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.
You know the story. The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" becomes the first music video shown on MTV in the U.S. on August 1981. The 80's first flash in the pan is born. But do you know the next part of the story? The Buggles (Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn) brought prog rock dinosaurs, Yes, back to life for a brief stint as new wave zombies with rad guitar solos. Now, how the hell did that happen? Turns out that Downes and Horn were under the same management as Yes. After 1978's Tormato , an album featuring the forgettable "Don't Kill The Whale," Jon Anderson (vocals) and Rick Wakemen (keyboard wizardry) went splitsville. At that point, most people would probably agree that the band was dead. Steve Howe and Chris Squire saw it differently. Yes' management approached their buddies in The Buggles about jamming with the remains of Yes: Howe (guitar), Squire (bass) and Alan White (drums). What I can only imagine as a weird experience fo...
Clocking in at nearly 23 minutes, Supper's Ready was the first extended composition that Genesis attempted in the studio. It appeared on 1972's Foxtrot . With Steve Hackett's ornate and chiming guitars, Tony Banks classical sounding keys, Phil Collins' athletic drumming (hitting 9/8 in section VI) and, of course, Peter Gabriel's dramatic voice -- lifting from an ethereal hush to a fantastic shriek throughout, it's a prog-rock masterpiece. This was Genesis firing on all cylinders. They were in their formative stage as a band and in love with composing together. Ultimately, the tune would provide a perfect opportunity for Gabriel to develop costumes and portray a host of fanciful characters, including a giant daisy (pictured here). Lyrically, the song is expansive, dealing with themes of good and evil, particularly allusions to the Book of Revelations. Gabriel based the lyrics for the first section, Lover's Leap, on two otherworldly experiences. On one occ...
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