Last year Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic were creeping up on Porcupine Tree’s immense popularity. This year we’ve seen the return of heavyweights Yes, Peter Gabriel, Van der Graaf Generator, Jon Anderson and Kate Bush, alongside impressive new material from Steven Wilson, Dream Theater, Touchstone and Opeth, bookended by the bumper Pink Floyd reissues EMI/Superball’s Prog Rocks! campaign. But what have been your highlights?

Summer’s End, Fused, Cambridge Rocks and High Voltage once again delivered live thrills as Anathema, Pallas, Mogwai, Radiohead, Nightwish, Primus, Magenta, Mastodon, Symphony X and more gave us cause to raid our proggy piggy banks.

And we’ve not even started on the wealth of newer talent such as Lost In Thought, Von Hertzen Brothers, Phaedra, TesseracT, Wobbler, Cranium Pie, Matt Stevens and Sanguine Hum jostling for our attention.

Ready to ballot? Have a look at the categories listed below, stick your choices on an email with Readers’ Poll in the subject field, and email your entries to: voteprog@futurenet.co.uk.

If snail mail really is your thing, then simply scribble down your entries on the form below and send it to: Readers’ Poll, Classic Rock Presents Prog, 2 Balcombe Street, London, NW1 6NW.

The choice is yours. Get voting…

CATEGORIES

BEST BAND

BEST ALBUM

BEST FEMALE VOCALIST

BEST MALE VOCALIST

BEST GUITARIST

BEST BASSIST

BEST KEYBOARD PLAYER

BEST DRUMMER

BEST REISSUE

BEST DVD

BEST EVENT

NON-EVENT

BEST VENUE

BEST NEW/UNSIGNED BAND

PROG HEARTTHROB 2011

PROG ICON 2011

Right now, Gabriel is putting this together and is looking memorabilia or photos which can be used in the accompanying book or on his website. You can submit all items here. But you have to get them in by Monday, January 9.

Gabriel is hoping to get a good response, otherwise he fears the album will be a So-So reissue. (Groan…) Here, he explains it all.

PS. Yes, we know the album came out originally in 1986, and that reissuing it next year coincides with the 26th anniversary!

Titled From Genesis To Revelation, it will be put out by Repertoire on Janaury 23, and has been fully remastered.

Produced by Jonathan King, it features the line-up of:
Peter Gabriel – vocals

Anthony Phillips – guitar

Mike Rutherford – bass

Tony Banks – keyboards

John Silver – drums

Chris Stewart – drums (on the song Silent Sun)

Find out more at www.genesis-music.com

Words: Malcolm Dome

Peter Gabriel has never been a man to stand still and do the obvious. He proves it again on New Blood Live In London (Eagle Vision). This is a DVD and Blu-ray filmed during two shows in London in March this year. Gabriel totally overhauled his songs, adapting these for an orchestra, and in the process reinvents them. It’s a tour de force performance from a unique talent.

Deep Purple don’t quite get as radical as Gabriel, but Live At Montreux 2011 (Eagle Vision) does see them working with an orchestra, and it’s certainly effective. The way the band and orchestra bond together seems natural enough, and it brings a fresh life to Purple, who seem to have been on the road forever. This is available as a DVD or a double  CD.

ELP’s performance at High Voltage last year is reckoned by many to be the final time we shall see these prog greats. So the release of this gig on DVD as Emerson Lake & Palmer…Welcome Back My Friends (Concert One) is just a touch poignant. Still, it’s proof that the band that night really were at their best and worst. There are moments of bathos, as well as those times when they were truly inspirational. As such, it would be the appropriate way for ELP to bow out, having summed up their career with this last hurrah. There’s also a bonus documentary covering their history and including new interviews with all three.

Lindsey Buckingham is at his most spellbinding on the live DVD/CD Songs From The Small Machine Live In L.A. (Eagle Vision). The man proves once more that he’s a hugely gifted artist. Onstage he has a flowing, low key way of playing that accentuates the quality of his songs. Here he spans his solo discography, as well as nodding towards Fleetwood Mac.

