Latest articles by Paul Lester
How Blondie made one of the greatest albums of the late 70s – with help from Suzi Quatro’s producer and a prog legend
With their third album Parallel Lines, Blondie notched up five hit singles and became as famous as Abba or Pink Floyd
What happened when XTC's bass player accidentally wrote their first big hit
Making Plans for Nigel established XTC as the intelligent arm of the post-punk movement – and it's still being directed at current Nigels
“I felt like the John Lennon of Israel. But this is a ‘failure’ album”: The story of Blackfield V
Aviv Geffen expressed deep admiration for Wilson on their fifth collaborative work – but also his jealousy over the Porcupine Tree leader’s success
“The lyrics were for people on the fringes”: A song that inspired the man who killed John Lennon
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
Tears For Fears sneaked prog into a run of hit singles in 1984 and 85. So why weren’t they at Live Aid?
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
When The Flaming Lips proved they love you with a 24-hour song delivered in a human skull
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 legendary punk single that beat the Sex Pistols out of the gate by a month
The story of the 1976 single that fired the starting pistol on British punk
Revisiting David Bowie’s career from a prog perspective
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
“I said, ‘I don’t want to work with him!’ But I needed the money”: The prog supergroup with 200 hits between them
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 made rock for hirsute proggers: Then they wrote the song that brought women to their shows
Genesis's first single since becoming a three-piece was a savvy change of tack
Who is the prog-powered creator of “revenge pop” targeting? “All those people who didn’t think I could do it”
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
How a duo who never intended to be a real band had a 1980 hit that changed prog for ever
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
“It’s 50 per cent music, 50 per cent hair”: Sparks’ commitment to silliness is very prog
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”
When Public Service Broadcasting’s geek chic took them all the way to the Moon
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
“A leopard doesn’t change its spots. There’s going to be certain levels of diva‑ness. It might be nice if there wasn’t, but there is”: Why Yes decided, after some doubts, to make Heaven & Earth
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
The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds is revered by the critics - but not everyone is on board
Brian Wilson's celebrated masterpiece, reappraised
Gillan's Future Shock pays sonic tribute to their singer's illustrious Purple past
Future Shock found Gillan with a free-spirited sound that brought to mind nothing so much as an update on vintage Deep Purple
How Brian Wilson recorded Pet Sounds and reinvented music
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
Rick Derringer's debut album might contain his biggest hit, but is that enough?
More than just a flashy sidekick?
The Police’s Andy Summers on success, psychedelia and working with difficult people
The multi-faceted guitarist looks back on a career including stints with Robert Fripp, John Cale, Kevin Ayers and others
How Yello’s offbeat synth prog ethic gets Dieter Meier round the world
The “Dada version of Bryan Ferry” – who says he uses bandmate Boris Blank’s audio imagery to find structure then leap off into chaos – admits he was never a tortured artist
The Zombies on fame, inheriting the Beatles’ studio and being prisoners in a concert hall
Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent look back on finding fame in their teens and experiencing the highs and lows of the music industry over six decades
Why Propaganda’s A Secret Wish was more prog than people knew
Known as “ABBA from Hell,” the German synth-poppers’ 1985 debut had links to Yes, Mike Oldfield and Die Krupps
