As far as the more casual observer is concerned, the prog rock revival of the 80s was kicked off by Marillion and their ‘Market Square Heroes’ EP and subsequent hit album ‘Script for A Jester’s Tear’ in 1983. Marillion certainly flew the flag for prog’s unexpected commercial success during that decade, but the rumblings of a brilliant, but terminally unfashionable musical revival had actually begun much earlier.
Author Archives: Real Gone
Listen: Looking Glass War present a new track ‘See You In Hell, Liberty Bell’
Looking Glass War released the enjoyable ‘Where Neon Meets The Rain’ EP in 2023, introducing people to their blend of gothic rock, alternative sounds and dark pop-ish vibes. ‘See You In Hell, Liberty Bell’ marks a welcome return for the Boston band, and on this track, they sound more inspired than ever.
REAL GONE GOES OUT: Simple Minds – Dreamland, Margate, Kent 20/6/2024
Simple Minds are no strangers to Margate. They previously visited the seaside town in 2013 on a Greatest Hits tour, and again two years later, promoting ‘Big Music’ – arguably been the best Simple Minds record in many a year. Both gigs took place in the currently closed Winter Gardens, and the band’s presence in the shabby listed building seemed like a bit of a departure from their 80s arena days. It’s also been said that, around that time, Jim Kerr’s voice was supposedly not as good as it had been, but for the hardcore fans, these shows were still well received.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #57
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have appeared in our inbox over the past few weeks. As we approach the middle of 2024, the submissions haven’t slowed down. This week, we bring you a pop laden treat, a couple of melodic punkers, a really great jazz track, an absolutely gold standard offering from a great singer songwriter, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy. If you do, then why not drop by and tell us? We’d love to hear from you…
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VARIOUS ARTISTS – Psych!: British Prog, Rock, Folk & Blues 1966-1973
The world isn’t short of great psych and prog themed anthologies. The fact is, if you’re a keen psych/freakbeat/early prog fan, you’ve probably got those Cherry Red sets bringing together a wealth of stuff from between 1967-69, the many ‘Rubble’ releases, and more besides. Why should you add another psych oriented release to your already solid collection of compilations? Simply that ‘Psych!: British Prog, Rock, Folk & Blues 1966-73’ brings together a wealth of great music in less of a scattershot manner. Its three disc, sixty four track selection celebrates the more “out there” releases from Decca Records and their Deram off-shoot, and in doing so, plays more like a journey through an ever changing landscape from a more focused perspective, showing how the label often found themselves at the forefront of one of history’s most exciting periods in music.