Alexander's Ragtime Band

In this, the final episode of Alexander's Ragtime Band, Jeremy, Elliot and James continue their Pink Floyd discussion from an earlier episode. Previously, they discussed the much-maligned post-Syd to Pre-Dark Side era. Today, they discuss the even more maligned post-Wall era - the 80s were a harsh decade for prog rock legends, that's for sure. Thanks for listening to the podcast, everyone, we hope you enjoyed it!

Alexander's Ragtime Band is winding down, so James and Elliot take this chance to rattle off some records and bands that they've always wanted to talk about, but never had the chance to. Elliot is on brand by talking about Jon Anderson, and James stays extremely on brand by talking about Gong non-stop for 20 minutes. Also, Focus.

We're going prog-adjacent again to talk about one of our favorite bands, the German electronic music pioneers Tangerine Dream! Elliot and I think that everyone should listen to Tangerine Dream, but with literally hundreds of albums, it can be a bit daunting to get into them. So we thought it would be best to share some recommendations for those who might want to dip a toe into their massive discography, but don't know where to begin.

Last month, we covered Pink Floyd, who are probably the most successful progressive rock act of all-time. This month we are discussing two bands who are decidedly not some of the biggest acts the genre had to offer; Mythos and Ekseption. But while you've probably never heard of these European obscurities, both Elliot and James think that both bands have a lot to offer prog fans!

Pink Floyd started as a psychedelic rock group, and were one of the most important bands of London's underground scene. But after Syd Barrett left the group, the band struggled to find their identity before eventually solidifying themselves as one of the greatest rock bands of all-time. The albums they recorded during this period might not all be great, but they're still a part of the Pink Floyd journey, and definitely helped the band form their legendary prog rock sound.   Elliot Long, Jeremy Parish, and James Eldred discuss these albums to find the good, the bad, and the Ummagumma.

Before Vangelis was known the world over for his scores to films like Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire, he was a member of Aphrodite's Child. The group started out as a rather by-the-numbers psychedelic rock act, but the band went full prog for their final record, a sprawling concept album about the literal end of the world called 666. Elliot and James are joined once more by Dr. Sparkle of Chrontendo to talk about this incredibly strange record.

The plan was to cover Manfred Mann's Earth Band in the same episode as Supertramp, but we talked so much about Supertramp that we couldn't fit Manfred in.   And it turns out that we had even more to say about Manfred Mann (the man), Manfred Mann (the band) and Manfred Mann's (the man) Earth Band, so it was a good thing that we dedicated a whole episode to them!   Manfred Mann's Earth Band aren't considered to be among the upper echelon of classic prog rock acts, but should they be? We discuss their early albums and talk in-depth about their most popular record, The Roaring Silence, and try and find out. We also briefly pay tribute to two prog legends that we recently lost; Vangelis and Ricky Gardiner of Beggar's Opera.

Elliot and James are joined today by very special guest Tom Brislin! Having toured with the likes of Meat Loaf, Yes, Camel and Renaissance, Tom is now the keyboardist for the legendary prog rock band Kansas! Tom shares stories about his times with these bands, life on the road as a working musician, and what it's been like being a newer member of one of the biggest prog rock acts in America.

The original plan here was for Elliot and James to each talk about one album that skirts the line between being prog and not prog, but they both love Supertramp so much that they decided to save the other album for another day. Breakfast In America is a fantastic record! Supertramp are a great band! These are facts that seem to be lost to the annals of time. Elliot and James discuss the group's strange history, its legendary run in the 70s that culminated with this all-time classic, how it all fell apart after, and if Supertramp are prog rock or not (although it doesn't really matter).

It's safe to say that without keyboards, progressive rock doesn't exist. And while there have been many different types of keyboards, pianos, and synths that have contributed to the prog rock sound, in this episode we cover the three biggest ones: the Hammond organ, the Mellotron, and early Moogs. Sorry ARP fans, maybe next time.

Special guest Dr. Sparkle of Chrontendo fame joins us today to discuss artists who either only released one album, or only one album of any regard. While the past few episodes have featured albums that maybe not all of us were keen on, this episode features three stone-cold prog classics: Affinity's self-titled record, First Base by Babe Ruth, and England's Garden Shed. Enjoy!

Jon Anderson parted ways with Yes sometime in the early 2000s, but the band has continued without him in the years since, with three LPs and one EP - but should they have? Elliot and James go album by album and parse out which Jon Anderson-less Yes releases are worth your time, and which ones are most certainly not.

This is a backer request from "Itsumi Mario," who wanted us to go in-depth on the bonkers 2001 debut by the Mars Volta, De-Loused in the Comatorium. Despite definitely not being in the wheelhouse of neither Jeremy nor Elliot, we find a lot to talk about with this one; the Mars Volta are a lot of things, but "boring" certainly isn't one of them. I'm also really happy that I got to go deep into post-hardcore on a podcast that's about prog rock.

With Phil Collins out of the picture, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford decided to carry on, recruiting singer Ray Wilson to join them. The results were Calling All Stations, an album that's...well...not all that great, but there are some hidden gems there, and Ray Wilson was as good singer, dammit, he got a raw deal!

Where do you start with prolific and not-especially-mainstream prog rocks acts like Gentle Giant, Gong, and Hawkwind? Here's our starter advice.

Jeremy, Elliot, and James return to talk about the best solo acts by members of popular prog groups. This time, it's a focus on Yes, with Steve Howe's eponymous(-ish) album, Rick Wakeman's "Six Wives of Henry VIII," and Chris Squire's "Fish out of Water".

James, Jeremy, and Elliot do a 180º from their recent positivity to discuss the prog albums and artists they found hardest to learn to enjoy. Featured: ELP's "Brain Salad Surgery", Van der Graaf Generator's "H to H Who am the Only One", and Yes's "90125.

Jeremy, James, and Elliot embark on an epic journey to pay tribute to the albums that got them interested in progressive rock in the first place: "Fragile" by Yes, "Black Noise" by FM, and "Seconds Out" by Genesis.

Jeremy, James, and Elliot embark on an epic journey to pay tribute to the albums that got them interested in progressive rock in the first place: "Fragile" by Yes, "Black Noise" by FM, and "Seconds Out" by Genesis.

James Eldred, Elliot Long, and Jeremy Parish look at the good and bad of crossover hits by prog rock artists: Asia's "Asia," Journey's "Infinity," and Genesis's "Invisible Touch". What happens when art rockers sell out and make a boatload of cash?