Paul Lester

Proof that the genre mattered as much in Glasgow tower blocks as it did in English universities, Jim Kerr and co drew Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and Steve Hillage in with their “combination of rock, trance and this dark futuristic thing”

Singer and guitarist has long loved an American counterpart for his eccentricity, his unpredictable creativity and his love of pyramids

Pop-rock geniuses don’t come much more pop-rock-genius than 10cc, four men who lit up the 70s with often breathtaking music

With their third album Parallel Lines, Blondie notched up five hit singles and became as famous as Abba or Pink Floyd

Tension drowned the post-punk art quartet’s creative powers. But they point out that no one died in the making of their records

He recalls being surprised with his first hit in America, taking five minutes to write another chart-topper, and the inspiration that led to Mr Blue Sky

Making Plans for Nigel established XTC as the intelligent arm of the post-punk movement – and it's still being directed at current Nigels

Aviv Geffen expressed deep admiration for Wilson on their fifth collaborative work – but also his jealousy over the Porcupine Tree leader’s success

1974 album was a deliberate change of approach from a pop-tinged artist known for taking left turns. No one could have predicted how one listener would take it

As they tried to outdo Trevor Horn, with influences including Genesis and Yes, their second album hit No.1 in the US and No.2 in the UK. But they didn’t contribute to Bob Geldof’s world-changing charity extravaganza

Wayne Coyne and co sold 13 units of 7 Skies H3 in 2011 – and for him, it was just another example of being influenced by Pink Floyd, The Beatles and Radiohead

The story of the 1976 single that fired the starting pistol on British punk

Beyond his work with Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Rick Wakeman and others, plus comparisons to Rush, ELP and krautrock, a commitment to audacious experimentation ran through the true icon’s entire life

Quartet with connections to Yes, 10cc, Kate Bush, The Police and many others took five years to agree their debut album was ready to release

Genesis's first single since becoming a three-piece was a savvy change of tack

Inspired by Kate Bush and a childhood of Yes, 10cc and ELO, her debut album contained dark humour – but no hint of stashed body parts

When an experimental project escaped from the studio in 1980, no one could have predicted the consequences for both prog and pop music – and not everyone was happy about it

Ron Mael (the operatic one) and Russell Mael (the staring one) never discussed being different; but as LA brothers inspired by British prog and glam, they always were. They only rule they made was: “Shake up the universe”

By the time they released The Race For Space, J Willgoose Esq and Wrigglesworth – then still a duo – were ready to accept their prog credentials

Their first with Jon Davison, and their last with Chris Squire, the 2014 album saw them continuing to release new music after many of their peers had stopped – but didn’t meet the standards expected of it

Tiring of making frothy pop, the late Brian Wilson threw away his Beach Boys’ template, assembled a battalion of top session players, and began recording an all-time classic

The multi-faceted guitarist looks back on a career including stints with Robert Fripp, John Cale, Kevin Ayers and others