Paul Lester

From shamanic goths to indie disco favourites to arena-rocking heavyweights and beyond, these are the best albums by The Cult

In 2014 Prog found themselves in Prague to discuss a brand new Yes album with Chris Squire, Alan White, Steve Howe and Geoff Downes

For many, they’re forever tied to the shallow sheen of 80s arena rock and The Breakfast Club, but Simple Minds had an inventive side waiting to be discovered.

The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne opens up on his love of Yes, ELP, Rick Wakeman and more

A unique insight into the short career of Sky, a band of musos more interested in their chops than chopping out lines

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

The Eagles' Glenn Frey is no longer with us, but we still have his music

Occupying the blurred line between electronica and prog, Garry Cobain of The Amorphous Androgynous talks yoga, enemas and his “disrespect” for musical history.

From the Starman to Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, Bowie’s ever-changing persona saw him moving from folk to glam, pop to industrial, Krautrock to art rock with consummate skill and style

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

His genius for FM power-pop had made Todd Rundgren famous. But with 1973’s A Wizard, A True Star came drugs and a new, progressive direction that paved the way for the full-blown cosmic freakology of his next project

10cc's The Original Soundtrack was a commercial tipping point, that may have influenced Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody breakthrough

Taking inspiration from Arthur Koestler’s Act Of Creation with themes of love, hope, regret and sorrow, The Beach Boys’ masterpiece confounded those expecting more songs about cars and girls

"He’s got mystique, he’s misunderstood – he’s definitely a hero," says The Darkness frontman...

Brian Wilson set out to create “the greatest rock album ever made” – the result was a gorgeous avant garde pop album that paved the way for progressive rock…

It was the song that took them from the punk clubs of New York to the arenas of the world, and cemented Debbie Harry’s status as rock’s foremost badass. Here is how it was made...

She played with chart-toppers Ash in the 90s/noughties, loves sci-fi soundtracks and is “obsessed with Robert Fripp”, so how prog is Charlotte Hatherley?

With £50 of Classic Rock’s money in his pocket, Walter Trout went record shopping. Here’s how he spent it...

One record store, one bluesman and £50: what could go wrong?

Steve Hogarth looks back over a busy and successful 2017 for Marillion – prog veterans now – and forward to another year of fearlessly exploring new horizons and also visiting familiar ground