Gone Off and Got One

So, what was played? The list, though not necessarily in the order played on the night, is as follows:

 

Artist : Album : Track

Marillion : Somewhere Else : Thankyou Whoever You Are

Marillion : Somewhere Else : Somewhere Else

The Reasoning : Awakening : The Awakening

The Reasoning : Awakening : Shadows of the Mind

Druid : Towards The Sun : Voices

Druid : Towards The Sun : Theme

National health : Of Queues and Cures : The Bryden 2-Step

The Flower Kings : Unfold The Future : Devil’s Playground

The Third Ending : The Third Ending : The Digital Sunrise Suite

 

Ian seems to make it his mission to introduce me to prog from yesteryear that I’m almost certain to have not heard of before. In this case it was done with the band Druid. Produced by The Old Grey Whistle Test’s Whispering Bob Harris, Druid were a wonderful listen for me and are a band I will look out for whenever I’m in a second hand CD shop as I don’t think you can get them anymore. Such a shame.

 

The Marillion album lived up to my expectations of mature progressive rock played with skill and care, of melodies that lingered like the aftertaste of a fine wine. I suppose that any band that’s been playing together for as long as they have will form a sound that is instantly recognisable but without being repetitive. I don’t know how they can do it, personally. I suppose it takes a certain level of genius to keep on producing new material without slipping in reworked sections from previous fan favourites. The effect is that each album is approached as a new construct and takes time getting used to from scratch. This is in marked contrast to the factory produced bands/singers of the pop world who reproduce some of their previous hit in their current release so as to avoid a form of musical culture shock. I am so glad that Marillion don’t do this. Yes, it makes the albums harder to instantly like but who cares? There’s a challenge there that the average prog fan faces every time they get a new album to listen to, which is partly why we like the music that we do. Incidentally, I’m listening to said same album as I type this missif. Lovely stuff.

 

Each week I approach my show with what approaches a nod short of a hedonistic’s delight, rubbing my hands together with a kind of restrained glee as I survey my collection of CDs and agonise over what to bring to the airwaves. It’s no surprise, then, that the music I find myself returning to time and time again on my trusty MP3 player forms a starting point. In this instance it takes the shape of The Third Ending. I played a couple of their tracks a few months ago, but I have been loath to remove the album from my player and make space for some of the new stuff I keep getting. So I made a decision. There is a suite towards the latter part of the album that makes up 25 minutes of uninterrupted music so that was what I played as the show finale. It was a pleasant surprise to me that a few people emailed the show and said they would be getting the album, based on what they had heard on the show. My thanks to those of you who are doing that. Bands like The Third Ending need as much support as possible and every little bit that we do makes a next album a greater certainty.

 

What’s on the next show? I have another guest, Mark Cunningham, music insider, magazine editor, author and gifted musician, appearing on the show. He’s been involved with U2, Pink Floyd and Roger Waters, to name but a few. Remember Frankie Goes To Hollywood? That thumping bass sample on Relax? That was Mark.

 

Tune in for the next show.

 

All the best,

 

Dave.