Latest articles by Sid Smith
King Crimson offshoot Beat leader and Bowie, Shatner and Hancock collaborator has long been confident that the future is secure on the road – which pleases him because he loves it
Robert Fripp, Ian Anderson, Steven Wilson, Martin Scorsese, Mike Portnoy, Tom Morello, Trevor Rabin and many others share their thoughts on the Progfather
When Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt and Mike Ratledge created the Canterbury scene via Soft Machine’s first record, they’d already split up
From a backstage performance for Curved Air to being dragged onstage by Frank Zappa and out-complicating King Crimson, the UK violinist has managed to ignore distractions from making music
The drummer – who’s also worked with Captain Beefheart, UK and others – recalls his time with Allan Holdsworth and two King Crimson members as a career high
Canterbury scene guitarist and producer explains how “the modern equivalent of shamanism” has run through his life – along with a nugget of advice from Jimi Hendrix
If someone hadn’t left a bass behind in the band’s rehearsal room, leading to a change of role for their newly-hired singer, their career might well have ended before 1971’s Islands
They may have traded in the pop world, but their go-to inspirations included King Crimson and Can – and the artists they influenced in turn cross many genres
Lyricist, art director, producer and all-round creative who aimed to enlighten, provoke or stir died in November 2024 without being fully aware of what he’d achieved
A six-decade career full of kindness – and occasional volatility – came to an end when the folk-tinged prog icon died aged 85 in 2025
Guitarist who failed his first audition recalls making 1972 debut album for just £5,000
Used as a byword for musical over-indulgence, 1973 album fought its creators every step of the way – right down to its master tapes nearly being crushed by a bus
The late folk-prog bassist’s compendium of collaborations came about through a creativity and commitment that – as he admitted himself – had a dangerous downside
Previously regarded as purveyors of complex art, their 1981 version of 60s weepie It’s My Party spent a month at No.1. The “intelligent pop” couple explain how it affected their later output
Guitarist’s mid-70s juggling act proved his previous band’s worth via their LP Mainstream, assembled in a rush while he was tracking solo debut Diamond Head
Theo Travis on tempting fate, revisiting a tradition, being the best-tempered line-up since the beginning in 1966, and adding a posthumous appearance by co-founder Daevid Allen
Maybe the fact that King Crimson’s Robert Fripp had been hired to produce and play on the 1977 project was enough to scare the suits
The prog polymath felt Orchestra Futura’s performances should be left as one-off experiences. But Theo Travis and Dave Sturt persuaded him to release Live At Nelsonica & Clothworkers Hall
Yes guitarist looks back on starting to play without learning to read music, the wide range of career options he had, and names the album he regards as his greatest achievement
He explains his lifelong passion for innovator’s style and attitude – while a member of Steven Wilson’s band offers another perspective of the man at work
John Wetton recalled a unique proposal in Italy as he argued that the band had plenty of edgy adventures – they just didn’t get caught
Singer and future A&R icon recalls what the Fab Four meant to him, why Hendrix made him break up his first big band, and the truck stop where he met Syd Barrett, Eric Clapton and others
Former King Crimson man Pete Sinfield tried to balance prog and pop sensibilities on the 1972 single, and had answers for the criticisms levelled at it
