Hands up! Who likes Prog rock?

[noogle]

A good rule of thumb when choosing a prog rock album is to see how long the longest track is, e.g. "Supper's Ready" on Genesis' Foxtrot album is 22mins 54seconds, which means you are in for a musical treat. Three-minute popsong - blah!

 

[Anonymous]

For epic prog How about Manowar's : Achilles, Agony And Ecstasy In Eight Parts, from The Triumph of Steel album. 28 minutes long, loud parts quiet parts, fast parts, slow parts, drum solo, bass solo, guitar solo awesome. Or maybe Cathedral's The Garden from The Garden of Unearthly Delights running in at 27 mins.

 

[plastic penguin]

Pretty much answered my question: I'm in a minority.

Let me dig out Curtis Mayfield, Costello, Labbi Siffre, The Undertones...

I like music to be around 3 mins long per track. The old saying: "less is more." So true.

 

[Miggs]

PP, you really need to look at your record collection again because none of the groups you mention are "prog", what was you thinking.

I love it.

Have a good look at some of the other groups mentioned and you will see groups that write fantastic music and lyrics. Groups such as Wishbone Ash for one. By the way Pink Floyd are not dross as you call them, not for one of the greatest groups ever to record music.

 

[plastic penguin]

PP, you really need to look at your record collection again because none of the groups you mention are "prog", what was you thinking.

I love it.

Have a good look at some of the other groups mentioned and you will see groups that write fantastic music and lyrics. Groups such as Wishbone Ash for one. By the way Pink Floyd are not dross as you call them, not for one of the greatest groups ever to record music.

TBH, I could've mentioned a lot more groups within that genre, but I was losing the will to live. King Crimson, Yes... The worst is G-e-e-e-. Sorry just can't say it, but it was fronted by Collins from about 75 (I think) onwards.

I dug out Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of The Moon' which I picked out from a skip... sorry, bargain bin at HMV a few years ago. I only bought because of one track.

I know many people love Prog rock. personally I think pretentious, over produced nonsense. I'm now going to bung on 'Eton Rifles'.

"We are the Mods, we are the Mods, we are, we are, we are the Mods..."

 

[CnoEvil]

TBH, I could've mentioned a lot more groups within that genre, but I was losing the will to live. King Crimson, Yes... The worst is G-e-e-e-. Sorry just can't say it, but it was fronted by Collins from about 75 (I think) onwards.

I dug out Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of The Moon' which I picked out from a skip... sorry, bargain bin at HMV a few years ago. I only bought because of one track.

I know many people love Prog rock. personally I think pretentious, over produced nonsense. I'm now going to bung on 'Eton Rifles'.

"We are the Mods, we are the Mods, we are, we are, we are the Mods..."

PP, you seem to be suffering a touch of the Max Flynns.

 

[plastic penguin]

TBH, I could've mentioned a lot more groups within that genre, but I was losing the will to live. King Crimson, Yes... The worst is G-e-e-e-. Sorry just can't say it, but it was fronted by Collins from about 75 (I think) onwards.

I dug out Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of The Moon' which I picked out from a skip... sorry, bargain bin at HMV a few years ago. I only bought because of one track.

I know many people love Prog rock. personally I think pretentious, over produced nonsense. I'm now going to bung on 'Eton Rifles'.

"We are the Mods, we are the Mods, we are, we are, we are the Mods..."

PP, you seem to be suffering a touch of the Max Flynns.

Didn't he play for Aston Villa back in the 70s?:shame:

 

[plastic penguin]

TB, you have been peaking at my list. I also like stuff from Rick Wakeman and OMD......I'm too old to be embarrassed about my taste.

Thanks, indeed I too like rick wakeman (journey to the centre of the earth - masterpiece) and when he was in Yes. OMD are on my list too.

I just have such a diverse musical taste that I actually dont care what anyone else thinks of me or it. Personally I think rather than judge, people should concentrate on their lives. I am never embarrassed about anything I do.

......Bananarama! :rofl: (not judging....honestly). Got any "Fun Boy Three". I suppose I can't really scoff, as I bought "Body Talk" by Imagination in the early 80s. If I hadn't sold my TT, I would probably be still playing it. :O Do you have any other Rick Wakeman stuff?

Imagination! I used to call that 'Fairground Music'. "Music and lights, da-da-da-da..."

 

[CnoEvil]

TBH, I could've mentioned a lot more groups within that genre, but I was losing the will to live. King Crimson, Yes... The worst is G-e-e-e-. Sorry just can't say it, but it was fronted by Collins from about 75 (I think) onwards.

I dug out Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of The Moon' which I picked out from a skip... sorry, bargain bin at HMV a few years ago. I only bought because of one track.

I know many people love Prog rock. personally I think pretentious, over produced nonsense. I'm now going to bung on 'Eton Rifles'.

