Home

Welcome to *now mobile-friendly* Strawberrybricks.com

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)

Please follow the Album of the Day #progaotd on Twitter | Facebook | or via RSS

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!

Acquiring The Taste > Gentle Giant

Artist: Gentle Giant
Label: Vertigo
Catalog#: VEL-1005
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-08
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
The title of Gentle Giant’s second album, Acquiring The Taste, was of course a reference to their musical oeuvre. The liner notes insist, “It has taken every shred of our combined musical and technical knowledge… to expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music.” And there you have it: the progressive ethos! The band plays what seems to be an orchestra of instruments over the course of the album. From the baroque recorders on “Wreck” to the alto and tenor saxophones of “The Moon Is Down,” Giant extend the range of their music in a genuinely eclectic way.

In Hearing Of > Atomic Rooster

Artist: Atomic Rooster
Label: Elektra
Catalog#: EKS-74109
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-08
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Judging by the success of their last album and single, this was indeed the year of the Rooster (though technically, it was the Year of the Boar). Another single, this time penned by John Du Cann, was released in July. “Devil’s Answer” b/w “The Rock” was a hit, reaching No. 4 on the UK charts. However, the creative differences between Du Cann and Vincent Crane had come to a head. Crane recruited vocalist Pete French, formerly in Leafhound, to re-record Du Cann’s vocals on the nearly completed album.

Fool's Mate > Hammill, Peter

Artist: Peter Hammill
Label: Charisma
Catalog#: CAS 1037
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-07
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Having already spent most of the year on tour with VdGG, Peter Hammill’s first solo album was recorded in what must have been an exceptionally busy year for him. As a solo artist, Hammill was a slightly different creature. It wouldn’t be incorrect (at this stage) to call the singer-songwriter acoustic; but in true progressive tradition, his song-form certainly was original. The album, as Hammill states on the liner notes, is “an album of songs rather than a musical extravaganza” (that of course, he was saving for the next VdGG album).

Jade Warrior > Jade Warrior

Artist: Jade Warrior
Label: Vertigo
Catalog#: VEL 1007
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-06
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Immediately recognizable by their Orient-inspired album covers, Jade Warrior formed around the duo of guitarist Tony Duhig and percussionist Jon Field. During the mid-to-late 60s, the two drifted through a series of bands, eventually forming July with Tom Newman. Adopting the name Jade Warrior, the pair then recruited Glyn Havard on vocals and bass and secured a contract with Vertigo, reportedly because they shared the same management as Afro-rock band Assagai (also courted by Vertigo). Though the Jethro Tull comparisons are inevitable, their music occupies a much different space.

Tarkus > Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Artist: Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Label: Cotillion
Catalog#: SD 9900
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-06
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
If Emerson, Lake & Palmer had earned a “flash” rock reputation through their live appearances, their second album Tarkus offered up more than something in their defense. Encompassing the first side of the album, the seven-part “Tarkus,” excellently depicted on the album sleeve by William Neal, relates a story of reverse evolution, in a battle between a mythical Manticore and a tank/armadillo beast Tarkus. More importantly, it’s where ELP-and Keith Emerson in particular-buckled down for some serious composition; what they present is nothing short of impressive.

In The Land Of Grey And Pink > Caravan

Artist: Caravan
Label: London Records
Catalog#: PS 593
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-04
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Caravan’s third album sports a fine cover illustration from Anne Marie Anderson; on the turntable, the album steps up a notch from the group’s previous efforts. Richard Sinclair’s affable (and perennial favorite) “Golf Girl” kicks off; its concise pop, Caravan-style, while “Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly)” offers more of the same. David Hitchcock’s production and the band’s instrumentation are immaculate, while the melodies and lighthearted subject matter are, again, typically Canterbury.

Aqualung > Jethro Tull

Artist: Jethro Tull
Label: Reprise Records
Catalog#: MS 2035
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-03
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
On Aqualung, the lines began to blur between myth and man: Is Jethro Tull Ian Anderson? Is Anderson Aqualung? Is Aqualung Jethro Tull? Like the disheveled character on the album’s cover, or the band’s portrait on the gatefold, Anderson and the rest of Jethro Tull become larger than life with Aqualung-and in fact, became all three.

The Polite Force > Egg

Artist: Egg
Label: Deram
Catalog#: DES 18056
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-02
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Step back a few years to the oddly named Uriel, from which Egg was (sorry) hatched; founded in 1968 by bassist Mont Campbell, guitarist Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart, who reportedly only took up the organ because he was intimidated by Hillage’s superior guitar playing. They eventually recruited Clive Brooks on drums through a Melody Maker advert. Uriel played bluesy psychedelia, self-described as part Cream and part The Nice. The band gigged sporadically around London and recorded one album posthumously, released under the more pleasant moniker, Arzachel.

Death Walks Behind You > Atomic Rooster

Artist: Atomic Rooster
Label: B & C Records
Catalog#: CAS-1026
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1971-01
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
For Atomic Rooster’s next lineup, Vincent Crane teamed up with the talented guitarist John Du Cann, previously in the psychedelic band Andromeda, and Crane’s own foot and left hand (on the lower manual of the organ) instead of a bassist. Ric Parnell briefly played drums, but not before Du Cann instead brought in Paul Hammond. Thus constituted, the trio of Crane, Du Cann and Hammond would burn bright during their short existence. Early in 1971, the band released their second album, Death Walks Behind You.

Lizard > King Crimson

Artist: King Crimson
Label: Atlantic
Catalog#: SD 8278
Format: Vinyl
Country: United States
Released: 1970-12
Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
King Crimson's third album found Robert Fripp and Pete Sinfield back in the studio just months after the release of their previous album, In The Wake Of Poseidon. Andrew McCulloch, post-Manfred Mann, came in on drums, joining the returning Mel Collins and Gordon Haskell (who also provided bass guitar). "Cirkus" opens the album and quickly descends into a typically foreboding Mellotron line; but there is a difference this time around: on Lizard, the Crim sound is exclusively constructed in the studio as this would be the only King Crimson lineup that did not play live.