Passings...
Date: Sunday, December 11 @ 04:00:00 UTC
Topic: Band News (tours, comings/goings, etc)


Seems this news only gets updated when someone in the prog or nearly-prog... or at least rock realm... has passed. It isn't accidental... news moves so quickly and with so many other sources... this section has fallen by the wayside...

This is, however, one of those types of posts, as we saw the news today that founder and former member of Hawkwind - Nik Turner - passed away in November. The news is probably shared in many places; here is where we noticed: Cleopatra Records.

While Fleetwood Mac were not a prog band, they were and are a band whose music I like, so I was saddened to learn of the passing of Christine McVie earlier this month. Many of their beloved classics were written by McVie. Here's hoping today's generation doesn't recall the band because "Everywhere" is being used for a Chevy commercial* (here in the US at least).

Other recent passings: Vangelis, a composer of many works, but who probably most generally will be remembered for the soundtrack to the film Chariots Of Fire. I also think of his collaboration with Jon Anderson, his early prog band Aphrodite's Child, his soundtrack to Blade Runner...

I saw recently as well, that electronic composer Klaus Schultz had passed away in April. An electronic music pioneer, I would say that aside from his own solo work, he is next-best remembered for having been with Tangerine Dream for about a year, then with Ash Ra Tempel for a year. But his recorded work as a solo artist (which doesn't exclude collaborations) is his largest contribution to music.

I also recently learned that King Crimson founding member Ian McDonald died in February. You can hear McDonald playing flute, saxophone and more on the seminal and first Crimson album In The Court Of The Crimson King, but can also be heard on Red (one of my favorite Crimson albums) and Epitaph. Quite a world away, he later co-founded AOR rock band Foreigner (who this writer was a fan of in the day... more so their earlier albums than later ones).

While not new news to me, we did not mention at the time the passing of Big Big Train's vocalist/multi-instrumentallist David Longdon, who passed away more than year ago. Around the time of his passing, Longdon had recorded a solo album ("90% finished," the band note on their website), Door One, which was released posthumously. Big Big Train have a big big catalogue of work - 20 studio (or live) albums alone (plus EPs!). Some of them (so far) we have reviewed on this site.

In making sure I left no one out (and I'm sure I did anyway), we happened upon this page at progressiverockcentral.com/category/obituaries/, where you can read more on those I've mentioned (except McVie). Not to make you leave here - LOL - but they, too, post reviews, news, etc.

Our minimal editorializing here should not be reflective of how saddened we are about these individuals' passing.

* I say this as I recall that many years ago, whilst in a Tower Records, a young man (perhaps 18 y.o.) came up to ask me "is he any good?" whilst showing me a greatest hits compilation by John Lennon. He said something like the only song he knew was "Instant Karma" which was being used in a Nike commercial at the time. I cringed and imagined, metaphorically, that John was probably rolling over in his grave.







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