"We are the Mods, we are the Mods, we are, we are, we are the Mods..."

PP, you seem to be suffering a touch of the Max Flynns.

Didn't he play for Aston Villa back in the 70s?:shame:

No, he played "Silly Mid On" right here (until bowled out).

 

[plastic penguin]

TBH, I could've mentioned a lot more groups within that genre, but I was losing the will to live. King Crimson, Yes... The worst is G-e-e-e-. Sorry just can't say it, but it was fronted by Collins from about 75 (I think) onwards.

I dug out Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of The Moon' which I picked out from a skip... sorry, bargain bin at HMV a few years ago. I only bought because of one track.

I know many people love Prog rock. personally I think pretentious, over produced nonsense. I'm now going to bung on 'Eton Rifles'.

"We are the Mods, we are the Mods, we are, we are, we are the Mods..."

PP, you seem to be suffering a touch of the Max Flynns.

Didn't he play for Aston Villa back in the 70s?:shame:

No, he played "Silly Mid On" right here (until bowled out).

Not another prog Rock band, surely?

 

[CnoEvil]

Not another prog Rock band, surely?

.....more Irish Ceili! :cheer:

 

[plastic penguin]

Not another prog Rock band, surely?

.....more Irish Ceili! :cheer:

Ah, Emerald salad then?

 

[CnoEvil]

Not another prog Rock band, surely?

.....more Irish Ceili! :cheer:

Ah, Emerald salad then?

My "salad days" are long gone.

 

[matthewpiano]

:hand:

Wishbone Ash? They were brilliant! 'Argus' is one of my favourite albums of all time. Brilliant, intelligent songwriting coupled to an instantly recognisable sound and some truly superb playing.

My favourite bands/artists include WA, Pink Floyd, Caravan, Camel, BJH, King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator, Peter Hammill, Strawbs, Alan Parsons Project, Rick Wakeman, Yes, Dream Theater, Pineapple Thief, Porcupine Tree, Blackfield...... I definitely fall into the pro Prog camp.

However, I'm not really into pigeon holes and categories for music and my listening is about as diverse as it gets. I love folk influenced music like Pentangle, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch, Fairport Convention, Ralph McTell etc. as well as the whole gamut of the western classical tradition (including both Mozart AND Wagner). More concise pop music is often played here too - only tonight I was listening to Katy B - and just as often you might walk in and hear Miles Davis or Herbie Hancock. The blues rock end holds lots of favourites too, particularly Free, Bad Company, Clapton, Cream, Gary Moore etc., and I also love some stage musicals (particularly Les Miserables and Evita).

Why pigeon hole music when there is such a diverse range of superbly written and performed stuff out there?

 

[plastic penguin]

TBH, music in general had suffered a humongous hangover from the 60s. The 60s proved, in a lot of ways a cultural turning point, and music really led the way. A lot of the psychedelic pop from the late part of the decade really hit a musical brickwall. Reverting back to my original post, I stated that 'Glam Rock' were taking the "Mick" out of themselves: Take 'Sparks' as an example. Two brothers, one with traditional Glam look, the other looked like a strange concoction between Herr Hitler and Chaplin. Not keen on their music, but great fun to watch. Likewise, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band; average music but fun to watch and listen to.

On the other hand, the Proggers wanted to be taken serious: "We are serious musicians, and we want everyone to know this fact." That's fine. I really don't have a problem with that. However, couple that with immensely complex arrangements and, generally, each track would last a fortnight; by the time I've got half way through an album (usually each album would have 4 tracks maximum) I wanted to throw the turntable out of the window.

If a 70s group plays a twin neck guitar, I normally give it a wide berth.

Perhaps I'm still a 'Soul' boy at heart.

 

[scene]

oke:
Not all prog rock was the same (sorry I'm not sure that's actually syntactically correct). Late Pink Floyd, such as Dark Side was not prog rock, it was more electronic rock. Genesis could get right up there own a*ses, but they still did some great music. I'm like a lot of prog rock, Rush, Pink Floyd, Genesis even. But not all tracks, all the time. It's a "you've got to be in the right frame of mind" kind of thing.

 

[DIB]

As much as I love lots of Prog bands old and new, as in any genre, I can't say I like everything lumped under the "Prog" banner.

As much as I love Camel and early Yes, to name a couple, I equally dislike with a vengeance what I've heard by the likes of Gong, Gentle Giant, and Matching Mole for example.

Of the current crop of bands I don't think there's anyone to match Porcupine Tree, both live and on record/CD.

My wife and kids hate them.

.

 

[survivor]

Always felt there`s been a load of jumping on the back of the bandwagon through the years regarding ill feeling towards Prog. Often I suspect by people who do so because they don`t understand or haven`t taken the time to get to know it.

