Spring 1965: A narrow, attractive, shy man travelled by ship from New York to England. He has a suitcase full of cash, $110,500 that he had an insurance company pay him out of, a guitar and a beguilingly soft voice. The newcomer is Jackson C. Frank, is twenty-two and has the dream to record his debut album in London. Ten compositions are available.

Frank knows that two of his role models - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel - are touring England right now. Despite his notorious shyness, he makes contact with the two of them, gets to know the young folk heroes Al Stewart and Sandy Denny through them, and finally really gets Paul Simon to produce his album, while Denny falls in love with the young lad.

Reunions seem to be the order of the day in the current rock business. The times in which bands like the Beatles or Led Zeppelin separated once and for all are over. Anyone who breaks up today will come together again, it's only a matter of time. It is not uncommon for separation to take place only in order to unite again one day - not too far away - in a way that is effective for the public.

We can confidently forget many of these reunions, because they have virtually no meaning. It's different with the Afghan Whigs. From the late eighties until shortly before the turn of the millennium, Greg Dullis' troupe made an amazing transformation from garage punk to white soul. When all was said and done, she split up. A decade and a half later, she now comes together again to lay down one of the most important records of her career

Asia started 2006 again in the original line-up with many advance laurels. John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe. Again and again great live performances followed the three studio albums that the quartet had recorded since then. But the magic of "Asia" (1982) and "Alpha" (1983) did not reach the top personnel anymore despite several good compositions. Howe's renewed withdrawal and the enthronement of Sam Coulson in his mid-twenties have the effect of an overdue fresh cell cure.

eclipsed: Without digression: Wasn't the step from Howe to Coulson long overdue for Asia?

John Wetton: I don't want to throw dirt at Steve afterwards. It was a big thing for all of us that the Ur-Asia came together again 25 years after the foundation. It had a private, human and musical dimension. To Steve: The qualities of someone like Steve Howe don't have to be emphasized. He's one of the best in his field.

IQ - The Road Of Bones (8:29)
Album: The Road Of Bones (2014)
LABEL/Distribution: GEP/EDEL
WWW.IQ-HQ.CO.UK

After five years, finally the long announced album of the Prog institution, and once again they have surpassed themselves. IQ remain true to their ancestral sound, but add new nuances to it, not least thanks to the new keyboard player Neil Durant. The darkly creeping title track is the best example for the powerful sound of "The Road Of Bones". Album of the month!

"We were in a transitional phase as a band: from a bunch of kids in a van hunting for a record deal to a band that finally had that deal in their pockets and was now trying to record the follow-up to a successful debut album This is Fish's assessment of the situation Marillion found himself in a few months after the release of "Script For A Jester's Tear" in spring 1983.

In April 1983 Marillion and drummer Mick Pointer had sent the band founder into the desert almost overnight due to his blatant technical weaknesses. At the same time "Script For A Jester's Tear" had hit the somewhat dull rock scene of the early eighties like a bomb, and Marillion had become the spearhead of the still young neoprog scene, to which bands like IQ, Pendragon or Pallas gradually joined. After the expulsion of Pointers the search for a new drummer began. And this one turned out to be a real nightmare for the band.

In mid-February, people like George Clooney, Tilda Swinton or Viggo Mortensen can meet you at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. This year's number of stars at the Berlinale's main playground has seldom been as high as it is now. The round gentleman in an XL shirt with a silver-white stubble hairstyle and d'Artagnan beard is hardly noticeable. Peter Gabriel flew to Berlin on this afternoon of 11 February to personally present the preview of his concert film "Back To Front". The prog and art rock visionary has just chosen Berlinale madness for this. But the musician doesn't seem to be aware of the hype of the international film festival.

"I'm afraid the press has misunderstood Guy's statement," Pete Turner puts Guy Garvey's announcement to make a prog album into perspective right at the beginning of the interview. "What he actually meant by 'progressive' was the word in the sense of progress, being progressive. This statement did not have much to do with the musical style of the same name." In the following, the 40-year-old Elbow bassist helps to clarify further open questions.

eclipsed: With the last album "Build A Rocket Boys!" the press has put you almost continuously in the progressive rock corner. Are you comfortable there?

Crippled Black Phoenix made it. They have outgrown the underground and gained a reputation on a broad level, which allows them to tour worldwide and play at the big festivals. And all this without bending, without giving up her vision of an alternative artrock. Band founder and guitarist Justin Greaves talks about the inner workings of his band and the new album.

eclipsed: "White Light Generator sounds quieter than its predecessors.

Justin Greaves: Yeah, it could be. There's no suitable material for the big stadium skirt, is there? No heavy rock either. We don't think about what a new album should sound like before. There is only one requirement: It should not sound like its predecessor. "White Light Generator has indeed become very intimate. It is very emotional and not as powerful as "(Mankind) The Crafty Ape".