Hello, and welcome to the new issue of
Prog.
I hope it finds you as well as can be expected. Reading Daryl Easlea’s fascinating cover story on Kate Bush’s 1980 album
Never For Ever,
I was most struck by one prominent fact:
Never For Ever
was the first studio album by a female artist to actually reach the No.1 spot in the UK album charts. Artists of the magnitude of Diana Ross and Barbra Streisand had both hit the top of the charts, but only with compilations. I find that quite astonishing given the wealth of amazing music that female performers have made over the years.
Obviously things have moved on apace in the ensuing 40 years, but as last issue’s Greatest Prog Musicians Poll showed, attitudes towards female performers appear to lag behind in the prog world still. I don’t want to come across as preachy, but it’s worth thinking about, isn’t it?