NWOBHM veterans Bitches Sin have never quite fulfilled their potential. But The Rapture proves they’re still a band who can deliver unfussy British metal. There’s a good version of Simon & Garfunkel’s Sound Of Silence (which they’ve titled Sounds Of Silence, for some reason), and is that really Gary Moore doing a guitar solo on Save Me? Bitches Sin do deserve to be heard. Find out more at www.bitchessin.co.uk

Irish rockets Glyder have totally revamped their line-up, and in the process given their bluesy melodic rock approach a real shot in the arm. Backroads To Byzantium (SPV/Steamhammer) is possibly the band’s best album yet. The songs have a vigour and the musicianship an edge that really does convince you of Glyder’s worth.

It’s almost incredible to believe that Aqualung (EMI) is 40 years old. But that’s the case with Jethro Tull’s masterwork. It’s been reissued with a new 5.1 surround sound mix from Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson, and in various formats. The reality, though, is that there’s no need for anything additional. The original still stands supreme.

Finally, there’s a new version of the classic Diamond Head debut album Lightning To The Nations (Universal). This time it comes with a bonus CD featuring various singles released by the band around the time of the album. It’s become a cliché to regard this record as a prime example of NWOBHM virtues, and let’s not forget the impact it had on aspiring musicians such as Metallica and Megadeth. But sometimes we have to be reminded of just how special Diamond Head were back then. This’ll do the job. Nicely.

Words: Malcolm Dome

It appears to have become a habit to slag off the Lou Reed and Metallica collaboration, even before hearing a note of Lulu (Vertigo). Metallica fans seem to hate the very idea of their faves working with Reed. And this isn’t recognisable as a Metallica album. But why should it be? It’s something separate. Perhaps if a project name had been used instead of the various protagonists being so readily identified, then people would have more of an open mind. The truth is that the album is interesting and arresting. Far from being instant, there’s enough here to keep you returning. What does it sound like? It’s Lou Reed with a heavy, progressively atmospheric rock approach. In some respects, not far removed from Opeth taking on board a Peter Gabriel influence. Not the disaster some believe. And if you want to listen to the whole album before buying a copy, it’s being streamed at www.loureedmetallica.com

Far more obvious is the new Megadeth album Th1rt3en (Roadrunner). Yes, the spelling of the title is either cunning or just plain daft, but the music is vibrant on what is the best Megadeth album in years. The return of bassist David Ellefson has given everything a lift, and the band have returned to a style not far removed from Rust In Peace The future for this lot now appears healthier than ever.

Last year Alter Bridge put out the AB III album. Now they’ve got a deluxe edition called AB 3.5 (Roadrunner). There are three extra tracks on the CD, all of which are the equal of anything on the original. Plus a bonus DVD titled One By One, which is a documentary featuring interviews with all the band. One could argue that the whole thing is a gratuitous attempt to exploit an old album. However, nobody’s forcing you to buy a copy. And with those extra songs, not to mention a new DVD, the package is worthwhile.

Foreigner are the latest band to revisit their back catalogue. On Acoustique (earMUSIC), they present some of their great moments in an acoustic setting, It doesn’t all work, but the approach pays dividends more often than not, and Long, Long Way From Home and Starrider are particular triumphs. There’s also new song Save Me, which proves this line-up don’t just have to rely on past glories.

Black Widow will always be known for Come To The Sabbat, and for once having a daring occult stage set. But can they still offer anything these days? Perhaps against the odds, Sleeping With Demons (Cargo) is more than decent. The blues-rock approach is intact, added to which is lustre of foreboding in both the lyrics and the music. Some of it is patent, camp nonsense, but if the impact is more Hammer than Crowley, then it’s still entertaining.

Jane’s Addiction have their own style, which makes The Great Escape Artist (EMI) unmistakably them. And this band really don’t make bad albums. However, while the songs are strong enough to match anything on 2003’s Strays, nonetheless it does fall short of Nothing’s Shocking or Ritual De Lo Habitual. Maybe the problem is that the musicians fall so easily into the Jane’s groove and are a little too comfortable with it all.

Armored Saint are one of those bands who should have been so much bigger than they were.The reissue of second album Delirious Nomad (Rock Candy) proves the point . Orginally put out in 1985, it has an intelligent approach to metal that transcends genres such as thrash and power metal. This lot wrote and delivered multi-faceted songs, which set them apart from most of their contemporaries, and the quality still shines through.

