Prog Rock: How Long Is Your Song?

During the golden age of progressive rock, there was a simple litmus test for the best song on a record. It was always the longest one. Something magical happened when a single track took up the whole side of an album.

An eight minute ditty like Don McLean’s “American Pie” is one thing, but 18:50 of “Close To The Edge” by Yes was an event. As it turns out, I have owned a fair amount of records featuring a single song on one side. In the case of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, one epic tune took up both sides of the LP.

Like so many worthy rock traditions, it all began in 1968, with Iron Butterfly’s immortal In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. The record contains six songs, five on side one, and 17 glorious minutes of the title track on side two. It became the template.

While the idea of a song stretching out over ten minutes was not unheard of in '68, devoting a full side to just one was definitely a new thing. The Grateful Dead’s Anthem Of The Sun came out that year, and contained the 15 minute “Alligator.” But it was followed by five minutes of “Caution,” which spoiled the whole marathon experience.

John Lennon was the only one who really got it right that year, with his horrid Two Virgins collaboration with Yoko Ono. The album featured two cuts: “Two Virgins Side One” and (you guessed it) “Two Virgins Side Two.” The music was bad enough, but the nude cover, sheesh! These are two people I never, ever needed to see naked.

Solo Beatles led the one-song per side movement in 1969. Not one but two Lennon/Ono “experimental” records came out that year: Life With The Lions, and Wedding Album. Two sides each, four terrible “songs” total.

But George Harrison came up with something fairly worthwhile. Electronic Sound contained “Under The Mersey Wall” on side one, and “No Time Or Space” on side two, and both are actually pretty interesting.

The early seventies was the era when the side-long song concept really took hold. Pink Floyd got it all started in 1970 with their 23 minute title suite for Atom Heart Mother. Deep Purple gave us the endlessly amusing Concerto For Group And Orchestra that year as well

1971 saw even more of these extravaganzas. As if they were in the Mafia, Uriah Heep paid tribute to elders Iron Butterfly with Salisbury. Just like In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Salisbury contains six songs. Five crappy ones on side one, and the title cut taking up all of side two. Plus, the album features the classic “Heep In A Jeep” cover. Beautiful.

1971 also brought another Pink Floyd entry into the genre. Side two of Meddle consisted of the excellent 23 minute long piece “Echoes.”

Where would a list of LP length songs be without Emerson, Lake And Palmer? With their second album Tarkus, they entered the fray. But they switched things up a bit. The title song took up all of side one this time. Subversive as hell.

As fun as the previous years were, 1972 proved to be even more grandiose. Jethro Tull entered the field with guns blazing on their monumental Thick As A Brick. This song was spread out over both sides of the album. Terribly amazing.

Genesis’ Foxtrot came out that year as well, with the marvelous “Supper's Ready.” Now I know that all the Prog nerds out there are going to bust me by saying that “Horizons” technically opens the side. But I don’t care. “Horizons” works as a beautiful 1 minute acoustic guitar opening to “Supper's,” so I‘m gonna use it anyway.

Richard Branson’s Virgin empire was launched in 1973, on the back of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. My feelings about the “Billionaire Bad Boy” are a little less than enthusiastic these days. But the fact that he took a chance on what would have seemed to be a blatantly un-commercial record at the time wins some points.

As it turned out, Tubular Bellsbecame a monster hit, and Branson was on his way.

The best album of ELP’s career came out this year as well: Brain Salad Surgery. I have avoided discussing one of the major attractions of Prog LPs up to this point, the cover art. In so many cases, the cover was better than the music itself.

HR Giger’s original packaging for Brain Salad Surgery is spectacular. And in this instance, the side-long “Karn Evil 9” was as good as the artwork that came with it. The quintessential Prog year was 1974. Nixon resigned, and the most unbelievably excessive LP in music history was released: Tales From Topographic Oceans by Yes.

Just thinking about this record cracks me up. It was a double, so there were four sides. And yes, four songs. It really doesn’t get any better than this. But wait, look at that Roger Dean cover. It’s like the old Windows 95 aquarium screen-saver came to life!

‘74 also saw Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, Utopia’s 30 minute “The Ikon” and Phaedra by Tangerine Dream. Marathon cuts like these would never rule the charts again as they did this year.

As far as I can tell, Todd Rundgren pushed the bar as far as possible in 1975. His Initiation holds what I believe to be the longest side-long song ever done, "A Treatise On Cosmic Fire" fills side two with 36 excruciating minutes.

Besides Rundgren, the period of 1975 to 1979 saw a sad decline in the genre. The “Space Rock” groups such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schultz, Michael Hoenig, and Steve Hillage kept up the valiant fight, but it was really all for nought.

