Kevan Furbank – författare

1974 was probably the last of the 'golden years' of the first wave of progressive rock. It was a year in which the classic bands that came to define the genre released some of their most acclaimed albums, the long players that, more than 50 years later, are still cherished by discerning music lovers. Find an old proghead and watch their eyes light up at the mention of Relayer by Yes, King Crimson's Red, Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt, Hero And Heroine by The Strawbs, Supertramp's Crime Of The Century and You by Gong.In this indispensable book, music writer Kevan Furbank delves into the past to unearth the vinyl gems that made the miserable mid-Seventies more bearable. Travel with him to Hergest Ridge with Mike Oldfield, visit Todd Rundgren's Utopia, accompany Rick Wakeman on a Journey To The Centre of The Earth and discover why Hatfield And The North was more than just a British road sign.Furbank reveals how and why the albums were recorded and what inspired the songwriting, ranging beyond the music to the political and social upheavals of the time. Which cigarette company dictated the cover design for Camel's Mirage? Which motorway led to Kraftwerk recording Autobahn? How did Richard Nixon inspire Gentle Giant on The Power And The Glory? And why did Frank Zappa tell us not to eat the yellow snow?All these questions and more will be answered in 1974: Progressive Rock Comes Of Age. It may seem like the dim and distant past. But for many people, this music is still alive and kicking. As Peter Gabriel said in the year's double album epic from Genesis, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway: 'It is here. It is now.'

The prevailing wisdom is that, in 1977, punk rock killed prog - presumably by drowning it in spittle. But is this really true? Not at all! Prog didn't just survive what turned out to be the short-lived rule of the barbarians, it evolved and arguably, prospered. And in 1977 - the year punk supposedly conquered the world (well, the UK anyway) - many of our most well-established progressive rock bands released some of their best albums, including Pink Floyd's Animals, Going For The One by Yes, Rush's A Farewell to Kings, Jethro Tull's Songs From The Wood and the debut from American band Happy The Man, while Godley and Creme released their astonishing triple album Consequences. These were infinitely varied takes on a genre that was still - for a while at least - in rude health despite the column inches devoted to punk.In this informative, readable and - for punk fans at least - annoying book, Kevan Furbank looks at the progressive rock bands and albums that left punk reeling in the moshpit. To misquote the Sex Pistols, never mind the b*llocks - here's the progressive rock of 1977.

1972 was the year Progressive Rock came of age, when bands and artists still revered today produced some of their most ground-breaking, inventive, and enduring musical creations. In this fascinating and absorbing book, Kevan Furbank looks at some of the artists and albums that made 1972 such a watershed in musical achievement.He follows their development from the first tentative notes and chords to the full-blown recordings that, more than 50 years later, are still seen as the masterpieces of the genre, and the gold standard by which all Progressive Rock is judged.Travel Close To The Edge with Yes, dance a Foxtrot with Genesis, tussle with Gentle Giant’s Octopus and discover you don’t have to be Thick As A Brick to enjoy Jethro Tull’s 40-minute opus. There’s a Trilogy by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, some Demons And Wizards from Uriah Heep, and a Grave New World courtesy of The Strawbs.The author also Focuses on manic yodelling, the End Of The World, an island Obscured By Clouds and a cult album that could be hobbit-forming. Written with passion and wit, the book is a must-have book for every music-lover with an open mind and open ears.

Every now andthen, a band comes along that defies convention, refuses to be pigeon-holed,thumbs its nose at comfy predictability and blows raspberries at commercialwisdom. That band is Gong. From 1970 to the present day, Gong have ploughed aunique musical furrow - part progressive rock, part spacey psychedelia, partproto-punk, ambient trance, drum 'n' bass and absurdist political performanceart. In this revised and updated edition,long-time fan Kevan Furbank examines all the Gong albums from Magick Brother in1970 to 2023's Unending Ascending and chronicles the stories behind eachrecording. He examines the songwriting, arrangements and mythology thatinspired each track - with new insights from, amongst others, the currentfantastic Gong line-up, bassist Mike Howlett, violinist Graham Clark andguitarist Josh Pollock. He salutes the many great musicians who havepassed through Gong in the last 50-odd years, including guitar hero SteveHillage, drummer Pierre Moerlen, flute and sax maestro Didier Malherbe and, ofcourse, whimsical visionary and Gong founder Daevid Allen. The author alsodiscusses the off-shoots of the Gong family tree - including Mother Gong,Gongmaison and Pierre Moerlen's Gong. If youhave never heard any Gong, this book is the perfect introduction. If you have,you will want to go back and revisit the glorious music this band has made

It was the year the Sixties really started swinging - the Summer of Love, when the Rolling Stones said 'We Love You' and The Beatles pointed out that 'All You Need Is Love'. At the centre of the year's tumultuous social and cultural change was the mind-expanding music called psychedelic rock, a multi-coloured mixture of amazing sounds, when imagination and experimentation ran riot and the old musical boundaries were torn down in a haze of hallucinogenic abandon.Kevan Furbank looks at the roots of psychedelic rock and examines the contributions made by some of the biggest bands of the year, including The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Love, Pink Floyd and The Beach Boys.He examines the hits and misses, the successes and failures, the bands that were born to be psychedelic and those that had psychedelia thrust upon them - sometimes with disastrous results. And he shows how the genre planted the seeds for other forms of popular music to take root and flourish. If you love music and want to know why 1967 was such a watershed year, then you will want this book. It is eye-popping, mind-opening and horizon-expanding - and a splendid time is guaranteed for all.Kevan Furbank is Managing Editor of the Irish Daily Mirror and has been a journalist on local and national newspapers for nearly 40 years. He has published books on local history and written stories, articles and columns on practically every subject under the sun. This is his third book for Sonicbond, his first two being Fairport Convention and Gong in the On Track series. His music tastes encompass prog, rock, folk and jazz and in his spare time, he likes to pretend he can play guitar, bass and mandolin. He lives in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and is married with two grown-up daughters, both of whom are better musicians than he is.