Celebr8? We most certainly did!

A month has lapsed since probably one of the best weekends of my life - and indeed, it was for many others.  In fact, if ever there was a good portent for the London Olympics, then Celebr8 could certainly claim bragging rights as it was one of the friendliest and happiest gatherings it has ever been my pleasure to attend.

The choice of venue was interesting enough, the Hippodrome being a swinging hot spot for the local night owls with rather interesting steampunk décor which put one in mind of Rush’s epic Clockwork Angels’ artwork. This was not the kind of haunt 600-plus prog rockers of a certain vintage, dressed in predominantly band logoed tee-shirts and jeans would usually frequent but there is a first time for everything.

The run-up to the festival had not been without incident, Mars Hollow being one of the bands due to appear but because of a shake-up in their line-up, they were unable to participate. However, promoters Jon and Geoff had built up such a close rapport with the band’s former bassist, Kerry Kompost that he and fellow Californian musician and composer, Matt Brown, were invited over to play on the festival’s acoustic stage. What is more, several members of the audience had flown in from the US just to be at this festival and very welcome they were too.

I also had the very pleasurable task of picking up Kerry and Matt from Heathrow Airport who were like two very animated Tiggers as I delivered them to the hotel in Kingston on the Friday.

However, the cast that Jon and Geoff had assembled was probably the best prog line-up seen on any a stage in many a year with IQ and It Bites headlining the two nights, with Pallas, The Tangent, Sean Filkins, Magenta, Touchstone (stepping in for Mars Hollow), Tinyfish and the Dec Burke Band completing the mouth-watering bill. This was without doubt the perfect showcase for the best of British rock with Pallas representing Scotland and Magenta Wales.

The audience was also veritable who's who of prog with members of Twelfth Night, Galahad, Maschine, Crimson Sky, Praying Mantis and the Fierce and the Dead. One Steven Wilson also popped in on the Saturday.

And so to the performers themselves.

Sean Filkins created a sensation last year with his debut solo album War and Peace & Other Short Stories which topped many a prog fan’s album of the year. The challenge was to bring together some of the intricate and ever-changing compositions live on stage.

Due to the late opening of the doors on the Saturday (one of the very few glitches), the audience was still filing in when “Are You Sitting Comfortably?” started his set. However, drawing on a seasoned
band of musicians including his long-time musical partner keyboardist John Sammes and guitarist, Geoff Webb, Sean and company miraculously reproduced a stunning selection of the album’s best songs, all played with great dexterity and understanding.

The biggest surprise was the inclusion of 21-year-old guitarist Daniel Maher in the band who totally confounded everyone with his command of some of the complex solos within the album. The highlight of the set was Epitaph for a Mariner, Pts 1 to 5, an incredibly moving and multi-textured series of dreamy soundscapes, all inspired by and dedicated to Sean’s great-grandfather. Sean sang this all and the other stunning songs with great power, emotion and range, due in no small part to his own father being in the audience watching him.

It was very much an afternoon for musical sorcerers like Sean to show off their apprentices and The Tangent has two young prog wizards in the making, 23-year-olds Luke Machin and Dan Mash who are under the tutelage of keyboard maestro Andy Tillison with stalwart drummer Tony Latham completing the line-up.

If there was one band who captured the whole spirit of the weekend then it was them when they completely wrong-footed the audience by starting their set with the funkiest, hottest rendition of Celebration this side of Kool and the Gang. Who ever said prog musicians weren’t versatile or had a sense of fun!

Their performance was so intense and frankly beautiful, several members of the audience were openly weeping. Starting with The World That We Drive Through, even in the ten short months since I last saw them at the Summer’s End festival last year, the band has taken itself to a completely different level. This is due to the incredible chemistry which now exists between the four of them. There is no finer guitarist in prog than Coolhand Luke from whom the most fluent and jaw-dropping runs flow which he articulates so naturally through his facial expressions.

Dan is now commands the bass grooves with real authority and style. The rest of the set comprised The Wiki Man, The Winning Game and Where Are They Now? For many, this was the performance of the weekend.

Next up were Pallas, one of my current personal favourites in the UK prog scene, because of the way, through their stunning album XXV last year, they have re-invigorated themselves and set out their stall as one of the most exciting bands both live and on record. This was the fourth time I had seen them in the past two years and this was them at their most electrifying best.

With a setlist spanning their 30 year career, they exploded with energy, their huge guitar-driven wall of sound crackling with moodiness and menace. New frontman Paul Mackie, affectionately known as Iggy Prog, gives them a real edginess with his penetrating gaze, stage theatrics and powerful voice.

Most of the set comprised XXV but bassist Graeme Murray and keyboard player Ronnie Brown stepped up to the plate for Midas Touch with its haunting middle section of Murray’s voice and bass with Brown’s deft dreamy touches. Niall Mathewson coaxes both melody and ass-kicking licks from his guitar and drummer Colin Fraser keeps the whole machine ticking along precisely. What is more, they delivered it all with great humour and heart.