There’s a perceived wisdom that the second album from Lone Star was far superior to their debut. Well, both have now been re-released by Rock Candy, and it may make people reassess their evaluation of the fine 70s Welsh band. The self-titled debut actually sounds really strong, full of powerful moments, and possessed of a vibrancy and expertise that underscores why so much was expected of this band on the album’s release in 1976. However, second album Firing On All Six (first put out in 77) hasn’t fared quite so well. Despite having the evergreen Bells Of Berlin, the production here (from Gary Lyons) is stilted and stuttering, which means the album now sounds rather dull. A pity, because there are some fine songs here, and the band clearly were playing at a high level. But while Roy Thomas Baker got his production spot on for the debut, Lyons is way off the mark.

To celebrate this landmark, Eddie, Stone, Jeff, Matt, Mike and others take you through the 20 songs that built the band. Watch the trailer for the new Cameron Crowe doc Pearl Jam Twenty here: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/pearl-jam-twenty/trailer

Also in thjs packed issue:

Lou Reed/Metallica

“It’s not a party album.” Lou Reed and Metallica tell us all about their collaboration album, Lulu. Listen to the first taster here: http://soundcloud.com/loureedmetallica/the-view

Rod Stewart

Every Picture Tells A Story. The in-depth, eye-witness tale of Rod’s classic album that arrived by accident. Watch Rod’s classic TOTP Maggie May appearance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcoWUt51zaU&feature=fvwrel

Sham 69

Too punk for punk? Too working-class for a fashion-led London media? As they prepare to re-form, frontman Jimmy Pursey and guitarist Dave Parsons look back. See Sham play Borstal Breakout at Reading 1978 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6utdlMvuD74&feature=related

Opeth

Goodbye death metal beginnings, hello new, metal-free album Heritage. We sneak a peek inside the Scandinavian progsters’ strange world and weird head-space. See their creey video for new track The Devil’s Orchard here: http://pitchfork.com/news/44090-video-opeth-the-devils-orchard/

The Answer

To celebrate the release of their third album, Classic Rock takes the Northern Irish boys for a night on the tiles in their hometown. You should hear the tales they told… See videos on the making of the album here: http://www.theanswer.ie/

Tony Iommi

Knife-carrying gang member, heavy metal pioneer, rock icon, classic-riff architect… Life has had its moments of both heaven and hell for the Black Sabbath guitarist. Watch CR’s Malcolm Dome interview him here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLoJ92y8Zk0

Jani Lane

He wanted to be more than ‘The Cherry Pie guy’. But alcohol, demons and ridicule led to his demise. Watch him talk about why he hates that song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR1xpknCHCQ

The Dirt

Jeff Beck hints at teaming up with Robert Plant; Blackmore, Paice, Frampton, Schenker and Wylde among the guests on William ‘Captain Kirk’ Shatner’s new album of classic rock covers; Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan to rejoin Quo? Welcome back Lindsey Buckingham, Slim Chance and Girlschool…

The New Blues Rock Super-Duos

We speak to Beth Hart about her new album with Joe Bonamassa, and Susan Tedeschi about the Tedeschi Trucks Band (a collaboration with her husband and Allmans guitarist Derek Trucks):

Watch Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa being interviewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU3nwMRXxZg Hear them playing Tom Waits’ Chocolate Jesus at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TkitGRoGM8&feature=related

See the Tedeschi Trucks Band interviews here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-_EYXYR8RY. Watch them performing Midnight In Harlem here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7czlanjaObs&feature=related

Photo Pass

Brian May

“I had this image of Brian as this sort of ‘time lord of fruit’.” Patrice De Villiers recalls photographing the grapefruit-loving Queen guitarist at his home in Surrey.

The Stories Behind The Songs

Anthrax & Public Enemy

Between the paint-guns, the cross-dressing and the late-night philosophy, it’s a wonder this 1991 crossover thrash-hop masterpiece even got made.

Q&A

Peter Gabriel

“The first time I got a phone call from space, I was out.” The former Genesis man on technology, cracking movies, pop stardom (briefly), and almost riding the Space Shuttle.

Fly On The Wall

Rolling Stones

When the Stones staged their spectacular Rock And Roll Circus comeback in 1968, they ended up being upstaged by The Who and looking like clowns. Watch The Who blowing everyone away here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ku7QNRudg

Heavy Load

Gene Simmons

The Kiss man on Gene Simmons, making money, wasting money, and how if he was in charge the police would have baseball bats and drug dealers would be dead.

