BBC4 excels itself again!.....

BBC4 is one of my favourite channels and one of the reasons why is because of its excellent music programmes.  Last week I enjoyed another excellent documentary about the British progressive rock movement that dominated the music world in the late 1960's through to the arrival of punk in 1976.  The show featured many of "prog's" glitterati such as Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, and Steve Howe from Yes, Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Robert Wyatt from Soft Machine. 

The show itself also showed how progressive rock evolved from bands such as Procul Harem and The Moody Blues through to bands such as Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, King Crimson, Pink Floyd and other acts such as Egg, Gong, Atomic Rooster and Caravan.  Whilst I like some of these bands I actually prefer the prog bands that were less serious and more inventive.  The Peter Gabriel era Genesis and Jethro Tull were two bands who released albums that were perhaps tongue in cheek prog albums.  Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull has regularly said that the "Aqualung", "Thick As A Brick" and "A Passion Play" albums were the band's answer to the overblown noodling of some of their peers.  They are three great albums, but they were critically mauled for "A Passion Play".  Their next album, 1974's "Warchild" was a much more whimsical affair and less earnest.  Progressive rock is very much a British scene and one that continues to thrive with bands such as Marillion and Mostly Autumn amongst many others.  These bands are  now proudly carrying the prog flag for this generation and whilst the genre may have enjoyed its critical peak in the 1970's at least we have a vast legacy of great music to enjoy.  Some people argue that the likes of Radiohead and The Mars Volta are also progressive in their approach to making music.  Music itself continues to evolve and progress and I look forward to seeing new and innovative music to continue being made in the years to come.