Joe Banks

Hawkwind playing a "peace festival" at Aldermaston, 3 April 1972 - a time when you were allowed to protest against something without being arrested for thought crime...

YouTube video by Rob F Van Der Graaf Generator Peel Session December 1971

Much excitement (from me at least) when I came across this on YT the other day - a kind person has posted a high quality version of VdGG's December 1971 Top Gear session, with only Refugees having previously been available. Inc a great version of Lemmings! www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mtn...

Seems to be playing OK?

YouTube video by Peter Hammill - Topic Solitude (Remastered 2025)

The first taste of the upcoming Peter Hammill boxset was released a few days ago, this remastered version of 'Solitude' from Fool's Mate - very nice sounding indeed: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBIz...
And here's a short clip of Peter talking about it! www.facebook.com/share/r/16nx...

Agreed, though there's certainly plenty of people who think it's how you sell magazines...

I've never read anything by DJ, but I get the impression I wouldn't like it if I did. Bet there's no mention of Nadir or Warrior either...

Ho ho, a profound point

APOLOGIES - someone who was wearing their glasses has pointed out that Pawn Hearts *is* in the list at 37 - but that does still mean The Least... is in there twice...

Oh, I missed that! That's a bit better for PH at least.

Yep, they couldn't even get that right

😀

Oh, nice. What did you do re the Pawn Hearts/The Least snafu?

Similar vibes, Bournemouth Winter Gardens, 1976...

Oh, note to editors: you have VdGG's The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other twice in the list at 47 and 199. I assume you meant to put Pawn Hearts at 47, which is otherwise missing...

The 200 Greatest Progressive Rock Albums...Ranked! Welcome back my friends… With the best progressive rock albums, you were on pretty safe ground judging the book (actually the record) by its cover. As you’d probably hope, with someone behind so many ...

Just saw this in WH Smith, published a week or so ago. Kind of predictable, but an interesting list nonetheless, particularly having VdGG's Godbluff at no.9 - hooray! Plus a 6-page piece on the band. Warrior and ASAM also represent lower down for Hawkwind www.uncut.co.uk/publications...

Charisma Records often seemed to have trouble knowing how to promote its artists, none more so than Peter Hammill. There'd been some peculiar strategies before, but this ad for Nadir's Big Chance - alongside Clifford T. Ward - is particularly perplexing, for both artists...

Thanks 😉

Sharp Suits and Sparkle: Jonathan Meades on Acid, Space and Place | The Quietus Before you read on, we have a favour to ask of you. If you enjoy this feature and are currently OK for money, can you consider sparing us the price of a pint or a couple of cups of fancy coffee. A ris...

In this week's @thequietus.com Digest... I've only seen bits and pieces of his stuff, but this is such a great interview. It's what happens when an interesting person with actual opinions is asked some decent questions... thequietus.com/interviews/j...

Great film, but I think I'd go for Gangster No.1, which came out around the same time?

‘Self-termination is most likely’: the history and future of societal collapse An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming unless inequality is vanquished

A sobering, and I think entirely accurate, assessment of the current state of the world. Plus an author photo that made me laugh out loud ;-) www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Ooh, @thequietus.com kindly reposted my Sabotage article from 10 years ago...

Cox's style is deliberately discursive, and sometimes verges on the whimsical, but I liked the multiple narrative viewpoints and the way it evoked childhood's natural state of magical realism (though his 8-year-olds do seem quite advanced). It's also slyly funny throughout. 2/2

Taking a short break from classic SF (although it does feature 'aliens', albeit disguised as alpacas), I've read Tom Cox's novel-cum-memoir 1983. Set in the working-class outskirts of Nottingham, I wanted to read this because I grew up around the same time in nearby Newark 1/2

It's no fun being a woman in a Paul Schrader film..

It's a less successful film than the other two, being tonally all over the place, with George C Scott moving from uptight Calvinist to porn impresario to clobbering-time avenger with dizzying speed. But his performance is terrific and there's a great (unreleased) OST 2/2

YouTube video by HD Retro Trailers Hardcore (1979) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

Saw Hardcore last night at the excellent @thenickelcinema.bsky.social, the third part of an unholy Paul Schrader trilogy that includes Taxi Driver and Rolling Thunder. Very much the same vibe: Angry Man In Pain Unravels In A World He Doesn't Understand... www.youtube.com/watch?v=boKe... 1/2

Good question, no details yet...

Peter Hammill Listen to content by Peter Hammill.

Pre-order here: peterhammill.lnk.to/CVRecordingsPR

Just announced!
Peter Hammill: The Charisma & Virgin Recordings 1971-1986, an 18CD+2Blu-Ray boxset to be released 26 September 2025. Inc Stephen W Tayler remixes of The Future Now & pH7 and the complete Skeleton Of Songs bootleg.
Full details here: drive.google.com/file/d/1-GYW... 1/2

You'll need to zoom in a bit, but here's a great pic of every cover of Hawkfan, Brian Tawn's legendary Hawkwind fanzine, a vital source of info re the band, particularly in the pre-internet era. First issue published in 1977 and still going strong today!