I've treasured this since I was a teenager, but recently got 801 Live in Manchester, a later gig they did without Eno, and it's pretty feeble, lacking in the spirit and gusto of the original.

Agree to the nth.  In college I roomed with a fan of loud guitars, but he just swooned whenever I put this album on, particularly Diamond Head, which he said just had the best guitar solo EVER on it.

Agree to the nth.  In college I roomed with a fan of loud guitars, but he just swooned whenever I put this album on, particularly Diamond Head, which he said just had the best guitar solo EVER on it.

I'm hoping someone has mentioned Caravan, the UK band from Cantebury back in the 70s who wrote beautiful, somewhat skewed melodic prog with titles like "The Dog, the Dog, He's At it Again" and "If I had to do it over again, I'd do it all over you", "It's Likely to Have a Name Next Week" and "All the Way (with John…

I'm hoping someone has mentioned Caravan, the UK band from Cantebury back in the 70s who wrote beautiful, somewhat skewed melodic prog with titles like "The Dog, the Dog, He's At it Again" and "If I had to do it over again, I'd do it all over you", "It's Likely to Have a Name Next Week" and "All the Way (with John…

I used to always cite this album as the day prog overripened, tipped over and died, but a series of long coach journeys one summer, between Bristol and London, gave me time to listen to the remastered versions on my music player.  I certainly don't hate it as much as I used to, but do think it's not nearly as good as…

I used to always cite this album as the day prog overripened, tipped over and died, but a series of long coach journeys one summer, between Bristol and London, gave me time to listen to the remastered versions on my music player.  I certainly don't hate it as much as I used to, but do think it's not nearly as good as…

Ah, so HERE are where all the Gentle Giant defenders are!  I'll second that, all of it.

Ah, so HERE are where all the Gentle Giant defenders are!  I'll second that, all of it.

Thanks — I hadn't gotten to your post when I posted my own defence of Gentle Giant.  Brilliant band live, loads of fun.  Amazingly talented, but watching them all climb up on the drum riser to beat the shit out the percussion was a great moment.

Thanks — I hadn't gotten to your post when I posted my own defence of Gentle Giant.  Brilliant band live, loads of fun.  Amazingly talented, but watching them all climb up on the drum riser to beat the shit out the percussion was a great moment.

Yes, that's a great piece of music, with real fire and pain from Gabriel's vocal.  I also love the weird, melting mellotron solo that leads into the excellent acoustic guitar break.  All sterling stuff.

Yes, that's a great piece of music, with real fire and pain from Gabriel's vocal.  I also love the weird, melting mellotron solo that leads into the excellent acoustic guitar break.  All sterling stuff.

Well, I've made it half way through all the comments, but I'm just going to say this now…what a great article!  Here in the UK, music critics can't write about prog unless they're being jokey or sneering or feel contractually obliged to insert "elves", "wizards" and "drum solos" in there, so it was refreshing to see…

Well, I've made it half way through all the comments, but I'm just going to say this now…what a great article!  Here in the UK, music critics can't write about prog unless they're being jokey or sneering or feel contractually obliged to insert "elves", "wizards" and "drum solos" in there, so it was refreshing to see…

I love Final Cut — I think it's one of the few mainstream albums at the time to tackle Thatcher and the Falklands and imperialistic/capitalistic sabre-rattling.  At the time, one critic sneered, "This isn't an album, it's a party political broadcast for the No Future Party".  And that's a bad thing?

I love Final Cut — I think it's one of the few mainstream albums at the time to tackle Thatcher and the Falklands and imperialistic/capitalistic sabre-rattling.  At the time, one critic sneered, "This isn't an album, it's a party political broadcast for the No Future Party".  And that's a bad thing?

Cannot get into Wyatt at all, although I've tried, and can't even stand that whine of a voice of his that everyone thinks is so great.  Mind you, a lot of people hate Peter Hammill's voice and I think that's one of the greatest in music.

Cannot get into Wyatt at all, although I've tried, and can't even stand that whine of a voice of his that everyone thinks is so great.  Mind you, a lot of people hate Peter Hammill's voice and I think that's one of the greatest in music.

I got snarked at by a fanboy for not suggesting that New World Record was the work of a different band entirely from, say, the one that did their second album, which is a wonderfully expansive, sprawling, heavy, delightful mess.  They were one of my first loves, and it saddened me to see them go pop.