And so to Saturday night headliners, IQ, performing their Subterranea set which they also presented at RosFest this year. This was the nearest thing to prog opera as it gets as they retold the story of a man held captive and isolation, the subject of an experiment when he is deprived of sensory perception and then let loose into a world he cannot comprehend. A more powerful piece of rock
theatre it would be hard to find with singer Peter Nicholls the focal point throughout.

It was extraordinary, the musicianship of the first order with Michael Holmes on guitar and Neil Durant linking up for some beautiful keyboard-drenched passages. Rounding off with Frequency and The Wake, this was a timely reminder on how this band has helped to shape the prog landscape over the past 30 years.

Day two arrived and kicking off was the Dec Burke Band who has been a stalwart of the House of Progression scene and a personal favourite of Jon Patrick. Their hard-driving, pull out all the stops style of prog blew the cobwebs off the venue with Dec, former guitarist with Frost*, and the boys showcasing some of the songs from his Destroy All Monsters and Paradigms and Storylines’ albums including the killer song March of the Androids. 

As ever, his band were tight and together and die-hard fans also noticed the inclusion of Breathe It from Dec’s previous band Darwin’s Radio to round off the set.

To the enigma of the weekend, Tinyfish, alas playing their last concert for the foreseeable future due to lead man Simon Godfrey’s hearing problems. Carrying out their soundcheck in front of the audience was the cue for much merriment especially with Simon wearing a Princess of Prog tee-shirt two sizes too small which was secured to his jeans with gaffa tape. Their eccentricity is only matched by their brilliant brand of prog with thoughtful guitar-led songs laden full of melody and touches of magic.

What makes them special is down to so many elements - Robert Ramsay, their Master of Ceremonies, making four appearances in different changes of costume, drummer Leon Camfield channelling The Muppets’ Animal, guitarist Jim Sanders making it look easy and bassist Paul Worwood playing it cool. The self-proclaimed smallest prog band in the world will be sadly missed and the huge ovation they received demonstrated the esteem in which they are held.

Touchstone was the late addition to the bill following Mars Hollow’s withdrawal from the bill and how they made the most of the opportunity they were presented. This upcoming band features 21-year-old Henry Rogers on drums, who also plays for DeeExpus, so another prog star in the making. But the focal point is winsome singer Kim Seviour who possesses a voice of great power and clarity that soars over Adam J Hodgson’s meaty guitar licks, Moo Bass’s stomping bass and Rob
Cottingham’s driving keyboards.

Playing a selection of songs from their three albums including the title track off the newest, The City Sleeps, they saved the best until last when Kerry Kompost joined them onstage to perform Tears For Fears’ Mad World. It was a great high energy moment of the gig with Kerry trading licks with Hodgson.

From one lady singer whose star is on the ascendant, they were followed by Magenta whose singer Christina Booth is one of the most respected vocalists on the prog circuit and again, they did not disappoint. Her soaring voice is one of the hallmarks of the band, their music very much rooted melodic side of prog with hints of Yes and Renaissance prevalent in their sound.

Clearly another band totally enjoying themselves, they rocked their way through a showcase of songs
from their illustrious back catalogue and their latest album Chameleon including Red which was one of the stand-out tracks of the set. In particular, guitarist Chris Fry was totally on fire throughout.

And finally, the climax of Sunday arrived with It Bites currently enjoying a renaissance due to the release of their latest album Map of the Past, which is destined to become a classic.  Guitarist John Mitchell had flown back from the Loreley Festival where he was appearing with Arena and admitted to the audience he was feeling rather tired.

However, this did not stop them putting on a show of great virtuosity that again dipped into their illustrious albeit rather brief back catalogue of four studio albums in the past 26 years. Kicking off with Ghosts and Oh My God from the Tall Ships album, they hit their stride with All In Red, one of their early hi energy songs which still sounds fresh. 

Mitchell had problems with his amp which meant he had to stop midstream between Send No Flowers and Meadow and the Stream from the new album, but they stepped it up a gear afterwards with Underneath Your Pillow which had everyone rocking.  For my part, the highlight was The Last Escape, the most hauntingly poignant song from Map of the Past that Mitchell dedicated to the late Andrew Colgan about whom I want to write at some future juncture.

Keyboards maestro John Beck was in sparkling form weaving wonderful melodies while stand-in bass player Nathan King and stalwart drummer Bob Dalton provided a solid rhythmic backdrop for their special brand of prog rock pop.

Ending their high octane set with their anthemic Calling All The Heroes could not have been a better
song on which to end. The weekend was all about heroes, mainly Jon and Geoff who had the vision and the courage to stage the festival;  Kerry and Matt for coming over to appear at the festival and the wonderfully supportive audience who gave every band a rapturous reception and deservedly so.

