Progressive rock will never die, but come the eighties panicky progressive rock musicians thought it had, and it led them to do the unthinkable—produce lame, MOR, watered-down pop prog (or in some cases just pop) music that was, and I find this almost impossible to fathom, even more unbearable than the pompous prog-opuses they’d inflicted on the world through their heyday in the early to mid-seventies.
From Tales of Topographic Oceans to “Owner of a Lonely Heart”—in no kind of world could that be called an improvement, and I’d sooner shoot myself in the dick than listen to the former.
GTR never got the traction that Asia or the post-Gabriel Genesis got, and for that reason, it’s a bit easier to hear the quiet desperation—at least the prog rockers turned pop-ulists in Asia and Genesis were scoring hits and getting paid. And one reason could be that GTR held on to at least some of the tenets of progressive rock. Unfortunately, they had no knack for writing hits.
GTR–a five-piece “supergroup” featuring Yes guitarist Steve Howe and Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett (hence the band name), along with journeyman vocalist Max Bacon, sessions bassist Phil Spalding, and sometime Marillion drummer Jonathan Mover—might have seemed like a great idea, but the guitar fireworks you’d expected never happen and the songs are formulaic, generic AOR shlock.
Musician reviewer J. D. Considine’s review of GTR in Musician was both succinct and spot-on. It read, in its entirety, “SHT.” Part of the blame lies with Buggles/Yes/Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes, who produced and went out of his way to highlight the clichéd vocals of prog-everyman Bacon, who never heard a song he couldn’t overemote on. The rest of the blame lies with the songs, which sound like they were written by a committee steadfastly dedicated to writing lowest-common-denominator progressive rock-lite, Starship-meets-Asia swill.
East Devon, UK | New record shop Funky Seagull opened in Sidmouth, East Devon: A new “funky” record shop has opened in East Devon. The new shop in Sidmouth, named Funky Seagull, opened on Thursday, March 12. Located at 63 High St, Sidmouth, it is next door to The Chattery and opposite the Co-op. Owner Paul, who worked in the music retail industry for nearly 20 years, will be running the shop. Funky Seagull will only be selling new records, spanning all genres from classic albums to indie, pop, hip-hop, dance, punk, post-punk, and metal. The store will also stock 
Florence, IT | Move On Records is the perfect example of how cool Italian record stores can be: What makes Move On particularly ambitious is the setting. The store sits just across from the iconic Florence Cathedral, better known as the Duomo. When you love vinyl, discovering a new record store can be as energizing as hearing a great new song. That’s why, whenever you travel, whether for work or pleasure, it’s worth seeing what the local record scene has to offer. Sometimes you uncover something special, like pulling the best prize from a holiday grab bag. That’s exactly what happened on a recent stop in Florence. Move On Records takes a bold, unconventional approach to the idea of a “record store.” On the ground floor sits a classic pub celebrating the rich heritage of Italian beer. …But 
To call Lightnin’ Hopkins the byproduct of rediscovery isn’t inaccurate, but it does risk stripping the contents of its unique story. Unlike Son House, Skip James, Bukka White, and John Hurt (all from Mississippi), Texan Hopkins had only been inactive for a few years when Samuel Charters found and recorded him in Houston, and if he’d been playing since the 1930s, he was still very much in his musical prime.
It’s a sensational show, opening with a triumphal “I Saw The Light” and, to the surprise of many fans, all but ignoring his most recent album, Global, to deliver an oldies-heavy show instead. But he does not seem to be doing it willingly—indeed, early in the show, Rundgren all but castigates his audiences for ignoring his last few decades of work, and clinging only to the old, old favorites.
The results are still bracing, but New Day Rising is friendlier than most hardcore, and more welcoming too. Parts of it are even nice, nice in the way that the iconic album cover (two dogs, one beautiful body of water, a sunrise) is nice.
Buffalo, NY | Black Dots Records & Bar, with Live Music in the “Garage Room.” It takes a lot to surprise me these days. But just the other night I came across an unexpected occurrence that really made me happy. It was Saturday, and my buddy and I decided to head out to have a couple of beers. We started off at one of my favorite bars—Turning Bridge Tavern in Back Rock. From there, we headed to Gypsy Parlor to get some food. At around 10:30pm, we decided to call it a night, and began walking to the car. As we passed by Black Dots Records & Bar, I noticed that they were still open, as people were still 
Everett, WA | Apollo Exos, hub for brews and tunes, will expand: When Sotirios Rebelos started collecting records again, he couldn’t stop himself. As a kid, vinyl was an integral part of his life. But when he got busier as an adult and slowed down his record buying, he realized he missed that aspect of his life—something he said kept him in focus. The next thing he knew, he was scrolling through online forums and buying entire collections from people as he built up a massive catalog of records on his own. “I couldn’t stop,” Rebelos said. “And I’m like, might as well open up a record store.” Since it opened in August 2024, his shop, Apollo Exos Records—a beer bar and record shop in Everett’s downtown core—has become 
It was worse! Lights reportedly turned themselves on and off in the studio! Equipment, which fails all the time, inexplicably failed! And what was producer Martin Birch’s punishment for meddling in the dark arts? He was involved in a traffic accident involving a mini-bus sardined with real live nuns. Papal penguin punishers! Who probably had to be restrained from ruler-whipping him to death! And the cost of repairs? £666! And he didn’t have collision insurance!
Liverpool, UK | Jacaranda Record’s ‘huge announcement’ 10 years in the making: Graham Stanley, director of Jacaranda Records, said: “There is currently no facility like it in the UK.” Liverpool’s Jacaranda Records has announced bands, artists and people will be able to create their own vinyl records in the Baltic Triangle location. The collaboration with Fat Monkey Studios, a local vinyl cutting company, has been in the aether for more than a decade. Jacaranda Records will make use of Fat Monkey Studios for its Jac Cuts project, an initiative where Jacaranda works with artists to create unique releases and special editions of existing records. The first release will be exclusive to Jacaranda Records Record Store Day customers. Graham Stanley, director of Jacaranda Records, said: “What this means, any band, no matter how small, can now release 
Denver, CO | PigStyle becomes Loveland’s newest—and only—record store: Arjan Shaw launched new business after DOGE cuts affected his career. Arjan Shaw wanted to be his own boss. After he was laid off from his software engineering job when budget cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency canceled work his company was doing for the United States Department of Agriculture, he began to consider what that would involve. He had experience in landscaping, and enjoyed being outdoors in the summer, but that was ultimately just another job, another salary, and he wanted to pursue a passion. He found it in music, and after plenty of effort opened PigStyle, Loveland’s newest, and currently only, record store. “I’ve always been a collector myself, and (the record business) hasn’t been swallowed up by the box stores,” he said. “
