By the time the 1970's rolled around, a new and experimental phase of Rock that began life as a hybrid between Psychedelia, Classical and Free-form Jazz in the 60's, burst on the scene and took Europe by storm. In the States, it took a while. Shrugged off in the American press as pretentious, sterile and overly-intellectual, the genre had to find its audience by almost by word-of-mouth.

With such bands as Yes, The Nice (in the later 60's) and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, inroads were made that bridged the gap between a skeptical press and an eager audience. But still, the overwhelming majority of bands in the Prog-Rock genre were the exclusive property of "that" side of the Atlantic.

Genesis had been around since the late 1960's. With one early album (From Genesis To Revelation) showing promise, but lacking that winning spark. They eventually signed with Charisma Records, founded by former Manager-turned Label owner Tony Stratton-Smith and their fortunes soon changed. Getting a word of mouth and popularity in England and all over Europe (especially in Italy), they secured a license deal with Dunhill Records in the U.S. - they had made one or two brief tours of the U.S., primarily in the Northeast and, almost unbeknownst to the U.S. record industry, Genesis were gaining a huge popularity. When Charisma struck a label deal with Atlantic, and their maiden album with the new arrangement, Selling England By The Pound was released in 1973, Genesis took the record industry big-wigs completely by surprise and sold out every venue they were booked in during their first cross-country U.S. tour. Word-of-mouth paid off with dividends.

Tonight it's the opening track from that milestone album, Dancing With The Moonlit Knight.

Maybe you remember it - and maybe you've never heard it before.

Pull up a chair and have a listen for the next seven minutes.

I am sure that, had there not been a Gentle Giant getting started in 1970, the Progressive Rock Movement might have taken a different turn, or just not gotten off the ground at all.

Gentle Giant, formed in 1970, immediately hit it off with an audience looking for music to think about. Rock had it's place and it was everywhere, but Progressive was something new - the mixing of Classical and Jazz and elements of Art Rock into music you really didn't want to dance to but sit and listen to.

Tonight's session comes from the BBC John Peel Program, recorded on July 21,1970. It features two tracks, City Hermit and Isn't It Quiet And Cold.

I'm not sure these were issued commercially. I'm familiar with the first three Gentle Giant albums and neither of those tracks ring any bells.

But Gentle Giant were a unique and forward thinking band and that was in short supply in 1970. They were, when they first played a concert, a breath of fresh air. And because of that, many bands considered at the forefront of the Progressive movement cite Gentle Giant as one of the most innovative and influential bands to come along in a very long time.

If you aren't familiar with Gentle Giant but have only heard about them, now's your chance. If you are familiar, maybe these songs will be a new discovery for you.

Either way, you win.