Latest articles by Mike Barnes
“Marrying a rock band to an orchestra was seat-of-the-pants stuff… even if we had to have extra rehearsals because they weren’t playing it right, they charged us”: Barclay James Harvest’s early days
From getting a Mellotron at a knock-down price to spending years on the road to recoup recording costs, John Lees looks back before his band stops touring
“Mike Oldfield engineered the first track Henry Cow recorded, because Tom Newman had been celebrating the end of Tubular Bells and was brainless drunk under the console”: Bassist John Greaves’ life in prog
After starting out in his dad’s dance band, the Welshman encountered Henry Cow at university, knew he had to be part of it - and he’s never looked back
Nice moves, Robert! Watch Fripp and Toyah's backstage dance-off
Robert Fripp's a 21st-century dancing man in new footage shared ahead of his autumn live dates with Toyah
"Musically Scheherazade And Other Stories is the one.” Annie Haslam on Renaissance's 1975 masterpiece
The inside story of Renaissance's 1975 classic album Scheherazade And Other Stories
"The only way forward is to get rid of corruption, greed and suffering!" Jon Anderson on 1000 Hands: Chapter One!
Jon Anderson discusses the genesis of his 2019 solo album, 1000 Hands: Chapter One, which was nearly 30 years in the making
The story of Fairport Convention's Full House
The Fairports recall the making of 1970's Full House, the band's first album without founding member Ashley Hutchings and with new boy Dave Pegg
"It was the way to go in the early days, doing longer and longer tracks. To revisit that is a good experience." The story of Caravan's It's None Of Your Business
In 2021 a refreshed and reinvigorated Caravan released their finest album for years. This is the story...
Jade Warrior - Reissues: "these albums remain an idiosyncratic delight..."
Not yet ratedTwo of a unique kind from one of prog’s most brilliant oddities.
Faust - Faust 1971-74: "the golden age of krautrock"...
Not yet ratedEight-CD set covering the golden age of krautrock’s most inventive group.
Al Stewart: The Prog Interview
The folk progger reflects on a career that started with guitar lessons from Robert Fripp and has seen him work with the likes of Rick Wakeman, Alan Parsons and more...
Roger Chapman - Life In The Pond review
Not yet ratedRoger Chapman is reunited with old Family chum Poli Palmer on his new solo album
How Mike Oldfield made Crises and ended up with a Top Five hit single!
Mike Oldfield's eighth studio album, 1983's Crises, saw him riding a wave of new popularity in the 80s
12 of the best books about prog for you to read
Want to catch up on some reading? Here are 12 of the best books about progressive music
The story of Emerson Lake & Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery
How prog supergroup Emerson Lake & Palmer's created their epic 1973 album Brain Salad Surgery
Nick D'Virgilio - Invisible Review
Not yet ratedBig Big Train man serves up an unusual kind of “drummer record”.
20 of the most obscure prog albums
Prog picks 20 of the most obscure prog albums that you might have nestled at the back of your collection. Some that could even unearth you a small fortune
How prog are Penguin Cafe Orchestra?
The musical collective praised randomness, caught the attention of Brian Eno and were self-described as “modern semi-acoustic chamber music”, amongst other things. But just how prog were they?
Penguin Café Orchestra - Union Cafe album review
Not yet ratedThe group’s final album from 1994, released for the first time on vinyl
Sendelica - Cromlech Chronicles II album review
Not yet ratedTwo evocative pieces of improvised inner space exploration
Andrew Heath - Soundings album review
Not yet ratedA seductive ambient blend of instruments and field recordings
Dhani Harrison: "People have a preconceived idea of the music I’m going to make"
Dhani Harrison may have a famous father, but the multi-instrumentalist wants to be respected as a musician and composer in his own right with his solo debut IN///PARALLEL
The Left Outsides - There Is A Place album review
Not yet ratedEerie and evocative new songs and reworked material inspired by forests
