REFUGEE - Refugee: A worthy successor to The Nice?

REFUGEE - Refugee: A worthy successor to The Nice?

Author: Tim, Shaun and Peter August 3, 2026 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 the band measures up to The Nice and ELP, and why they never made a second album. Also, should the band have been called Asylum Seeker? What was Lee Jackson’s ex-wife like? Is music schizophrenic? What would TripAdvisor have made of this album? Did Lee Jackson waste his time in the library? And who chose that cover?

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
SPECIAL EPISODE: Jazz for rock fans: 1920-1949 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:25
This week, Peter and Shaun give a potted history of jazz for a rock audience. Topics covered include: how the lads took the path from jazz to rock (and sometimes back), the definition of jazz itself, the influence of the…
ELP - Love Beach: The album that killed prog? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:09
This week Tim discussed the seventh studio album by ELP, Love Beach. Topics covered include: the album’s place in the ELP canon, the structural nature of the writing, the mediaevalist slant in the lyrics, the paradigm na…
RANKING: Bob Dylan's 1960s albums [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:33
This week, Tim and Peter gave their rankings of Bob Dylan’s 9 albums from the 1960s. Topics covered include: Dylan’s chaotic approach to recording, the change in Dylan’s voice over the years, Dylan’s sense of humour, how…
RANKING: The Top Five best double albums of all time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:35
This week, Tim, Peter and Shaun discussed their top five favourite double albums of all time. Topics covered include: why there aren’t more great double albums, the importance of packaging on double LPs, the fact that CD…
10CC - Sheet Music: A worthy successor to The Beatles? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:53
This week, Tim analysed the second album by 10cc, Sheet Music. Topics covered include: whether the band has trademarks or not, the influence of Caribbean music on the band, the use of satire in the album, the different w…
RANKING: King Crimson albums [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:09
This week, Tim and Shaun ranked all 13 King Crimson studio albums, from their least favourite to their favourite. Topics covered include: the Bartokian influence on the band; whether the 1980s incarnation of the band sho…
BURNING AMBITION: A (reverse) history of Iron Maiden in 17 songs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:17
This week, in celebration of the new documentary 'Burning Ambition', Tim went backwards through the history of Iron Maiden, choosing a paradigm song from each of their albums. Topics covered include: the classical music…
GENESIS - Nursery Cryme: An Edwardian rock masterpiece? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:36
This week, Tim and Peter discussed the third album by Genesis, Nursery Cryme. Topics covered include: how this album stands in relation to the rest of the Genesis canon, the effect of the line-up change, why the album wa…