Rock and Role: The Visionary Songs of Peter Hammill and VdGG is published today! "Banks tackles Hammill's canon with an energetic, imaginative style... an assiduously researched story" MOJO "An authoritative exploration... highly accessible critiques" PROG rockandrole.net/

This channel has now ceased transmission. If you've liked my posts, you can continue viewing them at bsky.app/profile/joebankswri… and facebook.com/joebankswriter/ Be seeing you...

Saw This Is Spinal Tap for the umpteenth time at the appropriately named Tufnell Park Film Club @tpfilmclub the other night, which made me realise how much I non-ironically love the songs! The Ian Anderson-esque chorus of Stonehenge is particularly great! youtube.com/watch?v=qAXzzHM8…

If you're interested in 'albums of the year'-type lists, then you might want to take a look at this... facebook.com/joebankswriter/…

Hawkwind photo archivist Pedro Bellavista has posted some excellent pics from the band's BBC Maida Vale session for the Johnny Walker Show, where they recorded versions of Silver Machine and Brainstorm (02/08/72). Here's a selection... (taken by Victor de Schwanberg)

It's that time of the week again where myself, Graham Harfleet, Chris Clark and Andy Tillison chew through the VdGG back catalogue, the main dish this episode being Still Life. Warning: this broadcast contains controversial views... Listen from 1:00:00 progzilla.com/the-progressiv…

Only a couple of months after the man himself appeared, here I am on Word In Your Ear talking to David Hepworth and Mark Ellen about the book and all things Peter Hammill and VdGG! (Apologies if it looks like I'm particularly fascinated by my keyboard!) youtube.com/watch?v=7GIvY7kJ…

Inside The Generator, the podcast where myself, Graham Harfleet, Chris Clark and Andy Tillison voyage through the VdGG catalogue, has reached the mighty Godbluff. It's dark, gothic and magnificent, and that's just us... Listen here from 1:02:08 progzilla.com/the-progressiv…

Just went to see Bowie: The Final Act. Very good, and resists the rather daft mythologising of Moonage Daydream. Instead, it's understated and quite emotional. Talking heads that actually say insightful things too. Anyway, definitely a film worth watching: releasing.dogwoof.com/bowie-…

There's a terrific five star review of Rock and Role in the latest Record Collector - many thanks to Kris Needs!

Cheer up, lads, it might never happen...

Here's another in that series of bizarre shock horror ads from Zep...

This advert in Sounds, 7 April 1973, for Led Zeppelin's Houses Of The Holy is quite something... Apparently there was a series of them, all of which were quickly banned.

Poster for Robert Calvert's 1981 Flicknife single Lord Of The Hornets , original artwork and finished product... The single version was actually a demo - here's the finished product from the album (of the book) Hype... youtube.com/watch?v=6sfMbtkE… #hawkwind

Listen to me, Graham Harfleet, Chris Clark and Andy Tillison blather on about the 'missing' Van der Graaf Generator album that exists (in our heads) between Pawn Hearts and Godbluff! The latest episode of Inside The Generator is here (from 1:00:01)... progzilla.com/the-progressiv…

Fascinating 'review' of Sabbath's Master Of Reality, Sounds, 14 August 1971. It's arguable that Sabbath had the same impact on the early 1970s music scene as punk would have a few years later. Critics were perplexed by both Sabbath's style of playing and their massive popularity.