1977: HOW PROGRESSIVE ROCK DEFIED PUNK
KEVAN FURBANK SONICBOND
Never mind the bollocks… Prog’s not dead.
It was the year of landmark debut albums by Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. In 1977, the music press insisted that prog was the enemy of this cultural revolution, to be ridiculed and gobbed on at every turn. Yet, as Kevan Furbank’s book confirms, it survived and – in many cases – thrived. Some prog bands noted the memo, reined in their indulgent aspects, and evolved. Others just toured America until the heat died down, leaving punk to exhaust itself fighting disco.