OVER THE TOP – Yes & CLOSE TO THE EDGE neilsambrook@btinternet.com September 8, 2025 0 Comments Released in September ’72, ‘CLOSE TO THE EDGE’ was hailed as the ‘best prog-rock album to date’ which to some sounded the most back-handed of compliments. RANTS & REFLECTIONS Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Close to the Edge, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Yes
FOR WHOM THE BELLS SOLD – Mike Oldfield & ‘TUBULAR BELLS’ neilsambrook@btinternet.com March 22, 2018 Tubular Bells saw Mike Oldfield acclaimed as ‘the most important popular composer of the decade.’ RANTS & REFLECTIONS Dark Side of the Moon, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Frampton Comes Alive, King Crimson, Mike Oldfield, Pet Sounds, Quadrophenia, Richard Branson, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Tubular Bells, Van Morrison, Virgin Records, Yes
FULL TIME WHISTLE – ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test Live For One Night Only’ (Review) neilsambrook@btinternet.com February 26, 2018 For those who took rock music seriously, the ‘OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST’ was compulsive viewing. RANTS & REFLECTIONS Andy Kershaw, Anne Nightingale, Bob Harris, Danny Baker, Fairport Convention, Humble Pie, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Kiki Dee, Led Zeppelin, Old Grey Whistle Test, Peter Frampton, Pink Floyd, Richard Thompson, Stackridge, Steve Marriott, Yes
MINUTE BY MINUTE – 20 Songs over Seven Minutes That Don’t Outstay Their Welcome neilsambrook@btinternet.com September 11, 2017 Twenty Songs Over Seven Minutes That Don’t Outstay Their Welcome. ERIC CLAPTON: Taking his time………. LET'S LIST AGAIN Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Crosby, Eagles, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Gene Clark, Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Led Zeppelin, Mike Nesmith, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Stills & Nash, The Beatles, The Who, Van Morrison, Yes