Monthly Archives: November 2025

A Plague of Lightbulb moments

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On the back of their 2025 release ‘Breadcrumbs’ I have been checking back on Detroit based Progressive rock band Disciplines back catalogue! Shame on me that I didn’t do this before now!

The music is most definitely Prog and very expertly delivered, however it was Matthew Parmenters’ voice that intrigued me. I struggled with what he reminded me of for a few days then it finally came to me in a lightbulb moment! He sounds like a more cheerful, more composed and altogether more tuneful and enjoyable Peter Hammill!

I have always found Peter Hammill difficult to listen to, someone, who shall be nameless once described him as ‘Marmite, which I thought summed his music up perfectly. I sort of ‘like’ Van Der Graff Generator but when it comes to Hammill’s solo output, I’m sorry but it leaves me wanting!

There will be those of you out there throwing up your arms in horror but that will be tempered by the many that are nodding their heads sagely! Yes Peter Hammil is a good songwiter and yes, Van Der Graaf Generator were at the forefront of Progressive Rock in it’s infancy but for me there was something missing!

I think for me, what was missing, and this won’t read the same for everyone, was a bit of warmth in the delivery! Discipline provide that warmth while still having the edginess of VDGG! There is no doubting that Matthew Parmenter might have based his vocal delivery on Peter Hammill but he just does it in a more listener friendly way IMHO!

Wouldn’t it be a strange world if we all thought the same way about music and wouldn’t music be a sadder and less interesting medium of communication than it is right now if that were the case?

Your thoughts?

Johnny XX

It’s like this …..

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I am nearly at the end of compiling my top 15 Prog albums of 2025 …or so I thought!

Let me explain. The way I do it is as albums come out and I listen to them and like them I might add them to a playlist on iTunes! Don’t get me wrong I don’t download music for free, I purchase it because I firmly believe that if the artist has put their time into creating this music and I am enjoying it then the least I can do is to recompense them for their efforts.

What happens in the playlist stays in the playlist, sad to say the scoring goes onto a paper list. I give every album points out of ten as I listen to them, sometimes on a second or third listen (fourth or fifth even) points may be added or deducted! And what do points mean? Yeah … me scribbling away on an A4 pad sometimes until the early hours of the morning!

So anyway, here’s me thinking I’m all sorted and the top 15 is coming together nicely thank you then a certain band that shall be nameless – (check my Facebook page) release an album in the last week of November! I think I might have referred to it as “throwing a fucking curveball”! Anyway, panic over, it didn’t cause any major difficulties in the scoring! You see I am nicely situated because I can take this right up until 31 December before I publish the results. Having worked in the printing and publishing domain I can feel sorry for Jerry Ewing et al who are tied to the constraints of having to meet deadlines in order to get a printed copy out to the masses!

I digress! As I said I thought I was sorted, the top 5 are all but set in concrete give or take a late night listening but they will only move up or down minimally! So lets have a look at the rest….! This is where I took another look, then another look, then demanded a recount! I have 15 albums all on seven points! As I looked at the list I noticed a couple languishing below with six points which I immediately upgraded to sixth place, along with 16 others! Is there such a thing as VAR for Prog?

You see my problem! The easy (cowards) way out would just to make them all equal sixth but that’s not fair! The only fair way is for a serious listening binge! Sorry Ali (my wife) but this means listening in the kitchen while cooking, in the car, in the mancave and on headphones via the ancient iPod in bed! On a sidenote Alexa can fuck off! I’ve tried her with albums I have purchased on Amazon and she gets three songs in then throws a wobbler and tells me what the weather is at the moment where I live! I already know FFS! We have windows and I have been out with the dog! Yes I know it is fucking raining thank you!

Calm down Johnny you will get there!

I will, and I promise this years Progwinds Top 15 Prog albums of 2025 will be published before the final bell of Big Ben on New Years Eve. Right, headphones on and I’m off to bed!

Goodnight and Prog on
Johnny

Atomic Rooster – Circle the Sun

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A new album by Atomic Rooster I hear you say? First thoughts? So OK, the founder of Atomic  Rooster, Vincent Crane (along with Carl Palmer) sadly left us 36 years ago and given that the band had an open door policy as regards to other members it must be a tribute act! Hang on, if they have an album out under that name then it’s gotta be legit …hasn’t it?

Turns out it is legit and Atomic Rooster are alive and pecking! OK there is no Vincent Crane (RIP) the name is kept alive by guitarist Steve (Boltz) Bolton who made his debut with the band shortly after the release of ‘In Hearing Of’ playing on the North American tour supporting the release of said album. He then went on to being involved on the following album ‘Made in England’ which also saw the debut of ex Colosseum singer Chris Farlowe.

Bolton only lasted in the lineup for one album and was replaced on the next album ‘Nice ‘n’ Greasy’ by a certain John Goodsall from Brand X, known on the sleeve notes for contractual reasons as ‘Johnny Mandala’.

So, he has the credentials but does the album do the name of Atomic Rooster due respect? In a word , yes!

From the getgo this album is drenched by the familiar sound reminiscent of Vincent Crane’s Hammond organ thanks to keyboard player Adrian Gautrey summoning the spirit of the man himself. That is not to say that the Hammond dominates this album it just does what it needs to do, be it soloing wildly or tinkling away in the background which Crane was particularly adept at. Gautrey has nailed it!

As a whole the album hangs together very nicely. Thankfully the temptation to recreate the sound of the band as they were and just do an album of tracks that echoed that was obviously not on the bands radar. This is an album of refreshingly new songs each of it’s own merit but all stay faithful to the epoch of Atomic Rooster as Vincent Crane envisioned it! The album covers all the bands many facets musically, heavy rock, psych, prog, blues and more.

One criticism I can level is that all the songs are quite short, the longest track being ‘Never 2 Lose’ which clocks in at just over 5 minutes. This doesn’t allow for extended musical passages so therefore leaves the listener wanting more. That said there is plenty to enjoy here!

I don’t normally identify individual tracks in reviews but I must mention two songs here; ‘Pillow’ because it has a totally different vibe and that makes it a refreshing break, strangely refreshing because it would sit very nicely on a morbid Leonard Cohen album. Secondly ‘Last Night’ simply because the general feel of the song is reminiscent of Roosters “hit single” ‘Tomorrow Night’ which got them an appearance on Top of the Pops. Intentional? Who knows?

Is it Prog? In the main I don’t think so, there are many proggy moments largely due to Adrian Gautreys keys but if questioned under duress I would classify this as Heavy Rock, albeit with a Proggy edge.

At the end of the day whether you agree that this is a legit Atomic Rooster album or are of the  persuasion that there is no Rooster without Vincent Crane there is no getting away from the fact that this is a great album which sits very well within the Atomic Rooster roster! Well, I think so anyway! Ignore it at your loss!