Contemplating the End and the Beginning
Jerry Lucky Commentary January 2010
Copyright Jerry Lucky © 2010 All Rights Reserved
It seems impossible at this time of year, not to spend a few minutes reflecting on the past year and thinking about the new
one. Assuming all went reasonably well we tend to be somewhat wistful about the past 12 months…it’s time that is now gone…
and we also tend to be hopeful for the next twelve months …because we get to do it all over again. Like any year, 2009 was eventful, better
for some than
others I’d be willing to bet. With that in mind I have a few thoughts…
Musically I’d call 2009 a pretty good year with some great
releases. In my own efforts to provide an arena of promotion The Progressive Rock Files website posts at least three new CD or DVD
reviews every two-weeks. That’s about 78 new discs, most of which were provided by bands and artists looking for exposure. Let me
take a moment to thanks all of you who sent material my way, I know that postage isn’t cheap and I want you to know I appreciate being
on your mailing list. Being able to download a disc isn’t quite the same as holding it and actually seeing the liner notes in my hand.
Call me old-school.
Needless to say, I purchased quite a few discs in 2009 as well. Put it all together and the year had quite
a few highlights. Just off the top of my head, I thought the new Dream Theater’s Black Clouds and Silver Linings was one of their
better sets of music, Porcupine Tree came out with a stellar release in The Incident, Phideaux’s Number Seven was thoroughly captivating,
IQ’s Frequency added another worthy disc to that band’s catalogue, Saga released The Human Condition with their new lead vocalist
who acquitted himself quite nicely, And everyone was pleased to see Transatlantic and the Enid back together and touring.
The highly anticipated Genesis Box Set Reissue of the early years came out and pleased a lot of fans with the remixing and bonus features.
King Crimson started reissuing their back catalogue remixed and in 5.1 compliments of Steven Wilson. And that hardly even scratches
the surface of the music we all listened to.
We learned that Expose magazine was going to evolve into an online only publication.
At the time of writing they had planned for only three more issues making #40 the last printed hurrah. Progression magazine was still
making its way into people’s homes and the
One of the year’s highlights was being interviewed for Classic Rock present PROG. In
the discussion with Malcolm Dome we chatted about the growing acceptance of the progressive genre within the music business and with
the younger musicians. Witness bands such as Muse, We are the City, Mew, Bend Sinister, Pure Reason Revolution and others who now
are whole heartedly able to announce their prog influences without feeling ashamed or worried about suffering any form of back-lash.
Dome summed it up neatly by saying that in England Prog is no longer a dirty word. That if anything is something to thankful for in
2009.
So what about 2010? What can we hope for the New Year?
Needless to say we’d all like more music, that’s obvious,
but what I’d really like to see is more bands being able to put food on their table by doing what they love. Whether that comes from
more people buying more of their music or band’s having more opportunity to play live in concerts and festivals it makes no matter
to me. I’d just like to see more artists being properly rewarded for the music they make for us to listen to. If that were to happen,
it would mean even more good music will find its way across our CD players.
Here’s looking forward to, not just hoping for, a
prosperous 2010.
Jerry Lucky
(1/1/10)