A NEW DAY YESTERDAY by Mike Barnes (Omnibus Press, 2020)
The decision to undertake a full survey of Progressive Rock music in the UK up to the mid-1970s is as bold and bonkers a project as a band embarking on a triple concept album. Yet, it works for me.
Progressive (Prog) Rock evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of what Wiki defines as a “mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility”.
Mike Barnes challenges the common prejudices surrounding this much maligned genre.
In setting the record straight, he immediately dispels the myth that Prog songs were mostly about wizards, elves and hobbits. He also shows that, contrary to common belief, bands were not universally trying to bridge the divide between classical music and rock. Rather, jazz, blues and psychedelia were key influences. Continue reading
I recently reviewed Afro Celt Sound System’s fine retrospective album Capture for 
