27 Dec 2011
Album Review: Yes – In the Present: Live in Lyon
In some ways, Yes can be said to have ushered in the live album era of the 1970s. At the height of their fame, the group released Yessongs, a lavish 3LP set documenting their impressive and varied stage show. Excessive? Perhaps, a bit. But then this is progressive rock we’re talking about, so conventional notions
28 Sep 2011
CD Review: CIRCA: – And So On
I’ve long been a fan of Pete Frame’s rock family trees. Frame has a way of untangling the knotty threads of who-played-with-whom and presenting the information in a distinctive visual format. But even the redoubtable Frame would have a tough time keeping up with the members of Yes (don’t even get me started on King
05 Jul 2011
Yes: A History of Perpetual Change
In July 2011, progressive legends Yes released Fly From Here, their 18th (or 20th, depending on how and what you count) album of studio recordings. The one thing constant with Yes has always been change: Fly From Here marks a new – yet familiar — lineup of the classic band. On the eve of the
15 Feb 2011
Album Review: Cake – Showroom of Compassion
When Cake hit the scene more than a decade and a half ago, I was firmly in the not-impressed camp. John McCrea’s deadpan, atonal vocals left me cold, and the horns felt like a gimmick. They kept at it, though, and gained some critical notice. Like many bands that refused to cater to whatever the
16 Aug 2010
Album Review: District 97 – Hybrid Child
Prog is usually thought of as a man’s game, and not without strong evidence to support such a viewpoint. I remember attending a club gig by the amazing Frank Zappa tribute act Project Object; the audience was a veritable sausagefest, and the one woman in attendance didn’t “get” it: she spread a blanket on the
07 May 2010
Bootleg Bin: Yes – YesSessions
Here’s one for the prog fans. Yes was among the best groups to hybridize progressive and popular styles. With Jon Anderson‘s pliant upper-register vocal juxtaposed against Chris Squire‘s assertive bass playing, the group made complex music for the masses. The group boasted classically-influenced guitar from Steve Howe (or Peter Banks on the early tracks), inventive
21 Dec 2009
Essay: “My Brilliant Non-career” Part 1
When I was little my parents had this toy of a keyboard called a Magnus Chord Organ. Most 1960s homes seemed to have one. It was a two-and-a-half-octave affair, with (I believe) slightly undersized keys, and two rows of buttons that played “chords.” Black buttons were minor; white, major. Even as a child I loved
11 Mar 2008
About Bill Kopp / Musoscribe
Bill’s first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in February 2018. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Dawn of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. Depending on one’s interest, one is either amazed and entertained or bored to tears with Bill Kopp’s encyclopedic knowledge