In the late 70s, as punk and post-punk bands spiraled towards their new wave destinies, prog dinosaurs stood paralyzed in the shadows. Bands like the Sex Pistols were meteors, igniting a global firestorm that would trigger prog's extinction. The British music press (Melody Maker, Sounds, NME, etc.), once proponents of prog darlings Genesis, Yes and ELP, now bashed any band releasing songs in odd time signatures and singing about aliens and whales. The punk revolution had turned the U.K. music industry and press on its head within a year (1976-1977).
For me, this is one of the most interesting times in pop music. Although prog groups saw their audiences rapidly dwindle (Yes audiences had dropped from 20,000 to 3,000 by 1980's Drama tour), many record labels had built fortunes on the works of prog artists and were willing to foot the bill for some interesting transitional experiments. Yes' Drama, ELPs' Works, Genesis' ...And Then There Were Three... were prime examples. Prog's threatened existence also coincided with some major shifts in lineups and the formation of new 'supergroups.' Asia would ultimately become the most memorable. Featuring Steve Howe (Yes), Geoff Downes (Yes/Buggles), John Wetton (King Crimson) and Carl Palmer (ELP), the group would score a top 10 hit, "Heat of the Moment," and hit the big time on the nascent MTV.
Without the short-lived formation of another band, Asia's success wouldn't have been possible. Enter U.K., one of the strangest supergroups of the 70s. John Wetton (vocalist/bassist) formed the project with his King Crimson (and former Yes) drummer, Bill Bruford in 1977. They added Eddie Jobson from Roxy Music on keyboards and the guitarist Allan Holdsworth (Soft Machine). U.K. experienced creative tension in the various members' musical visions: jazz, prog, pop, which never wholly synthesized. Within their first single, you can hear this. "In The Dead of Night" is a quintessential piece of transitional prog. The 7/4 time signature and Wetton's humorless and masculine vocals firmly root the piece in proglandia. However, Jobson replaces the typical keyboard ninjutsu of the genre with powerful block chords on tinny synthesizers. This keyboard style would become prevalent in early 80s music. Think Van Halen's "Jump." After one album, this version of U.K. split. The record flopped. There was no audience for the music and the press was busy fanning the flames of the punk revolution. "Nice chaps and everything. But a very miserable experience," explained Holdsworth in an interview. Wetton and Jobson continued as a three piece with Terry Bozzio (former Zappa drummer). U.K. finally fizzled by 1980, but their experience as a transitional band would lay the foundation for reconfigured 80s quasi-prog acts like Asia, the new King Crimson (led by Adrian Belew) and Missing Persons.
Let's start 2018 with a bang. R.E.M. 's Begin the Begin , a musical manifesto for personal activism, is a great place to start this year sonically. This was the lead song from 1986's Life's Rich Pageant and the first time that listeners could really discern Michael Stipe 's lyrics. His eccentric mumble emerged from its abstract cocoon and transformed into something more pronounced, confident and explosive. Along with Stipe' s strengthened howl, the band's music took on a more muscular tone. Bill Berry 's drums rocked harder and Peter Buck cranked up the distortion. The album was the first time that R.E.M. addressed political and environmental issues lyrically ( Fall On Me, Flowers of Guatemala, Cuyahoga ). Begin the Begin doesn't try to plant the seeds for a bloody revolution or take sides politically. Even Stipe recognizes his own inability to articulate solutions: "Answer me a question, i can't itemize I can't think...
Released in 2003, by the over the top, glam metal resurrection act, The Darkness , Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End) has been one of my favorite holiday tunes for close to a decade. The royal timbre of the electric guitars and falsetto of Justin Hawkins are undeniably Queen-like. And what Christmas classic is not complete without sleigh bells and a children choir? I can't think of another modern Christmas tune that packs so much melody and action into three and a half minutes. The tune became such a part of my holiday tradition that I finally had to throw down the cash to the buy the import CD single (it was never released domestically). The b-side, I Love You 5 Times, while entertaining is definitely overshadowed by the bombastic grandeur of the lead track. I hope this one finds its way into your holiday playlist, if it isn't there already.
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