Strangely enough, those wacky Canadian mooks Rush scored two of the best side-length tracks ever in the latter part of the decade. 2112 was released in 1976, and Hemispheres in 1978. They may have been a little behind the curve, but both are among the band's finest efforts.

Filling up a whole side of your album with one song was one of the hallmarks of a truly “progressive” rock band. It meant you were pretentious enough to think you could hold a listener’s interest for 20 some minutes, and that you actually had something to say as well.

It was usually just a bunch of crap, but that made everything more fun anyway. Besides, most of us were completely zonked back then, so it didn’t even matter.

I say bring back Prog Rock, good old vinyl LP’s, and maybe that damned Windows ‘95 aquarium screen-saver too.

We could use a little more fun in the world right now. If you’re feeling down, just give Tales From Topographic Oceans or Concerto For Group And Orchestra a spin. For this old Progger at least, they are guaranteed to deliver a wistful smile.

Music Review: John Coltrane - Coltrane

Coltrane from 1957 is John Coltrane’s first recording as a band leader. It is something of a mixed bag, but this has more to do with his choice of sidemen more than anything else.

‘Trane had just left the Miles Davis Quintet (for the first time) to join Theolonius Monk for a legendary residency at the Five Spot in New York. With Monk, Coltrane “found” his voice, and recorded Coltrane shortly afterward.

The original album contains but six tracks, four in the hard bop style of the day and two ballads. Coltrane opens with “Bakai,” (which means “cry” in Arabic) and is an interesting choice. Not only is it the longest cut on the record, but it is also the most rhythmically challenging.

“Violets For Your Furs” is one of the ballads, and is enchanting. Coltrane’s ballad style was well developed by this point, and Red Garland’s piano solo complements the tune perfectly.

Some serious hard bop kicks in with the following two cuts, “This Was,” and “Straight Street.” On “This Was” Coltrane again trades solos with Garland, and Paul Chambers’ bass is a highlight as well.

The first John Coltrane composed track to appear is “Straight Street,” and some 50 years later the true origins of the song's title has been revealed. It addresses the rehab center he had recently come out of, finally kicking heroin.

“While My Lady Sleeps” is the second ballad of the record, and like “Violets” it is a beautiful piece of music. Impulse has had a compilation titled Ballads out for years. I wish Prestige would put together a stand alone collection of his ballads as well. Some of Coltrane’s finest playing is contained on these songs.

“Chronic Blues” wraps things up, and exposes some of the questionable choices of sidemen Coltrane chose to record with. Baritone saxist Sahib Shihab is the most egregious example. His playing is really not up to par, which is painfully obvious when he takes a solo. Johnny Splawn’s trumpet is a bit weak as well, although it is less noticeable in the mix.

The fact that John Coltrane’s career as a band leader would be over forever just ten years after this was recorded is remarkable. Or rather the distance he traveled in the ensuing decade is remarkable.

It is one of the many reasons Coltrane is worth hearing.

Coltrane is another in the RVG Remasters series, in which original recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder has gone back to the masters for restoration. The result is an incredibly vibrant sounding disc.

Music Review: Miles Davis - Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet

The New Miles Davis Quintet was formed in 1955 and featured pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. In addition, Miles brought in a little known saxophone player named John Coltrane.

This was the first of the many legendary groups Miles would put together over the course of his unprecedented career. As such, their legacy is secure in the annals of Jazz.

Although their impact may not be remembered quite as heroically as some of his later combos, the six albums they recorded together are still mighty impressive. Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet was the first of their sessions to be released, and set the tone for all that were to follow.

The disc opens with a great take on Duke Ellington’s “Just Squeeze Me.” All five musicians shine here, especially Miles with his signature muted trumpet. The mature tone of John Coltrane is already in place with a superbly understated solo midway through the track. Red Garland is no slouch either, soloing with the confidence only a master can achieve.

“How Am I To Know” follows, and is notable for the gorgeous Miles trumpet opening. This is one of the Quiet Nightsstyle songs that he would become so well known for in the following years, with good reason.

The remaining four songs are much more swinging, in the hard bop mode as the music came to be called. “How Am I To Know” jolts you out of your reverie with the most energetic Miles trills yet.

My favorite track is “S’posin,” kind of a bop standard, and one in which the whole band let fly. Coltrane and Garland again really shine on this song. “The Theme” was a set piece Miles had been using to close out his live appearances for a while, and continued using well into the 1960’s.

“Stablemates” is the final track, and an excellent closer. The medium tempo of this tune works perfectly for each member to show off their skills, and ends the disc on a high note.