Sadly, apart from Kerry and Matt,  there was little time to see the wonderful cast - Matt Stevens, Gary Chandler, Alan Reed and Mark Spencer, appearing on the acoustic stage.

Plans are now afoot for Celebr8 2 next year, so I would suggest you all block off May 2013 in your diary now.

On Her Maj's Secret Service

Of all the lovely roles it has been my pleasure to have held in the past, it was the seven years I spent as Public Relations Officer at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard that were the highlight, simply because they were so full of their own memorable highlights and bragging rights.

So let's cut to the chase and go for one of the most high profile assignments which did not quite have the desired outcome because the fact of the matter is, you cannot stop a member of the Royal Family saying something controversial.

The occasion was the final reception on board HMY Britannia before her decommissioning and relocation to Leith in Scotland. The reception was being held for the Royal Naval Museum of which the Princess Royal was and still is its Patron, who was guest of honour for the evening.

Obviously, this created a huge frisson of excitement at the Historic Dockyard as there would be a VIP list of guests dining on board HMY with HRH and a cast of hundreds dining ashore in a boathouse before joining the dignitaries on board for drinkies.

I got drafted in as one of the host team because the then Royal correspondent of that reliable source of information, the Daily Mail, would be pitching up that night so I was tasked to shadow him to ensure he did not end up writing the wrong kind of story.

So when the evening arrived, it turned out he would not be coming along because of a dose of 'flu, which did mean I could relax a little bit - or so I thought because the then editor of the Portsmouth News was also among the guests.

We of the boathouse contingent boarded the Yacht, greeted by a rating with a tray of bubbly, which is always a good start. We could only occupy certain parts of the ship, one of the rooms being the library, so it was no surprise that the bookshelves seemed to be taken up by the collected works of Ian Fleming especially James Bond novels. I cannot recall if On Her Majesty's Secret Service was among them but for the purposes of the record, let us pretend it was.

It was a fascinating and occasionally funny evening, with one of the defining moments being provided by a colleague of mine from The 1805 Club. (More about that honourable organisation another time, but suffice to say, the date in the name is a bit of a giveaway).  Yours truly, the Club Chairman Peter Warwick and the colleague, whose blushes I shall spare by not naming him, found ourselves in the presence of Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence - and we were having a friendly enough chat about nothing in particular.

But quite spontaneously and without any guile, aforementioned colleague suddenly asked him: "So what is your role in all this tonight" to which he retorted: "Actually, I am married to the Princess Royal." Suddenly, colleague seemed to descend downwards a few decks if not physically, then certainly judging by the expression on his face. Needless to say, none of us have since let him forget it, much to his acute embarrassment and amusement.

The Vice-Admiral proved to be full of stories especially when I pointed out I was working on the Hampshire Chronicle in Winchester around the time his romance with HRH had become public. One of our photographers actually took a pic of a national newspaper snapper with his camera lofted high on a pole on the offchance of catching the lovers in an amorous clinch in the boudoir of his Victorian terrace house. He did reveal however that he had to play a game of cat and mouse with the Press, relying on neighbours to provide escape routes through back gardens.

Anyway, enough of the Royal gossip, two other highlights of the evening happened on deck. The first was being treated to an extraordinary concert by the Royal Marines Band which was playing on the dockside on this particularly misty night.

Then when everyone started to disperse afterwards, three of us, myself, Peter Warwick, and the late, great and totally irreplaceable Dr Colin White, the Deputy Director/Director of the Royal Naval Museum, stood on deck, motionless, speechless, staring back at the misty Naval Base and totally "in the moment" for the best part of five minutes. That made us the last guests to leave Britannia before she went "private", a small claim to fame, but special for so many reasons.

Well, that was not the end of the story because the real story happened the day after. Splashed across the front page of the Portsmouth News was the headline "Princess wants to see Royal Yacht scuppered", shock horror probe. Yikes! So rather than exhort the virtues of the Museum and its various projects, our friendly local newspaper editor had eavesdropped on a conversation between HRH and one of the guests, who had obviously ventured the question, "Ma'am, what would you like to see happen to Britannia?"

I then had to hold my nerve and explain to my Museum colleagues that it was out of my remit to stop a member of the Royal family speaking their mind within earshot of a newspaper editor or suggest to him that he should not run the story. I would have got short shrift from him because it was probably one of the best "scoop" stories the Portsmouth News has ever ran.

Of course, in true Press fashion, the story went viral and yes, it made the front page of the Daily Mail so their Royal correspondent got his story without even having to be present at the occasion!

It was a truly magical evening on board Britannia, but if you do remember that particular newspaper story, it was all my fault!

Chronicles of a Progressive Woman

Well, the time has arrived to start seriously thinking about sharing some of the highlights of this crazy, madcap life of mine and in doing so, try to make a little sense of at least some of it.

