for 27 February 2025

IN THIS ISSUE

Progressive Rock: Beyond 4/4 Time
– Prog Rock Songs Mentioned
Latest News
– Looking Ahead
Arts & Entertainment
– Books
– Film & Television
Sports

Progressive Rock: Beyond 4/4 Time

I first became aware of progressive rock because of the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. How could that film lead to an experience of prog rock? Well, I loved the theme song for the movie, written by Vangelis, and learned how to play it on the piano. Around the same time, I tagged along with my sister Jana one day, and I started flipping through the albums at her friend’s house. I came across one called The Friends of Mr. Cairo, by Jon and Vangelis. I recognized the name Vangelis and asked to listen to it. It was nothing like the theme from Chariots of Fire.

The title song ran for twelve minutes! It wasn’t a standard three-minute pop song with the usual hooks. It had a theme that ran throughout the different sections of the song. Already at eleven years of age, I loved to watch old black-and-white movies, and this twelve-minute song was about the magic of old films. If it had been about anything else, I’m not sure I would have gone down the road of progressive rock.

“Listen to ‘Tommy’ with a candle burning, and you’ll see your entire future.”

– from the film Almost Famous

My next step into that genre of rock came from the liner notes of The Friends of Mr. Cairo. I learned that Jon of Jon and Vangelis was Jon Anderson from the band Yes. My sister’s friend also had a Yes album, so I listened to that, too. (I think he even let me borrow a few albums to take home.) I’m pretty sure it was their 1971 album Fragile because I remember being blown away by the song Roundabout.

WHAT IS PROGRESSIVE ROCK?

Some of you may be wonder what exactly progressive rock is. One of the most important parts of prog rock is the complex approach to the music. It is not a standard Verse-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus of pop songs. Prog rock songs often have sections or movements. Along with those movements, they often will employ complex rhythm changes and polyrhythms. Some songs can even run the entire length of an LP side.

Content is another distinguishing factor of progressive rock. Lyrics often have lyrics that are inspired by science fiction or fantasy (Cf. Red Barchetta, by Rush, or the 23-minute Supper’s Ready, by Genesis). Sociopolitical themes are also a common focus of the lyrics. I immediately think of Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull. I would even argue the early works of Chicago fall into sociopolitical progressive rock.

PROGRESSIVE ROCK (& -ISH) BANDS

Here is a list of prog rock bands:

• Pink Floyd

• Yes

• Genesis

• King Crimson

• Electric Light Orchestra

• Emerson Lake and Palmer

• Jethro Tull

• The Moody Blues

• Procol Harum

• Queen

• Styx

• Kansas

• Supertramp

• The Alan Parsons Project

PROGRESSIVE ROCK SONGS MENTIONED ABOVE

Latest News

• What’s to tell? I’ve been packing for the move.

• Can I rat out my roommate and tell everyone that he bought a new Subaru last night? Too late. I published it.

Looking Ahead

• More packing. The day is nigh.

Arts & Entertainment

Books

It has been a slow week for reading. I move in ten days, and I already packed my books. I held back three of the four books I’m “actively” reading now, but I use that word lightly. I started to get more anxious about two weeks out. I’ve been doing some numbing/soothing activities and have spent less time reading (i.e., binge-watching television and playing computer solitaire).

Currently Reading

📗 The Dead Are Arising, by Les Payne & Tamara Payne. I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley about five years ago and thought it was a fascinating read. When I saw The Dead Are Arising won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, I wanted to read it, too. It sat on my shelf for a few years, but I started reading it for Black History Month this year.

📗 The Islam Book, by DK Books. It wasn’t a conscious choice to read this book at the same time as a book about Malcolm X, but it seems appropriate. I’m pretty sure I said it here before—Religious Studies is a focus of my personal studies. I want to learn more about Islam.

📗 Harbors & High Seas, by Dean King. I mentioned this in my book review for The Fortune of War last week. In the past I have opened the book up and looked at the chapter with the maps and other geographic information about the book I was reading at the time. Now I am reading the introduction and re-reading all the chapters up through the books I have read (six of them so far).

📗 Epictetus: Discourses, Books 3-4. The Encheiridion. Let me tell you something. When I was in a deep depression years ago (the type that saw me unemployed or underemployed because I was having trouble functioning), I got into a little Stoicism kick. I read The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and Discourses, Books 1-2, by Epictetus. It did help me get out of my funk, although therapy was a better help. I decided that second volume of Epictetus has been on the bookshelf unread long enough.

Film & Television

📺 “Grimm.” I have made a lot of progress as this has been my main source of numbing my move anxiety. I am in the fifth of six seasons.

Sports

⚽️ Sporting Kansas City. The team has already been knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. They lost both their games to Inter Miami in the first round of the competition. Next up: SKC hosts San Jose in their first league match of the season.

⚽️ I have a conundrum on which NWSL team to root for. Maybe I’ll send out a poll in the next week explaining why.

⚾️ Kansas City Royals. Spring Training is underway in Surprise, Arizona. I don’t pay attention to the scores. The first game of the regular season will be March 27 when the Cleveland Indians come to Kauffman Stadium.

That’s all I’m tracking right now. Major League Rugby may have started the season, but I will look into that before the next issue. Formula 1 racing is also in pre-season training.