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PODCAST

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac

timothyappleton

This is a podcast for discussing ”issues around classic rock and prog music”. Join ’old friends’ Shaun and/or Tim and/or Peter for occasional discussions of the albums, songs and artists that have happily marked their lives.

music music commentary

All Episodes

42:00

Van der Graaf Generator - H to He Who Am The Only...

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/12/01

This week, Tim did a monologue about H to He Who Am The Only One, by Van der Graaf Generator. Topics covered include: whether VdGG are really heavy metal without guitars, whether H to He can be considered a pop album, the extent to which the album precipitates the band’s later work, and how the dialectic between voice and sax works in the band. Also, how did VdGG influence Iron Maiden? Do the wind parts represent the Freudian drives? Is the ‘hit’ song Killer a comic or a tragic piece? Is there a

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66:53

RANKING: The Top Five albums of 1967

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/11/24

This week Tim, Peter and Shaun discussed their favourite albums from “the summer of love”, 1967. Topics covered include: whether ’67 was the beginning of the postmodern period, what relation the period had to subsequent developments in music, what influence folk, blues and jazz had on the period, and whether the period was predominantly optimistic or pessimistic. Also, couldn’t “the highest paid act in America” get someone to tune their guitars? Which band hated each other the most? What did Steve

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66:32

CRAPA RANKS: Genesis Outtakes

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/11/17

In this week’s episode, Shaun and Tim discussed their top ten favourite Genesis outtakes. Topics covered include: the difference between outtakes from the classic and contemporary periods of the band, why Genesis didn’t write psychedelic pieces, how the Banks-Rutherford dialectic affected the sound of the band, and the influence of Phil Collins’ love life on the lyrics. Also, why did Steve Hackett keep getting quieter? What’s the essence of Stoic philosophy? Should some of the single albums have

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51:25

Gentle Giant - The Power And The Glory: Gentle's...

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/11/10

This week Tim did a monologue about the sixth studio album by Gentle Giant, The Power And The Glory. Topics covered include: whether the band had read Graham Greene, George Orwell or Thomas Hobbes; the extent to which the lyrics are reflected in the music and vice versa; the unique style and sound of Gentle Giant; and whether the album should be considered political or anti-political. Also, should the ending of the album actually have gone at the beginning? Was Cogs In Cogs influenced by Charlie

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53:07

Yes - Drama: The last great prog album?

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/11/03

This week, Tim and Shaun had a chat about the tenth studio album by Yes, Drama. Topics covered included: the relative success of this rock-new wave mash-up; what the nature of the Yes-Horn/Downes collaboration was; whether the cover of the album was based on the songs; and whether this line-up should have made another album. Also, would the album have been better if Chris Squire had sung it? What were Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman drinking when they decided to leave the group? What is it like to go

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46:49

Planxty - Planxty: The greatest Irish band of all time?

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/10/27

This week Tim did a monologue on the first album by Planxty. Topics covered include: whether Planxty are really the greatest Irish band of all time, whether prog fans would like this album, the mythological nature of the group’s songs, the carefully programmed nature of the album, and the connection between Planxty and the band Kneecap. Also, how did the band Elbow get their name? How do you make an English person feel Irish? Was the Jolly Beggar really a beggar or not? And did Christy Moore invent

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85:19

TOP(OGRAPHIC) TRUMPS: Tommy vs. Quadrophenia

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/10/20

This week, Tim and Peter did an album-off, between Tommy and Quadrophenia by The Who. Topics covered include: whether both albums deserve to be doubles, in what sense Quadrophenia is a response to Tommy, how important Kit Lambert’s influence was, how each album deals with the question of sexual identity, and whether Underture is too long or not. Also, what would Freud have thought of the band? Which is the most offensive line on the two albums? Was Tommy actually finished or not? Are mods male or

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96:01

CRAPA RANKS: The greatest progressive rock albums of...

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/10/13

This week, Shaun and Tim ranked their top ten favourite progressive rock albums. Which of your favourite bands will be in there? And how will they be represented? Find out in this bumper episode!

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41:37

The Incredible String Band - The 5000 Spirits Or The...

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/10/06

This week Peter did a monologue about the second album by The Incredible String Band, The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion. Topics covered include: the String Band’s unusual harmonic sense, the Eastern influence on their music, their importance to the 60s music scene in the U.K., why the band weren’t better known and the uniqueness of the Edinburgh folk scene. Also, who was the best sitar player in the 60s? Why don’t the band do any middle eights? What are the politics of turning an album

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38:41

The Nice - Five Bridges: The first real progressive...

