TAKE A LOOK
with Paul Cook

Paul is our man who makes prog-sense

When we sit down and think about it we must take pride in the fact that prog is almost as relevant now as what it was in the 60's or 70's. I don't want to get involved with the "was it the 60's or was it the 70's" argument because I have already made myself clear on that subject, although for the new readers I will put my deck of cards onto the table and admit that, for me, the 70's was when progressive rock was born, but it was conceived in the 60's by the likes of Jefferson Airship, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, although fundamentally it was born in the 70's and the whole thing started in the 70's by Genesis, Yes, Genital Giant, King Crimson and the likes.

It is all well and good to 'take a look' and to try to summarize as to how prog was born, but first we must ask a few questions in order to achieve such a momentous task accurately.

'What was the first Prog album'

I would be a millionaire if I could answer this because there are so many condensers but I would appreciate any suggestions.

I'm going to put myself in the firing line and insist that in my opinion Progressive Rock is the culmination of classical 'pallets' with rock overtones and instruments. It is an orchestra using rock instruments. It is the theatrics of Shakespeare with musical interpretations, it is all things to all people. But most of all it is 'you'. And the beauty of it all is that it is up to 'you' as to how far 'we' are willing to take it. So far we have taken it on a journey over several decades but how much further are future generations will to take it? One group who I thought used to be a pile of shit were Pendragon, but their recent three or four albums have shown excellence and they will now always be fundamental to the fruitful history of this style of music. What we are missing now is the theatrics, which seem to have died since Peter Gabriel took off his flower mask in favour of his own face. Ark and my own band IQ have both successfully dabbled but not to the same extent as their 70's counterparts.

It is my opinion that 'Prog-Rock' will not ever become extinct because there will always be people who want quality. I'm going to put my head on the block and predict that 'our' music can never lie dormant but that there will be a flurry of activity every five years.

A recent point of interest is the good work done in London at the Astoria where they are rekindling the interest by having triple-band prog nights which have recently seen the likes of the excellent Gay Lady Down and The Enid.

Readers. We must all do our part if we want to preserve 'our' music for our grandchildren by supporting the Astoria's excellent initiative and also by subscribing to Rotherham's fantastic Classic Rock Society (with a monthly newsletter) because without 'our' support the buck lies on our shoulders and we cannot have that on our conscience can we?

Paul Cook