You suspect away as much as you like about 'bandwagons' and the (merciful) dearth of proggers on the radio, it is just possible there are people who actually don't like it.

Hi Cheb,

Firstly I would like to point out that my words were `often I suspect`. Often is not everyone and you are obviously not a bandwagon jumper. I have known many cases where people have jumped on the bandwagon of music critics comments particulary during the Punk explosion saying things like `Punk had to happen to wipe away Prog` and other such nonsense. I know this because I know/knew people who hadn`t the faintest idea what Prog entailed but there they were, very loud and vocal and most definately `bandwagon jumping`.

Your wording of your post was as usual very good indeed and I wholeheartedly agree with most of your comments.

However, it did surprise me a little the comment you made regarding the lack of Prog on the radio. Of course there are people who don`t like Prog (I`m a pretty big Prog fan but wouldn`t say I`m that struck on Yes and I certainly don`t have any Gong!) but how can someone say they don`t like a genre of music when they may never have been exposed to it. Surely in this day and age with so many stations running for 24hrs a day 365 days a year there is room for everyone to get a little exposure. A lot of Prog music I might well describe as an acquired taste but until you`ve tried it how can you say you don`t like it?

You have tried it and don`t like it. Fine. Many haven`t tried it.

He`s not Prog of course but I know people who are over forty years of age, music lovers who listen to the radio all the time and they`ve never heard of Neil Young! Not, not heard his music but don`t even know of his existence. I kid you not.

Anyway, regarding the three minute pop single you do realise you are talking to the world`s biggest ABBA fan don`t you? I`ve even managed to get two of their autographs! I`ve also got plenty of under three minute material through bands such as `The Dickies`, `Splodgenessabounds`, `Blondie`, `The Beatles` and `Elvis Presley` to name a few off the top of my head.

If I came across a little abrupt in my post then I apologise but we all have the odd issue which touches a slightly sensitive nerve. One of mine is music on the radio and in particular the under exposure of a genre which I rate very highly. Just seems a little unfair that so many talented writers/musicians are derided/ignored and yet Bananarama have sailed off into the sunset with umpteen awards and entries into the Guiness book of music under their arms.

Lastly I do of course understand the purpose of P.P.`s post who is of course a legend in the world of thread starting! Indeed, thanks P.P. for giving Prog a mention!

All the best guys.

 

[chebby]

Someone else has already pointed out the major hurdle to radio play of concept or prog rock...

A good rule of thumb when choosing a prog rock album is to see how long the longest track is, e.g. "Supper's Ready" on Genesis' Foxtrot album is 22mins 54seconds, which means you are in for a musical treat. Three-minute popsong - blah!

Popular radio (commercial or not) has never really been set-up for 22 minute tracks (or 'movements').

Yes I know not all progressive rock tracks come in 22 minute slabs, but they do tend to belong to albums where (so fans tell us) you have to hear the whole album right through to get the best out of the genre. (The 'Concept' in a concept album if you like.)

 

[plastic penguin]

oke:

Not all prog rock was the same (sorry I'm not sure that's actually syntactically correct). Late Pink Floyd, such as Dark Side was not prog rock, it was more electronic rock. Genesis could get right up there own a*ses, but they still did some great music. I'm like a lot of prog rock, Rush, Pink Floyd, Genesis even. But not all tracks, all the time. It's a "you've got to be in the right frame of mind" kind of thing.

I know not all Prog Rock artists are the same. There are a few groups of the genre I do like, namely ELO and individual tracks from Floyd ('Money' and 'Another Brick In The Wall'). But I'm really struggling - not the groups themselves - but to name a group or artist I really like.

BTW, correct me if I'm wrong, often i am, but didn't Floyd perform "The Wall" tour behind a huge brick wall? Each layer would only come down at the end of each track. If I'm right, was the point of that? If I'd pay to see a band, I'd be livid if I couldn't see them until the last couple of tracks.

 

[plastic penguin]

Always felt there`s been a load of jumping on the back of the bandwagon through the years regarding ill feeling towards Prog. Often I suspect by people who do so because they don`t understand or haven`t taken the time to get to know it.

You suspect away as much as you like about 'bandwagons' and the (merciful) dearth of proggers on the radio, it is just possible there are people who actually don't like it.

Hi Cheb,

Firstly I would like to point out that my words were `often I suspect`. Often is not everyone and you are obviously not a bandwagon jumper. I have known many cases where people have jumped on the bandwagon of music critics comments particulary during the Punk explosion saying things like `Punk had to happen to wipe away Prog` and other such nonsense. I know this because I know/knew people who hadn`t the faintest idea what Prog entailed but there they were, very loud and vocal and most definately `bandwagon jumping`.

Your wording of your post was as usual very good indeed and I wholeheartedly agree with most of your comments.

