Steve Pilkington
For as long as I have been old enough to listen to music, progressive rock, and classic rock in general, has been my passion – leading to stints firstly as a (failed) musician, and more recently as a freelance writer. I edited the Classic Rock Society magazine for several years until its recent demise, I occasionally write for Prog magazine and have published ten books on bands such as Led Zep, Uriah Heep and Iron Maiden, as well as the official biography of Gordon Giltrap. A Saucerful Of Prog is an extension of my own love for the music, pushing the boundaries of the genre as far as they can go, while showcasing plenty of contemporary artists as well as regular dips back into the vaults. For those who like to know such things, the first gig I ever attended was Deep Purple Mk IV at Liverpool Empire in March 1976 (I was 14), and the first album and single I bought were The Slider and Children Of The Revolution by T Rex (I was 11). My favourite album is Still Life by Van Der Graaf Generator, my favourite track is Stargazer by Rainbow, and my favourite gig attended is a three-way tie between Black Sabbath in 1977, Marillion at the Marquee in 1982 and Pink Floyd at Earls Court in 1994. But there have been so many great ones besides!