Under the working title of Chronicles of a Progressive Woman, I shall ease you gently into most of the highs and try to explain some of the lows, and believe me, there have been quite a few especially surrounding my personal relationships especially the two gentlemen I happened to marry. It is easy to laugh now at what happened then, but believe me, it was far from funny at the time.

What underpins everything though is a continuing love for prog rock, which helped me through some of the darkest days: a deep spiritual conviction about which I shall neither be preachy nor pious; an amazing family; great friends, some fantastic jobs - and a long term fascination with a dead admiral who got me into some extremely interesting places.

More to follow. Watch this space!

Join Together With The Bands

It has been quite a while since I last posted here; in fact it is the best part of a year, I am loathe to remind myself. The last time, it was to register my disappointment about something close to my heart but on this occasion, it is to celebrate and congratulate.

At the heart of all this are two gentlemen, both of whom have shown incredible stoicism and total dedication to making a dream of theirs come true, and now, the days of reckoning (July 7 and 8) are just over a week away. But it has been far from being plain sailing. They have overcome some enormous obstacles en route, but for the mostpart, they have remained cheerful even if their "to do" lists are growing longer by the day.

What makes this all the more remarkable is that they are doing all this for the love rather than the money, a fact not lost on those who will be coming along to witness the fruits of their labours. I cannot begin to comprehend the hours that both Jon Patrick and Geoff Banks, affectionately known to one and all as Twang and Chairman respectively, have put into making the progressive rock festival Celebr8 a reality.

Both of them have something in common with all of us. We are all fans of prog rock, that most maligned of musical genres, but which still carries on regardless, refining and reinventing itself along the way, moving with the times in its own idiosyncratic fashion.

What Jon and Geoff have done is simply, and I use the word advisedly, brought together nine of the best "happening" bands on the scene and made Celebr8 a showcase of their own individual talents and styles. No two of these bands sound or look the same which puts paid to the myth that every progressive rock band sounds like Genesis, Marillion or Pink Floyd, which is always one of the most misguided misconceptions.

From the intricate theatrics of IQ's Subterranea performance to the very English prog pop of It Bites, the dramatis personae is diverse and frankly quite thrilling..... which is a great place to start with Sean Thrillkins, sorry, Filkins, who has two reasons to Celebr8 that weekend. As well as it being his 50th birthday (sorry Sean) on the Sunday, he will be performing songs from his debut album War and Peace & Other Short Stories for the very first time. For many of us, this could prove one of the highlights. I first "met" Sean on Facebook when he was in the throes of recording the album and I remember how uncertain and doubtful he was about the reception it would get. (That is Sean pictured below with Lucy the mannequin).

He need not have worried because there were few albums last year which ticked all our respective prog boxes the way War and Peace did because of its beautiful, thoughtful and often semi-autobiographical songs based on himself and his family, past and present.  Since then, he and I have become firm friends and could bore for the British Olympic talking team about prog rock! What is more, he possesses all the qualities which are prevalent in most prog musicians in being a lovely and humble guy, who is always approachable and ever friendly.

The Tangent is another band with whom I am honoured to have struck up a close relationship over the past couple of years. Again, it was their breathtaking album COMM which said all they needed to say when it came out last year, the band's mainman Andy Tillison totally "on message" with his wonderfully crafted, compelling compositions based on how modern forms of mass communication have changed our lives, both for the better and the worse.

But much more than that, in the current Team Tangent are two of the finest of the upcoming generation of prog rock stars, the remarkable Luke Machin, a right hander who plays his Strat left-handed and oozes musicality like no other axeman of his age and the very funky Dan Mash who continues to grow in stature as a superb bass player.

And then there is Pallas, whose astonishing XXV album was my favourite album of last year for all sorts of reasons. The fact they are from Scotland's Granite City, Aberdeen, reflects so well in their music which is hard and gritty, but always inspired. With an eclectic range of day jobs such as wedding photographer and legal eagle, they are one of the most exciting live bands especially with the addition of Paul Mackie, who is the most expressive and dramatic frontmen around.

Headlining Saturday are IQ, one of the legendary prog bands who started in the 80s and have one of the most loyal and devoted fan followings for whom they stage their annual Christmas show. This is a band I have long wanted to get more familiar with having heard Dark Matter and Frequency.  Seeing them perform Subterranea in its entirety can be no better live introduction.

And so to Sunday when the very polished, debonair guitarist Dec Burke and his band open proceedings for the day. We saw them at Summer's End last year and the man really puts the rock in prog.

If Tinyfish were an actor, it would have to be one of the great British eccentrics such Terry-Thomas complete with the flying helmet and goggles he wore in Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines. With enigmatic "master of ceremonies" Robert Ramsay and Leon Camfield, the human embodiment of The Muppets' drummer Animal, they are one of the greatest exponents of English prog at its mad genius best. Unfortunately, due to frontman Simon Godfrey's ongoing hearing problems, this is their last live performance for the foreseeable future and the prog landscape will be all the poorer for their absence.

