Latest articles by Paul Lester
"When I started getting rolling it was considered charming or entertaining – or stupid – for girls to want to play music": a story of New York folk, punk, riot grrrl and beyond
From New York folk through 60s psych, soul, punk, riot grrrl and beyond: a history of the women who've have had an insurrectionary impact on rock’n’roll
“Whenever I got accosted on the street by a crazy maniac, the best thing to do was walk away. I always felt threatened. We had to leave by the back door at a lot of places”: Devo’s battle for survival
They’re the coneheaded “alien” stars whose controversial anthems and madcap behaviour wound up the masses – but how prog were Devo?
"We could have been bigger had we had an amazing manager. We’re our own worst enemies": How Roxy Music got it together despite themselves
They looked like they were from “Planet Zog” and sneaked through a gap created by drug addiction - but the members accept they could have made it easier for themselves
"Fripp-ishly brainy" - the magic of Japan's Tin Drum
With their final studio offering as Japan, the Catford art rockers made pretentiousness danceable!
“Look at Kate Bush or Queen: sometimes when you don’t do the norm, that’s what changes the world a little bit” - How Midge Ure finally embraced his prog tendencies
Ultravox’s Vienna and Band Aid might have made his name but Yes, Uriah Heep and ELP figured in his musical education - even if no one noticed
"The Nice and ELP are, for me, where things went too far. Very good musicians don’t interest me. Proficiency blocks you off from real adventure": John Foxx on prog, punk and the problems of being a pioneer
For 50 years, John Foxx has been making genuinely progressive music that defies categorisation. "My plan was always to make every record different from the last,” he says.
Every album by The Cult ranked from worst to best
From shamanic goths to indie disco favourites to arena-rocking heavyweights and beyond, these are the best albums by The Cult
Life on prog's outer limits with Trevor Horn and Buggles
They conquered the world with Video Killed The Radio Star, but they also pushed at the boundaries of the genre, and both members of the band even went on to join Yes! So how prog were Buggles?
Black Sabbath - The Ultimate Collection album review
Two-CD, 31-track companion to Sabbath’s The End tour.
Pink Floyd - The Early Years 1965-1972: The Individual Volumes album review
The 2016 Early Years box, now in six affordable chunks
"Is that in 17/4?". "No, it's in 17/8!" How Yes made Heaven & Earth
In 2014 Prog found themselves in Prague to discuss a brand new Yes album with Chris Squire, Alan White, Steve Howe and Geoff Downes
Simple Minds: "Genesis appealed to me: they were inventing their own world.”
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 on prog rock, drugs and writing six hour songs
The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne opens up on his love of Yes, ELP, Rick Wakeman and more
Rupert Hine: A regular musical Zelig
Producer and musician Rupert Hine looks back on a five-decade career that's seen him work with Rush, Camel, have a novelty hit and even record with Doctor Who!
The story of Sky, the least rock’n’roll band of all time
A unique insight into the short career of Sky, a band of musos more interested in their chops than chopping out lines
The 10cc albums you should definitely own
Pop-rock geniuses don’t come much more pop-rock-genius than 10cc, four men who lit up the 70s with often breathtaking music
Roger Waters - Is This The Life We Really Want? album review
First solo album in 25 years from Pink Floyd co-founder
Glyn Johns: My top 6 productions
Legendary producer Glyn Johns remembers six of his most memorable productions, from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin to The Who
The Amorphous Androgynous and their road to prog
Occupying the blurred line between electronica and prog, Garry Cobain of The Amorphous Androgynous talks yoga, enemas and his “disrespect” for musical history.
10 songs to celebrate the genius of Glenn Frey
The Eagles' Glenn Frey is no longer with us, but we still have his music
The Outer Limits: David Bowie
From the Starman to Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, now as we mourn the passing of a true music icon, we ask: How prog was David Bowie?
How prog was David Bowie?
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
Every Song On The Eagles’ Hotel California Ranked From Worst To Best
There's very little you can say about The Eagles' era-defining Hotel California that hasn't already been said. But you can rearrange it so it gets better the longer it plays