The original engineer, Rudy Van Gelder recently re-mastered Miles, and what he was able to do with the original tapes is remarkable. The disc sounds state of the art.

There may have been more famous Miles Davis records released over the years, but Miles stands with the best of them. Not only for it’s significance, but because the music is simply top notch.

Music Review: Big Star - #1 Record/ Radio City

With all of the cult fervor surrounding Big Star, it becomes difficult at times to sort out the music from the legend.

In 1987, The Replacements released the tribute song “Alex Chilton,” on their last great record, Pleased To Meet Me. Cheap Trick covered the classic “In The Street,” which went on to great notoriety as the theme to the program That ‘70’s Show. The Posies basically abandoned their career recently to join a revamped version of the band.

All of this fuss for a band who sold maybe 100 copies of their albums originally. Fantasy has combined the first two Big Star records onto one CD, and it is the place to go if you have always been curious about them.

Actually, this set was originally released in 1992, with no extra tracks and the same liner notes as this re-issue. That release obviously spurred a lot of interest in the group in the Nineties. There are two extras in this version, the single mixes of both “In The Street,” and “O My Soul.”

While those are nice to have, the original recordings work just fine. #1 Record came out in 1972, and Radio Citycame out in 1973. Both contained 12 tracks upon original release. Of the two, I’m a little partial to the debut.

Listening to #1 Recordwith fresh ears, I was surprised at the number of ballads on it. Of these, “Thirteen” and “Watch The Sunrise” are stand-outs. For me, the rockers are what really make the record work. Songs like the opening cut “Feel,” “Don’t Lie To Me,” and the aforementioned “In The Street” still sound as fresh as ever.

Chris Bell left the band following #1 Record, so Radio City was recorded as a three piece. Some claim that the quality of the band was unfazed by Bell’s departure. I disagree, although Radio City is still very good, the loss of a key member did affect them.

Radio City does contain Big Star’s all time greatest song “September Gurls” though, so how bad can it be? Actually there are a number of excellent tunes here, including “O My Soul,” “Back Of A Car,” and the ballad “Way Out West.” The final song on the original record, the solo acoustic “I’m In Love With A Girl” sounds like nothing else Big Star did up to that point, and is exquisite.


Rhino has a four CD Big Star box set slated for release in September, filled with tons of alternate and live versions of these songs. For hardcore fans, it sounds great. But for those who are just wondering what all the hoopla is about, this 26 track disc is the perfect introduction.

Book Review: Sonic Boom by Peter Blecha

2009 has been a banner year for books about the Seattle music scene. First came Greg Prato’s exhaustive oral history of Grunge, Grunge Is Dead. And now long time Northwest archivist Peter Blecha has published Sonic Boom, the most in-depth study of the era that produced The Ventures, Kingsmen, and The Sonics, among countless others.

The first glorious era of Seattle Rock N' Roll runs from approximately 1957 to 1967. During those years an incredible number of events took place, which add up to one hell of a story.

The “Louie Louie” saga could be a book of it’s own. Blecha sorts out the various recordings of the song with admirable tenacity. One of the many amusing anecdotes related here is how the Kingsmen, whose version eventually won out over all the others, actually hated it and wanted to re-record the song. Their flinty manager turned them down, and the first take was released, mistakes and all.

There were some great instrumental bands in this time period as well. The Ventures, The Wailers, and The Viceroys all enjoyed strong local support, and even charted nationally. In this world, live music was experienced at the Rock N' Roll dances held in multiple ballrooms in the area.

One of the most legendary was the Spanish Castle, where a young Jimmy Hendrix would occasionally climb onstage. Before he had changed his name to Jimi, the young guitar slinger had to be educated somewhat on the rules of these gigs. No showboating.

Apparently he would solo throughout whatever song was being played, and wound up alienating the established bands. Hendrix recalled these days on his second album, 1967’s Axis Bold As Love, with the song “Spanish Castle Magic.” Ten years later as a psychedelic superstar he could afford to look back with rose colored glasses.

Ultimately it was psychedelia that ended this period, but not before one of the most outrageous bands of any era appeared, The Sonics. Songs like “The Witch,” “Psycho,” and “Strychnine” are just unbelievable, still. If you like the raw power of Iggy and The Stooges’ Funhouse, you have got to hear The Sonics.

Legendary AM disc jockey Pat O’Day held something of a monopoly during this time, which the nascent hippies rebelled against. The music of The Ventures and The Wailers was considered passe by ‘67, and the old dances were phased out, replaced by Seattle’s attempt at a Fillmore type scene with Eagles Auditorium in the downtown area.

