The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

Menu

Navigation

Revisiting the criteria for PROG

by 22 Comments

I know we debated this in the old place but hey new site ,let’s argue the same stuff again.

David Peperell, a bloke I know in Melbourne , a veteran of the Melbourne music scene and someone whose musical opinion I respect came up with his own criteria for Prog. He was prompted by this silly list of prog bands ….Toto?

http://www.listchallenges.com/top-100-prog-bands-of-all-time?fb_action_ids=10153124109608724&fb_action_types=og.comments

According to David, prog bands must be 1. English and 2. Active in the period 1969-1979. German bands are Kraut Rock not Prog and bands after 1979 are just out of the cultural loop.

I queried the English only criterion and thought prog bands could exist outside his time period but I concede this is where the original and the best comes from. I offered this definition. I Bands using elaborate time scales, a bevy of keyboards , musically trained classical influences if not classics lifted, extended instrumental passages and lyrics pertaining to fantasy worlds to me are prog. Throw in a few capes and you’re a cert.

And here was his list of who he regarded as genuine prog. ( Yes I spotted Focus as anomalous to0)

ALAN PARSONS PROJECT ATOMIC ROOSTER BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST BEGGARS OPERA » Continue Reading.

smoking in planes ,trains etc

by 16 Comments

The attached article took me back. As an asthmatic most of my rock and roll years were ones of wheezing and sore eyes in small gig rooms with cigarette smoke rendering dry ice superfluous. All the train carriages were mobile ashtrays. White ash covered everything and the windows had a brown film over them. On my first international flight I remember that after the no smoking light went off this plume of smoke rolled down the cabin like a mushroom cloud. Even in the eighties I went to a cinema in the UK and there was an ashtray attached to the seat in front- you couldn’t even smoke in a cinema in Zimbabwe – but in London it was still ok. Nowadays the only people outside in the fresh air are the smokers.

http://www.traveller.com.au/smoking-on-planes-what-it-was-like-when-you-could-smoke-on-board-13od0y

The Dylanologists

by 4 Comments

Author:David Kinney

I was part way through Ian Bell’s book on later period Dylan when Mrs Wells bought me this. It is a book about top drawer Dylan obsessives.Was this some kind of joke? The irony was reinforced when I discovered that I have had dealings with some of the people in the book. It was an easier read than Bell’s excellent but dense tome, bigger print and I loved the opening quote Fan: You don’t know who I am, but I know who you are. Dylan:Let’s keep it that way.So I switched to this book and couldn’t put it down. Turns out Dylan really does know a lot of these people- how could he not? They are usually front of stage at all his shows and are taking the same travel routes to the next gig as he is. And he is by no means uniformly dismissive of them of hostile to them. They all seem pretty smart and obviously a bit unbalanced. Along with the stories of their lives, their encounters with Dylan and the extraordinary lengths they go to to see him or collect stuff there is a lot about Dylan, the music and stardom. It’s thoughtful » Continue Reading.

Unfriending Afterworders on Facebook

by 31 Comments

I hope people aren’t offended but I am going to set about some housekeeping on Facebook. Some people became friends coz I posted stuff on KFDs Afterword page that you needed to be a friend to see.

It will be those people I’ve had no contact with.

If I unfriend you but you’d like to maintain a Facebook relationship then drop me a line.

Nick Cave in concert

by 2 Comments

Venue:

The Plenary, Melbourne

Date: 17/12/2014

I posted this review on KFD’s Afterworder refugee Facebook page. There are a lot of Nick fans here and this review generated a bit of interest so here it is.

Is it me or is it you Nick? We’ve been together now for so long. Those early shows at the Club in Collingwood ,the incendiary performances fuelled on junk with Barry Adamson on bass Blixa on guitar along with Mick Harvey …..Tupelooooo! Then those hot sweaty concerts at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney .Nick’s annual Christmas tours to visit Mum. Henry’s Dream ,Let Love In, Murder Ballads. Nick stalking the stage, menacing and frenetic and if you got too close you could expect a boot swung towards you. We shared the pain of Michael Hutchence’s death when you played a sombre set the day after his death at the extravagantly Rococo State Theatre .It was with a small backing band, the first with Warren wasn’t it? I supported you when you replaced anger and smack with ballads and strings. And then on to that sublime opening line ” I don’t believe in an interventionist God”. I laughed and cheered when you incorporated figures » Continue Reading.

The Necks in concert

by 7 Comments

Venue:

Melbourne Recital Hall

Date: 12/02/2015

The Necks play Melbourne each February. Usually it is stinking hot and they usually do 5 shows in a row in the sticky carpet rock dog Corner Hotel with chairs brought in. This concert was at the acoustically sumptuous and far more comfortable Recital Hall. Much more appropriate. Early arrival and gen adm tix ( more on this later) had us 3 rows from the stage right in front of Tony Buck, the drummer. They have been doing these improvised shows for 28 years with one band member starting off with a particular rhythm, playing it repeatedly till the others join in and see where it leads. The pianist Chris Abrahams starts with an almost percussive motif before upright bassist Lloyd Swanton joined in with single plucks for what seemed like an eternity then in comes Buck and we are off. On and on it goes , particular patterns repeatedly for extended periods before someone takes it some where else. Sitting in front of Buck i was particularly impressed with his creativity. No arms flailing just an endless flow of interesting rhythms supplemented by various percussive instruments. My arms started to twitch, going » Continue Reading.

Sting and Paul Simon

by 10 Comments

Venue:

Rod Laver Arena

Date: 10/02/2015

Well first up you cant beat a good seat,especially in a stadium. Strolled down to Row j dead middle to the strains of mid fifties Muddy and Jimmy Reed. I’m a huge fan of Paul Simon but have only seen Sting with that crack jazz outfit including Kenny Garrett. But they had done this tour in the States and I figured they wouldn’t persist unless it worked. They are off to Europe next so the energy must still be there. An interview with them explained the pairing as being not that weird- their interest in”busy rhythms” ( my words) music of other cultures, really tight professional bands etc and a mutual respect for each others abilities. Turns out they have apartments in the same block in NY -so there ya go. Fit lean tall and tanned Sting and small portly Simon hit the road. I was expecting one band on then the other but no the show started with Sting’s Brand New Day with 17 musicians on stage. Remarkably the sound balance was excellent. 3 guitarists, a line of brass ,2 keyboards, backing vocals, violin and many were multi -instrumentalists. Simon’s drummer was » Continue Reading.