Tolkien's good guys The Lord of the Rings: You've probably seen the films. You may have read the books. But, unless you were quick off the mark, you won't have listened to Dave Brons' musical interpretation of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic story. The first instalment of his Celtic prog rock trilogy was only released…Read more The Fellowship
rock
Born from Ashes
Fawkes, the phoenix, is born again At the very end of the sixties the Genesis band completed a journey From Genesis to Revelation. Starting from the same place in 2026, Alberto Rigoni, Michael Manring and Stuart Hamm took a different route, and ended up in the much darker realm of Dystopia. Along the way, they…Read more Born from Ashes
Topography of Mind
The Lost Map of the Mind Wanderers My friends have organised an exotic Camel ride so that we can explore the Topography of Mind, and I hope you will join us. We will be following in the footsteps of recent prog rock explorers and guided by a map supplied by the Israeli band, Telegraph. They…Read more Topography of Mind
Holy Books and Credit Cards
Holy Moses, Batman! I'm on a credit card!! It seems you can have any picture you like on your credit card ... if you own the card company. So, I suppose you could have a picture of holy books, if you wanted. But I don't think Also Eden had that in mind when they made…Read more Holy Books and Credit Cards
Fever Dream
The stairway from a heavenly sleep ... The Third Age Trust runs a number of interest groups online (collectively known as the IGO groups). A new one was started about 3 months ago; it's called Exploring Prog Rock. So, of course, this third age gentleman and fan of the genre had to sign up. At…Read more Fever Dream
Wild Is The Wind
Living wild. Old Man Crotchety is in a sentimental mood today. Sentimental, but not at all gloomy. Outside, it's sunny, and the air is autumn fresh. It is a bit breezy, though. So, here's a version of Wild Is The Wind by the wonderful blues-rock singer and guitarist, Joanne Shaw Taylor. https://open.spotify.com/track/3PWcYUrHSwfFubOB2NLdMH?si=8a5ec2f3f750418f A track from…Read more Wild Is The Wind
Lizard
A fresh look at a beloved lizard. This is the second time I have blogged about Lizard, King Crimson's third studio album. In my earlier post, I noted that Robert Fripp had described it as 'unlistenable', and respectfully disagreed. This time, I will not be pulling my punches. The 2025 David Singleton Elemental Mix reveals…Read more Lizard
Part of the Whole
You and me, the birds and the bees, the fish in the seas, the animals and the trees ... we are all part of nature. A bewildering variety of species form an interlocking ecosystem, nearly all of them dependent on organisms lower down the pyramid of life. Many of those species are now standing on…Read more Part of the Whole
Forever Blowing Bubbles
If you are a fan of West Ham United Football Club, please don't sing/play/stream the club anthem while you are reading this post. Its music hall style wouldn't mix well with the progressive symphonic rock on Clearlight's second album, Forever Blowing Bubbles. https://open.spotify.com/album/7KkzZ9XnykpxNy1hm11H7f?si=YZxqU4v8TfW9rDk-cwAzMw Clearlight was founded by Cyrille Verdeaux in 1973. VERDEAUX, native of France,…Read more Forever Blowing Bubbles
Kin & Chaos
A poster promoting the 2021 sci-fi film, Chaos Walking. In my experience, it's rare for brothers and sisters to get on well with each other. So, if you put three pairs of siblings in a band together, it wouldn't be at all surprising if chaos ensues. But the Bradford band, Mischief, is proving me wrong.…Read more Kin & Chaos
Crotchety Man 