How did you find your way to Prog?

I was born in 1987, and had been a heavy metal fan since 1999. One day, for no apparent reason I thought I'd buy a Dream Theater album because I'd heard OF them and wanted to see what they were like. I bought "Images And Words" (nice starting point I suppose).

At first, I really hated it. I wasn't use to the funny time signatures, time changes and long epic tracks... BUT... after a while it grew on me...

Two years later, although still a metal fan (of old 80's/early 90's metal), I'm a full fledged Prog Rocker.

threefates wrote: When I was 12, my brother who was 14 years older than me, bought me "In the Court of the Crimson King".... it was all over with from there!!

Almost the same was with myself - I still think that ITCOTCK is the best starting point for Progressive Rock.

^ It seems that with most people, curiosity and a desire for something more than the mainsteam rock or pop sounds draws individuals to prog. Sites like this offer a means to discuss and enhance the prog experience.

Plus we get to see Reed and Velvet get silly.

Rob The Good wrote: Yeah we in New Zealand are starved of Prog to some extent. There is only ONE NZ band in the archives, and that's Ragnarok...but I can't find anything by them (even in their native country!) Being born in the good old year of '86, I had to discover it myself...it all started with one song: Nights in White Satin.

Ah another kiwi! What city are you from?

I was born in 1987, I got ELO's greatest hits when I was about 7 and loved it. I played it over and over again, and being an obsessive type I bought the whole lot. That's how I found the early stuff which was strange and cool. I decided I wanted more and got into Moody blues and Early Genesis. My mum figured out what sort of music I enjoyed and fueld it by buying me albums by other bands, Yes being one of them.

Then I was looking in an encyclopedia, and found that all my favorite bands fitted into the category of 'Prog' rock.

My Dad listened to a lot of Opera and Classical music and I used to listen to classic FM, so I had an appreciation of slightly better music. I've allways loved the 'soft' sound of strings or synth, and the 'full' sound of lots of different instruments and harmonies. Simple pop sounds hard and empty to me. I also allways loved dramatic music.

I started really getting into music when I was 16.  I all began with the Iron Maiden album "Brave New World".  I'd never properly listened to music before, actually sat down and just listened to it, but it completely blew me away.  I was amazed, after a life-time of hearing bland rubbish on the radio, that music could have such an effect on you.

Through talking to other IM fans, I found Dream Theater, and discovered a truly spectacular band.  However, while DT led me to similarly modern discoveries like Tool and Ayreon, I never heard any of THAT seventies' stuff.

Not long after that, I discovered that the biggest influence on Steve Harris from IM (a personal idol of mine, as I'm a bass player) was Genesis.  "Genesis?" I thought, "but that's Phil Collins' pop band, isn't it?"  How little I knew.  Soon I took the plunge, and bought Nursery Cryme for a mere £5 in the HMV sale.  I've never looked back.  It opened up a whole other world for me, one where music is not bound by rules, and some of the greatest pieces of music ever wriiten may be found.  This in turn led me to appreciate similarly-neglected forms of art, like classical and jazz, but my heart will now always belong to Prog.

in 1978/79 my brother's (3 years older than me) friend from New York brought us a bunch of records from the States to listen to. At the time, I was 12/13 and listening to a diet of standard radio top40 (admittedly not bad in those halcyon days)

Anyway, Sean (sadly later killed in the Lockerbie disaster) brought us Kansas' Monolith and Two for the Show as well as some other stuff on a compilation tape (which I still have) which featured amongst the Neil Yong 'Out of the Blue into the Black' and AC/DC radio show recordings from around the release of Powerage,some Peter Gabirel. My cousin also had a copy of Dark Side and I was intrigued by the stickers and the album sleeve (though he also had Kiss Double Platinum too- urrrrrgh!)

At the same time, of my own accord, I was getting into ELO (Discovery), Zeppelin (In through the out door and Song Remains the Same) and Supertramp (Breakfast in America). I then heard Genesis' 'Turn it on Again', Rush's 'Spirit of Radio' and Peter Gabriel's 'Games without Frontiers' - all practically in the same week as they were in the UK singles chart at the same time (amazing huh?!) - and was hooked.

I went out and bought Permanent Waves (a toss-up between that and Duke - couldn't afford both) and a little later heard Yes' 'Run Through the LIght' (just released) on Radio Luxembourg. That was it.

Have to say though that at the same time I was hearing the Jam, Blondie, The Police, Stranglers etc etc and i think that gave me some good perspective and catholic taste in music.

But the proggy stuff - just always does it forme and Leftoverture remains one of my all-timefavourite records- thanks Sean RIP!

arcer wrote: in 1978/79 my brother's (3 years older than me) friend from New York brought us a bunch of records from the States to listen to. At the time, I was 12/13 and listening to a diet of standard radio top40 (admittedly not bad in those halcyon days) Anyway, Sean (sadly later killed in the Lockerbie disaster) brought us Kansas' Monolith and Two for the Show as well as some other stuff on a compilation tape (which I still have) which featured amongst the Neil Yong 'Out of the Blue into the Black' and AC/DC radio show recordings from around the release of Powerage,some Peter Gabirel. My cousin also had a copy of Dark Side and I was intrigued by the stickers and the album sleeve (though he also had Kiss Double Platinum too- urrrrrgh!) At the same time, of my own accord, I was getting into ELO (Discovery), Zeppelin (In through the out door and Song Remains the Same) and Supertramp (Breakfast in America). I then heard Genesis' 'Turn it on Again', Rush's 'Spirit of Radio' and Peter Gabriel's 'Games without Frontiers' - all practically in the same week as they were in the UK singles chart at the same time (amazing huh?!) - and was hooked. I went out and bought Permanent Waves (a toss-up between that and Duke - couldn't afford both) and a little later heard Yes' 'Run Through the LIght' (just released) on Radio Luxembourg. That was it. Have to say though that at the same time I was hearing the Jam, Blondie, The Police, Stranglers etc etc and i think that gave me some good perspective and catholic taste in music. But the proggy stuff - just always does it forme and Leftoverture remains one of my all-timefavourite records- thanks Sean RIP!

Hey Arcer, I didn't know you liked Kansas.  Great story and sorry for your loss of your friend.

 

garion81 wrote: Hey Arcer, I didn't know you liked
Kansas.  Great story and sorry for your loss of your
friend.

Oh yeah, huge Kansas fan - at least from the debut
up until Monolith - it all went downhill from there
though as far as I could see.

Still, I think they're cruelly dismissed by a lot of
people. The melodies are superb, the singing
(which I admit to some might be a bit grating in a
pop/rock way) appeals to me, the harmonies are
really good and they're way unederappreciated as
musicians - some great keyboard playing and
always really nice choice of synth sounds.

Intrigued by the reunion album somewhere to
elsewhere or whatever it's called and by the
proto-kaw stuff. Worth buying?