The next two bands on the bill both have lady singers which is a welcome growing trend in prog music. Sometimes the intricacies of the music demand a specific style of voice as proved by Sonja Kristina with Curved Air and Annie Haslam of Renaissance both of whom are still going strong. Magenta have always been a leading exponent of elegant, melodic prog to which an incredibly pure voice such as Christina Booth's is so beautifully suited. They again were one of the joyful high points of Summer's End last year with Godsticks' rhythm section of Steve Roberts and Dan Nelson now giving their sound a really robust quality.

Due to an Spinal Tap moment, Mars Hollow (more about them later) had to withdraw from the festival so taking their place is the exciting, upcoming band Touchstone fronted by the Brenda Lee of prog, Kim Seviour. Their high energy style of prog rock is both infectious and so very contemporary, and I predict they will be one of the bands literally blowing the roof off (in the words of the Twangmeister) during the weekend. And in 21-year-old drummer Henry Rogers, who also hits the skins with DeeExpus, they also have another upcoming stars of prog.

Rounding off the festival are It Bites, another of those prog bands who have re-invented themselves in the most spectacular style. Having lost their iconic guitarist Francis Dunnery, they became a band without a rudder, then along came John Mitchell, one of prog's great multi-taskers, who has played with Kino, Frost* and Arena, to steady the ship and set them back on course. Tall Ships was the album on which he first appeared with the band with  Lee Pomeroy, now bassist by Royal Appointment who was in the backing band for most of the performers at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert. For this gig, John will be jetting back from Germany after playing at another festival (Loreley) with Arena the day before.

And in Map of the Past released in March, It Bites have produced one of the great contemporary works, a concept album which is so beautifully balanced with memorable melodies and a production
of forensic precision. But do bring a box of tissues as both The Last Escape and The Ice Melts will be two of the emotional highlights along with their canon of butt-kicking rockers.

Well, there is the main cast of characters, but it does not stop there as Twang and Geoff have managed to find windows of opportunity to bring more music into the mix through an acoustic stage. And there is a very special story to be told about two of the performers. When Twang and Geoff were putting together the initial line-up for the festival, they contacted Mars Hollow, who are based in California, who came back to say they would love to take part in the festival. Heading up the Mars Hollow representation was their bass player, the very affable Kerry Kompost, who, to say was keen to come over and perform, would be one of the understatements of the year. However, following a shift in dynamics, Kerry found himself without a band and was absolutely heartbroken to find himself sidelined with no prospect of getting over to England to take part.

But due to forward thinking by Twang and Geoff, the acoustic stage was created, so Kerry will be coming to the ball after all, accompanied by acclaimed Californian keyboards player Matt Brown and rumour has it, he will also be joining Touchstone which should be one of the defining moments of the weekend. No-one else will get a warmer welcome than Kerry who never stopped believing.

And also performing will be the wonderful Matt Stevens, the one man band who does not need a flying helmet to loop his guitar loops in his own inimitable way. Gary Chandler will also be previewing some of the forthcoming material from his band Jadis and finally, Alan Reed, the erstwhile singer with Pallas will be teaming up with Mark Spencer of Twelfth Night and now Galahad to create some entirely new prog magic during the weekend.

So are you all going to come now? How much convincing do you need? Okay, as Pink Floyd said in  "See Emily Play", Let's try it another way.

It is not just the bands who make these happenings what they are. To a huge degree, it is the fans and supporters of prog rock who make it what it is. Before the arrival of Facebook, none of us knew any of the others existed. But what happened so quickly and spontaneously was a coming together of all prog-orientated people. It was as though we all recognised each other on sight and now, there is a huge tight-knit community of fans who all get on famously and respect each other. What is more, all the bands know who we are and the added value we bring to all of them and their respective brands. And this is what makes the whole prog community such a special place to be within the entire musical spectrum.

There will be so many "friends" attending Celebr8 both onstage and offstage and I guarantee it will make the atmosphere there warmer and more welcoming than any other events happening in London this summer.

Thank you Twang and Geoff - from all of  us. It is going to be a blast.

Matt Brown and Kerry Kompost rehearsing for Celebr8.

Grounded

How do I start writing about an issue so fundamentally painful as observing something wonderful - an integral part of your life in fact - that you have seen develop, grow, evolve and progress over the past 40 years suddenly come crashing back to earth, its engines misfiring after attempting to follow a flight plan which is now 30 years out of date?

Even now, as I listen to Fly From Here for the countless time, I feel such a sense of disbelief that this is indeed the latest musical permutation of Yes, the unique, heart-wrenchingly, soul-searchingly, proud and inspirational band I have loved with a passion since 1971.

Fly From Here I have tried so hard to love, but it is  not loving me back the way so many of their previous albums have done. In fact, the more I hear it, the more I feel air sickness and turbulence setting in.