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/09/29

This week Tim did a monologue on Five Bridges by The Nice. Topics covered include: whether Five Bridges is the first stage in the development of the progressive rock "paradigm"; where the album stands in the band’s catalogue; how The Nice compares to ELP; and whether the dialectic between band and orchestra is successful. Also, why don’t bands get Arts Council grants any more? What does the band have to do with the philosophy of science? Was the introduction influenced by tantric sex? Was Lee

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75:29

CRAPA RANKS: Live progressive rock albums

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/09/22

This week Shaun, Peter and Tim rank their top five favourite live prog rock albums. Who will be number one?

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46:41

SPECIAL EPISODE: Shaun's Shed (Caravan: Girls That...

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/09/20

In this episode - potentially one of an occasional series - Shaun reviews sections of Caravan's fifth studio album: Girls That Grow Plump In The Night, whilst sculpting a bust of Richard Sinclair and arguing with the postman and a charity worker.

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54:26

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak: The hard rock Ulysses?

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/09/15

This week Tim discussed the classic sixth album by Thin Lizzy, Jailbreak. Topics covered are: whether Lizzy is the greatest Irish group of all time, whether they are Iron Maiden avant la lettre, what the essential ingredients of their sound are, and the role that the Irish literary and poetic tradition play in the mix. Also, how many references to brothers are there on the album, and who exactly are they? What do the French say about gambling? Is Don Juan secretly gay? And there may be about to be a

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68:25

Peter Gabriel - 3 (Melt): Review

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/09/08

This week Shaun and Tim discussed the third album by Peter Gabriel: 3 (Melt). Themes covered include: whether this is a psychological or a political album (or both), whether it’s a concept album about apartheid, the status of the album within Gabriel’s discography, the psychological resonances of the cover and the influence of world music on the album. Also, are some of the lyrics based on Freud’s analysis of the Schreber case? Was the track Intruder about the Milk Tray man? Are there too many songs

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45:45

Mike Rutherford - Smallcreep's Day: Review

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/09/01

This week Tim discussed side one of Mike Rutherford’s first solo album, Smallcreep’s Day. Topics covered include: the playing on the album, the programmatic implications of the Smallcreep’s Day Suite, the differences between Smallcreep’s Day and Supper’s Ready by Genesis, and the decisive use of suspended chords on the album. Also, why is the cover better than the source material? Is Rutherford a romantic or a transcendental idealist? What exactly is the problem with the Marxist concept of

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01:24:37

Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends: Review

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/08/25

This week, Peter and Tim discussed the fourth album by Simon and Garfunkel, Bookends. Topics considered include: whether the album was an attack on hippy ideals and culture, whether it was a New York broadside against California, what connects Simon and Garfunkel and The Kinks, the nature of Paul Simon’s writing process and whether the album would be considered “meta” today. Also: what does “America” mean? Who was “Kathy”? Was Mrs. Robinson really Mrs. Roosevelt? Is it pronounced “Hazy Shade Of

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01:08:15

Genesis - And Then There Were Three: Review

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/08/16

This week Shaun and Tim discussed the ninth studio album by Genesis, And Then There Were Three. Themes discussed include: whether this was Genesis’ least experimental album, what Steve Hackett’s absence meant to the band, whether the unexpected is a necessary but insufficient condition for artistic creation and whether the album should have been called “Selling America By The Pound”. Also, was there any instrument on the album that couldn’t have been played by Tony Banks? Was Ballad of Big about

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45:55

Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti: Review (WARNING:...

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/08/09

This week, Tim discussed Frank Zappa’s 1979 album Sheik Yerbouti. Issues discussed are the artistic status of the rock double album, the role of humour in music, what to make of the accusation of racism, whether Frank Zappa had read Freud, the musical eclecticism one finds on the album and the role of aleatory music in Zappa’s oeuvre. Also: how are the musique concrète pieces like a Japanese restaurant? Is the character of Bobby Brown a metaphor for today’s culture? Who’s funnier: Frank Zappa or the

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01:25:21

CRAPA RANKS: YES SOLO DEBUT ALBUMS

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/08/04

This week Tim and Shaun ranked the first eight (or is it seven?!) Yes solo debut albums. Issues which emerge are: what the thinking was in putting these albums together; who has the best musicianship on their album; how the sound of these albums relates to the Yes sound; and how the onstage dynamic might affect the group dynamic as a whole. Also, what would King Crimson have sounded like with Phil Collins on drums? Is the phrase Alan White a metaphor? Which exactly are the two sides of Peter Banks

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01:31:52

CRAPA RANKS: PINK FLOYD STUDIO ALBUMS

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac ·

2025/07/25

This week, Peter and Tim ranked the 15 Pink Floyd studio albums. Topics covered included: Hipgnosis cover art, the transition from psychedelia to prog, or art rock, whether we can separate our views of Pink Floyd from their cultural significance and the relative merits of the different members of the band. Also: who has the best joke about Momentary Lapse of Reason? Is anyone prepared to watch an entire Barbet Schroeder film? How does Piper At The Gates Of Dawn resemble a chocolate box? Why is

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61 results

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