Latest articles by Sid Smith
Ben Short saved a Stravinsky album from a skip, and A Formal Horse was the result
The avant-rockers released debut album Here Comes A Man From The Council With A Flamethrower in 2019, when their guitarist-vocalist told Prog how they took their time and finally got there
How Yes struggled then scored with 1974 album Relayer, in their own words
The band suffered a few false starts before delivering a triumph with a daring album that explored a new kind of energy
Elephant9’s Mythical River has tributaries including ELP, John Paul Jones and coffee
Latest album Mythical River has artistic tributaries including John Paul Jones, Motorpsycho, Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Dungen, Red Kite – and also coffee
Kevin Ayers’ All This Crazy Gift Of Time box set is a delight - especially the live sets
Lavish 10-disc package celebrates the Canterbury legend, with hard work done to deliver contemporary commentary and revitalize his 1970 Hyde Park show
“Curiously retro, these tunes are mostly short and to the point”: Steve Howe’s Guitarscape
Inspired by a new synth, the Yes veteran has created something of a taster showreel in his latest outing with son Dylan
The radical neutrality that gave birth to King Crimson’s Red
Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, John Wetton and guests struggled to deliver the 1974 album that, for many years, remained severely underrated
The Power And The Glory signalled the beginning of the end for Gentle Giant
They’d reasserted themselves after a line-up change and enjoyed the results – but the surprisingly polarised response to their sixth album led them to start second-guessing their own work.
The best King Crimson songs of the 1970s
They were only around for half of the decade before splitting – but left an indelible mark with six albums of bold, visionary work
King Crimson’s tortuous journey through fourth album Islands – and its 30-year fallout
How King Crimson fractured, regrouped and fractured again as they made 1971 album Islands
“Robert Fripp listened to us in the bath, so we asked him to play”: Dave Bainbridge on Iona
Guitarist, keyboardist, Strawbs and Lifesigns member on splitting with Troy Donockley, guilty pleasures with a Minimoog, and why ‘Christian rock’ label was inaccurate
When Andy Mackay took Roxy Music tracks on a new journey
The Roxy Music saxophonist reflects back on an eclectic career...
“Qualities of grandeur come across as unpretentious and grounded”: Remembering Sandy Denny
Tragically silenced at 31, she only had a decade to demonstrate her talents – but her persona and performances remain indelible after more than 40 years
How No-Man learned to confound their expectations without offending each other
Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson’s mutual respect and passion has kept their art-pop collaboration alive – despite the constant distractions of their other projects
‘Flamenco motifs, fancy footwork and an over-the-top macho swagger”: Carmen’s The Albums
Three-disc retrospective illustrates the promise of a mid-70s band supported by David Bowie and Tony Visconti
“Robert decides what to do and Fripp has to go and do it”: How to survive King Crimson
Serious leader of a prog behemoth, hugely influential guitarist, half of the Toyah & Robert party band… who is the real Robert Fripp? He offers some tantalising hints
Phil Manzanera knew Roxy Music were going to make it when they made debut album for £5,000
Guitarist who failed his first audition recalls making 1972 debut album for just £5,000
Obsessive attention to detail has always been Eddie Jobson’s superpower
From a backstage performance for Curved Air to being dragged onstage by Frank Zappa and out-complicating King Crimson, the UK violinist has managed to ignore distractions from making music
"All of a sudden we play at blinding speed and unbearable intensity, and everyone starts to take notice and stand up": How King Crimson got started
Recorded in just 10 days in 1969, King Crimson’s iconic In The Court Of The Crimson King has been called “the true point at which progressive rock was born”. We look at the making of a landmark album
“When I drank, I was going to be the best drinker in the bar, or take the most drugs or whatever. When I did give up the drink I was going to be the best at that:” The bottom-end drive that made Danny Thompson’s name
Rejecting criticism from those who wondered why he bothered playing folk music, the always-in-demand bassist’s attitude led to experiences with John Martyn, Kate Bush, David Sylvian, Tim Buckley and many others
“One doesn’t so much listen as feel it deep in the bones… their stark inventiveness and originality remain outstanding”: Van der Graaf Generator’s Still Life and Vital reissues
1976 studio album and 1978 live double album return from era of new momentum for Peter Hammill and co
“We were really screwing with the system, removing applause from live tracks to sound like studio tracks – the exact opposite of what people do today”: How King Crimson made stealth live album Starless And Bible Black
King Crimson’s 1974 ”excruciating, teeth-pullingly difficult” album Starless And Bible Black sowed the seeds of their looming breakup
“We were making very peculiar music not particularly well played. We got a record contract because the record companies thought, ‘We better get weird’”: Inside the mind of Judge Smith, the man who named Van der Graaf Generator
Inspired by the work of bandmate Peter Hammill and Frank Zappa, Smith aimed never to sound like them – and after working on large ensemble pieces and stage musicals, admitted he’d quite like to “just roll in with a guitar”
“Our contemporaries had numbers that got people up on their feet cheering. We didn’t… We wondered if A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers was the way to go. I thought, ‘We can’t even play this!’”: Van der Graaf Generator’s struggle through the 70s
Keyboardist Hugh Banton on deciding not to emulate Keith Emerson’s stage persona, how he got the band signed, and why it took him so long to accept the “prog” label
“I think the appeal was that it was just a very spacey and very unusual sound world for me." How the classic Canterbury sound inspired young UK proggers Zopp
How Zopp, masterminded by young UK prog musician Ryan Stevenson, are making. areal impact with second album Dominion
“Ginger Baker stamps, thumps and whacks his personality into these numbers… he sounds a bit confused and well-lubricated, much to the evident, if a little strained, amusement of his bandmates”: Baker Gurvitz Army’s Neon Lights: The Broadcasts 1975
They own the stage in collection of five live performances which will please old campaigners and new recruits alike
