Reynolds:

“I’ve still not heard the Gabriel-era Genesis… [Bradley Smith reccomends] Genesis — The Lamb Lies On Broadway”

Ooh, you’ve missed out, though I’m not an expert. This album is a goodie cos it has Carpet Crawlers on it which is a fabulous tune.

My recommendation: Seconds Out — though of course this is with Phil on vocals. Double Gatefold Live Album naturellement. There’s two related reasons for recommending this. One is that, cos it has Phil singing, it has Chester Thompson drumming on it. Chester is of course funky as fuck even during the noodliest progouts (cf: Hillage, whose fave band throughout the 70s was Earth Wind and Fire). Secondly, it has I know What I Like And I Like What I Know on it, like Zappa without too much guitar and with an extra helping of melody, I defy you to listen to this without singing along. Marvellous music. There’s some good sample fodder on here BTW.

Bear in mind that there’s loads of indulgent wank in these records, but that shouldn’t put off anyone who listens to the shite the Wire reviews. Oi oi!

Should I tell you a few Essex hippy stories about Marillion yet? Thought not…