Prog Digest – A Column by Klyde Kadiddlehumper

Prog Digest

After a lengthy hiatus – it is the triumphant return of Klyde Kadiddlehumper! Yes indeed – rising from the….oh, no – wait. Didn’t actually rise from much further than my couch, but that was a story in and of itself.
Now, where was I…..?
Foraging.
In the strictest sense, foraging is really a means of survival. Gathering food for ones’ nourishment and survival. Now, we have all been warned about the mushroom hunting and the dangers if you are not a pro. I mean, well, kinda like the brown acid – it’s your trip.
Among the many regrets of my lifetime has been to watch the rise of the digital age. At least parts of it.
We have all become used to going online, ordering a product and having it delivered to our doorstep.
While this is fine for car parts and deodorant, it has led us down a rabbit hole in the music world. Spotify or Pandora and the like are great if you like Muzak and think that hearing songs that are in the same vein as what you ‘like’, well, whatever. We are all, from time to time, interested in the familiar, the safe, the creamed eggs on toast of the world.
But where is the fun in that?
Comfort zones have their place, however, music is not likely to do you any harm – unless you are Grumpy and just heard Zappa and thought we were being invaded.
And what has that to do with foraging?
This household is occupied by an analog man in a digital world (excellent Joe Walsh record). There are 12” albums all over the place of all types. Rock, Jazz, Prog, Classical, Folk – anything we think is cool, or maybe not.
Now, if you don’t have a 12” vinyl spinny make noise thingy, It ought be in your sights. And, it leads to foraging.
For those of us of an age, we understand the visceral and tactile nature of the album. The artwork, the liner notes, some special colors, a Styx album that is laser etched. All add to the process. Reading liner notes and having printed lyrics are so different than that the same thing in a CD. Grab a 12’ version and the CD of a record you know well. Completely different.
Then, there is the gatefold double album, or gatefold of a single record. These are a very special thing. I once went to a show, and the artist was doing signings afterward. I brought a double gate album – in pristine condition. He was amazed. Of course, we made certain he knew that we had cleaned the leftover stems and seeds (wink wink).
So, put down your electronic device and streaming and find you local record store, or place that has records. Maybe get an account with Discogs and hunt around. Flip through bins and randomly pick something where the artworks strikes your fancy. Or a random bit from a bin you have never looked in. Forage around. Let the experience feed you.
My music department chair in college (wow the stories) had a philosophy. If you listen to something and don’t like it, listen again. And again. Listen to it until you can at least understand and know where it is coming from.
So – until the next time – extend your comfort zone. What more progressive thing could you do? Klyde