Having said that I reject lists I am quietly building some interesting lists of albums on AlbumWhale … and when I say lists … were I to tell you that one of those lists has just two items on it … you will understand that the word ’list’ is being rather loosely used.

Because actually, I like lists … but I like them to have context.

Sometimes the context is helped simply by knowing who created the list and maybe why they created it. ‘Top 50 guitarists in Rock music created by Rolling Stone’ might be one such example. I wouldn’t necessarily agree with who is on it, or what position they are in … But the source being a known quantity … Rolling Stone .. is sufficient for me to engage.

Lots of albums listed by someone I don’t know, where I rarely know the albums listed and those I do, I don’t like most of the time gives me no reason to engage. NONE.

If that album had a sentence that explained why? … my engagement interest goes up … significantly.

Back to my lists, they aren’t the 50 albums I’ve always loved … mainly because such a list would include bands like Talking Heads, Pink Floyd and Tears for Fears … and really … who cares?

Rather I have taken a different tack.

1. A list of phenomenal albums by artists you might not have heard about - and why I think they are so good? 🎵 Would that be interesting?

2. How about 🎵 a list of albums in chronological order of release that highlight the single album that opened my eyes to the artist?

3. A new ‘WIP’ list - focussed on something I am calling 🔗 English Progressive. Early days yet, 🎵 there are only three listed so far, but the future is big

You can find all my AlbumWhale lists here - but those three are the main focus for now.

Thankyou for your attention.

🎵 Well, I guess Roger is in Polly’s cross hairs.

🎵 Family. Sadly a band that sits in relative obscurity … to the detriment of society and the future of our children. Album 4 (which I have never managed to find in the streaming world) is being re released. #progrock❓ who knows❓ who cares❓

This is a public service announcement.

🎵 I have been working my way through Breaking Bad. Last night this was played with one of the characters singing along.

I had to look it up. Never heard it before. Didn’t know the artists. Superb.

The comments seem to be all related to the show, I guess it’s not just me.

🎛️ English Progressive Redux

🔗 Andrew Hickey’s ‘500 Songs’ includes a good and interesting summary of why the UK and US musicians who ‘arrived’ in the 60s sounded so different, emerging, he argues, from significant social differences and country histories.

What do you think?

🎵 More thoughts on what I call English Progressive

The Full Podcast: 🎙️ 500 Songs - ‘See Emily Play’ by The Pink Floyd

🎵 Transatlantic are set to release a new concert set. I just watched a video.

BRILLIANT (not the performance … the idea.)

Many artists complain about cell phones in their concerts and the ensuing distractions for them and the audience.

Portnoy has clearly solved the problem.

Get everybody to use their phones like an old fashioned lighter and get those batteries drained to zero!

🎵 Apparently

HAKEN are set to release their seventh studio album ‘Fauna’ on the 3rd March 2023.

… and they celebrated Valentine’s Day with the launch of their latest single ‘Lovebite’. 

Happy Valentine’s Day

I guess Valentine’s Day is not what it used to be?

🎵One more example amongst the millions of examples that people don’t read.

There is a thread on Reddit talking about genres. I commented that I used a personal genre that I call 🔗 ’English Progressive’ adding the specific words that “an artist didn’t need to be English for me to classify them in that genre”. I then gave three example … Dream Theater, PFM and Focus.

This morning I have been informed that Dream Theater are American.

Thankyou - thankyou very much!

🎵 Musical Muscle Memory.

Listening to an 🔗 awesome album from my youth.

Back in the day, vinyl - of course AND as ‘well played vinyl’ the middle of one track jumped.

It never bothered me because I automatically compensated.

Listening without the jump just felt wrong.