BBC Radio 2: "Prog Rock with Charles Hazelwood" 4 Part Series starts Monday

[progwardy]

A perusal of next week’s 'Radio Times' indicates a new four part series on progressive rock.

Starts Monday, 11th May at 10:00pm on BBC Radio 2.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tptz4/episodes/guide

“Conductor Charles Hazelwood explores the inspired and sometimes overblown music genre that fully entered the mainstream in the 1970s.”

The first episode considers 1950s and 60s origins and the significance of drums and percussion….and talks to Bill Bruford.

[rael74]

Hey, thanks for this link.

Just in case there is anyone on this forum who has not seen this other BBC Prog Documentary (of which they have produced several)
Stop everything you are doing right now:

[lovecraft]

Prog Rock Britannia is OK, as is The Prog Rock Top 10 that was done by Channel 4 but, the best one if you can find it is the episode of Rock Family Trees dealing with Yes and ELP, which unlike these others, stays away from cheap laughs and treats the subject with a reasonable degree of seriousness.

[Luckie]

the best one if you can find it is the episode of Rock Family Trees dealing with Yes and ELP, which unlike these others, stays away from cheap laughs and treats the subject with a reasonable degree of seriousness.

Oddly, that was narrated by radical British DJ John Peel, who'd long fallen out of love with the genre, and especially ELP.

A complete waste of time, talent and electricity
(John Peel on Emerson, Lake & Palmer's debut concert)

(His radio show's producer had a similar opinion!)

Take ELP; they are undoubtedly good, in that they play well as instrumentalists, but it seems to me that what they do is, artistically, bunkum.....they'd all paid their dues, they could all play well, and they'd got a good rocking boogie thing, which could make one think that they might get into something, but in my opinion, the pseudo-classical bit was the wrong thing for them....Unfortunately, so many kids haven't had the real artistic background and the intellectual heritage, and they don't appreciate the lack of artistry in a syncopated version of some classical thing. I don't think they add anything, and it's no answer to say that it may lead kids to the real thing, because that's like putting Rubens on a tea towel and thinking it will lead people to visit the National Gallery.
(John Walters interviewed in Zigzag, issue 24, 1972)

[Bytor]

Just finished listening. I liked it. But I like Bruford a lot, not only as a drummer. He's interesting to hear and he's intelligent. The DJ was pretty good too I thought . Tony Banks next week...

[alanterrill]

Just finished listening. I liked it. But I like Bruford a lot, not only as a drummer. He's interesting to hear and he's intelligent. The DJ was pretty good too I thought . Tony Banks next week...

Agreed - unusually intelligent programme.

[JKL2000]

Oddly, that was narrated by radical British DJ John Peel, who'd long fallen out of love with the genre, and especially ELP.


(His radio show's producer had a similar opinion!)

Jeez, dude - is "a good rocking boogie" going to lead them to the National Gallery any faster? ELP isn't my favorite, but why hold "rocking boogie" in such high esteem then shit on prog?

[mnprogger]

1st episode up (starts about 4+ minutes in)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tkm9m

[khapahk]

Just finished listening. I liked it. But I like Bruford a lot, not only as a drummer. He's interesting to hear and he's intelligent. The DJ was pretty good too I thought . Tony Banks next week...

The "DJ" is a leading British classical conductor, as well as radio presenter !

[NogbadTheBad]

Very nice show which is essentially a Bill Bruford interview about his time in Yes & King Crimson. Next week Tony Banks.

[Bytor]

The "DJ" is a leading British classical conductor, as well as radio presenter !

Yeah and I felt he treated the genre with respect and understanding

[Paulrus]

Just listened. I thought it was a very good program, though I'm a Yes and King Crimson fan which is where Hazlewood went for his samples and discussion references almost exclusively. I guess that makes sense considering he only had Bill to talk to, but I feel that he missed out on a huge wealth of percussion-related prog goodness as a result.

I also found it interesting toward the end where he tried to get Bill to provide some insight into the bridge between the 70s prog originators and the bands in the 80s who were packaging up the same ideas in smaller containers (he used Rush and Radiohead as examples) and Bill just didn't care. As an interviewer that was probably a disappointment, but he's probably going to have to get used to it if he's only talking to guys from that first generation of prog bands. Tony Banks might have more to say about it, just cuz Tony does like to talk, but we'll have to see when the next installment comes out.

[mnprogger]

Part 2 is up
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vbxgn

[Bytor]

Part 2 is up
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vbxgn

Wetton next week

[Paulrus]

Part 2 is up
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vbxgn

Hazlewood really needs to try harder. It's all about keyboards! Except we'll showcase the beginning of "Awaken" where after Rick's opening bit it's pretty much... keyboard-less. And then we'll introduce Tony Banks with the beginning of "Supper's Ready", a feast for... 12-string guitar. It's not until 20 minutes or so in that he finally gets to "Firth of Fifth" (which Tony kindly nods his hat to Steve for having the idea to elevate it above his original simple piano and flute idea).

It's also sort of agonizing hearing Tony talk about how his classical piece "Blade" started as a piano and synth song which in its original form "sounded like a Genesis song". As in an OLD Genesis song. Which makes you think that he still has it in him to do that stuff.

And he trots out the oft-repeated defense of later Genesis that "3 minute pop songs are harder to write than 20 minute songs". And yet he talks earlier about how he revels in unusual harmonic ideas. How many complex harmonic ideas are in "Invisible Touch", Tony?

But I guess it's cool that the BBC is giving up this much time to a genre of music that has been lambasted for so many years. It does seem to be getting a heavy re-evaluation lately, at least by the BBC. Probably because the top programming execs are all closet Yes and ELP fans.

[rael74]

Prog Rock Britannia is OK, as is The Prog Rock Top 10 that was done by Channel 4 but, the best one if you can find it is the episode of Rock Family Trees dealing with Yes and ELP, which unlike these others, stays away from cheap laughs and treats the subject with a reasonable degree of seriousness.

Hmmm, I watch Prog Britannia a lot and I see it as a very serious documentary, in my opinion the best I've ever seen on the genre.
The parts when they discuss the late 70's demise of prog are very moving.

[rael74]

... at least by the BBC. Probably because the top programming execs are all closet Yes and ELP fans.

You got the part about BBC execs and the closet right...

[proggy_jazzer]

A very nice series so far. Looking forward to parts 3 & 4!

[whatwherewhywhen]

Wetton next week

And according to the Radio Times Ian Anderson for the final episode.

[mnprogger]

episode 3 is now available
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vxxmt

[Paulrus]

episode 3 is now available
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vxxmt

Thanks. Not bad.

And Hazlewood really does seem like a fanboy. Is he taken seriously at all in classical music circles?

[mnprogger]

episode 4 now streaming
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05wy67y

[proggy_jazzer]

I thoroughly enjoyed all four of these and hope the BBC produces more episodes!

[Paulrus]

The 4th part was good, but Ian is always a good interview. In fact, I give Hazlewood props for some good choices for his interviews. I thought with Ian as the interviewee for Pt 4 that it would be about singers in prog, though he made it about the flute instead. Sort of odd, but it worked. But that still leaves the singer position uncovered, and it would have been great if he could have gotten someone like Peter Hammill for that.

I still think -- as he himself mentioned -- that he barely scratched the surface, but this series did provide a reasonably good overview of the topic with first person perspective from people who were important to its early history.