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THE EVOLUTION OF THE SYMPHONY BY FRANK BOSTOCK
We've come to expect the unexpected from Antipodean outfit People Like That, but, to be frank, their latest offering was a complete curve ball. What started in the seventies as a progressive rock epic has morphed into the magnificent "Symphonie For World Peace".
This music had its origins as a suite of four instrumental pieces composed from 1976 to 1977 by Robert Prior as a teenager for his band Conic Section, comprising Robert on guitar, his brother John on drums, next-door neighbour Paul Williams on bass guitar and ebullient keyboardist and technophile Chris Short.
Although influenced by artists like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck, Yes, ELP, Focus and Gentle Giant, Robert's compositions also drew inspiration from orchestral works by composers such as Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and Jon Lord.
Conic Section entered an Australian band competition with first prize being an all-expenses paid trip to a Los Angeles recording studio. Unfortunately, the promoter reneged on the deal and the suite was never recorded professionally. That is, until 2019, when Robert and producer Glenn Bidmead (under the monicker People Like That) recreated the suite on electric instruments, utilising modern technology to explode the music into glorious technicolour.
A further development came in 2026, when the suite was re-imagined as "Symphonie For World Peace", using orchestral sounds, with the addition of a fifth movement.
So now, faithful followers, you have two divergent versions to devour.
© 2026 Robert Prior
Arranged, recorded and produced by Robert Prior and Glenn Bidmead from People Like That.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE SYMPHONY BY FRANK BOSTOCK
We've come to expect the unexpected from Antipodean outfit People Like That, but, to be frank, their latest offering was a complete curve ball. What started in the seventies as a progressive rock epic has morphed into the magnificent "Symphonie For World Peace".
This music had its origins as a suite of four instrumental pieces composed from 1976 to 1977 by Robert Prior as a teenager for his band Conic Section, comprising Robert on guitar, his brother John on drums, next-door neighbour Paul Williams on bass guitar and ebullient keyboardist and technophile Chris Short.
Although influenced by artists like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck, Yes, ELP, Focus and Gentle Giant, Robert's compositions also drew inspiration from orchestral works by composers such as Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and Jon Lord.
Conic Section entered an Australian band competition with first prize being an all-expenses paid trip to a Los Angeles recording studio. Unfortunately, the promoter reneged on the deal and the suite was never recorded professionally. That is, until 2019, when Robert and producer Glenn Bidmead (under the monicker People Like That) recreated the suite on electric instruments, utilising modern technology to explode the music into glorious technicolour.
A further development came in 2026, when the suite was re-imagined as "Symphonie For World Peace", using orchestral sounds, with the addition of a fifth movement.
So now, faithful followers, you have two divergent versions to devour.
© 2026 Robert Prior
Arranged, recorded and produced by Robert Prior and Glenn Bidmead from People Like That.