Articles by Daryl Easlea

Daryl Easlea has contributed to Prog since its first edition, and has written cover features on Pink Floyd, Genesis, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and Gentle Giant. After 20 years in music retail, when Daryl worked full-time at Record Collector, his broad tastes and knowledge led to him being deemed a ‘generalist.’ DJ, compere, and consultant to record companies, his books explore prog, populist African-American music and pop eccentrics. Currently writing Whatever Happened To Slade?, Daryl broadcasts Easlea Like A Sunday Morning on Ship Full Of Bombs, can be seen on Channel 5 talking about pop and hosts the M Means Music podcast.

Articles by: Daryl Easlea

“I’m not going to say it’s a masterpiece, but it is a beautiful and a totally worthwhile entry in the Pink Floyd canon”: The highs and lows of Richard Wright’s solo work

By Daryl Easlea published 14 December 23

One of the quietest ‘quiet ones’ in music released just two solo albums and one collaboration, preferring to go sailing instead – and it’s unlikely there’s more to be found

“The disc of unreleased live material truly captures the excitement of this line-up in full flight”: The Yes Album Super Deluxe Edition

By Daryl Easlea published 5 December 23

Extended third LP, their first with Steve Howe, illustrates the amazing connection between musicians at the top of their game

“A slice of terrace commentary from a band more associated with croquet than soccer”: Genesis’ largely forgotten Spot The Pigeon EP

By Daryl Easlea published 5 December 23

Three tracks left off Wind & Wuthering gave Genesis their first Top 20 hit

“The rise of a fledgling group, but a collapse of an old one… A forensic timeline of how prog turned into punk”: Stewart Copeland’s Police Diaries

By Daryl Easlea published 6 November 23

Memoir offers eyewitness view as Curved Air and Soft Machine members lived through a changing of the musical guard

“They demanded a great deal from their audience”: 10 Pink Floyd concerts that show how they cemented their reputation for live brilliance

By Daryl Easlea published 18 October 23

The band’s greatest hits from 1967 to 2005, viewed from the audience

“David Gilmour doesn’t show anger often… that night, if he knew karate he’d have broken the table”: Fight over Comfortably Numb’s inclusion on The Wall was key moment in Pink Floyd’s history

By Daryl Easlea published 12 October 23

How the band changed dramatically between their first two shows at Earls Court in 1973 and their five-night return in 1981

"We’d been working on it for two weeks… Mike Oldfield had wiped it. There was no undo button. I was in shock. It was the only time it’s ever happened to me in 40 years": Trevor Horn's lows and highs

By Daryl Easlea published 4 October 23

Known as ‘the man who invented the 80s,’ producer and musician Trevor Horn always enjoyed sneaking prog into the mainstream

“A Black Sabbath audience was not our audience… but we knew how to sell it. We were never being serious musos – it was always, ‘We’ll entertain you, so you’ll enjoy it!’” The first two years of Gentle Giant

By Daryl Easlea published 18 September 23

From hating their name to challenging 15,000 people to a fight, the Shulman brothers’ battle for success left them badly bruised after four albums

Public Service Broadcasting - This New Noise (live)

“An enlightening, vital listen, underlining the importance of an institution treated as a political football”: Public Service Broadcasting’s The New Noise (Live)

By Daryl Easlea published 14 September 23

J Willgoose Esq, with assistance from the BBC Concert Orchestra and Michael Sheen, deliver a powerful case in support of the UK’s real-life public service broadcaster

A still image taken from Peter Gabriel's Don't Give Up video, featuring him and Kate Bush embracing

How a tragic accident united Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel in grief and led to one of prog's most inspired partnerships

By Daryl Easlea published 4 April 23

In 1979, an accidental death during Kate Bush's UK tour led to a chance meeting with Peter Gabriel, and a creative partnership was born from tragedy

Putting the X back in Propaganda

By Daryl Easlea published 12 December 22

With new/old outfit xPropaganda, singers Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag and producer Steve Lipson have struck art pop gold

Genesis, Peter Gabriel and Six Of The Best

By Daryl Easlea published 11 December 22

It's the reunion prog fans probably want more than any other. It happened just once. In 1982. And this is the story...

Kitten Pyramid - Kiddo: "an adventure from start to finish"

By Daryl Easlea published 9 December 22

Not yet rated

Buoyant but anti-carnivorous third album for Burton-based art-pop proggers.

The story of Genesis and Nursery Cryme

By Daryl Easlea published 12 November 22

With new drummer Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett bolstering their ranks, Genesis pushed the boat out with album No. 3

The making of Pink Floyd's The Endless River

By Daryl Easlea last updated 7 November 22

In November 2014, with the band seemingly lying dormant, Pink Floyd surprised everyone by releasing a final album

The 50 greatest Pink Floyd songs ever

By Fraser Lewry, Rob Hughes, Jerry Ewing, Henry Yates, Hugh Fielder, Mark Blake, Daryl Easlea, Tim Batcup, Glenn Povey last updated 20 September 22

From underground clubs to sold-out stadiums, Pink Floyd's path through rock has been revolutionary and stunningly successful. Here are their 50 best songs