Is "The Wall" Progressive Rock - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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irrelevant View Drop Down

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Posted: February 05 2011 at 06:14

People getting mixed up on their terms again.

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boo boo

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Posted: February 05 2011 at 06:01

Baby Snakes wrote:

Could someone explain what exactly isn't prog about The Wall?

No 3 minute synth solos or epics. As we all know, it is NOT progressive (I don't mean just not prog, but not in any way progressive) if it's not very long songs full of radical time signature changes, polymetrics and long synth solos.

Maybe none of the songs on their own sound like typical prog. But since like other PF albums it really should be judged as a whole rather than the sum of it's parts, the album itself is pretty goddamn progressive.

And I'm tired of people writing off obviously progressive music because it's not "prog", some idiots think that's equal to not being progressive at all.

Yeah. Post punk was not progressive but Symphony X sure is.

Some people need to look up what progress actually means. I really wish people would remember how to use the word progressive correctly and realise it isn't quite the same as "sounding like Genesis", because when people say with a straight face that David Bowie wasn't progressive despite the incredible diversity and creativity of his career but any band that strictly imitates an already established prog act is progressive just because they sound alike (though almost always inferior) I get more than a little pissy.

Not prog =/= not progressive, hell prog has become so NOT progressive now that I really wish the concept of prog and it's whole community would just die off. All of the better prog bands these days tend to be polarizing because people seem so enraged that people dare call a band like The Mars Volta progressive even though they dont sound exactly like some other band they can think of.

Prog has ironically become a very constrictive limited term. Think about that, the word "progressive" has rules and limits now. Does anybody realise how STUPID that is?

It's not the only genre guilty of this, there's a lot of idiots who don't consider anything punk unless it sounds exactly like The Sex Pistols.

Edited by boo boo - February 05 2011 at 06:24

trackstoni View Drop Down

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Posted: February 05 2011 at 03:29

Snow Dog wrote:

Yep.

That's the Word ! Wink

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Chris S

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Posted: February 05 2011 at 03:23

The more one appreciates music the more labels, truly become insignificant.....The Wall.......is there anybody out there yet...?

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JJLehto

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Posted: February 05 2011 at 01:28

Maybe the better question is, does it matter?

If it's not prog rock, does that make it any worse?
Do you not like it because of the music itself or because you feel it's not prog rock?

Ponder deeply

The T

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Posted: February 05 2011 at 00:46

Slartibartfast wrote:

Baby Snakes wrote:

Could someone explain what exactly isn't prog about The Wall?

I think it has something to do with the thread question not having a proper question mark.

Slartibartfast View Drop Down

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Posted: February 04 2011 at 23:24

Baby Snakes wrote:

Could someone explain what exactly isn't prog about The Wall?

I think it has something to do with the thread question not having a proper question mark.

Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

Baby Snakes View Drop Down

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Posted: February 04 2011 at 23:20

Could someone explain what exactly isn't prog about The Wall?

irrelevant View Drop Down

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Posted: February 04 2011 at 22:10

The Dark Elf wrote:

lucas wrote:

let prog reign wrote:

I think it's because it is not very progressive.

You rate an album on the level of "progressiveness" ?

And who cares if an album is less "prog" than others ? it certainly doesn't mean it is inferior.

I am wondering what specifically the poster feels makes The Wall "not very progressive".

Is it the artwork by avant-garde cartoonist Gerald Scarfe? Is it the fact that it is a concept album about a rock musician's descent into isolation and madness, based in part on Floyd guitarist Syd Barrett? Is it the trial scene where a judge that looks like a massive buttocks sentences the defendant to be exposed before his peers? Is it three separate sections of "Another Brick in the Wall" sung from different viewpoints? Is it the enormous amount of studio time spent on sound and vocal effects? Is it because the movie based on the album was one of the most surreal and arresting rock film experiences ever created? Is it because the song "Comfortably Numb" fades in an out of reality, with Waters handling the conscious sequences and Gilmour singing the hallucinatory parts, and then finishing with a towering extended lead that is one of the greatest ever recorded?

Oh...wait...those would all indicate a highly progressive album. Never mind.

No, that indicates they put a lot of thought and hard work into it.

New album!
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The Dark Elf View Drop Down

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Posted: February 04 2011 at 22:02

lucas wrote:

let prog reign wrote:

I think it's because it is not very progressive.

You rate an album on the level of "progressiveness" ?

And who cares if an album is less "prog" than others ? it certainly doesn't mean it is inferior.