Their greatest gift  has been to create and present unique soundscapes, full of soaring dynamics and multi-layer instrumental textures, enabling the individual members the freedom to take off on flights of fancies especially through using the extended compositions as their vehicles. All were individual journeys, full of beautifully, brilliant crafted passages, which took you to the higher stratospheres of your imagination and dreams. Most Yes songs had a flight plan and a direction, and as a result, the majority reached their destination safely, smoothly and often spectacularly.

It has now been 10 long years since the last Yes studio album Magnification, admittedly not one of their strongest collections, but again a bold directional move using an orchestra to fill in the sonic space which became available due to the departure of three key band members.

Fast forward to 2009 and as well as the continued absence of Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson is no longer in the ranks for reasons discussed elsewhere in a previous blog. No more will be said about these two omissions as they are not integral to this plot, nor will any comparisons be drawn as have been made endlessly elsewhere.

The introduction of Benoit David and Oliver Wakeman to take their places did result in an extraordinary first night of the British tour in Birmingham in November that year. It was Yes, but not as we know it.

So to the album: to my mind, there has always been something very special about the distinctive Roger Dean-conceived Yes logo.  Yes is a musical quality mark which tells you that what you are getting under this particular banner is something out of the top drawer and therefore, always worth having. It might vary occasionally, but overall, it does give you a bigger bang for your buck, especially if you are a prog rock fan. They are, after all, right up there in the holiest of the holies among the true legends within the prog pantheon. 

So here, we have both the time and the word, so to speak.

Then along comes a blast from the past in the shape of Trevor Horn, such a key figure in helping to change the direction, shape and sound of Yes, and most of it for the good. From his involvement along with Buggles partner in crime, Geoff Downes, Drama still holds its own in the Yes timeline. He then shook the commercial Yes tree with 90125 and had a hand in the production of its less well-received follow-up, Big Generator.

So thirty years later and Tempus Fugit, to coin the title of one of the better, inventive songs from Drama. So one wonders if bringing him back at such short notice to produce Fly From Here was really more of a quick win for the current line-up now with Downes back in harness in favour of Wakeman Jnr.

On the back of this latest team shuffle comes the reconfiguration and lengthening of the title track from the Buggles' back catalogue along with another Life on a Film Set which are essentially the backbone of the album along with the new whole band effort Into The Storm.

So, overall, the whole offering sounds retro and refried. Even ELP, when they decided to record another composer's songs, it tended to be someone of the stature of Mussorgsky or Aaron Copeland rather than a former producer with a few offcuts to shift. This in essence is why I think Fly From Here is such a disappointment. For me, it never ever takes off or spreads its wings; and instead of moving forward, it puts on the reverse thrusters and lurches into a holding pattern somewhere between clear skies above and a dark, foggy airport below.

The greater part of Fly From Here is pleasant enough- uplifting in part, building well with some stunning harmonies, but it so lacks that spine-tingling magic and wow factor, which marks out some of its predecessors.  And on the issue of whether Benoit David is capable of filling the vocal responsibilities, he has a fine, pure strong voice which slots perfectly midway between the Anderson and Horn pipes, so the casting probably could not be better for this particular piece.

But the moments which kill it for me are contained within the ghastly Bumpy Ride which goes right to the top of most hideous Yes of all time track list. What were they thinking! Consciously or unconsciously, these moments of Keystone Kops prog madness appear to either parody or mock the  great sonic musical motifs which have been at the cornerstone of all Yes music. And positioning it in the middle of one of the most haunting passages of Fly From Here throws the whole lot out of balance.

However, what is apparent throughout is far from allowing the music ever to cut loose and get some height on the dynamic or sonic altometers, air controller Horn has contained it within the confines of a flying machine, the result being it sounds too compressed, pressurised and hermetically sealed. Those fantastic instrumental textures disappear and became flatpacked in the mix. This is particularly evident for the guitar sound which does not do justice to the terrific licks and runs for which Steve Howe is so renowned. He sounds here as though he is playing from the depths of the departure lounge.


The official side two also has its low spots. Both Chris Squire and Steve Howe have added their own "solo" spot, Squire's coming through The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be, an acoustically-led five minutes of not-a-lot which would have been better as a filler track on one of his solo albums rather than a full-blown Yes work-out.

And Howe, well, indeed how! Again, it is the production which reduces his solo Solitaire into a tinny, trite exercise instead of one full of deep resonance and passion.

Life on a Film Set could have been a much better song if the instrumentation better reflected the repetitive "riding a tiger" but at least mid-section here has a great melodic hook to which Benoit adds the vocal overlay that does at last harken at previous greatness, albeit predominantly from the Buggles canon.

Hour of Need is another track which gets half-strangled by the packed-down production with both the jangling guitars and piping keyboards sounding too restrained against some very tight harmonies.

Into the Storm is probably the only song on the whole album which does offer any resemblance of flair and originality, probably because it is an original group effort and so does travel forwards rather than backwards. All the trademark little flourishes are there including an extended Howe workout and the lyrics even have a dig at being as stupid now as they once were; but I hope the rumours circulating that some of the more barbed lines are aimed at a former key band member are untrue. That would add to this album being even more budget-airline, ie cheap and charmless.

