Has prog lost its way?

lostrom wrote: Prog died in 1977.

cstack3 wrote: san0648 wrote: theres a lot of prog out there... Yeah, and most of it is pretty lame!  I mean, I don't hear anyone with near the talent of Bob Fripp on guitar, Rick Wakeman on keys etc.   I try, trust me....a friend sent me a CD of a bunch of European prog bands, I wanted to throw it out the car window.  It sounded very forced and derivative.   Prog has lost its way.

Edited by dr prog - July 13 2015 at 01:20

I think "relying on great melodies" is just what progressive rock is not about.

micky wrote: let me again.. dig out this .. from a prog musician posted after prog fan stopped supporting the scene and led to the cancellation of Nearfest [...]  Let the geezers have their nostalgia-fests, and let the "new prog" bands get out on the regular rock circuit and compete with any other rock genres out there rather than put them in the geriatric ward of "prog" where the smell of old age will make them unpalatable to both the rock media and the major labels. No disrespect to either!!!

The problem about progressive rock today is not the "smell of old age". It is just not simple enough for large audiences. Prog can be as challenging as classical music but it doesn't have the same reputation.

If you want large audiences, the rock media and major labels on your side, you have to simplify your music (or make controversial statements, commit crimes and so on, to catch the awareness of the media). The rock bands who attract large audiences today do so because they're young and good-looking and have simple and catchy music, like in the 60s. You can innovate something on the surface (for example, make-up, costumes, visuals, sound effects and so on), but as soon as you touch the musical structures, you'll start losing the crowd. As far as the evolution of the musical structures in rock music is concerned, we are still in the 70s, with a few exceptions who would never find a large audience today, like some Zeuhl and RIO bands.

After Steve Hackett's Genesis Revisited II concert I met a young woman who went there because she likes Hackett's solo work. She did not really like the Genesis music, but not because it was from the 70s, but because it was too complicated.

I wish some prog fans would be a little more appreciative towards bands like Glass Hammer who play on such a high level, instead of calling them a mere tribute band. In that aspect, the prog scene seems almost self-destructive to me.

Oh, there is a thing that I remembered. A suberb historian (Eric Hobsbawm, if you like history, go check him) once said that to a classic be born, it needsa time to matured.

So... we cannot rush our own time and said we dont have any classics. A classic need 30 years of evaluation to born a classic. Examples are numerous: how many albums was destroyed when they were released and now we take them as masterpieces?

If we do not wait a little to see in some years, what works will highlight from our times... we'll just keep te comparison game I mention above.

But I think the discussion got other ways, now...

In the 1970's there were also lots of bands, thats not the thing.

Again, you are just comparing.

Have you heard Angra? They made a concept album with "Holy Land", long songs quite experimental and a lavish art cover. People tend not to like it back then because it mix their heavy metal with brazilian instruments "not pure".

There are a lot of examples of good bands and good projects. But if you just keep searching for something that sounds like something made in the 1970's you're just being retro, man.

GKR wrote: In the 1970's there were also lots of bands, thats not the thing. Again, you are just comparing. Have you heard Angra? They made a concept album with "Holy Land", long songs quite experimental and a lavish art cover. People tend not to like it back then because it mix their heavy metal with brazilian instruments "not pure". There are a lot of examples of good bands and good projects. But if you just keep searching for something that sounds like something made in the 1970's you're just being retro, man.

I don't want bands to sound like the 70s at all that would be regressive rock. I just want to see the creativity and courage return. I know it's still out there it just seems hard to find. Interesting music will always find an audience, how big of an audience may vary.

Exactly. The prog, as we define it from its early origins, died at the end of the 70's. The prog today is not th e prog from the 60's-70's. Those bands that try to emulate its sounds today are dying. There are other, newer types of prog today, though. They not be dead, but prog, as they always have, lives in the underground music world.

Genres never truly die. Disco was claimed dead in like 1978. There's any number of EDM artists who now specialize in disco-influenced tracks, so can we say for certain disco is still dead? It's all debatable.

I mean, prog has never really been out in the spotlight of music. Sure, it's always been the playground of evolution and experimentation, and it still is, but it's always remained an underground genre. Sure, there are bands that hit the mainstream, but those are exceptions to the rule. You may say prog is dying, but it's merely hemorrhaging, living underground, exactly where it needs to be. Prog is a genre where those who listen understand the genre and love it. They have infinitely better fanbases than pop stars because more exposure dilutes both the music and the "fans".

I don't think prog will ever truly die. We're all fans of the genre. Unless we all drop dead, the bands won't. As long as there are prog fans, there will be prog bands.

Hercules wrote: lostrom wrote: Prog died in 1977. A bit early for the Christmas panto, but "Oh no it didn't!"

Guitar World Cover story is about three of the more mainstream prog bands out there today. Prog's not dead. It just sounds different. It evolved. The idea of experimentation, however bands go about it, is now part of the starting point, rather than the end goal. If you dont like current prog, thats fine, but its alive. Its out there.

When I found this site a couple years ago and heard the sound of heaven all over again, and after going on a buying spree to replenish all the Prog music I had to sell during divorce, I would have said the 70's Prog was where it was, is, and will be forever. However, I have heard some interesting modern stuff (and bought it too--most of it RPI, which is my first love). No, it isn't as groundbreaking as the past, but there are still bands trying their best to be innovative as they can. The saddest part is trying to make a living at it and continue. In that sense the glory days have ended, and I have respect for those who keep trying. 

Edited by ginodi - July 13 2015 at 12:30