Kevan Furbank

1974 was probably the last of the ‘golden years’ of the first wave of progressive rock. It was a year in which the classic bands that came to define the genre released some of their most acclaimed albums, the long players that, more than 50 years later, are still cherished by discerning music lovers. Find an old proghead and watch their eyes light up at the mention of Relayer by Yes, King Crimson’s Red, Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt, Hero And Heroine by The Strawbs, Supertramp’s Crime Of The Century and You by Gong. In this indispensable book, music writer Kevan Furbank delves into the past to unearth the vinyl gems that made the miserable mid-Seventies more bearable. Travel with him to Hergest Ridge with Mike Oldfield, visit Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, accompany Rick Wakeman on a Journey To The Centre of The Earth and discover why Hatfield And The North was more than just a British road sign. Furbank reveals how and why the albums were recorded and what inspired the songwriting, ranging beyond the music to the political and social upheavals of the time. Which cigarette company dictated the cover design for Camel’s Mirage? Which motorway led to Kraftwerk recording Autobahn? How did Richard Nixon inspire Gentle Giant on The Power And The Glory? And why did Frank Zappa tell us not to eat the yellow snow? All these questions and more will be answered in 1974: Progressive Rock Comes Of Age. It may seem like the dim and distant past. But for many people, this music is still alive and kicking. As Peter Gabriel said in the year’s double album epic from Genesis, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway: ‘It is here. It is now.’

The prevailing wisdom is that, in 1977, punk rock killed prog – presumably by drowning it in spittle. But is this really true? Not at all! Prog didn’t just survive what turned out to be the short-lived rule of the barbarians, it evolved and arguably, prospered. And in 1977 – the year punk supposedly conquered the world (well, the UK anyway) – many of our most well-established progressive rock bands released some of their best albums, including Pink Floyd’s Animals, Going For The One by Yes, Rush’s A Farewell to Kings, Jethro Tull’s Songs From The Wood and the debut from American band Happy The Man, while Godley and Crème released their astonishing triple album Consequences. These were infinitely varied takes on a genre that was still - for a while at least – in rude health despite the column inches devoted to punk. In this informative, readable and – for punk fans at least – annoying book, Kevan Furbank looks at the progressive rock bands and albums that left punk reeling in the moshpit. To misquote the Sex Pistols, never mind the b*llocks – here’s the progressive rock of 1977.

Every now and then, a band comes along that defies convention, refuses to be pigeon-holed, thumbs its nose at comfy predictability and blows raspberries at commercial wisdom. That band is Gong. From 1970 to the present day, Gong have ploughed a unique musical furrow - part progressive rock, part spacey psychedelia, part proto-punk, ambient trance, drum 'n' bass and absurdist political performance art. In this revised and updated edition, long-time fan Kevan Furbank examines all the Gong albums from Magick Brother in 1970 to 2023's Unending Ascending and chronicles the stories behind each recording. He examines the songwriting, arrangements and mythology that inspired each track - with new insights from, amongst others, the current fantastic Gong line-up, bassist Mike Howlett, violinist Graham Clark and guitarist Josh Pollock. He salutes the many great musicians who have passed through Gong in the last 50-odd years, including guitar hero Steve Hillage, drummer Pierre Moerlen, flute and sax maestro Didier Malherbe and, of course, whimsical visionary and Gong founder Daevid Allen. The author also discusses the off-shoots of the Gong family tree - including Mother Gong, Gongmaison and Pierre Moerlen's Gong. If you have never heard any Gong, this book is the perfect introduction. If you have, you will want to go back and revisit the glorious music this band has made

1972 was the year Progressive Rock came of age, when bands and artists still revered today produced some of their most ground-breaking, inventive, and enduring musical creations. In this fascinating and absorbing book, Kevan Furbank looks at some of the artists and albums that made 1972 such a watershed in musical achievement. He follows their development from the first tentative notes and chords to the full-blown recordings that, more than 50 years later, are still seen as the masterpieces of the genre, and the gold standard by which all Progressive Rock is judged. Travel Close To The Edge with Yes, dance a Foxtrot with Genesis, tussle with Gentle Giant’s Octopus and discover you don’t have to be Thick As A Brick to enjoy Jethro Tull’s 40-minute opus. There’s a Trilogy by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, some Demons And Wizards from Uriah Heep, and a Grave New World courtesy of The Strawbs. The author also Focuses on manic yodelling, the End Of The World, an island Obscured By Clouds and a cult album that could be hobbit-forming. Written with passion and wit, the book is a must-have book for every music-lover with an open mind and open ears.

It was the year the Sixties really started swinging - the Summer of Love, when the Rolling Stones said 'We Love You' and The Beatles pointed out that 'All You Need Is Love'. The piper was at the gates of dawn, a strange brew was bubbling in the mellow, yellow mind gardens and a purple haze air was in the air. At the centre of the year's tumultuous social and cultural change was the mind-expanding music called psychedelic rock, a multi-coloured mixture of amazing sounds, when imagination and experimentation ran riot and the old musical boundaries were torn down in a haze of hallucinogenic abandon. In this fascinating book, Kevan Furbank looks at the roots of psychedelic rock and examines the contributions made by some of the biggest bands of the year, including The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Love, Pink Floyd and The Beach Boys. He examines the hits and misses, the successes and failures, the bands that were born to be psychedelic and those that had psychedelia thrust upon them - sometimes with disastrous results. And he shows how the genre planted the seeds for other forms of popular music to take root and flourish. If you love music, and want to know why 1967 was such a watershed year, then you will want this book. It is eye-popping, mind-opening and horizon-expanding - and a splendid time is guaranteed for all

Fairport Convention are a great British institution - or, at least, they should be. For more than 50 years they have helped to keep traditional music alive and kicking by injecting it with a healthy dose of electric rock 'n' roll. Their finest albums - including What We Did On Our Holidays, Liege And Lief, Full House - are landmarks is the development of British music and should be listened to by everyone before they die. In this exhaustive and illuminating book Kevan Furbank looks at all the studio albums in detail - from their uncertain debut in 1968 to their most recent release celebrating half a century of music-making. He chronicles the stories behind each recording, touching on the highs and lows, the successes and tragedies, the pleasure and pain, and examines the song writing, arrangements and traditions that inspired each track. In doing so, he also looks at the contributions made by the many great musicians who have passed through Fairport's `revolving-door' line-ups, including guitar wizard Richard Thompson, angel-voiced Sandy Denny, demon fiddler Dave Swarbrick and the `guv'nor' of British folk-rock, Ashley Hutchings. From Muswell Hill to Cropredy, Fairport Convention's musical story is as dramatic as any soap opera, with tragedies as low as they can go but with joys as high as they can reach. It's about talent, innovation and sheer dogged determination against all the odds. If you have never heard any Fairport this book is the perfect introduction. If you have, you will want to go back and revisit the music this band has made over the last 50 years. Because, in the words of Richard Thompson, it all comes round again.