Believe me, this has not been an easy assessment to write. Having to bite back at the band which has fed, nourished and sustained you for most of your life and written most of its soundtrack does not feel like a fair deal so late along the line. And not even an original lush Roger Dean cover can disguise what lies beneath.

This flight feels as though it was engineered by contractual or business obligations. Rather than being initialled with loving care, the current Yes is existing through this strange device, an amalgamation of what has gone before rather than a brand new adventure into the possibilities ahead. I shall not be taking off with them if they decide next time to again choose the former rather than the latter.

Just One Man

There has been much talk, conjecture, sadness and sometimes anger in recent weeks, mainly on dedicated Facebook pages about Jon Anderson. Much of it centres on the fact that the current incarnation of Yes will be releasing a new album this year, produced, it is said, by Trevor Horn, an erstwhile band member and overseer of 90125, followed by a British tour. The message is overwhelming - that Yes cannot even consider being a bona fide band without the presence of the Accrington Alto.

I share some of this anguish, but I cannot help but feel that now is the time to look at the bigger picture and move on.

Jon has been my prime musical and spiritual inspiration, mentor and teacher for the past 40 years - back to when Fragile came out in 1971. At the tender age of 13, my life had been irrevocably changed.

Without going into too much detail, my world has been influenced by him more than any other human being but, unlike a recent posting on an FB page, I would disagree with him being declared a messiah. I would rather equate him with the title of one of the beautiful songs on The Living Tree, his recent collaboration with Rick Wakeman: Just One Man.

The song reflects his continuing faith in higher spiritual powers, a theme which has been one of the main pillars of his music, lyrics and poetry, along with his perpetual wonderment and love of life. As Mr Wakeman once so eloquently summed it up: "He is the only person I know trying to save this planet whilst existing on another one."

Well, from the outset in the early 70s, he has seemed to be operating in a completely different dimension - the angelically pure voice coupled with those ethereal looks - through those sometimes unintelligible words on which books have been written that have tried to find their true meaning. In fact, we each have our own true meaning to the words so why seek a third party interpretation?

I have seen Yes a number of times over the years and Jon was always central to the cast, always the focus of attention. There have been many hiatuses and fallings-out over the years within the band but even these resulted in some sensational by-products such as the AWBH album, which is filled with some gorgeous New Age themed compositions such as The Order of the Universe.

Jon's solo career has been prodigious and has charted his spiritual and philosophical discoveries along his unique path, from the cosmically charged fantastical worlds created in Olias Of Sunhillow to Angel's Embrace, his paean of love for his exquisite wife Jane.

But perhaps three albums in particular stand out: firstly In The City of Angels, which was the album which helped me through a very dark and difficult time in my life. Another was Toltec, inspired by the book The Power of Silence by Carlos Castaneda, which feels like entering a new powerful, spiritual reality.

Thirdly, Change We Must contained two reworked songs from City, plus one from 90125 and the iconic State of Independence, one of the most poignant affirmations ever of life, love and belief. However, it was the eponymous song which has created the most resonance, based on the book by Hawaiian spiritual teacher Nana Veary. A life-affirming video, based on this glorious song and featuring beautiful people and voices from around the globe, was released last year, creating huge waves of appreciation and love for all those involved. It sounded like a call to arms.

Meanwhile, Jon's well-documented brush with death in 2007, caused by a chronic asthma attack, has changed his life and indeed those of his fans, forever. The new version of Yes was assembled in time for the 40th anniversary tour, allegedly without Jon being informed. Like other fans, I was mortified to hear of this if indeed there had been no communication between him and the other members of the classic line-up.

But it was more out of curiosity than zealotry that my brother and I went to see the current line-up on the opening night of the British tour in Birmingham the autumn before last. And it was clear the dynamic of the band had shifted from the traditional centre to the left side of the stage. And there were no programmes, which was a glaring omission! But we will be seeing them on the upcoming tour to hear the new Yesmusic taking shape.

So where are we now? Having seen Jon and Rick in their Anderson/Wakeman Project tour in downtown Basingstoke in September, it is abundantly clear they are in a completely different space musically. Jon's voice has changed discernibly and this can in no small part be due to the effects of his respiratory break-down. It is still as beautiful and clear as ever but it now bears the traces of trauma, which only adds to the poignancy of the lyrics of the songs written since then.

Jon is now working in different areas and, on my part, it is the thought of him working with young musicians and choirs in the USA which really gladdens the heart. Well, can you think of a better teacher for these kids - someone who embodies love, goodness and positivity? There are not many role models possessed of these inherent qualities these days, and perhaps his experiences with them led to him writing the words to The Living Tree that teach young people to love and value themselves. I would like to think so.