Plus there’s a massive reviews section. With new albums from Lou Reed & Metallica, The Union, Foreigner, Megadeth, Johnny Winter… Reissues from The Who, Dream Theater, Yes, Nazareth, Whitesnake, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix… Books on Frank Zappa, The Kinks, progressive rock, Captain Beefheart… DVD on Mott The Hoople… Live reviews of Pearl Jam, Jane’s Addiction.

There’s also a great free DVD, featuring live  performances from Roy Harper, Van Der Graaf Generator, Caravan, The Zombies and others. That’s in the UK. Overseas it will be a 14-track free CD, featuring such artists as Donnie Vie, Vain, Shy and Amebix. The covers for both are below.

All this and so much more in the new issue of Clsssic Rock. On sale right now!

Also in this issue:

Prog Rocks! – Launching the EMI megacampaign of reissues from Charisma, Harvest, Superball and InsideOut, and featuring Ian Anderson, Steve Hackett, Dave Brock, Ray Shulman, Mark Kelly and Roine Stolt, as they face-off in the first of a three-part roundtable debate

“I learnt loads from King Crimson.” – Steven Wilson on the making of new album Grace For Drowning

“Talent’s got nothing to do with success!” says Peter Gabriel, as he prepares for his back catalogue’s orchestral reworking

“I jumped in the deep end.” – Radiohead’s Philip Selway on making his own music his own way.

“We could write a book about the goings-on in Magenta. It’s like prog school!” How the newly trimmed-back trio got where they are today…

“I love music full stop. I don’t build barriers.” – Bill Nelson on Be-Bop Deluxe and his 20-album release schedule in just one year!

“We never thought this would last!” – Mastodon come of age.

“I’d go for anything with a wizard on!” – Comedian Bill Bailey revels in his prog record hoard.

Plus: Anathema, 3, Pineapple Thief, Arch/Matheos, Don Airey, Steve Hackett, Touchstone, Pain Of Salvation, Muse, TesseracT, Lunatic Soul and a bumper free Prog Rocks! 16-track CD…

Find us in your nearest trustworthy newsagent, or order a copy here.

It has a lavishly illustrated Rush spectacular celebrating their current Time Machine tour that features an exclusive in-depth chat with sticksman/lyricist Neil Peart – his first rock magazine interview in five years – plus Geddy Lee on the evolution of the band, the Time Machine set-up and 30 years of Moving Pictures.

Also in this issue:

* On the road with Fairport Convention and the story of Babbacombe Lee.

* Here come The Nice: Keith Emerson and Lee Jackson pop into Prog HQ

* Judy Dyble: Fairport and Robert Fripp’s original muse tells us her extraordinary story – and all about her new album and anthology

* Cumbria’s finest, It Bites, on their new live DVD and the concept album in the pipeline

* In the run-up to his arena shows, ex-Supertramp star Roger Hodgson reveals all in his feud with Rick Davies

* Plus! We explore Roy Harper’s Stormcock as our Masterwork, Pentangle maestro John Renbourn as our Maverick, and cram in new bands Phaedra, Konchordat, Rose Kemp and Arcane Roots.

* Want more? How about Adrian Belew, Presto Ballet, Mastodon, Wolverine, Beardfish, Peter Gabriel, ELP, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Van der Graaf, Pendragon, Marillion, Radiohead, Haken and Touchstone?

Of course we mustn’t forget our regular FREE Prognosis CD, this issue featuring 11 tracks from Twelfth Night, Liam Davison, John Young, Talanas, Aethenor and more, and for UK and subscription customers* we are proud to include an exclusive bonus CD, Starcrazy – An Introduction To Judy Dyble, a seven-track sampler from the folk-prog songstress’ singular catalogue, including two outstanding new tracks.

Phew, what a scorcher.

*this CD will not be available to customers outside of the UK for contractual reasons.

There’s currently a massive surge in prog rock compilations. Two almost share the same title. We have Wondrous Stories – 33 Artists That Shaped The Prog Rock Era and Wondrous Stories – A Complete Introduction To Progressive Rock. Confusingly, both are on Universal. The former is a double CD featuring the usual suspects (Yes, Jethro Tull, Peter Gabriel, Marillion et al), plus a couple of surprises. Andrew Lloyd Webber?!

