Progrock....what is it exactly?

[Aesthetic]

Hi people,

I'm doing a research about progressive rock. It's not about the music itself, but more the social context of the genre. I have a couple of questions you can answer.

1. What, do you think, progressive rock is exactly?
2. Why are you interested in this genre?
3. Why do musicians/music industry/media/fans associate this music, besides the genre 'rock', with the term 'progressive'?
4. What kind of audience/people listens to this music (consider yourself as point of departure)?
5. Does progressive rock needs to be more innovative than other genres (bacause it is called 'progressive')?


Thank you for answering these questions. It will help me a lot!

 

[waif]

But I'd be interested in an answer about the music itself - always been fuzzy on it.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

The non-metal forum can help you more probably. But in case metal fans want to help you out, I will leave a redirect to the N-M forum here. Cheers.

 

[razoredge]

progressive rock simply started out as bands that wanted to apply more artistic imagery through their music. This was done on many levels, from highly educated musicians to those that just played what they felt and wanted to venture into something more than the typical structure of the basic RnR song.

progressive music is more of a thinking mans music...... not to say those that dont like it are brain dead, they just like music more for fun than deep thought.

to me its always been about the trip the music and lyrics take you on or the picture it is painting

once the genre was established it did not mean every band that came along had to be all new as in the true meaning of the word progressive.

Classical music is the first example of this kind of music. Folk, country, blues and RnR are the exact opposite... music for fun, release of tension, kick back and enjoy life. Progressive is more cerebral intensity.

 

[MetalAges]

For me, Progressive Rock is a more artistic (musically and lyrically) version of Rock, also having complex playing and arrangements. You should expect to find extended musical passages (now necessarily just soloing). Example bands would be: Spocks Beard, Enchant, YES, The Flower Kings, Marillion, tons more of course.

 

[razoredge]

its a mistatement to say progressive has to have complex playing or arrangements. Many bands that have not been highly educated musicians with gobs of shred or instrumentalist skill have been progressive. Pink Floyd is a good example of this.

 

[Matt]

I'm not really sure how to describe it, I just know when I hear it

Usually the artists are more adept

 

[TylerTheNuke]

Hi people,

I'm doing a research about progressive rock. It's not about the music itself, but more the social context of the genre. I have a couple of questions you can answer.

1. What, do you think, progressive rock is exactly?

It is really 2 things. First and foremost, it is a seventies genre of music, and all of its descendents. The genre was mostly defined by innovation, and being related to the core bands. Since it was defined by it's innovation, that is the second meaning of the word. Some people say any band that is innovative is progressive. So, this means that prog fans will argue with each other forever about whether X is prog or not, because of these contrasting definitions. Ex. Neo-prog isn't particularly innovative, but it is related to 70's prog. Tool isn't related to 70's prog, but it is innovative.

2. Why are you interested in this genre?

because it is really fun music. I enjoy it, and sometimes am moved by it (like in the case of early King Crimson). It isn't confined to any aesthetic, but is just pure creativity.

3. Why do musicians/music industry/media/fans associate this music, besides the genre 'rock', with the term 'progressive'?

See 2 above.

4. What kind of audience/people listens to this music (consider yourself as point of departure)?

Lots of idiot elitest pricks, some relaxed fun types of guys, and lots of serious musicians.

5. Does progressive rock needs to be more innovative than other genres (bacause it is called 'progressive')?

No.

Thank you for answering these questions. It will help me a lot!

 

[Vitor]

hi dude, this style is very strong and cool, so, you need a good ear and a big perspicacious to enjoy this style.

search for Porcupine Tree, Karmakanic, Transatlantic, King Crinson, Riverside, Rush, Uriah Heep, Presto Ballet and Marillion

i call it Modern Prog Rock

 

[razoredge]

I like Mathias's answer..... you just know when you here it

 

[Vimana]

I always thought progressive rock was an experimental style with lots of changes throughout the songs.

Lots of idiot elitest pricks, some relaxed fun types of guys, and lots of serious musicians.

+1

A lot of prog fans Ive come across (mostly online) looked down upon anyone who listened to a band that sounded anything like another.

 

[razoredge]

even progressive bands are derivitive today. They have a bit more personal identity than many other genres but you can always find pieces here and there that are like ____. Or the basic arrangement seems to be formulated. To many influences anymore, so Im not sure it's really experimental. Maybe "back in the day".

