Artists such as Lorde, Sparks, the Moody Blues and Metallica bring changes of pace to a prog-heavy playlist with twists and turns

Here is this week’s playlist – songs picked by a reader from hundreds of stories and suggestions on last week’s callout. Thanks for taking part. Read more about how our weekly series works at the end of the piece.

When choosing this week’s topic, I neglected to take into account that period, in the early 1970s, when suburban, middle-class music fans keen to impress with their intellectual prowess listened to what is now termed prog rock. We – mostly men – would don greatcoats, grow our hair into greasy bangs and wander around with album covers under our arms in the vain hope girls would marvel at our good taste and braininess in liking Uriah Heep or Gnidrolog.

Continue reading…