To see him and Rick performing together was simply amazing. I had seen them on their previous two-hander in 2006 and met them afterwards. All I could say to him was thank you for the music!

To bring it up to the present, let us remember Jon is 67 this October, a time when many people would have been putting their feet up and reflecting on life's labours. I think Jon will never stop making the music and creating the art which brings him and so many of us such mutual pleasure. We will never stop reading his posts on FB and hearing about his latest collaborations with songwriters and musicians across the globe.

But putting it into context, it is highly unlikely we will ever see him with Yes again. Though he looks as beautiful and together as ever, his health would probably not be able to withstand the rigours of a full-on national or international tour. Even now, his wife Jane, "his angel", is there for him at every concert and he looks to her throughout. Would this be welcome on a band tour? If you need any convincing, remember the scene in This Is Spinal Tap!

It has nothing to do with wanting to please the fans, but has everything to do with what is physically possible - and anyway, he appears to be loving what he is doing now, spreading his unique brand of joy and positivity wherever he goes.

There is so much more I can say about this remarkable and incredibly special man, but hey, you know that already, otherwise you would not be reading this. "Change we must to live again." That is just what Jon is continuing to do and so must we.

Proud to be Prog

Having made dozens of wonderful friends through Facebook, most of them due to a mutual love of prog, it struck me that like the average Rush concert - and Rush of course can never be described as average - the men outnumber the women by about 30 to one. And that accounts for my perennial joke about there never being a queue for the ladies' loo at a Rush gig!

However, it does make me wonder why so few sisters are progging it for themselves.

While my sisters were getting steamed up over David Cassidy and assorted Osmondpersons, my prog world became full of astonishingly beautiful men with long hair and languid features who played just as spectacularly as they looked. So I retreated to my bedroom for about three years to listen and learn from this extraordinary music, and tuned in every Saturday afternoon to Radio One for the weekly gospel of prog according to the Rev "Fluff" Freeman. He even wrote me a letter starting "Dear lovely Alison" after I sent him a missive about the virtues of Patrick Moraz joining Yes.

That is heavy stuff when you are 16, rather than deciding which member of the Bay City Rollers you fancy the most. Which reminds me: I had a male friend who was a bouncer for the BCRs so I went over to say hello when the Rollers roadshow came to Southampton. Somehow I managed to get myself into a newspaper photograph with a bunch of screaming tartan-clad fans while yours truly was wearing a fully visible Yes tee-shirt! What a result for sanity!

The very first prog band I embraced was Curved Air and bought their astonishing second album from the proceeds of six weeks babysitting money. I wanted to be Sonja Kristina and, if the truth be known, I still do as she has always beem surrounded by prodigiously talented music men, which must be the nearest thing to prog heaven.

From there, I suddenly plunged myself into some heavy Pink Floyd, which culminated in my writing a prose poem based on Echoes from Meddle involving a stricken submarine and astral projection. I so wish I had kept it.

Then along came Fragile and suddenly life made perfect sense. Here was the music which was to form the soundtrack of my life, along with Emerson Lake and Palmer 1 (though it has taken me over half a lifetime to get into Tarkus, but we finally got there)!

So the foundations were set in prog stone in an early age, crystallised by seeing Yes for the first time on the Relayer tour and the subsequent seven or eight times in the various permutations. They will always be my torch-bearers for prog because of the way they have fused so many styles and influences to produce something totally original and memorable.

There have been some long intermissions since because of matrimonial tensions but the prog ideology within was always there, albeit temporarily snuffed out by sadly more superficial tendencies.

Doing one such interlude, I do remember listening to The More We Live/Let Go from Yes's Union album and crying for the first few times I heard it because it reminded me of where I wanted to be rather than being in a doomed marriage.

And when my marriage broke up, Jon Anderson was there with In The City of Angels to tell me it was all going to be okay through Top of the World, For You and Hurry Home.

Prog has saved my life, restored my sanity and informed my reality every step of the way since.

So how do I explain it? Easy, really. Prog rock is a journey and an experience which is totally personal to the listener. It lets you decide what you want it to be and every definition you give is right, because there is no wrong. It is all down to perception and interpretation, and the wonderful musicians who provide it never tell you how you should think or feel while listening to it. That makes all prog fans free thinkers who find their own level in the music and then celebrate it with other aficianados. It is a totally unifying force of expression.

And there is much more. Without Sonja Kristina, I could never have had an early perception of what it means to be a liberated, independent and creative female. Without Jon Anderson, I could never have understood and interpreted the wonders of life then formulated them into a lifelong philosophy. In his words "I count my blessings, I can see what I mean". And without Keith Emerson, I could never have appreciated a man who attacks his organ with knives (and he did make some pretty good music too)!

Prog has been my backbone, my philosophy, my fun and my passion. It has been so influential in who I am and the way I think.

And so far as I am concerned, prog rock chicks will always like it over 20 minutes long with three tempo changes and an organ solo. My case rests!