Prog Magazine Issue 137 (February 2023) Rick Wakeman

Rick's debut solo album The Six Wives Of Henry VIII is 50! We speak to Rick about how the album was made, and how it went down when he first played it back to his record company and its ensuing massive success. Plus we also chat with Rick about his brand new studio album A Gallery Of The Imagination and his impending live tour.

Also this issue we chat with Todd Rundgren about his epic and varied career, King Crimson ruminate over how they adapted to tackle the 80s, Michael Rother looks back over his work as a member of Neu! and Jim McCarty talks about his time as a member of Renaissance and Illusion!

Plus Riverside, Katatonia, Snarky Puppy, Enslaved, Elder, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Gandalf's Fist, Russian Circles, Dungen, Kitten Pyramid and more all discuss their latest albums.

There's also a (downloadable) 23-track Pelagic Records sampler featuring music from The Ocean, Playgrounded, Hypno5e, p.g.lost, Astrosaur and more...

Also in Prog 137...

Riverside - Mariusz Duda discusses expanding the band’s sound on new album ID.Entity.

King Crimson - those 80s years with Fripp, Bruford, Belew and Levin explored.

Elder - US quartet make more prog friends with new album Innate Passage.

Katatona - Jonas Renkse tells us why he opted for an almost upbeat sound on Sky Void Of Stars.

Bano del Muttuo Soccorso - the prog legends turn to an Italian epic to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Enslaved - the Norwegian prog metallers remain rooted in Norse mythology on new album.

Neu! - Michael Rother looks back over the history of the krautrock pioneers.

Dungen - Swedish psych quartet go progg!

Snarky Puppy - US jazz/funk/prog collective pay tribute to the city of Dallas on their latest.

Gandalf's Fist - Cumbrian proggers rock things up on the superstitious Widdershins.

Fenella - Jane Weaver and friends look to the occult for new inspiration on The Metallic Index.

Russian Circles - US post-rock trio battle against the odds.

Kitten Pyramid - UK experimental pop proggers embrace vegetarianism on new album Kiddo.

Todd Rundgren - Todd looks back on 50-plus years of making music with Nazz,
Utopia and as a solo artist and ponders whether his career could have survived going bald!

Jim McCarty - Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty recalls his time as a member of Renaissance and Illusion.

Dave Kerzner - the prog keyboard player on a world full of Genesis, Porcupine Tree and 70s disco bangers!

Plus new and reissue reviews of Haken, Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble, Van der Graaf Generator, Leprous, The Alan Parsons Project, Pink Floyd, Kansas, Steve Hackett, eMolecule, Transatlantic, Jade Warrior, Klone, Ayreon, Steve Jolliffe, Bill Nelson, Philip Selway and more…

This month we’ve seen gigs by IQ; a reborn Black Country, New Road; Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Franck Carducci.