Latest articles by Sid Smith
Total mass retain: How Yes made Close To The Edge
Sibelius, Herman Hesse, The Mahavishnu Orchestra and even The Kinks. These were the inspirations according to Yes, behind the genius of their fifth studio album
John Renbourn Remembered
Sid Smith looks back on the career of the late Pentangle guitarist, who died yesterday.
The Story Behind The Song: Yes’s Close To The Edge
How classical music, Eastern mysticism and the River Thames came together to inspire Yes’s first great side-long epic
The 10 best moments in electronic music
Sid Smith chooses the best electronic moments in music for a prog fan to plug into
Ten great Emerson, Lake And Palmer songs from the 70s
The finest tracks from the great prog rock supergroup
Magma and the story of Félicité Thösz
In 2012 Magma released Félicité Thösz, their first studio release in 27 years to contain new material written after the band's reformation in 1996
"My hair still stands up on the back of my neck!": The making of ELP's Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer's second studio album Tarkus served as a blueprint for their sound. But it almost never happened
The Prog Interview: Steve Howe on Chris Squire and The Future Of Yes
Yes legend Steve Howe is the guitarist responsible for some of the most thrilling moments in prog rock during his 40-plus years at the cutting edge of music.
Ten cool King Crimson songs from the 80s
Having shocked fans and band members alike by folding the band in 1974, Robert Fripp surprised everyone in 1981 by reactivating King Crimson with a new-look line-up
The stories of Peter Gabriel's solo albums, told by his collaborators
Robert Fripp, Martin Scorsese, Bob Ezrin, Tony Levin, Daniel Lanois and more discuss the Peter Gabriel albums they worked on
Ten great King Crimson songs from the 90s
Robert Fripp conceived the idea of King Crimson in the 90s as the double trio with two drummers. This is some of their best music
Stravinsky, flame throwers and King Crimson: A Formal Horse on their debut album, Here Comes A Man From The Council...
A Formal Horse released their first EP in 2014, and in 2019 the avant-rockers returned with their long-awaited debut album. They’ve faced plenty of challenges but, as Prog discovers, their perseverance has paid off
Yes guitarist Steve Howe on cruises, Close To The Edge and the secrets behind Relayer's sound
Now in their sixth decade, Yes show no signs of slowing down. In 2022, they'll be revisiting Close To The Edge with a fresh batch of dates. Long-serving guitarist Steve Howe looks ahead to a busy future
The top 10 best Van der Graaf Generator songs
From their thundering 70s debut to 2016's uncompromising return to form, we present the 10 best moments in Van der Graaf Generator's darkly eclectic career
Ian McDonald: a tribute
Prog writer Sid Smith pays tribute to King Crimson founding member Ian McDonald, who has has sadly died, aged 75
What next for King Crimson?
After Robert Fripp's comments after the band's final show in Japan, Sid Smith ponders what the band might do next
King Crimson and the making of Islands
How King Crimson fractured, regrouped and fractured again as they created 1971's Islands album
The 40 best albums of 1969, the year rock got real
1969 heralded the end of the 60s and the birth of real rock. Here we look at some of the gilt-edged albums from a pivotal year in rock history
“It was a great period. Everybody was playing in a way they’d never played before." Yes's the journey from The Yes Album to Fragile
The amazing story of how Yes recorded two classic prog albums in just one year!
Matt Berry and friends launch new instrumental prog outfit Milkbone
Milkbone inspired by Canterbury era prog mixed with European electronica and electric period Miles Davis...
The Grid/Fripp – Leviathan review
Not yet ratedKing Crimson's Robert Fripp and The Grid reunite on ambient masterclass for head and heart
"If all you know of his work with Return To Forever, you’re missing out on a remarkably rich and deeply fulfilling back catalogue." A tribute to the late Chick Corea
Sid Smith reflects on the marvellous musical career of fusion maestro Chick Corea
