Latest articles by Jo Kendall
The apocalyptic anthem that sowed the seeds for prog – and became “the first heavy metal song” in the process
Everyone from Ozzy to Voivod has covered this groundbreaking masterpiece
“Kate Bush gave me a copy of Aerial and said, ‘Don’t fall asleep while listening!’” Simon Drake’s magic life
He helped create Bush’s one and only tour show, corrupted light entertainment TV into a counterculture variant, and refused to star in Cats – mainly because of Arthur Brown and Peter Gabriel
“He was unable to write something with delight in it. It’s epic”: William Shatner’s surprising Christmas album
The Star Trek icon gets silly and serious in turns as he discusses what the season means to him, the secret to living long and prospering, and the presents Kirk and Spock might give each other
“My first boyfriend introduced me to The Wall. It was the only interesting thing about him”: Joanne Harris’ prog stars
She explains why prog makes her think of Barnsley, lists some of her favourite records and recalls taking her daughter to a Genesis tribute show only to hear her say: “Ah yes, Mastodon!”
The 80s new wave band who dabbled with prog and inspired The Pineapple Thief, Oceansize and others
Prog writer Jo Kendall reckons they did, inspiring the likes of Oceansize along the way...
“I said we shouldn’t do Another Brick In The Wall at the school fête”: Slow Horses showrunner Will Smith’s record collection
Stand-up, actor, novelist and producer Will Smith on how much Marillion means to him, the four lines of Jon Anderson lyrics that bring him to tears, his favourite Vangelis soundtrack and his claim that Dire Straits are a prog band
Remembering Rick Davies, from tramping around Germany to leading Supertramp around the world
Former colleagues recall the life and times of a driven but introverted musician who endured tough challenges to see his lifelong vision achieved – and updated his joke book while he did it
“It was a fear I had. It was unfounded”: Studio star reveals big regret to a fan who’s now a star himself
The Pink Floyd collaborator thought his career would last two years. But in the past five decades he’s had surprise hits, overreacted to a myth about tape, and made colleagues believe his ideas had been their own
The Hives on making their Back In Black and how the official franchise programme is going
The Hives' Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist on Outkast, the Beastie Boys, the Rolling Stones and becoming rock royalty
"I've got blisters on my fingers!" 12 songs that prove The Beatles really rocked
When The Beatles cranked up the guitars, they really cranked up the guitars
Radiohead, Yes, Can and Peter Gabriel are in Rock Hall boss Jason Hanley’s record collection
The Hall of Fame’s director of education wore out his first copy of 90125, was blown away by OK Computer, devoured So and went on to discover Coheed And Cambria
How Kate Bush answered her critics with Hounds Of Love
Her fifth album came out of relationships, nature and old movies, along with all her nightmares in one song. It became one of her most-loved releases, featuring big hit Running Up That Hill, but she endured a challenging climb to complete it
BBC sport writer Phil McNulty recommends albums by Roger Waters, Asia, Supertramp and others
The pundit, who met John Wetton and Geoff Downes through their mutual love of the sport, recommends albums by Asia, Supertramp, Marillion and others
“He opened possibilities for all future post-rock”: Editors’ Russ Leetch on Klaus Schulze
When the British band wanted to create their own dystopia, a passionate shop owner led him to the German electronic composer’s prog masterpieces
Joseph Arthur’s first acid trip turned him on to the majesty of Rush
In an incident he doesn’t recommend emulating, the singer-songwriter’s appreciation for the Canadian giants was cemented – but that’s only one of four reasons he loves them
Wang Chung’s Jack Hues reinvented himself by revisiting Robert Wyatt, Radiohead and Talk Talk
Decades after playing to 80,000 people a night with Wang Chung, the Canterbury artist went wild on Epigonal Quark, with help from Syd Arthur and others
Colin Moulding on meeting Chris Squire at the worst moment, and declining to join Pink Floyd
Jethro Tull and Atomic Rooster endured a difficult return from the breakup with Andy Partridge, but it led to a happy reunion with drummer Terry Chambers
Masters Of Reality's Chris Goss on Ginger Baker, David Bowie and the aggression of Rick Rubin
The gospel according to Chris Goss
Siobhan Fahey’s lifelong passion for prog is only hinted at in Bananarama’s name
A Frank Zappa show bored her to sleep, but the Shakespeare’s Sister masterming has remained in love with Roxy Music, Hawkwind and Syd Barrett
"Driving in the middle of the night in North Ontario, someone flags us down. At that same moment, I smell smoke": Six things you didn't know about The Damn Truth
They were saved by the rock community, they’re produced by Bob Rock and dug by Billy Gibbons. They're Canadian rockers The Damn Truth
Paul Hardcastle admits he once used Hawkwind titles for his own songs
The multi-instrumentalist synth pop icon recalls trying and failing to play Silver Machine on a music store synth, years before he impressed Lemmy by asking about Orgone Accumulator
Rather than look backwards with Rush, Alex Lifeson is building a bright future with Envy Of None
Second time’s a charm for Rush’s Alex Lifeson as he returns with a new album alongside his collaborators in Envy Of None
Ice-T on Ozzy, Lemmy, songs to get women pregnant and the music he loves most
Body Count singer and rapper Ice-T picks the records and artists he loves, and names the singer who almost guarantees pregnancy
