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Topic ClosedThe most musically complex prog band(s)?

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Crimson King420 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 04 2008 at 12:48
I'd have to say Camel, their albums are so complex they could almost be considered symphonies.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 04 2008 at 20:35
^ Symphonies of Rock music...  It would be cool to combine those words together to describe a certian style of music. Just sayin... Big%20smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 04 2008 at 21:57
In all my musical exploration  I find that the most complicated music in the rock setting are usually the jazz oriented ones such as Brand X or Area. To be honest some of PFM's music or much of Gentle Giant could have that crown. Some of the old Italian bands like Banco in particular would be hard to beat. It's really hard to say and there isn't one answer because theres to much competition. But if I had to pick one based on a band as a whole. I'd say Gentle Giant.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 04 2008 at 22:34
I'd also like to comment on what a couple people were saying that the judgement of complexity was based on perception or taste. That is certainly a load of nonsense. Music is what it is and one has to engage in listening to understand its mechanics. Perhaps the people that may more closely hold an answer to the question would be people who have listened to and analyzed the most music. Because generally people will state what they know or what they are aware of. Music can shape aspects ones mind. If one studies the music of a complex nature or classical or progressive. Then you would know what was complex or even more complex in nature. The most "complex" music may be hard for some to wrap their mind around or even tire the mind or make someone feel their arteries tighten and confuse. For me it can really charge my mind or spark my creativity or give me that tingly sensation on the back of my neck, or it could even annoy me based on my mood and the chemistry.  I do feel that people need some knowledge and understanding to make the judgement but maybe the most complex band is one that U or I has never heard.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 04 2008 at 23:05
Originally posted by Crimson King420 Crimson King420 wrote:

I'd have to say Camel, their albums are so complex they could almost be considered symphonies.


LOL *refrains from comment*
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 04 2008 at 23:15
^ I won't, however! Wink

You can say Camel sometimes wrote multi-part suites/albums, but their music is really not very complex. They're very close in complexity to Pendragon, which is to say that they're good at writing interesting songs that are definitely not dead musically, but obviously not bursting with technicality. The music on The Snow Goose is actually very simple.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 00:27
Originally posted by HughesJB4 HughesJB4 wrote:

Originally posted by Ghost Rider Ghost Rider wrote:

There may even be someone who finds, say, Celine Dion's music to be complexLOL...
 
Let that be the last time that's said here on PALOL
 
no... she's right... Try listening to a whole album by Celine.. how more complex can life get? LOL
 
I don't know what is the most complex prog I've heard. i can't add that much to this discussion other than I go with what I like. For example, I don't like DT for being "complex" (actually, they're not), but because I love to hear their music. The same with more complex bands like Genesis. VDGG is more complex but I don't enjoy it that much, and Timberlake's songs are not complex at all and I enjoy them even less... So, for me, complexity is but just a little element in music.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 00:49
There is definitely a difference between 'complex' and 'music.'  The gibberish that passes for music on ITCOTCK side 2 (vinyl and cassette-tape) and Walter Carlos' side 1 (vinyl and cassette-tape) of soundtrack to 'Clockwork Orange' is 'complex' but I am still trying to determine if it qualifies as 'music.'  All songs on Yes - Relayer, definitely!  Good, complex music!  Many others mentioned above get my vote as well...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 03:30
I'm beginning to feel a little despondent. Whenever I mention Discus or Kenso in one of these threads, I get no response at all. People just carry on chatting about some of the more familiar (usually Anglo-Saxon) prog acts, such as VDGG, Gentle Giant or Zappa. Of course there's nothing wrong with any of their music, which I myself enjoy a great deal. It's pretty complex as well. I just find it terribly frustrating that no one's interested in two of the most exciting prog bands active today, just because they're from eastern Asia! I wish some act of God would catapult either Discus or (especially) Kenso into Prog Archives' Top 50. If you look at quality alone, they fully deserve to be there.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 04:02
Fuxi,
 
Speaking only for my self I never heared Discus or Kenso so I can not add them. Actually I read some about Kenso and thoght of trying to get them (it's not easy in my place to get asian music). The only album I have from that area is Happy family's Tosco and it's a good one IMO.
Unfortunately the more familiar is more discused. This is natural. I use this threads partially to get some ideas about bands I never heared of and your comment about Kenso sure strengthen my intention to hear them.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 04:36
Originally posted by fuxi fuxi wrote:

I'm beginning to feel a little despondent. Whenever I mention Discus or Kenso in one of these threads, I get no response at all. People just carry on chatting about some of the more familiar (usually Anglo-Saxon) prog acts, such as VDGG, Gentle Giant or Zappa. Of course there's nothing wrong with any of their music, which I myself enjoy a great deal. It's pretty complex as well. I just find it terribly frustrating that no one's interested in two of the most exciting prog bands active today, just because they're from eastern Asia! I wish some act of God would catapult either Discus or (especially) Kenso into Prog Archives' Top 50. If you look at quality alone, they fully deserve to be there.



I didn't  "chat on about some of the more familiar prog acts"

Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

Unexpect's In a Flesh Aquarium is pretty intricate, also Dave Kermann's stuff and a little known Japanese band called Flat 122



..and one of the bands I mentioned is Japanese  ...so HAH !!



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 05:23
Modern Talking
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omri View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 08:07
Visitor13 ,
 
There are few things should not be done ever even as a joke !
 
What you did is definitely one of them. probably the worst band in history (IMO).
omri
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 08:48
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum any1?
Nobody needs to go anywhere else. We are all, if we only knew it, already there.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 08:54
Japa-zeuhl is über complex. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 09:07

Yes

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 10:29
Gentle Giant, VdGG & KC comes to mind, thos bands are named eclectic for a reason.
 
Sure some Canterbury bands like Egg, Soft Machine and National health where not far behind


Edited by Zargus - March 05 2008 at 10:31
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 12:15
To my ears the most complex music is more in the Fusion area obvious examples being Return to Forever and The Mahavishnu Orchestra and newer bands like Planet X.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 12:46
Originally posted by omri omri wrote:

Fuxi,
 

Speaking only for my self I never heared Discus or Kenso so I can not add them. Actually I read some about Kenso and thoght of trying to get them (it's not easy in my place to get asian music). The only album I have from that area is Happy family's Tosco and it's a good one IMO.

Unfortunately the more familiar is more discused. This is natural. I use this threads partially to get some ideas about bands I never heared of and your comment about Kenso sure strengthen my intention to hear them.


Thanks, Omri. If you like Canterbury bands (especially National Health), Bruford (with Dave Stewart, Jeff Berlin and Allan Holdsworth), Brand X and Steve Hackett's better solo albums, you're bound to enjoy Kenso as well. By the way, doesn't Amazon do deliveries to Israel?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 05 2008 at 13:32
Originally posted by stonebeard stonebeard wrote:

^ I won't, however! Wink

You can say Camel sometimes wrote multi-part suites/albums, but their music is really not very complex. They're very close in complexity to Pendragon, which is to say that they're good at writing interesting songs that are definitely not dead musically, but obviously not bursting with technicality. The music on The Snow Goose is actually very simple.


I, like many others, would consider Camel to be easy listening prog, muchlike (as mentioned above) Pendragon. That in my mind is a good thing, because you need a break from complex music like KC and GG to go and chill out with pure melody, and that is the purpose that those particular bands serve. Doesn't mean they are not capable of playing complex music, but simply chose to serve a different purpose in the whole prog spectrum.
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