I am wondering what specifically the poster feels makes The Wall "not very progressive".

Oh...wait...those would all indicate a highly progressive album. Never mind.

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lucas

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Posted: February 04 2011 at 18:35

let prog reign wrote:

I think it's because it is not very progressive.

You rate an album on the level of "progressiveness" ?

And who cares if an album is less "prog" than others ? it certainly doesn't mean it is inferior.

"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)

jean-marie View Drop Down

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Posted: February 04 2011 at 18:17

for sure the wall has prog times but it's not my favourite floyd album though i was at earlcourt at the time and though i'll be at roger's show in paris on june

let prog reign View Drop Down

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Posted: February 04 2011 at 14:05

iluvmarillion wrote:

SolarLuna96 wrote:

Considering that almost all of it was written by RW, if you consider his solo work prog, then yes. (I think so)

But the best track on the album is 'comfortably numb' which Gilmour wrote (music that is).

Also "Animals" is almost all written by Waters, but no-one questions whether "Animals" is progressive or not.

Thats because animals is completely different

Once upon a time there was some writing on the wall we all ignored, until the time that there was war and feasts of famine at our door

iluvmarillion View Drop Down

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Posted: February 04 2011 at 06:26

SolarLuna96 wrote:

Considering that almost all of it was written by RW, if you consider his solo work prog, then yes. (I think so)

But the best track on the album is 'comfortably numb' which Gilmour wrote (music that is).

Also "Animals" is almost all written by Waters, but no-one questions whether "Animals" is progressive or not.

POTA

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Posted: February 03 2011 at 14:44

Gerinski wrote:

PF's Wall is made of progressive rocks

Lawl.

Gerinski

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Posted: February 03 2011 at 13:47

PF's Wall is made of progressive rocks

Svetonio

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Posted: February 03 2011 at 12:17

irrelevant wrote:

Svetonio wrote:

irrelevant wrote:

Svetonio wrote:

irrelevant wrote:

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:

From all this latest polls I have found that a lot of people believe that Bjork or Steely Dan are Prog but Pink Floiyd not

Awesome

Iván

Steely Dan are just as prog as Pink Floyd.

Agreed. For me, Steely Dan is better progrock than Pink Floyd, but SD never recorded so commercial progrock as DSTOM and WYWH albums are, and of course The Wall.

They're two entirely different bands though (and both were commercially successful). Pink Floyd often crated long and drawn out spacey-rock and Steely Dan crafted (quite intricate) song based jazz pop/rock.

Of course that they are different bands. So different that I like Steely Dan much more than Pink Floyd, and I think that Steely Dan' music is better, regarding entire catalogue by both.

I disagree that Steely Dan recorded so commercial albums as DSTOM, WYWH and The Wall. Those Pink Floyd albums were sold in so much copies than ANY other progrock band, be that "spacey - rock" or "jazz pop/rock", were sold entire catalogue.

Does that mean that because of it, Pink Floyd are "less prog"?

Of course that not means that Pink Floyd is "less prog". Pink Floyd is an iconic progrock act for so many people worldwide, even for a crowd who never heard any other progrock band.

Edited by Svetonio - February 03 2011 at 12:19

let prog reign View Drop Down

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Posted: February 03 2011 at 09:50

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:

From all this latest polls I have found that a lot of people believe that Bjork or Steely Dan are Prog but Pink Floiyd not

Awesome

Iván

What's wrong with these people! Wink

Once upon a time there was some writing on the wall we all ignored, until the time that there was war and feasts of famine at our door

let prog reign View Drop Down

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Posted: February 03 2011 at 09:47

Haha, I've created quite a mess!

Once upon a time there was some writing on the wall we all ignored, until the time that there was war and feasts of famine at our door

irrelevant View Drop Down

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Posted: February 03 2011 at 09:15

Svetonio wrote:

irrelevant wrote:

Svetonio wrote:

irrelevant wrote:

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:

From all this latest polls I have found that a lot of people believe that Bjork or Steely Dan are Prog but Pink Floiyd not

Awesome

Iván

Steely Dan are just as prog as Pink Floyd.

Agreed. For me, Steely Dan is better progrock than Pink Floyd, but SD never recorded so commercial progrock as DSTOM and WYWH albums are, and of course The Wall.

Of course that they are different bands. So different that I like Steely Dan much more than Pink Floyd, and I think that Steely Dan' music is better, regarding entire catalogue by both.

Does that mean that because of it, Pink Floyd are "less prog"?

New album!
http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385