 

[John Silver the Second]

Progressive rock music is something you discover in your late teens/early twenties and which allows you to think you're suddenly more sophisticated than the rest. While a lot of the music is greater in terms of artistery, there's also loads of pretentious wank. Fans frequently think they are "enlightened" but on the contrary will have become close minded to more "simpler" forms of music. When I was 21, discovering Genesis I couldn't believe that Gabriel and Collins left to play less "sophisticated" music. Now I understand a lot better. I went through a period of disillusionment with prog but now I can listen to both Sammy Hagar and King Crimson.

 

[razoredge]

I used to be able to listen to Sammy & Rush back to back. Not everytbody that takes to progressive music gets an attitude with it. Some of us just like the trip. I remember so well the feeling I got when I first heard Aqualung and Thick as a Brick or Caress of Steel or even prior some of Zeppelins more progressive songs, songs like Mountains - Mantucket Sleighride, Hendrix's Bold As Love, Dark Side of the Moon, Kansas Leftoverature, Crack the Sky or the early fusion recordings, I was in no sense of disillusionment. I blew me away, it just appealed to me, it was more, wasnt the same ol same ol, it was music thought out and better expressive of the moods being cast by the music and lyrics or philosophies about life or real world matters. It was more than about partying or getting laid or falling in "love". I never let it get to my head but I still repeled chincy music because it was cheap, I beleive I would have done that anyhow. But not all fun basic music is cheap and I spent plenty of time listening to good, more straight forward hardrock or blues rock at the same time.

Its wrong to place that sterio type on progressive fans, alot of us are not posers trying to feel special about ourselves, we just like special music that offers us more.

 

[John Silver the Second]

we just like special music that offers us more.

This is also what I was talking about, the idea that prog is set apart and is special. I won't argue that Britney has anything to offer anywhere near Crimson but most forms of music have just as much merits as progressive. In a way I find that most prog is cheap and shallow, (I believe some of them have a unwritten book of rules that says songs must not fall below the five minute mark). Music doesn't have to have intricate solos to be well thought out.

 

[razoredge]

Its what your talking about because you twist it into your own interpretation. Its special music because its not for everyone, because more work is put into it, not "special" as in your a "special person". Your trying to make people that make and listen to progressive music out to be something they are not. You want to take a few words someone uses while honestly trying to explain things and twist it inot some extreme meaning it was not intended to be.

Here we have a person thats doing a report on progressive music and your intentions seem to be to give them the idea that fans of progressive music are pompous ass's....... when we know damn well this same thing can be said of fans of ALL genres of music.

Perfect example - latest trend and missuse of the word "wank". First of all a "wank", is someone that sits around and crys and critizes every little thing they can find. So if a group of musicians decides, "we want to do this here", "lets express this... this way"..... all the real wankers start bawlin and pointing their fingers to and fro crying "wank".

 

[John Silver the Second]

Its what your talking about because you twist it into your own interpretation. Its special music because its not for everyone, because more work is put into it, not "special" as in your a "special person". You want to take a few words someone uses while honestly trying to explain things and twist it inot some extreme meaning it was not intended to be.

QUOTE]

This is also what I was talking about, the idea that prog is set apart and is special.

err... what's the difference between that and what I said? I see no twisting of anything. I'm not trying to be nasty, I'm talking here of progressive music right now, I'm letting go of my concept of what a prog fan is like here. And honestly, I see no real evidence of more work put into prog music. Atleast not anything that counts creatively. Because prog music has not been progressive since the early 70's. Even then bands were sounding alike. At a time I might have thought so but now I see there is no reason to think that Supper's Ready is more "thought out" than Games without frontiers or In the air tonight. That drum sound was hugely innovative for sure. Prog bands are guilty of thinking in set patterns, two rules of the prog book seem to be that songs shall be no shorter than 5 minutes and frequent time changes are a sign of good song writing. It would be uncool to admit to having such a formula in so "creative" a form of music but it's there. If you listen to some bands out there while they're in the demo stage it sounds like they have the elements of a prog song. They're still finding their way, and it's "experimentive" and it meanders along a path. It would be easy to develop that into a prog song. But instead they condense what they have, leaving out what is unneccessary in order to craft it properly. This is song craft we're talking about. It's no coincidence that Genesis abandoned their early style as did Floyd who now hate their "noodling" stuff as Gilmour called it. So there you have it. My opinion, there's some good stuff in prog but it's so be taken in small doses, it's no higher art form, it is something many will slowly grow out of.

 

[razoredge]

What a bunch of nonsense

Well there it is everyone.... all you need to know about progressive music. the rules, reasons and future have been defined... Thanks Big John Silver.... even though Im soon to be 50 I can only hope that one day I will grow out of it.........