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Latest news: Work has begun on The Strawberry Bricks Companion, a curated and annotated discography of the artists and groups from the timeline, 1967 to present. Due sometime in 2025.

Buy the book: The third edition of The Strawberry Bricks Guide To Progressive Rock is available for individual purchase through your country's Amazon website, including local shipping and Prime benefits: Amazon.com (US) | Amazon.co.uk (UK) | Amazon.ca (CA) | Amazon.de (DE) | Amazon.fr (FR) | Amazon.es (ES) | Amazon.it (IT) | Amazon.jp (JP) | Amazon.com.au (AU)

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Reviews for the Third Edition

Reviews for the third edition of The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive rock (will be updated).

Totally missed this review! Thank you Pete Pardo and Sea of Tranquility!

The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys > Traffic

Artist: Traffic
Label: Island Records
Catalog#: ILPS 9180
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-12
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
After their triumphant return, Traffic assembled a live unit with two members from Ginger Baker’s Airforce, bassist Ric Grech and percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah. Drummer Jim Gordon came in to allow Jim Capaldi to concentrate on vocals. Even Dave Mason returned for a few gigs in mid-1971, as documented on the interim live album, Welcome To The Canteen. However, the oddly titled The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys was another masterpiece for the band.

Untitled (IV) > Led Zeppelin

Artist: Led Zeppelin
Label: Atlantic
Catalog#: SD 7208
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-11
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Led Zeppelin was already a household name by 1971, due in part to Jimmy Page’s huge guitar riffs and singer Robert Plant’s voice and good looks. Their first two albums were mostly hard rock rip-offs of blues standards-albeit excellent hard rock rip-offs of blues standards. Their third album, however, stretched out musically, particularly with British folk influences; that’s further exploited here on “The Battle of Evermore,” a vocal duet with Fairport Convention’s Sandy Denny.

Pictures At An Exhibition > Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Artist: Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Label: Cotillion
Catalog#: ELP 66666
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-11
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s first major performance was at the Isle of Wight festival on August 29th, 1970, where they offered their rendition of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” It was a grand show, complete with cannon fire and Keith Emerson’s organ-flinging antics, and even filmed for posterity. (Their actual debut was six days earlier at the Plymouth Guildhall.) The album Pictures At An Exhibition, however, was recorded live in March of 1971 at the Newcastle City Hall. It follows Emerson’s “Nice” tradition of adapting classical compositions into a rock context.

Meddle > Pink Floyd

Artist: Pink Floyd
Label: Harvest
Catalog#: SMAS-832
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-11
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
After the critical (and self-critical) reaction to their previous album Atom Heart Mother, Pink Floyd spent a great deal of time on their follow-up, Meddle. The album is often mistakenly called “Echoes,” as the track of the same name encompasses the record’s entire second side. Except for a break to compile Relics, the band spent the better part of six months on the track, which they first played live under the name “Return of the Son of Nothing” in April 1971. Using Morgan, AIR (with 16-track capabilities) and Abbey Road Studios, the band finally finished the track in July.

Nursery Cryme > Genesis

Artist: Genesis
Label: Charisma
Catalog#: CAS 1052
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-11
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
After the upheaval that followed their last album, the core members of Genesis-Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford-forged ahead, adding two members who would be crucial to their future. Drummer Phil Collins, previously in Flaming Youth, was recruited at the recommendation of Charisma boss Tony Stratton-Smith. The band then spent a brief period as a four piece before the bearded and bespectacled guitarist Steve Hackett arrived, virtually without audition, from a Melody Maker advert.

Moving Waves > Focus

Artist: Focus
Label: Sire
Catalog#: SAS 7401
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-10
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
There’s a seeming tradition in the Netherlands, beginning with the original Dutch export Ekseption, of souping-up classical music themes into a rock format. Focus ventured onto this path, but borrowed more from the Baroque and Renaissance eras; and more importantly, used those influences to create something of their own. Keyboardist and flautist Thijs van Leer formed the group in 1969 as the pit band for the Dutch production of Hair. At the end of the year, guitarist Jan Akkerman was recruited from another Dutch rock band, Brainbox.

Galactic Zoo Dossier > Kingdom Come

Artist: Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come
Label: Polydor
Catalog#: 2310 130
Format: Vinyl
Country: United Kingdom
Released: 1971-10
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Success may have proved too much for Arthur Brown, as his attempts to keep the Crazy World together failed. Along with Drachen Theaker, Brown assembled a new band, provisionally called Puddletown Express, in late 1969. The lineup included saxophonist George Khan, organist Jonah Mitchell, bassist Dennis Taylor and guitarist Andy Rickell, aka “Android Funnel.” A follow-up to the Crazy World was recorded, but ultimately abandoned. (It did see release decades later as Strange Lands, as did the Brown-less Rustic Hinge recordings).

Pawn Hearts > Van Der Graaf Generator

Artist: Van Der Graaf Generator
Label: Charisma
Catalog#: CAS 1051
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-10
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Pawn Hearts would be the final statement of Van der Graaf Generator’s “first generation,” and they ended it with a masterpiece. The album’s first side contains “Lemmings (Including COG)” and “Man-Erg,” the latter being the only number that was previously road tested before the recording session. Both are full of VdGG mechanics: the relative calm of “Man-Erg” pierced by Hugh Banton’s hammering organ, while “Lemmings” plunges into even darker imagery, both lyrically and sonically.

Die Grüne Reise - The Green Journey > A.R. & Machines

Artist: A.R. & Machines
Label: Polydor
Catalog#: 2371 128
Format: Vinyl
Country: Germany
Released: 1971-09
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
One of Germany’s rock pioneers, Achim Reichel founded beat-era The Rattles, the country’s equivalent to The Beatles, with Herbert Hildebrandt and Dicky Tarrach in 1960. The band toured the UK with The Rolling Stones, supported The Beatles in 1966 and had an international hit, “The Witch” b/w “Geraldine” in 1970. Military service drew Reichel from the band in 1966 but upon discharge, he continued his musical career with the pop group Wonderland. At the start of the 70s, however, his interests in Eastern philosophies coincided with the burgeoning progressive trend.

Second Album > Curved Air

Artist: Curved Air
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Catalog#: WS 1951
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-09
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Infinitely more rewarding than their debut was Curved Air’s aptly titled Second Album. Bassist Ian Eyre replaced Robert Martin, the first in what would become an all-too-frequent occurrence for the band. The considerable musical talents of the classically-trained violinist Darryl Way and keyboardist Francis Monkman finally gel here, even though their compositions split the album’s sides. Way’s “Young Mother” (with lyrics from Sonja Kristina Linwood) opens and features some excellent synthesizer work from Monkman.