And so began the steady and disheartening decline of local music, which went on for the next 20 years or so. Sure there were a few bright spots, Heart became huge in the 1970’s, and in 1983 Queensryche appeared out of nowhere to take over the metal world. But overall, it looked like Seattle would never again become the vibrant music town it once was.

Well, we all know how that turned out. Most of the members of the Grunge bands were not even born yet when the original scene died out. But through the magic of reissues and the like, were able to discover what made bands like The Sonics so amazing.

Blecha does not spend a whole lot of time on the Grunge days, which is fine. There has been so much discussion of that period, it really is not necessary here. His research into the early Rock N' Roll days of Seattle is riveting, and not just for a local like myself. The scene in the Northwest in those years was unique, and makes great reading for any music fan.

Book Review: The Dawn Of The Electronic Age by Frederik Nebeker

The Dawn Of The Electronic Age is a fascinating book. In it, author Frederik Nebeker traces the development of electronics from 1914 to 1945. From the onset of World War I to the end of World War II, the advances made in electrical engineering have shaped our lives in countless ways.

Today, we take so many of these achievements for granted. I was born into a world without cell phones, home computers, microwave ovens, or cable TV. Yet all of the crucial steps for these indispensable accoutrements to modern existence were already in place by 1945.

As Nebeker points out throughout the book, war forces societies to be incredibly innovative. Lives depend on reliable communication. They also depend on knowing what the enemy is up to, which forced big advances in technology also.

The respite between the two wars showed the world the incredible potential for profit electronics offered. As nations moved towards wiring every household, it became obvious that besides progress, serious money was involved too.

Entertainment held the potential for even bigger dollars. Outside of the movies, mass produced programming had never existed before. Radio changed all of that. During the “Jazz Age” of the 1920’s, the “wireless” became the first mass medium, affordable to all.

The introduction of network radio shrunk the world in ways that are unfathomable to us today. So too did the widespread rise of the home telephone.

Nebeker has managed a unique feat with this book. While explaining the nuts and bolts of what went into creating the infrastructure of the modern era, he still manages to keep the story interesting.

The history of the pioneering electronics engineers is an important one to anyone interested in how we arrived at the world we live in. Yet this story has been crowded out of the bookshelves by pop biographies of computer gurus such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

The Dawn Of The Electronic Age puts things in perspective. As Nebeker shows, the real work towards things like the “information superhighway” began nearly a century ago. Although the book contains an enormous amount of footnotes and diagrams, it is by no means a textbook.

For this casual history buff, The Dawn Of The Electronic Age is simply a great read. Nebeker’s explanations of what went into the various advances during the crucial 31 year period between 1914 and 1945 make perfect sense, whether you grasp the technicalities or not.

The Dawn Of The Electronic Age is easily one of the most interesting books I have read in some time.

Music Review: Current 93 - Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain

Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain is David Tibet’s modest attempt to write his own version of Homer’s Odyssey. The fact that his 437 line epic poem actually makes sense when read without regard to the music is amazing. Listening to Aleph backed with music makes the poem something else again.

Current 93 has always been David Tibet’s project, in conjunction with various colleagues over the years. Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound has been a near constant, as has Michael Cashmore. On Aleph, Tibet brings together his most eclectic group ever.

In addition to Tibet, there are 16 other artists credited here. They include Rickie Lee Jones, Andrew WK, and porn star Sasha Grey, among others. With this many cooks in the kitchen the potential for disaster was enormous. It is a tribute to Tibet’s unyielding vision that this record works so well.

“Almost in the beginning was the murderer,” goes the cryptic opening line, and it is delivered by a child. This is followed by some of the most powerful guitar ever featured on a Current 93 record.

More heavy guitar appears on “Not Because The Fox Barks” and “On Docetic Mountain.” Current 93 have never sounded so “rock,” and they pull it off brilliantly.

The tale such as it is, really is a hallucinatory one. Tibet’s stream of consciousness epic is broken up into eight songs of varying lengths. Given the various colors added by the many collaborators on Aleph, the modes and voices on Aleph are somewhat overwhelming.

A few years ago, David Tibet coined the term “apocalyptic folk” to describe his music. Songs such “Poppyskins,” “UrShadow,” and “As Real As Rainbows” certainly qualify as such.

David Tibet’s journey from Aleister Crowley references (the name Current 93), to his present day identification as a Christian has been a fascinating one. Twenty-five years after his first recording with Stapleton, Tibet’s vision just continues to expand.

Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain is one of the most interesting, and challenging records I have heard this year. There is literally something for everyone on this CD. The packaging is stunning as well, featuring the entire text, and paintings by David Tibet in the six panel Digi-Pak.