However, it did surprise me a little the comment you made regarding the lack of Prog on the radio. Of course there are people who don`t like Prog (I`m a pretty big Prog fan but wouldn`t say I`m that struck on Yes and I certainly don`t have any Gong!) but how can someone say they don`t like a genre of music when they may never have been exposed to it. Surely in this day and age with so many stations running for 24hrs a day 365 days a year there is room for everyone to get a little exposure. A lot of Prog music I might well describe as an acquired taste but until you`ve tried it how can you say you don`t like it?

You have tried it and don`t like it. Fine. Many haven`t tried it.

He`s not Prog of course but I know people who are over forty years of age, music lovers who listen to the radio all the time and they`ve never heard of Neil Young! Not, not heard his music but don`t even know of his existence. I kid you not.

Anyway, regarding the three minute pop single you do realise you are talking to the world`s biggest ABBA fan don`t you? I`ve even managed to get two of their autographs! I`ve also got plenty of under three minute material through bands such as `The Dickies`, `Splodgenessabounds`, `Blondie`, `The Beatles` and `Elvis Presley` to name a few off the top of my head.

If I came across a little abrupt in my post then I apologise but we all have the odd issue which touches a slightly sensitive nerve. One of mine is music on the radio and in particular the under exposure of a genre which I rate very highly. Just seems a little unfair that so many talented writers/musicians are derided/ignored and yet Bananarama have sailed off into the sunset with umpteen awards and entries into the Guiness book of music under their arms.

Lastly I do of course understand the purpose of P.P.`s post who is of course a legend in the world of thread starting! Indeed, thanks P.P. for giving Prog a mention!

All the best guys.

Err, far from a legend. A bored person is probably more accurate...

Kind sentiments, and more than welcome to give the genre a mention.

 

[survivor]

There`s loads of Prog bands who make tracks that aren`t that long and where you wouldn`t need to hear the whole album to enjoy it. Sometimes a tasty teaser can inspire people to check out the album at a later date.

As great as the three minute pop single format is, would it really tip the world on it`s axis if suddenly one day a radio presenter in the middle of his programme played a song that was eight minutes long.

There`s all sorts of Prog music. You know, I actually thought Take That`s `The Flood` single was slightly proggish for a pop single.

 

[scene]

oke:

Not all prog rock was the same (sorry I'm not sure that's actually syntactically correct). Late Pink Floyd, such as Dark Side was not prog rock, it was more electronic rock. Genesis could get right up there own a*ses, but they still did some great music. I'm like a lot of prog rock, Rush, Pink Floyd, Genesis even. But not all tracks, all the time. It's a "you've got to be in the right frame of mind" kind of thing.

I know not all Prog Rock artists are the same. There are a few groups of the genre I do like, namely ELO and individual tracks from Floyd ('Money' and 'Another Brick In The Wall'). But I'm really struggling - not the groups themselves - but to name a group or artist I really like.

BTW, correct me if I'm wrong, often i am, but didn't Floyd perform "The Wall" tour behind a huge brick wall? Each layer would only come down at the end of each track. If I'm right, was the point of that? If I'd pay to see a band, I'd be livid if I couldn't see them until the last couple of tracks.

Nah, the wall was built in the first half, usually with some audience participation and then they did the second half mostly behind the wall, with some notable in front of / on top of wall solos until "Tear Down the Wall" when it all got a bit chaotic...

 

[survivor]

Err, far from a legend. A bored person is probably more accurate...

Kind sentiments, and more than welcome to give the genre a mention.

[/quote]

You`re very welcome P.P. and well deserved.

Earlier you mentioned The Jam. Well I really like this band and it brought back fond memories from early 1980...

I was working at Kingston hospital and myself, a porter, a nurse and the driver were all squashed into the front seat of a delivery van travelling from one part of the hospital grounds to another and `Going Underground` came on the radio. The driver turned the volume right up and we were all singing and bouncing up and down having a good time! Not very professional of course but fond memories all the same.

 

[plastic penguin]

Err, far from a legend. A bored person is probably more accurate...

Kind sentiments, and more than welcome to give the genre a mention.

You`re very welcome P.P. and well deserved.

Earlier you mentioned The Jam. Well I really like this band and it brought back fond memories from early 1980...

I was working at Kingston hospital and myself, a porter, a nurse and the driver were all squashed into the front seat of a delivery van travelling from one part of the hospital grounds to another and `Going Underground` came on the radio. The driver turned the volume right up and we were all singing and bouncing up and down having a good time! Not very professional of course but fond memories all the same.

[/quote]

After we got back from the ma-in-laws last night I decided - Mrs. P just shook her head - to have a Jamfest. So envigorating - not plyed them for a while. Like a breath of fresh air. At the moment playing Dennis Greaves and the Truth. Another blast from my dodgy [musical] past.