed, eye-watering, WTF-experience indeed.
Together with fully investigated albums by Goblin, Happy The Man, and the prog gem of The Geese and The Ghost by Anthony Phillips, I can fully see the reason behind the inclusion of these albums. As now almost every existing prog variable alive in 1977 is assuringly presented in the book. I do miss out on a quite a few essential albums, despite the aforementioned They Also Served... section that, amongst others, highlights efforts by Ethos, Eloy, England, Grobschnitt, Barclay James Harvest and Colloseum II.
To briefly illustrate some more as to how defyingly memorable the prog year of 1977 really was, I'll narrow these excluded releases down to those issued by Lift (Caverns Of Your Brain), Nektar (Magic Is A Child), Journey (Next), FM (Black Noise), Ambrosia (Somewhere I've Never Travelled), Klaatu (Hope), Max Webster (High Class In Borrowed Shoes), Windchase (Symphinity), and Machiavel (Jester). Which is a shortlist that's far from complete. But all of them fully worth checking out as far as I'm concerned.
This, in short conclusion, also goes without saying for this splendid book by Furbank. Not only because it's well-written, entertaining, informative, and a great joy to read. It also provided me with several new musical discoveries to boot. So what more can one ask for? OK, maybe a sequel that takes a closer look at those other unaddressed albums from 1977? If I may offer a suggestion, how about: 1977 - How Progressive Rock dared Disco? Or alternatively: 1977 - How Progressive Rock rebelled Reggae. 1977 - How Progressive Rock neglected New Wave. 1977 - How Progressive Rock counteracted Country. Oh Bollocks, I can't stop! 1977 - How Progressive Rock battled Beat. 1977 - How...
Opher Goodwin — On Track... Leonard Cohen
Martin Burns
Opher Goodwin has appeared in the pages before with four of his music books on, lets say more prog adjacent, acts. He covered Captain Beefheart, The Beatles, Roy Harper and Bob Dylan, all for Sonicbond. This new one covers the not-at-all prog, Leonard Cohen.
Leonard Cohen is foremost a poet who found an outlet for his work through song. He became the most unlikely star through not playing the typical folk or later rock star. What commends him to his audience is the quality of his song writing. Writing recognized classics like Sisters Of Mercy, So Long, Marianne, Suzanne, and of course Hallelujah. With Cohen's dour deep baritone voice being an acquired taste moving between the almost wearisome and the hypnotic.
I cannot imagine that Goodwin's well-written, thoroughly researched On Track... book will appeal to the general readers of this site. Though I myself am a fan, though not a rabid one. I found that this book has encouraged me to investigate his later work following his return to recording and touring. My favourite and most played record of his is the politically charged, and seemingly in these times more relevant that ever, The Future.
Fans of Cohen should snap this book up, as Opher Goodwin's opinions of the music and lyrics will generate good-hearted debate. For the curious its a good resource to guide the dipping of toes into Cohen's long, but not intimidatingly so, back catalogue.
And a note to the publishers, there are again some glaring proof-reading errors in the text. Dance Me To The End Of Love is referenced as Dance To The End Of Time and Rebecca Du Mornay becomes Rebecca De Mornay and later of the same page (92) Daphne De Mornay. I think the AI editor mixed her up with Daphne Du Maurier and her novel Rebecca. You should do better for both the author and the reader.
Nick Holmes — On Track...Porcupine Tree (Revised and Updated)
Martin Burns
The previous edition of Nick Holmes' On Track...Porcupine Tree Every Album, Every Song was enthusiastically reviewed in these pages by Jan which I can only echo with my enthusiasm.
As Jan points out in his review the original book was published just before Porcupine Tree re-entered the musical fray with Closure/Continuation, this revised and updated version adds that album and the subsequent live release Closure/Continuation.Live as well as further live releases from 2024.
Porcupine Tree have to the uninitiated a substantial and bewildering back catalogue and one of the beauties of the On Track... books is that the authors act as a guide through some of the odder byways and digressions of a long recording career. As well as providing insights into the band and assessments of the tracks and albums themselves.
Nick Holmes does all this with ease and clarity. If you only came to Porcupine Tree with their relatively recent re-emergence or are a fan who wants to hear other points of view on the music then Nick Holmes' book is the place to start.
Doug Thornton — On Track... Journey
Jan Buddenberg
After a relatively quiet period of prog-related On Track books, Sonicbond return with another excellent read that investigates the musical walkways of AOR giants Journey. A band that needs no introduction whatsoever. I probably don't even need to mention Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry, and founding members Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie, both previously engaged in Santana. I'll spare you and myself the trouble of naming everyone involved, as this is quite a few players after more than 50 years of activity. But in all fairness, both Ross Valory and Deen Castronovo deserve their fair share of recognition here as well.
Delving deep into half a century of Journey is Doug Thornton, who discovered the band in 1978 shortly after Infinity, the first album to feature the vocals of Steve Perry. Liking what he heard, he quickly got hold of the preceding albums Journey, Look Into The Future, and Next. Which somewhat confused him as these are all infinitely more progressive in nature than the music immortalised on the album that pulled him in as a fan. Which is sort of a funny coincidence. Because two years later I actually discovered the band through these first three albums. More specifically, the outstanding Look Into The Future which next to its epic title track contains the mighty enjoyable I'm Gonna Leave You. In 1981, I bought the AOR milestone Escape after continuous begging for an advance on my allowance. This jump-started my own startling reverse journey through a marvellously entertaining and captivating legacy. The 50+ Journey and related albums in my collection suitably reflect this.
Back to Thornton. In fine vocabulary story-telling form and fully devoted to the "Every Album, Every Song" principle, he takes it upon him to expertly analyse and competently describe these albums and 250+ songs with insightful anecdotes and facts. Thereby simultaneously taking his readers on an elaborate and informative journey through the band's many line-ups, their different musical phases, and many of the other challenges that the band faced over the years. A detailed story for which he 99% of the time passes with flying colours. More about that remaining 1% later on.
Recognising Journey's Japanese soundtrack Dream, After Dream in the table of contents instantly fills my heart with joy. Not only for the fact that this glorious album includes Destiny, one of my all-time favourite Journey compositions. But also for the reason that this beautiful studio album is very much overlooked by both fans and the media. As well as the band themselves, who manage to even deny its existence on their own website. An error I hope Schon & Co. will correct some day.
Following this first strike, Thornton at first takes time out to briefly capture Journey's overall trail with an introduction of the four major vocalists usually associated with Journey. Gregg Rolie, Steve Perry, Steve Augeri, and Arnel Pineda. He then accurately begins to recreate Journey's founding history. After which he starts to pay his detailed attention to the trinity of albums recorded before Perry joined.
Explaining manager Herbie Herbert's role as he goes along, I don't always agree with Thornton's assessment of songs on these predominantly fusion / prog albums. But on the whole, he provides a very solid account of this early phase in Journey's career. And also offers very clear insights into the individual virtuoso interpretations that helped shape these exceptionally fine albums and songs. It is a bit of a shame that he mislabels Yesterday & Today, nowadays Y&T, as "Yesterday & Tomorrow" in the process. But these pages are all in all an excellent start. And the great thing about it is that Thornton perfectly maintains this dedicated narrating style when he further explores the other stages in Journey's lifetime.
After a brief moment in time with Robert Fleischmann on vocals, this naturally includes the successful era where Steve Perry (gradually) started to take over on lead-vocals as meanwhile Aynsley Dunbar gets replaced by Steve Smith. And just as naturally highlights the arrival of Jonathan Cain taking over Rolie. And the obvious mega-stardom years that brought the oeuvre highlights of Escape and Frontiers until Journey finally went on a lengthy break shortly after the 1986 release Raised On Radio.
With Thornton faithfully allocating every miscellaneous released track to corresponding albums, Journey's timeline during these and subsequent years gets frequently complicated thanks to a lot of other interesting releases. There are solo albums, projects undertaken by Schon (Schon & Hammer, HSAS, Bad English, SoulSirkus) and a multitude of albums issued that involved (past) Journey members (a.o. Vital Information, The Storm). Thornton weaves all of these albums carefully into his well-chosen words as he continues to tell about Journey's return (Trial By Fire) and their 2001 re-launch that introduces Steve Augeri on lead vocals for Arrival. And continues to do so in the outstanding album assessment chapters that follow.
Loaded with a healthy overdose of information and objectively told, these chapters provide fans and those generally interested in music with just about everything they need / want to know about Journey from this side of the century. This includes topics like voice problems, Jeff Scott Soto's temporary aid, the astonishing tale of Pineda's discovery, internal conflicts, lawsuits, Hall of Fame inductions, composing ethics, and much, much more. Surprisingly, this is where the aforementioned 1% aberration occurs!
And I find it a rather peculiar aberration, too. Because Thornton makes no secret of how he sometimes misses Perry's magical touch in the arrangements and compositions on Journey's more recent albums. Yet somehow, the recent Perry albums Traces, The Season, and The Season 3, as well as the Silver Bells EP from 2019, totally escaped his attention. Given the book's May 2025 print date, it's understandable that the Steve Perry & Willie Nelson version of Faithfully is missing. But considering all of the other related albums Thornton mentions before he makes his exit with a lengthy segment that covers compilations, live albums, and selected films, this, to me, is an oversight that truly defies logic for any given Steve Perry and Journey fan.
While this still puzzles me, I find this omission has no significant impact on the overall outcome of Thornton's excellent book. In fact, as I write this, I'm almost at the end of my chronological Journey binge-listening session. Which, for me, is a clear indication that Thornton has delivered an outstanding and highly recommended book worth pursuing for Journey fans.
Anyway, I must dash now. Because next up is the ultimate Journey treat Journey Through Time from 2023. Admittedly, this is an individual Schon output as Thornton so rightfully points outs. But this 2019 live recording digs excitingly deep into Journey's early catalogue. And has Schon in exceptional great form whilst Gregg Rolie thrives on the Hammond B3 just like in the old days. Oh boy, how I love those pre-Cain days of old!