Cheesy Prog is....?? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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omphaloskepsis View Drop Down

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Topic: Cheesy Prog is....??
Posted: May 26 2016 at 02:04

Given my druthers I'd rather listen to cheesy prog then the bitter arsenic of a prog band with no compositional skills. emotional prog is prone to Cheesiness. Thus, neo prog and optimistic bands like Styx and Moon Safari.

Edited by omphaloskepsis - May 26 2016 at 02:07

twalsh

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Posted: May 25 2016 at 19:00

cstack3 wrote:

[QUOTE=aattiic]

GH vocalist Jon Davison jumped over to Yes, and has helped deliver the cheese to their latest work. His stage presence is embarrassing in a very cheesy way - overdone hand gestures, gazing to the heavens etc.

I saw Yes with Davison doing vocals a couple of years ago. Thanks for putting a name to a stage presence that felt odd, silly and lacking gravity. The best I could do at the time was to call his performance 'ill fitting' in an undefined way. I'd seen Jon Anderson performing some of the same pieces solo a couple years prior. They were not near as exciting without a full band but his performance felt appropriate and authentic.

More heavy prog, please!

cstack3

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Posted: May 22 2016 at 16:46

aattiic wrote:

Glass Hammer is cheesy, but it can be good. Their vocals really amp up the cheese.

I agree, and I'm a friend of the band!

Someone I know once compared his stagecraft to the acting in the musical "Godspell!" Ouch!

Poor Yes....their prior vocalist, Benoit David, also spread the cheese deep onstage with his twirling, annoying stage presence!!

I might go to see Yes if I were given a free ticket, but that is about it for me.
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aattiic

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Posted: May 15 2016 at 13:24

Glass Hammer is cheesy, but it can be good. Their vocals really amp up the cheese.

"There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free."

mathman0806 View Drop Down

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Posted: May 15 2016 at 13:07

Rock videos naturally lend itself to a cheese factor, and by that, the 80s reflect that. Haken's latest release is said by the band to have been inspired by 80's prog and certainly their latest video for the rather upbeat Earthrise reflects that:

In particular, Ross Jenning's performance as when he's holding up 1 finger for "1 step backward" and 2 fingers for "2 steps forward."

That along with the mention of Supertramp brings to mind Roger Hodgson's video for Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy), which I hadn't watched in over 25 years. There's an almost literal "naked in the eye of the storm," face paint, cheesy special effects, and some emotive finger pointing and hand gesturing (see around 4:40 mark).

cstack3

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Posted: May 12 2016 at 21:48

dr wu23 wrote:

I know I'm going to catch some flack for this but I have always thought Supertramp were cheesy from time to time....especially Breakfast In America. And some 10CC songs struck me as cheesy......especially I'm Not In Love. But then I'm probably misreading the whole 'cheesy thing'.

Actually, that's a good catch! Supertramp certainly has some cringe-worthy moments on vinyl!

Edited by cstack3 - May 12 2016 at 23:34

Rednight

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Posted: May 12 2016 at 16:13

That Supertramp title track has always seemed cheesy to me. But 10cc's 'Not in Love? No way. It's a classic that Stewart and Gouldman once said they could never find success in attempting to duplicate it. And the multi-tracked vocals are (dare I say) delicious.

"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno

klaatuarethebeatles View Drop Down

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Posted: May 12 2016 at 16:01

10cc can definitely be extremely cheesy, but usually it's on purpose.

dr wu23

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Posted: May 12 2016 at 15:29

I know I'm going to catch some flack for this but I have always thought Supertramp were cheesy from time to time....especially Breakfast In America. And some 10CC songs struck me as cheesy......especially I'm Not In Love. But then I'm probably misreading the whole 'cheesy thing'.

One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
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Rednight

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Posted: May 12 2016 at 13:59

cstack3 wrote:

This is a very cheesy re-make of a particularly cheesy rock video by Styx, featuring a very cheesy song...American comedian Jimmy Fallon went on a real week-long bender about this song, p-ew!

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"...and if you say Jimmy Fallon is funny, I'll know you're lying." - Homer Simpson

Edited by Rednight - May 12 2016 at 13:59

"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno

klaatuarethebeatles View Drop Down

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Posted: May 12 2016 at 13:48

I love cheesy prog, there's nothing quite like it. I understand it's most likely an acquired taste. If you want an example of really good cheesy prog the band Stargazing in 35mm writes some pretty decent cheesy prog.

cstack3

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Posted: May 12 2016 at 11:01

This is a very cheesy re-make of a particularly cheesy rock video by Styx, featuring a very cheesy song...American comedian Jimmy Fallon went on a real week-long bender about this song, p-ew!

Edited by cstack3 - May 12 2016 at 23:35

Icarium

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Posted: May 05 2016 at 03:48

Cannata

cstack3

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Posted: May 04 2016 at 22:59

cstack3 wrote:

In a few recent threads (Dio and Glass Hammer), there are numerous references to "cheesy prog."

I think I understand what is implied, but am not sure....what, exactly, is "cheesy prog"? A new subcategory perhaps?

And, what is YOUR favorite cheesy-prog band??

OP here, I'm glad to see us discussing Prog Cheese years after I started this thread!

Generally, any prog band that tries "too hard" can sound cheesy. My friends in Starcastle were guilty of that....I once laughed that the lyrics for their second LP, "Fountains of Light," sounded as if they were penned by a writer for a greeting card company! Terrible, insipid lyrics!

Other bands that are guilty of trying a bit too hard include Styx, Uriah Heep, etc. in addition to many already mentioned.

MORE CHEESE!! LOL

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jsbranby

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Posted: May 04 2016 at 19:33

Ozeric Tenticles. Prog trance groove heavy creation band. Not too cheesy, but maybe a little...

bankstatement View Drop Down

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Posted: May 04 2016 at 18:26

Cheesiness is subjective. Though I agree that neo-prog is the biggest cheese offender. There's a certain sound that encompasses cheesiness for me, though I don't really know how to describe it. Smooth production is the first thing I notice concerning cheesiness, though someone said "punchy keyboard tones" and I think that's probably the best I can describe it. But there are certainly people out there who like it, and there are some people who just describe prog rock in general as cheesy. Lots of subjectivity. Tongue

So there aren't really standard "cheesy" bands, but the ones I see people complain about most are ELP and Dream Theater. Probably other neo-prog bands too.

micky

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Posted: May 04 2016 at 15:51

Sean Trane wrote:

Tapfret wrote:

I find punchy synthesizers and 80's midi patches cheesy. Conventional resolution to major chords. Platitudes are cheesy. Just to name a few.

that's the way I would define cheesy as well

Therefore the neo-prog genre is very much like a cheese fondue

same here.. that is how I picture cheese... cheese isn't at much vocal as much as it is keyboard based.

for that.. so that would make the Tormato the founder of prog cheese wouldn't it. LOL