Latest articles by Chris Roberts
"We’ve had a lot of really good comments, and others are happy to be less complimentary." Yes, Benoit David and the story of Fly From Here
In 2011 Yes released their first album in a decade. But Fly From Here featured Canadian vocalist Benoit David, not Jon Anderson. Guess how the fans reacted?
Elbow - Flying Dream 1: "rich with an honest warmth"
Not yet ratedElbow, Bury’s finest, test the waters of self-reinvention with ninth album, Flying Dream 1
Zola Jesus - Arkhon: "a feast of many flavours"
Not yet ratedDarkwave vocalist delivers stunning sixth album.
Shearwater - The Great Awakening: "a remarkable, atmospheric set"
Not yet ratedMagical return of underrated maverick Jonathan Meiburg, aka Shearwater
Paddy McAloon on prog rock and trawling the megahertz
Prefab Sprout were already popular with prog fans, but with his reissued I Trawl The Megahertz, Paddy McAloon finds himself drifting in a much proggier world
The story behind Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill - the song everyone's talking about
Given new life by Stranger Things, Kate Bush's hallmark anthem helped to revitalise her career back in 1985
Fifty years on, the cheesecloth and flares that shunned glam get another outing
Blowing Free: Underground & Progressive Sounds Of 1972 mines gems from Yes, ELP, Nektar, Edgar Broughton Band, Free, Thin Lizzy and many more
Creativity and the art of bass liberation. How Stanley Clarke made Up...
On 2014's Up, the ever-innovative Stanley Clarke nodded to his past while continuing to explore the outer reaches of bass, in another love letter to the instrument
The Waterboys find space for romantic and rebellious reflection on All Souls Hill
Mike Scott continues prolific period and embraces collaboration on 15th Waterboys album All Souls Hill
Nektar - ...Sounds Like This: "An excellent work of excavation..."
Not yet ratedExpanded and remastered edition of Nektar’s transitional third.
Pleasant but never bland, Midlake's For The Sake Of Bethel Woods mulls over time, illness and innocence
Folk-proggers Midlake streamline to set their soul free on For The Sake Of Bethel Woods
Spoon absorb the spirit of ZZ Top on the lively Lucifer On The Sofa
Arch art-rockers Spoon have come to realise that the devil has all the best tunes
Matt Berry - Gather Up: "an appetite-whetting beginner’s guide"
Not yet ratedToast of the town: Matt’s music earns respect.
The Krautrock albums you should definitely own
Buying guide Krautrock runs a truly revolutionary gamut from avant-garde dance to proggy space rock to minimalist electronica and beyond – and these are its best albums
How Genesis journeyed from pioneering prog to eighties' superstardom
Peter Gabriel left Genesis, and that was supposed to be that. But they adapted, survived punk, defined 80s rock, climbed the pop charts, and became one of the biggest bands of all time
Yes - The Quest: "a spirited attempt to roll back the years."
Not yet ratedAge and a global pandemic cannot wither them, as prog’s founding fathers notch up another landmark with album number 22.
Mark Knopfler does it gently on The Studio Albums 1996-2007
Dire Straits mainman Mark Knopfler's steady-going box set showcases the value of underplaying
10 examples of the supernatural genius of Jaco Pastorius
We investigate the career highlights of Jaco Pastorius, bass player extraordinaire
“I was a big early Genesis fan and I loved King Crimson." How Tears For Fears added prog to pop and ruled the 80s
A shared love of Blue Oyster Cult, Genesis and King Crimson saw Tears For Fears become much more than an 80s pop band
Caravan - Who Do You Think We Are? review
Not yet ratedEccentric brilliance, double entendres and Canterbury tales: prog’s gentlest geniuses get the career-spanning treatment they deserve on this epic 37-disc box set.
Caravan: 37 discs of rule breaking and treasure on Who Do You Think We Are?
Caravan's massive, career-wide box set Who Do You Think We Are? lays down their enchanting legacy
Earl Slick lets his fingers do the talking on Fist Full Of Devils
Out now: Guitar legend Earl Slick plays blues with feeling on Fist Full Of Devils, his first solo album for 18 years
Imogen Heap's soundtrack to Harry Potter And The Cursed Child is a hidden prog gem!
Why hasn’t the world noticed how blatantly and blissfully prog Imogen Heap’s Harry Potter soundtrack is?
