Has the flame finally gone out?

In the 60's ...the young generation of that time loved Procol Harum. They loved them only up until a point in time when the founding members decided to depart. Many hardcore Procol Harum fans disliked Broken Barricades because they thought some of it was an imitation of Electric Ladyland on Robin Trower's behalf and somewhat less Procol Harum. They even disliked parts of HOME because Mathew Fisher was no longer in the band  and that the writing was weaker. For years I was subjected to people laughing at the band's work released after HOME. So many, many..young fans were disappointed in Procol Harum during this period of 1970 and they took it very seriously...just as someone took Genesis selling out after Hackett left..seriously.

 Annoying or offensive, whatever the reaction is, I felt that Procol Harum returned to their much earlier style on Grand Hotel regarding the writing and as a beautiful feature you heard angels singing. The back up singers were an idea that took the band steps further in progression. It contained their early style, but it had new ideas about it..that had developed within the band. I'm not sure how many times an artist ...in life..has been able to return, (even for just 1 album), ..although it is unclear to me if Grand Hotel was appreciated. I recall hearing it played live off The Rainbow Theatre album which also featured Hatfield and the North, but I'll have to research it's reputation. When founding members leave, it hurts more than benefit the remainder of the band. Some bands were lucky in finding that right person, but most of the time the stupied face to face reality of this pathetic situation is what breaks bands up or places them in another situation which tells us all that the new composition has taken a backseat to the old....which in point it has been the result and damnation of music not being as good or impressive.

 It has also made a mess out of Prog by existing and gaining the interest of people who don't care about the details of how bad it really is. These are albums that were practically laughed at in the 70's and because they were released and somehow exposed to younger generations of today, they just don't GET what sucks about it or what originally sucked about it and from one viewpoint to another, who cares right? ...but it still gives Progressive Rock a phony definition when loads of people worship bands that the original Progressive Rock community considered outlanders. Many bands such as this were not accepted. I often wonder if a detailed analysis of Progressive Rock featured on a website is aware that by being overly supportive to crossover Prog or badly done Prog of the 70's, isn't giving Prog the wrong definition? There is "off spring" or other variations of Prog that are placed in a category and I understand the process...but is the definition derived from it's original creation by it's creators changing by the hands of others? 

I'm finding less and less time to spend on threads these days, but  discussing certain minutia is needed by some people in order to feel that they're not only people in their towns interested in prog.

 

And that's an important function that PA serves.

It is a content feeling to be secluded in a room listening to the Chateau d"Herouville Sessions by Jethro Tull. There is no need for an audience. Prog should remain on the underground forever and truly those are the best options to take considering that today's independent artist will forever remain independent. You're suppose to represent yourself today because supposedly there are no more record companies. Networking, You Tube, Craig's List, ...you know? all these bones thrown to us and we can only go as far as our luck will take us. It's 2014 and I land many more worthwhile connections in the music business when I play in a priceless venue. That is where the agents, managers, musicians, give you opportunities to be a session musician for a well known artist or auditioning. Everything still happens on the spot, during live transmission..and all or most of the important deals are "hands on" situations" . Everyone texts and e-mails , but everyone meets physically to offer connections...which is to say that you must be in these places to follow through and not home on the computer. In that sense, things are still as they were in the 70's. 

I believe Tony Banks wanted to share a percentage of writing with Steve Hackett... as I can pick up in interviews with Banks where he is endlessly bragging about Hackett's contributions to Wind And Wuthering. I believe Tony Banks is very picky and very detailed to a point where he might reject an idea from another band member that is solid and extremely useful and only because he hears the idea taking the piece far from where the original sounding art form of it developed. So...if we were to place most rejected ideas from Rutherford, Phillips, Hackett, Collins. and Gabriel into the early Genesis music ...would Tony Banks be right? Also take in to account that Tony Banks was the main writer from the very start and schooled Rutherford, Collins, Hackett, and Phillips in the areas of composition. Just by the 4 of them working with Banks..opened up some education for them..because Banks was already a trained writer and years ahead of their musical knowledge and knowing what to do overall with the music...in the same vain that Lennon and McCartney would have or Ray Davies...or even George Harrison with "All Things Must Pass". Even though Banks was a progressive writer he had the same mindset and knew how to produce an album like a play musically. He had ideas for certain chord voicings that would give Genesis a distinctive sound.

 Whenever I see old photographs of Rutherford, Phillips and Banks...sitting around playing acoustic guitars together..I imagine Banks instructing the both of them on chord voicings. That's how the music of Genesis developed and after Phillips departure..he went to music college to study piano and guitar. He writes piano pieces that are in the vain of Tony Banks. I'm just considering that Tony Banks was like a teacher in Genesis and being a perfectionist..he may have been difficult to work with and that revolving around his consistent picking of every detail in the music to be totally perfect. Selling England By The Pound and The Lamb are perfect and I only say this because they feel complete and perfectly done as an art. I do not know if members of Genesis feel the opposite of that.