The latter is a four-CD box set, expertly put together by Classic Rock Presents Prog editor Jerry Ewing. It really does live up to its billing as an exhaustive guide to the myriad delights of prog.

There’s also another double CD collection on Universal. Space Hymns: An Introduction To Prog Rock has again been compiled by Master Ewing, and is a better collection than 33 Artists That Shaped The Prog Rock Era. Still, riches galore for prog fans.

Whatever he does, Peter Frampton will always live in the shadow of that mega 70s album Frampton Comes Alive. But new album Thank you Mr Churchill (Eagle) is his best studio release in a couple of decades. There’s some great virtuoso playing from the man, who’s always been undervalued as a guitarist, plus some nicely constructed songs which are both mature yet enthused. Good value

Devil Sold His Soul have come up with a fascinating album in Blessed & Cursed (Century Media). It combines some very heavy music and lyrics with ambient progression. It’s dense, dark, doomy but highly listenable. One for fans of Isis, Baroness and Kylesa. Gloomily gloriously

Hellyeah have really come on smartly since their self-titled, debut album in 2007. Second album Stampede (Spinefarm) takes them away from being just a collection of high profile musos, associated with bands like Pantera, Mudvayne, Damageplan and Nothingface. They now sound like a truly inspired band. Think Down with a little more metal bit, and you’ve got it.

Jorn Lande has caused some controversy with his album Dio (Frontiers). A collection of covers associated with Ronnie James Dio, some have seen it as a cynical cash-in. In his defence, Lande recorded this before the man’s tragic death last month. And he’s done a respectable job on songs from Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio – and he’s not totally gone for the obvious choices. There’s also one original here, Song For Ronnie James, which isn’t as cringing as it might have been.

Incidentally, Lande will be one of two guest vocalists when Heaven Hell do a Dio tribute set at the High Voltage Festival on July 24. That tells you he’s held in high esteem by those who matter. The other singer’s Glenn Hughes, by the way.

Veteran NWOBHMers Cloven Hoof stay resolutely in shape on Throne Of Damnation (EM Music). It’s a five-song EP that could easily have been released in 1981. You know what you get with the Hoof – that very British, anthemic proto power metal approach.

Stephen Dale Petit almost comes up with a good album on The Crave (333 Records). The problem is that his entertaining modern blues-rock groove all too often suffers from his insistence on guitar showboating. Why let the melody talk for itself when you can add in a surfeit of superfluous solos. The man can play, granted. Trouble is, he knows it and insists on proving the point throughout. Shame, because there are some really good songs here.

Metallic Dawning (AFM) is pure power metal glory. It’s a double CD compilation featuring 32 tracks in all, from names like U.D.O., Nightwish, Sabaton, Ross The Boss and Jon Oliva’s Pain. Fine showcase for the label. It’s gumbie mania. All we need are a free sew-on patch and studded wristband. You gotta love it.

Titled Wondrous Stories – Artists That Shaped The Prog Rock Era, it was compiled by Classic Rock Presents Prog editor Jerry Ewing.

The full track listing is:

CD1

1. Yes – Wondrous Stories

2. Jethro Tull – Living In The Past

3. Supertramp – Crime Of The Century

4. Rush – The Spirit Of Radio

5. Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells

6. Camel – Rhayader

7. Kansas – Dust In The Wind

8. Colosseum – The Kettle

9. Uriah Heep – Gypsy

10. Argent – Hold Your Head Up

11. Traffic – Paper Sun

12. Hawkwind – Silver Machine

13. Edgar Winter Group – Frankenstein

14. Gong – Perfect Mystery

15.  Barclay James Harvest – Mockingbird

16. Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)

17. Iron Butterfly – In A Gadda Da Vida

CD2

1. Focus – Hocus Pocus

2. Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill

3. Emerson Lake & Palmer – Fanfare For The Common Man

4. Marillion – Kayleigh

5. Rare Bird – Sympathy

6. Golden Earring – Radar Love

7. Jon & Vangelis – I Hear You Now

8. Moody Blues – Question

9. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Joybringer

10. Rick Wakeman – Catherine Of Aragon

11. Caravan – The Land Of Grey & Pink

12. ELO – 10538 Overture

13. Gentle Giant – Playing The Game

14. Roxy Music – Virginia Plain

15. Wishbone Ash – Jail Bait

16. Andrew Lloyd Webber – Pagianini Caprice In A Minor No. 24