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Joined: September 20 2010
Location: Serbia
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Points: 10213
Posted: July 11 2015 at 01:39
cstack3 wrote:
Well, it saved Bob Fripp from his band "A League of Gentlemen!"
"Discipline" was one of a number of projects that seemed to combine the sensibilities of prog (extended guitar solos, synth guitars, elaborate song structure) with the energy of punk. I think they did so very effectively, with Belew serving as a legitimate bridge between the genres.
However, there were many other artists, including Peter Gabriel, who should be mentioned as well. Gabriel had some huge radio and MTV hits, so I'd say he was more influential on "saving" prog than KC.
Well,
David Torn's Cloud About Mercury, the prog masterpiece from 1987 with Brufford, Isham and Levin, actually was waaaay more regarded by old and real proggers at that time as a prog savior album aswell than whole PG's 80s stuff especially with his "MTV hits".
Joined: September 03 2006
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Posted: July 11 2015 at 02:28
I love Discipline, one of my favourite albums. I love Talking Heads too, esp Remain in the Light and yet would say there is no comparison. They are very different albums, great in different ways.
But did it actually save prog, as an historical fact? I am not so sure of that. It's an outlier, stylistically. Even Fripp didn't stay very long with that very formula, at least as far as KC albums go. IMO 80s Rush, Powerslave-Seventh Son Maiden and Metallica up to Justice for All did a lot more to save prog. They did so, along with Queenrsyche and a host of other metal bands, by forging a new genre that we now call prog metal and thus giving it a new direction, something it lacked after the great bands of the 70s slowed down and faded away. There are maybe umpteen other interesting things going on in prog and there would have been in the 80s too, esp in the Avant/RIO space. But in terms of creating a 'catchment' of a relatively large no. of fans, prog metal was what revived prog.
Joined: April 26 2005
Location: Belgium
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Points: 10616
Posted: July 11 2015 at 02:58
Discipline may have been rather unique in offering a new kind of prog style, but it hasn't been followed as far as I know.
But more important: go to the Progfreak site, choose "prog" and "1981" and you see quite some other bands saving the day: Rush, Dün, Present, Univers Zero...
Many went underground, yes, but they also helped prog through the barren times of the early 1980's
But Discipline was a brave and admirable statement by a well known prog band!
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Joined: October 22 2005
Location: The Idiocracy
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Posted: July 11 2015 at 14:41
Discipline (as some have said here earlier) saved King Crimson, not prog. And saved Fripp (not just from The League of Gentlemen) from just doing those boring Frippertronics albums. All of the other artists mentioned also kept prog alive during those bleak years.
Peter Gabriel? After his first two albums, he was barely prog, if at all. From the third album on, he was adult contemporary pop (soundtrack album not included), much like 80's Genesis.
Joined: April 18 2015
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Posted: July 11 2015 at 14:56
Hmmm...no. All the prog bands of the 70s were just trying to find there way through the 80s. Some just left to the pop world (Yes and Genesis), some became MTV like bands (Rush) and some were exiled to Love Beach (ELP). As for King Crimson, they brought prog to alternative rock with the help of inspiration from Talking Heads. Discipline is one of the best 80s prog albums, but it still didn't save prog.
I would like to point out right now that The Sheltering Sky is one of the greatest pieces of music ever.
Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
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Posted: July 11 2015 at 17:56
Moogtron III wrote:
Discipline may have been rather unique in offering a new kind of prog style, but it hasn't been followed as far as I know.
I've always understood Discipline as sprouting the genre of Math Rock. It's not a Prog genre that I've gotten around to listening to really, so someone else may have more solid knowledge.
Joined: April 26 2005
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Posted: July 11 2015 at 18:05
HackettFan wrote:
Moogtron III wrote:
Discipline may have been rather unique in offering a new kind of prog style, but it hasn't been followed as far as I know.
I've always understood Discipline as sprouting the genre of Math Rock. It's not a Prog genre that I've gotten around to listening to really, so someone else may have more solid knowledge.
