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Steven Wilson Presents Intrigue: Progressive Sounds In UK Alternative Music 1979-89 EDSEL/DEMON
A dive into the hidden history of 80s prog.
There’s a still persistent narrative in rock history that has punk killing off the lumbering dinosaurs of prog and clearing the way for a more ‘real’ and direct style of music without unnecessary pretensions. This is, of course, nonsense, as a basic perusal of what was actually in the album charts in 1977-78 will show. If anything, we should perhaps view punk as an interregnum, a necessary palate-cleanser before the next wave of “progressive” bands, because as Steven Wilson writes in his sleeve notes for this excellent compilation, “post-punk artists could be just as lofty in their ambitions as any of the now unfashionable 70s bands.” Year zero wasn’t the end of history, but a chance to start again.