Ed’s Letter

Hello, and welcome to the new issue of Prog magazine. Do you have a favourite period of Rush? I’ll hazard a guess most readers would opt for the 70s era of kimonos, side-long sci-fi epics and dubious facial hair. And with good reason. But as we moved into a new decade, I remember being equally intrigued with where Rush were headed, and 1982’s Signals has remained in my top three Rush albums ever since!

Of course not everyone felt the same way. I remember the letters page of Sounds, my then chosen music paper, being full of missives from irate fans – Christ, imagine what the internet would have been like then?! – but I think the majority of fans understood that Rush were on a journey. No one knew exactly where they were headed, but most were happy to go along for the ride. As Alex Lifeson says, in Dave Everley’s in-depth cover feature on page 28, “We were in a rock band, in a recording studio, making a record – how does life get better than that?”

Elsewhere this issue, fellow Canadians and Rush devotees Crown Lands tell us all about their own Rush fandom – I have the Starman logo tattooed on my arm, but Kevin Comeau went one better and has it on his butt! – Bruce Soord interviews his hero Alan Parsons, and legends Jethro Tull and Hawkwind tell us all about their new studio albums.

Pink Floyd author Mark Blake sat down for a fascinating chat with Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell as he lifts the lid on the fun and games he had with the late Storm Thorgerson as co-founder of the groundbreaking Hipgnosis design team, and we get up to speed with Exploring Birdsong, Rain, King Gizzard, Plank, Silver Moth, Matt Dorsey and more.

And do enjoy our free Twelfth Night, Friends And Family downloadable sampler – see page 7 for details of how to access the music.

We’re back on May 19 with a real exclusive treat for you. Until then, stay safe and prog on…