Author Archives: Tim Hall

Past the halfway point in Son of 20 First Lines Rides Again. Here are some clues for the nine which nobody has yet guessed.

2. From the current album by Scandianvian band who have recently become national heroes in their home country; there’s even a set of stamps in their honour.

4. By the current kings of widdly prog-metal, from their last but one album,

6. A song by a ‘Cod Irishman’ allegedly inspired by an Arthur Machen short story

7. By a short-lived turn of the century goth-prog band (I think they did one other album) with a viola as a major element of their sound.

8. Current Scandinavian band who allegedly have some prog-rock influences.

10. Yet another bunch of Scandinavians, from the same nation as (2), but this song is in their native language. Currently on hiatus while they find themselves a new singer.

11. Even more Scandinavians, featuring one member of the neo-prog supergroup Transatlantic.

18. From the recent live album by an American bluegrass/prog/jam band.

19. Recent song by a bunch of Welshmen that wear their nationality on their sleeve.

The only person enjoying that guitar solo is the guitarist

- Alex Kapranos, lead poseur of media darlings Franz Ferdinand, on how to make an utterly formulaic sausage factory record.

What’s cool ever given us? A whole generation of musicians who haven’t got the imagination to embrace anything but the most obvious and one-dimensional

- Gaz Cobain of Amorphous Androgynous, clearly talking about people like Alex Kapranos.

Another one. Same rules as before, if you think you recognise any, put your answers in the comments, and no cheating by searching in Google. This lot has a lot of classic 70s prog-rock.

1. A well-known Bognor restraunt owner disappeared early this morning
– Harold the Barrel, Genesis (Steve Jones)
2. Attention class, here we come, we kick your ass, that’s lesson one.
3. Cat’s foot, iron claw, neurosurgeons scream for more
– 21st Century Schizoid Man, King Crimson (Rob)
4. Hello Mirror – so glad to see you my friend
5. I had a mother chasing planets, shopping doctors for her Vicodin
– Surfing down the avalanche, Spocks Beard (Steve Jones)
6. I stood upon the balcony with my brandy glass.
7. I’d like to visit Kashmir and shout over this land.
8. In nolan time sign what does the mind cover
– Mew, Apocalypso (fds)
9. It would appear that male pattern baldness has set in
– Bald, The Darkness (Rob)
10. Kerran vain haaveeni nähdä sain
11. Mother, what’s it all about
12. She was the keeper of all my reason
– Queen of Hearts, David Coverdale (Steve Jones)
13. Somewhere in your eyes that very special glow
– Salisbury, Uriah Heep (Steve Jones)
14. Standing in the space that holds the silent lace of night
– The Emperor in his War Room, Van der Graaf Generator (Steve Jones)
15. The clock strikes twelve, and moondrops burst
– Astronomy, Blue Öyster Cult (Murray Ewing)
16. The sky is red, I don’t understand
– Burn, Deep Purple (Steve Jones)
17. Train arriving, sixteen coaches long
– Mystery Train, UFO or Elvis (Chris)
18. When I was a boy, at the cold blue lake
– Hunting Song, Railroad Earth (Scott)
19. When did life get so, get so complicated
20. Yesterday as morning came a smile upon your face
– Yours is no disgrace, Yes (Fred Webb)

The new Mostly Autumn album Heart Full of Sky is available for pre-order.

Following the example of Marillion, they’re recording a limited edition double album, with a retail single album retail version to follow. The double album will only be available for direct order from the band’s website, and only 2333 will be made.

I’m hoping the double album format will keep both the older and newer fans happy, just as Marillion’s Marbles managed to do. There’s some evidence that the fanbase seems to be dividing into two camps, one that prefers the shorter and punchier rock numbers that characterised “Storms” and “Passengers”, and some of the long-term fans that prefer the longer progressive/celtic/folk-rock material that featured heavily on the earlier albums . With two CDs there should be room for some of both styles.

You don’t hear much about this music in the mainstream press, especially in Britain, where the kingmakers of the music press have inadvertently created generations of musical whores, all doing their utmost to produce what they think the NME will want, rather than the music they want to make.

Julian Cope on avant-garde metal.