The Progressive Underground Volume One

by Kev Rowland, Martin Springett (Cover Design)

Contrary to popular belief, progressive rock didn’t disappear with the advent of punk, and the lack of media support didn’t prevent new bands from forming and new music being created, it just drove it underground. It is hard to imagine these days, with everyone being permanently connected, but there was a time not long ago when communication was by word of mouth and letter. With no coverage by much of the media, it was down to fanzines and independent magazines to spread the word of what was actually happening in the scene, what was being released, and who was worth going to see in concert.

Most of these magazines survived for just a few issues, while others continued for many years, all having their part to play in spreading the word. One of the most important during this period was Feedback, which initially started as the newsletter of Mensa’s Rock Music Special Interest Group in 1988, but when Kev Rowland became secretary in 1990 he determined to turn it into a magazine promoting music which often wasn’t being written about in the mainstream press. Feedback soon became one of the key promoters of the underground progressive scene, and Kev one of the most well-known reviewers. He also became a contributor to Rock ‘n’ Reel, as well as later writing for the Ghostland website in the early days of prog on the web

The world had moved on by the time he emigrated to New Zealand in 2006, at which time he stopped running Feedback (which has just celebrated it’s thirtieth anniversary, now renamed Amplified). It was now possible to discover information about bands and releases through the internet and the many progressive rock sites which had been set up, and even the mass media had decided that maybe there was something in this prog thing after all.

But the period when Kev was running Feedback was very special in many ways, a time that has now long gone. This volume captures reviews undertaken by Kev when he was running Feedback, here from bands A-H, written within the context of the period by someone who was very close to the scene. Along with the other two volumes in this series, this shines a spotlight onto a period when there were very few writing about the music in a constructive manner. Finally, it is again possible to discover some great music from wonderful bands, and this should be used as a guide to expand collections and understand that prog rock really didn’t die, it just went underground.

304 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2018

About the author

Kev Rowland is a self-confessed music addict, who has never really been the same since he heard ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ in 1975. In the Eighties he spent quite a ridiculous amount of money on all things related to Jethro Tull and was asked by David Rees to write a piece on Carmen (the band including John Glascock, not the opera) for the Tull fanzine ‘A New Day’. This simple request was life-changing, although neither realised that at the time.

Following on from that, Kev wrote reviews for the Mensa RockSIG newsletter, before becoming secretary himself in 1990. Over the next 16 years, the newsletter gained a name, and he put out more than 80 issues, many of them doubles, in excess of 11,000 pages. When he moved to New Zealand in 2006, he retired from the music scene, but was pulled back in – initially kicking and screaming until he accepted his fate. These days he can be found contributing to many magazines and websites, is a columnist with the wonderful Gonzo Weekly magazine and is a special collaborator on www.progarchives.com which is designed to be the most important and comprehensive progressive rock resource on the web. Over the last three years he has reviewed more than 1800 albums of multiple genres.

When he isn’t listening to music, writing about music, or thinking about music, then he can be found on his lifestyle block in Canterbury with his wonderful and long-suffering wife Sara, and their 8 cats, 6 dogs, chickens, sheep, lambs, calves and cattle. Oh, apparently, he has a day job as well.

Reviews

[Nickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just the first of three volumes compiled and penned by Kev Rowland, the founder of Feedback Magazine, which explored the "progressive underground," and began under another name in 1988. This was after the first heyday of progressive music in the 1970's (with roots going back into the 1960's), but there was still plenty of music to be made that was undeniably what would be categorized as progressive, as there still is.
Kev documented and explored the scene of the 1980's up into about 2006, when he moved with family to New Zealand, where he continues to write staggering amounts reviews, but stepped down from Feedback. He states that at the time, Feedback had published 80+ issues and over 11,000 pages of print (issue #50 was 284 pages long).
Kev obviously loves what he does, loves the genre and several offshoots and makes it very clear in his reviews what various bands/artists are about in a way that you can quickly discern if you would want to pursue the listening side of things or not. This, after all, is what a great music reviewer does, making music somehow "hearable," through what they write about it, even if you haven't yet given it a listen.
Very much looking forward to the publication of Volumes 2 and 3, this belongs in every progressive music collector's library. I know have a list of 17 acts that I haven't heard and am quite keen on seeking out from reading the reviews from A through H.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you're in any way interested in the shape of Prog Rock in the 80s and 90s this series is the one to read, there are entries here for bands that appear nowhere else it's that comprehensive