In 2009 Stranglers bassist JJ Burnel dispelled the parable that punks hated prog, and illustrated his level via telling Prog how a Caravan tune had come to closely affect one of the most biggest-selling punk albums of all time.
“I were given into being attentive to prog rock thru Dave Greenfield, the Stranglers keyboard participant. When he joined the band a couple of 12 months after me, he would play me a large number of several types of tune, together with slightly slightly of prog – he used to be a large fan of Sure. And I did develop to love one of the crucial tune.
“The issue is: how do you outline the time period ‘prog rock’? It’s the sort of extensive church, isn’t it? This type of tune has the popularity of being musos’ tune – and once we first started that unquestionably wasn’t what our band used to be all about. Alternatively, I feel through the years we’ve turn out to be a musos’ band, which has helped me to comprehend what it’s all about.
“I’m now not anyone who’s devoted to anyone band. I’m extra into the songs than anything else. And there’s person who all the time sticks in my thoughts, as a result of I truly consider it to be wonderful – In The Land Of Gray And Red via Caravan, from the 1971 album of the similar name.
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“The primary time I heard the tune I’d smoked a large number of dope and it simply blew me away. I liked how it used to be organized and the intricacies happening. To me, it used to be any such tune by which you have to revel in getting misplaced. It made the sort of main affect on me that you’ll listen the affect working in the course of the Stranglers tune Down In The Sewer from our debut album (1977’s Rattus Norvegicus).
What proper did Johnny Rotten must slag off Red Floyd or Genesis, when he used to be in a boy band known as the Intercourse Pistols?
“I’m now not positive what number of people know this, but it surely’s if truth be told a collection. We put in combination 4 other portions to make up the general tune, and as such I suppose it used to be a modern rock quantity. It’s over seven mins lengthy – and a large number of the best way I organized the tune used to be right down to being attentive to that Caravan monitor.
“I feel there’s an terrible lot of bullshit spoken about what’s and isn’t punk or prog rock. Who makes up those regulations? There are songs we’ve achieved through the years that may be noticed as prog – and I wouldn’t deny it. Again at the beginning of the punk explosion, it was cool to slag off prog rock bands in public, as a result of we have been all intended to hate ‘the hippies.’ However what do you suppose those punk musicians have been doing once they were given house? Taking note of the bands they’d been having a pass at!
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“We were given stuck up on this nonsense for a twinkling of an eye, however then realised it used to be a load of toss. What proper did Johnny Rotten must slag off Red Floyd or Genesis, when he used to be in a boy band known as the Intercourse Pistols? After we were given out of that rut – having been ostracised via such a lot of of the ‘cool’ punk bands who’d been our buddies a couple of months previous – we was much more open to being truthful about what we preferred and what we didn’t.
“Some other prog rock vintage for me is Proprietor Of A Lonely Center via Sure. I really like the best way Trevor Horn organized it – the sound is shocking. Now, is that considered being true prog? It comes again to this complete factor about regulations, and striking tune into baggage. If you happen to truly are partial to modern rock, then it’s important to have an open thoughts for the whole thing.
“After we did the tune Stroll On Through [their Burt Bacharach cover on 1978’s album Black And White], we became it into one thing of an epic. Used to be {that a} prog rock interpretation? I’d say it most definitely used to be – however then anyone else may disagree.
“What’s and isn’t prog comes down in your working out of the time period, and the way numerous your style can also be. However for me, it all the time comes again to In The Land Of Gray And Red. The mere proven fact that I’m nonetheless happening about in the end those years displays what kind of an influence it made on me.
“And it doesn’t truly subject if I by no means heard anything from that band – you’ll listen the affect in my tune.”
