Comments?

whaddya say????

Here is my letter to the editor:

Editor
Arts & Leisure
The New York Times

Jon Pareles calls progressive rock “long-winded, pretentious, cerebral, fastidiously technical and decidedly self-indulgent” (“Strike Up the Band in 13/4 Time: Progressive Rock Returns,” Feb. 27).  Maybe so.  However, we would also call it exploratory, creative, innovative, requiring exceptional musicianship, and decidedly influential.

To paraphrase an old saw: “Rumors of prog’s death have been greatly exaggerated.” Although punk rock may have been a reaction to prog’s “bombast,” prog’s seeming disappearance was not entirely, or even largely, the result of punk rock’s ascendance.  Many prog bands had simply exhausted themselves by the late 70s and gave it up.  Many others (notably Yes and Genesis) “adapted” their styles for a more “commercial” audience, and remained relevant well into the 80s.  Still others went through personnel changes that altered their styles.

In fact, Mr. Pareles’ comment that “punk destroyed any hopes that prog might have harbored of gaining cachet to match its elevated ambitions” is completely insupportable.  Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull and Rush (among others) released albums in the 1980s that spawned hits as big or bigger than anything coming out of punk.  In fact, both throughout the punk “era” and up to the present day, classic rock stations continue to play more songs by the above-listed prog bands than by any punk band.  Mr. Pareles is also well aware that the music industry is financially dependent not simply on current “million-selling” artists, but also on “deep catalogue” albums - older albums that consumers buy to complete or replace existing collections.  Among the top-selling “deep catalogue” artists are Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Rush, King Crimson, The Moody Blues and Jethro Tull.  And let’s not forget that Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” spent 22 years (from 1973 to 1995) in Billboard’s Top 200, a feat unequalled by any album in any subgenre of rock.  In addition, Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd were selling out arenas all over the world well into the 1990s.  Can Mr. Pareles name a single punk band that consistently sold out the largest venues globally?  Indeed, just last year, the Yes/Dream Theater tour was among the highest-grossing tours of 2004.

Lack of “cachet?”  Not commercially viable?  Death of the genre?  The facts prove otherwise. Indeed, the phenomenal success of our website proves that prog has continued to be viable, respected and well-loved.  Started less than two years ago, we are now one of the largest rock-oriented websites in the world.  Our global membership has quadrupled in just the past six months; we get over 15,000 hits per day on a regular basis; and our reviews have been “imported” by other prog rock sites, as well as by individual band sites.  And by the way, the vast majority of our newest members are in the 15-20 age group.  And although they came to the site primarily through prog-metal groups like Dream Theater, Opeth and Pain of Salvation, they are equally knowledgeable about “seminal” groups like Yes, King Crimson, Genesis and Pink Floyd, and “neo-prog” groups like Marillion, Spock’s Beard, Flower Kings and Ayreon.

Like the race between the tortoise and the hare, punk rock may have left prog “in the dust” at first.  However, punk rock ultimately went nowhere, and remains only in the vestiges of a handful of thrash metal bands.  Meanwhile, prog rock calmly and patiently plodded along, and is not so much in a “resurgence” as taking back its rightful place as an important, creative and accessible subgenre of rock music – one that never “died,” despite premature claims to the contrary.

Ian Alterman

Co-Administrator

www.progarchives.com

Maani man, very well done, you've expressed exactly what I was thinking after reading the article, only how you wrote it sounds intelligent, as opposed to what i would have done, which would have come out less  Intelligible than Jon Anderson Lyrics.

They better publish that response in a follow up report, or I say we send the Times a mass of angry e-mails.

Concerning the album- I love it, heard it the day it came out, and I was very impressed. It doesn't rank umong my elite top super fantastical happy fun list, but I love it. Good to see prog is gettign a name for itself, and actually being refferd properly as Prog rock again. I for one have been a fan of several prog rock bands since I was about 9 or 10, starting with Rush and Pink Floyd, but never thought of the m as prog. Perhaps now people will see this and say- "ah really this is prog, maybe I'll check out some other bands as well." The wheels are turning, and the heyday of the prog nerd could be returning.

Forgive me to interupt but I also did not find the article insulting and most of what he develops is somewhat true IMHO (I think I would side with Vibe but I do have an answering machine and a normal stove - screw micro waves and processed foods designed for that oven).

I am however puzzled to understand this Nerd thing:

The writer missed a chance to mention that 'nerd culture' is seeing a recent general surge in the mainstream, so logically the popularity of prog should increase right along with the recent boom in Tolkien, Star Wars, computer gaming, etcetera.

When I left Canada in 88 , NERD was an insult: I can remember all of those stupid teen comedies (the only titles I remember is the Porky trilogy - I only saw the first) and the nerd character was a real loser, bound to stay virgin with heavy glasses broken in the middle and repaired with scotch tape, a relatively ugly wimp , and not even particularly intelligent or high grades in school (not to be confused with the brownnosers who was also a loser but with a future and also the teacher's pet) and getting surnames such as Spaz etc..... Lynrd Skynrd must've had something similar in mind when they named their group after the hated physed teacher.

Maani - Has replied for us all - Nice one Centurion.

 I didn;t get past track 2 of the Mars Volta - they were not my cup of Tea - I'll have to re-listen when I'm in a more receptive mood for this sub-genre !

maani wrote: My answer to the article would be this: Like the tortoise and the hare, punk may well have left prog "in the dust" at first.  However, punk went nowhere in a very short time, and lives on only in a handful of thrash metal bands.  Meanwhile, prog plodded along, calmly and humbly remaining true to its priniciples, and is not simply in a "resurgeance," but is now taking back its rightful place as an important, creative, viable and respectable subgenre of rock music.

Couldn't have put it better! I've not heard much of TMV yet, but I shall DEFINITELY be investigating them now!