After two years broadcasting on DAB, Teamrock radio goes off air at midnight, reverting to an online only/on demand format. Perhaps this is understandable in a way – how can a commercial station that carries no advertising survive? However it will be interesting to see in say a year’s time if their claim that this is the way forward in terms of the way people want to listen is borne out by their audience figures. Do most people not still listen to radio using – hey – a radio, and indeed do most folk still watch TV on a television – or is old Bargepole behind the times?

When you’re down and troubled and you need a helping hand, what comfort food do you turn to – you know you shouldn’t really eat it, but hey, desperate times need desperate measures! Bargepole gives you – a steak and kidney pie in a breadcake – and is that so wrong?

Rolling Stone compiles its 50 best prog albums – follow link for full list but top ten are 1.Pink Floyd: The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973) 2.King Crimson: In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) 3.Rush: Moving Pictures (1981) 4.Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1975) 5.Yes: Close To The Edge (1972) 6.Genesis: Selling England By The Pound (1973) 7.Jethro Tull: Thick As A Brick (1972) 8.Can: Future Days (1973) 9.Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974) 10.Yes: Fragile (1971)

Your thoughts gentlemen please? (number 8 raises an eyebrow here!)

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-greatest-prog-rock-albums-of-all-time-20150617

Songs with a connection, however tenuous, to gambling, cards, dice, casinos……you get the idea!

In this age of reissues which usually feature alternate takes of well known songs, are there examples where the alternate version is better than the original – or is it usually the case that the artist made the correct decision at the time ?

A new Iron Maiden album is on the way – and it’s a double!

http://www.ironmaiden.com/new-iron-maiden-studio-album-the-book-of-souls.html

Speaking of learning to dance on the hobbies thread, this story came to mind. Once upon a time a much younger Bargepole was visiting what we used to call a discotheque. There he became smitten with a young lady who was also a student but was earning some extra cash by dancing on one of those podium things they had – a ‘job’ she readily confessed she would have done for free. An extrovert, she loved ‘that sort of thing’, while Bargepole, an introvert, wouldn’t have done it for anything! Nevertheless, they do say opposites attract and romance ultimately blossomed. The rest, as they say, is history! How did you meet your partner?

It’s a rainy Sunday and Bargepole is temporarily at a loose end. So how about some tunes that feature the voices of children singing or speaking please…

Yes , or what remains of Yes, announce Uk dates for next spring, performing Fragile And Drama in full. Hopefully Squire will be back on board by then, but really wouldn’t it be better now if they just retired gracefully – a point covered on here recently.

Anyway, Drama has always been one of the less appreciated albums – what’s the consenscus on it?

https://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2015-06-11/yes-confirm-9-uk-dates-2016

Teamrock radio has announced it will leave DAB at the end of the month and become an ‘on demand’ internet station. Is this the future of radio – no live broadcasts on a fixed daily schedule, just listen to what you want when you want, and do so via the internet rather than over a conventional radio at home or in the car? What are your views on the state of national and local radio, commercial and BBC.

These threads seem to be coming alarmingly frequently of late.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VogHwP0C5VY

The Sex Pistols to feature on a range of credit cards…..

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/the-sex-pistols-to-feature-on-a-range-of-credit-cards-68882

A new band featuring Waylon Jennings’ sons, and a new album at the end of the month.

A documentary celebrating the work of the late Storm Thorgerson is to be released later this year. What, asks Bargepole, is your favourite album sleeve designed by the man ? (or alternatively designed by someone else if you really insist)

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af133/PCortina/pink_floyd_wish_you_were_here_hands_black.jpg

but Bargepole will settle for the 4 cd version! More digestible and far cheaper too !

http://www.dead.net/store/special-edition-shops/50th-anniversary-shop/30-trips-around-sun-box

Interesting couple of tweets today by David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd about his childhood friend – a few clues; the friend delivered his milk using a horse and cart, they played pontoon regularly for halfpennies and pennies, and he was briefly on the books of Accrington Stanley FC. Any ideas – and any other rock stars who had run of the mill jobs before stardom beckoned?

What a great couple of test matches – if an advert for that format was needed those two games were it. A drawn series was a fair result, but what a shame a third match wasn’t scheduled instead of the plethora of one day matches which now follow – not a fan of these two match series in early summer. Meanwhile England’s selectors and coach have some srious thinking to do before July 8th comes around!

Thirtieth anniversary falls today….

a serious shoulder injury means a long lay off for the Scottish master – any other fans of his work?

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc10/zulu928/Edinburgh%20to%20Glasgow/The-Singing-Butler1.jpg

a new live album on top form plus these two new studio pieces

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyziVBUHSqs

It’s Bank Holiday weekend so what better time to dig out your favourite long songs for a listen – fire away good people of The Afterword…

an outbreak of humour in the Floyd camp….

http://rogerwatersthewall.com/question.php

On Rick Wakeman’s birthday, what better time to celebrate this much maligned format. Traditionally the forte of the prog giants such as Yes, Floyd, Tull, Genesis etc but let’s not forget the more mainstream acts such as The Who, The Kinks and The Pretty Things among others. Any old – or even new -favourites out there?