Esoteric’s view of Prog in 1975.

Release Date: 30th August 2024

Label: Cherry Red / Esoteric Records

Format: 4CD clamshell box set

We do love these sets of what some might define as ‘the Prog years’. Having made our way from 1972 to 1974, we find ourselves mid-decade and the usual format of the tried and trusted, the familiar bands and to some extent but not always, familiar songs and then the discoveries of those that flew under the radar for some of us. However, by this juncture in the series, there aren’t so many unfamiliar names. Just give a sigh of thanks that The Utopia Strong’s arch Prog/Psych maestro Steve Davis hasn’t been on compilation duty…

Progressive giants Camel, Steve Hillage, Steve Hackett, Stackridge, Yes, Gentle Giant, Hawkwind, Be Bop Deluxe, Peter Hammill, Procol Harum, PFM, Nekatr, Soft Machine and Man far outweigh the lesser known names – Babe Ruth, Wigwam, Clive John, Global Village Trucking Company and Kestrel. And then there’s Hatfield And The North, a band of sufficient note to have earned their own chapter in Mike Barnes lengthy A New Day Yesterday book that examines British Prog of the 70s.

In fact we’ll stay with Mike and pick up on his chapter in the same tome entitled 1974 – The tipping Point. He quotes Robert Fripp saying how by this time all Progressive bands should have ceased to exist. Journalist Chris Welch is also of the opinion that the Proggers were running out of steam too. Consider the evidence. Genesis and Peter Gabriel had parted company, ELP and arguably Yes were past their peak, Tull had made their big statements and were about to head Folkwards, Van der Graaf Generator had also fizzled out and Dark Side Of The Moon had set a standard that no-one would ever really touch again.

However, despite the lack of Genesis on the 1975 collection, Esoteric/Cherry Red has done a decent job of showing the best of the year. It’s quite apt that Caravan’s friendly The Show Of Our Lives does the job of curtain raising on a first disc that places more emphasis on the pastoral and spiritual side of Prog. Renaissance’s Ocean Gypsy, Stackridge’s Rufus T. Firefly and Alan Hull singing Esquire dispel some of the myths about the pomposity and wizards/goblins/cloaks associated with the genre. It’s left to the double ‘H’ combo of Hawkwind and Hillage to offer some celestial offerings over the first half of the set. The Salmon Song is a bonafide and underrated classic guitar riff and the Solar Musick Suite expands not only the mind but also stretches the boundaries of improvised experimentation.

It would hardly be imaginable not to include more entires filed under ‘H’ as Peter Hammill’s solo work with a selection from Nadir’s Big Chance; just in case anyone might be missing VdGG, they appear with Arrow from the Godbluff and Still Life era that saw something of a renaissance in their work. And while we’re on the subject, amazingly 1975 is also the start of the Steve Hackett solo career with Voyage Of The Acolyte represented by Star Of Sirius and Shadow Of The Hierophant that seem much less than almost fifty years old. A reminder too that the year was the one of the Alan Holdsworth led version of Soft Machine and what a proposition the Bundle album was with him firing on all six strings.

The five hours served up lashings of keyboards of every description, Procol Harum’s ‘that sounds familiar’ response to Pandora’s Box, the under the radar Fruupp on Sheba’s Song and the dreamy contributions from Kestrel’s Wind Cloud and Druid’s Towards The Sun. It’s the third disc of the set that throws in a few curve balls. Wigwam’s heavier rock Pig Storm might easily be a Blue Oyster Cult track given the opening passage of this instrumental track and the Alex Harvey Band’s Give My Compliments to The Chef brings a touch of cabaret blues to the party.

Gentle Giant’s deliberately challenging visions add to the quirky arm of the Prog genre – where would you find the line “the ostrich always gets his man, he jumps out from a bush“? Stackridge’s No One’s More Important Than The Earthworm. The period is also the rise of PFM from Italy, showcasing the European Prog contribution, who feature twice and as the genre becomes even more stretched, String Driven thing channel a little of the Santana in Starving In The Tropics as Global Village Trucking Company’s Watch Out There’s A Mind About rely on the tried and trusted with a musical hint of something from Topographic Oceans

The fourth disc sees a return to the theme of pastoral Prog. Hatfield And The North offer a sincere and folky Didn’t Matter Anyway and the BJH lush harmonies are highlighted again on the second of the John Lees selections from Time Honoured Ghosts. Both Caravan and Renaissance are again featured on extended workouts, earning their Prog stripes, the former pitching in with changes of direction between the funky and the jazzy on The Dabsong Conshirtoe.

This compilation reveals that 1975 was indeed one to challenge the naysayers. A year where a great deal of excellent, diverse and creative music continued to be produced by artists for an audience for whom the album was the important format and the iconic television series The Old Grey Whistle Test was essential viewing. From the psychedelic sonic experimentation of Hillage and Hawkwind to the singing songwriting of Al Stewart, the breadth of the Prog genre is offered as evidence in the case for the defence.

As usual, as is the case with these sets, it brings to the fore the bands and the music that flew under the mainstream Prog radar.

However, here’s one of the big bands of the era with a personal favourite piece of music:

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