QUEEN - Queen II: Rock as Gesamtkunstwerk?

QUEEN - Queen II: Rock as Gesamtkunstwerk?

Author: Tim, Shaun and Peter March 16, 2026 Duration: 40:17
This week Tim did a monologue on the newly-re-released second album by Queen, otherwise known as Queen 2. Topics covered include: whether the critical consensus on this album is accurate, why the band called one side white and one side black, the extent to which the album can be considered a concept album, whether this album is an originator of the later British heavy metal scene, and whether Queen in their turn were influenced by Gentle Giant. Also, has a worse acronym ever been invented than NWOBHM? What was the name of the film whose title track was “Flash”? How many proto-Bohemian Rhapsodies did Queen produce? How bad are the lyrics to Loser In The End? And how much is it possible to complain about Queen whilst both celebrating and lauding one of their key works?

The Classic Rock And Prog Almanac is a conversation between three longtime friends, Tim, Shaun, and Peter, who share a deep, personal history with the music that shaped them. This isn't a formal review show or a dry historical lecture. Instead, each episode feels like pulling up a chair in a familiar pub or a cozy living room, where the discussion naturally flows from a specific album into the memories, stories, and tangential thoughts it provokes. You'll hear genuine camaraderie and differing perspectives as they dig into the classic rock and progressive canon, exploring why certain records endure and what they reveal about the times they came from and the people we became. The podcast thrives on the digressions-the related matters-that make any great chat among friends memorable. It's about the connection between life and the soundtrack that runs through it. So, the invitation is simple: put the kettle on, find a comfortable seat, and join a warm, thoughtful, and often humorous dialogue that treats these albums not as museum pieces, but as living, breathing parts of a shared cultural and personal journey.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Classic Rock And Prog Almanac
Podcast Episodes
RANKING: Our Top Ten Favourite Progressive Rock Albums of 1971 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:47
This week, Tim and Shaun discussed their top ten favourite progressive rock albums from 1971. Topics covered include: the importance of virtuosity in prog, whether album covers are important for an album, the role of imp…
WINGS - Greatest: The reason why God made compilation albums?! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:15
This week, Tim did a monologue on the compilation Wings Greatest, from 1978. Topics covered include: the significance of concept albums, what musical movements Wings might be said to belong to, whether the track listing…
RANKING: Our top ten favourite progressive rock albums from 1970 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:48
This week, Tim and Shaun discussed their top ten favourite progressive rock albums of 1970. Topics covered include: what prog actually is, how you would decide it one way or the other, what postmodernism is, the eclectic…
THE KINKS - Arthur: Is it their best album? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:36
This week, Tim, Peter and Shaun discussed the seventh studio album by The Kinks, Arthur or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire. Topics covered include: whether it’s the band's greatest album or not, the difference…
RUSH - Caress Of Steel: Why it's better than 2112! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:16
This week, Tim did a monologue on the third Rush album, Caress Of Steel. Topics covered include: Rush’s relation to the prog rock canon, the influence Rush had on bands like Metallica, Rush’s arrangement gift, the nostal…
RANKING: Our top five albums of 1969 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:02
This week, Tim, Peter and Shaun discussed their top five favourite albums from 1969. Topics covered include: the bubbling cauldron of creativity that was the 1960s, what the best year in the history of rock was, the bala…
REFUGEE - Refugee: A worthy successor to The Nice? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:36
This week, Tim discussed the only studio album by the band Refugee, from 1974. Topics covered include: why the album wasn’t rubbish, the virtuosic gifts of Patrick Moraz, whether prog is modernist or post-modernist, how…
Which is the best Kinks album? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:13
This week, Tim did a ranking of all 24 studio albums by The Kinks. Topics covered include: the role of genre music in the Kinks catalogue, the difference between the American and the British reception of the band, the im…
SPECIAL EPISODE: Jazz for rock fans (pt.2): 1950-1979 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:12
This week, Peter and Shaun brought their history of jazz for a rock audience up to date. Topics covered include: the relationship between individual jazz musicians and bands, whether there was a ‘golden era’ of jazz, wha…