Okay, you might be right. I have no knowledge of math rock whatsoever. Somebody else?
Joined: October 02 2005
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Posted: July 11 2015 at 18:12
oh yawn.. and bulsh*t...
Discipline was a good album.. Drama a year earlier was a much more successful adaptation of prog rock into modern (80's) music. Besides.. neither saved prog. Prog needed no saving.. nor did Neo save it.. it only kept in on life support and likely would have continued on life support even without Neo for shear inertia as many of the bands still today are playing. If the original fans are around it would have lived. However 'Prog Rock' is dying man.. who cares if it dies now.. or died 30 years ago.
The spirit of why we loved the music originally lives on.. in the progressive rock scene which has as much to do with K.C or Yes as it does Willie Nelson. Just artists following their own creative inspirations and making the music they want.. without regard to making the Billboard charts.. or even having careers in music. It is of the love of music
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Joined: September 25 2010
Location: Melbourne
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Posted: July 11 2015 at 19:28
Prog pretty much died 2 years later. Thankfully I can search through the 70s for 100s of great albums
Edited by dr prog - July 11 2015 at 19:31
All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock.
Joined: February 02 2005
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Posted: July 12 2015 at 02:48
micky wrote:
Discipline was a good album.. Drama a year earlier was a much more successful adaptation of prog rock into modern (80's) music. Besides.. neither saved prog. Prog needed no saving.. nor did Neo save it.. it only kept in on life support and likely would have continued on life support even without Neo for shear inertia as many of the bands still today are playing.
I don't think so. Prog needed to be saved from going totally underground. Otherwise PA would be much smaller and poor today.
Joined: September 25 2010
Location: Melbourne
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Points: 2447
Posted: July 12 2015 at 06:04
Bands such as marillion and Asia dug the grave for the future of prog
All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock.
Joined: January 06 2013
Location: Poland
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Points: 174
Posted: July 12 2015 at 18:36
"Saved" isn't nessesarily the right word but one can't undermine it's impact on prog. As far as I know the title track futures very complicated polyrythms that you couldn't find in earlier music, even in prog (maybe in Zappas music). The whole rythmic structure seems like an obvious influence to Prog Metal bands, not metioning Post-Rock/Metal and the whole Math scene.
Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
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Posted: July 12 2015 at 22:19
It's just another prog album. No need to make a big deal of it. Old progressive bands were moving in a more pop direction. Fripp was experimenting and then this album came out. I for me the timing was great. Seeing the band live on the tour was wonderful. I still find this notion of punk killing prog and prog going away in the 1980's totally wrong. You just had to move away from the old guys a little and explore new stuff that didn't sound like replications of the old stuff....
Joined: September 26 2010
Location: USA
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Posted: July 12 2015 at 23:23
Slartibartfast wrote:
...
I still find this notion of punk killing prog and prog going away in the 1980's totally wrong.
...
IIRC, didn't Johnny Rotten himself leave the Sex Pistols for more experimental pastures with Public Image Ltd.? Granted, he didn't go off to make grandiose stuff in the vein of Rick Wakeman, but still...
He looks at this world and wants it all... so he strikes, like Thunderball!
Joined: September 20 2010
Location: Serbia
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Points: 10213
Posted: July 12 2015 at 23:25
Argor wrote:
"Saved" isn't nessesarily the right word but one can't undermine it's impact on prog. As far as I know the title track futures very complicated polyrythms that you couldn't find in earlier music, even in prog (maybe in Zappas music). The whole rythmic structure seems like an obvious influence to Prog Metal bands, not metioning Post-Rock/Metal and the whole Math scene.
I meant to write, "saved the honor of the Prog", in favor of all those who understand things in a literal manner, but it seemed too long for the title.
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Was KC's Discipline the album actually saved Prog?
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, "Nuages" is just ear candy. Great, now I have to not only look for the Great Deceiver boxset, but the 1980s studio albums as well.
cstack3 wrote:
