Postby mudshark » 04 Jun 2022, 18:52
John, I think you're getting me wrong. I'm not trying to sound condescending. I'm interested in your thoughts. For the purpose of this conversation I dusted off my old Selling England copy (I also have Nursery, Trick. The truly awful Lamb as well). For me, the best performer on the album is Phil Collins. His drumming is the best I've heard on any classic prog album. Maybe it's because of his sojourn into fusion with Brand X, but I don't know if that was before or after 1973. What's interesting about the album is that they manage to sound quite commercial without losing much of their typical 'Englishness'. I think it's very much an English album. It's also one of the few prog albums with lyrics that sort-of make sense. A lot of it is about English culture and how it's being affected by Americanism. Also of interest is the More Fool Me ballad, in the sense that it's a precursor of the absolute rubbish they would be coming up with in the not too distant future. With Passion Play it's probably the best prog album I know.
Hightea is right up to a point. And even in 'old' prog one can hear influences from contemporaries. The final bit of The Last Ordeal comes right of Focus' Moving Ways. And oftentimes it's not a problem for me. With the Steven Wilson album it was, and that's probably my own fault. I've learned my lesson. Whenever I have a weak moment I'll grab back to the prog (well, the stuff I consider 'prog', so Soft Machine, Can and VDGG are not ) I know I like: Selling, Trick, half of W&W, Passion Play, War Child, some Focus, the first Yes album.
Not any time soon though. I feel a strong urge to listen to Richard Hell & the Voidoids. I belong to the blank generation, I can take it or leave it each time
There's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over