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1973: Prog half term

vibemaster

pfm Member
I got an e-mail this morning from an old schoolfriend, now in Hong Kong. He reminded me of a half term we spent in London when we were 17. Started with King Crimson at the Rainbow (Lark's Tongues), then Peter Hammill solo at the Wigmore Hall (just post Silent Corner and the Empty Stage). After the gig we were asked if we'd be an audience for Teddington filming of Genesis a couple of days later. So we caught a coach from Victoria and sat through take after take of 'I know what I like' and 'Selling England by the Pound'. I don't listen to much prog these days, but it reminded me of quite a remarkable trio of gigs.

At the Rainbow I picked up a copy of ZigZag magazine which introduced me to a far broader church than I had been listening to, preparing me for pub rock, punk and a lifetime of fun.

A good week's break from school.
 
Sounds like a fantastic week. VdGG and Crim are my favourite bands from that era. Mos envious.

The best week I had (gig wise) was Joy Division, Buzzcocks and The Undertones in Oct 1979.
 
If only I had been a bit older back then... I would have been, oh, seven years old. It took me another ten years or so to discover Genesis, and then the doors opened wide and the journey began...
 
That Crimson tour featured, not only Bill Bruford on drums, but also Jamie Muir on percussion, who was as mad as a bag of monkeys. He managed to slash open his hand on a big cymbal at Newcastle Gaumont while thrashing around and was spraying claret all over the kit.
I sold my already acquired Rod Stewart ticket for the City Hall when I found out KC were playing the same night.

Also during that time, our part-time group supported Wild Turkey at our hall of residence. Poor old Glen Cornick succumbed this year.
 
To start negatively, not my music.

However.............what a brilliant sounding week. A sort of musical coming of age that really takes me back. If we were more sentimental there could be a movie from this!!!! I feel a shiver of excitement just thinking about a week like that.
 
Vibemaster, I was at the KC Rainbow gig as well. Earlier that year I saw them at the Colston Hall, Bristol with Jamie Muir. Both great gigs.I remember the audience at the rainbow being a touch subdues until they went into 21st Century schizoid Man, then they erupted!
 
Including head? At Newcastle he seemed to be dressed in a fur coat and was bare-headed. I guess it could have been a gorilla suit.
That gig started with 21st C. Everyone chatting, lights on. Then the lights started to dim and a low note getting progressively louder until this tone was loud enough to drown conversation and it's completely dark - BAM, white lights on stage and we're into it big time.
All good
Mick
 
It was the full Planet of the apes' gorilla suit. He was thrashing around in a cage of percussion including 'bowl of pistachio shells'
 


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