Why Should we care about New Prog mania ?

  between 1968 & 1982 ,  we've had the best Masterpieces of Progressive Rock from Bands living in every spot of the Earth .  i really believe today in 2013 , that we've had it all from those people , my full satisfaction was always guarantied when i listen to those Pioneers & their Excellent releases , Close to the Edge for instance , Lark's Tongues or TAAB .... etc .....   are still my favorites in 4 decades , sometimes better than that !   i really know & appreciate what , some New Prog bands are trying to do , but i always find weakness in their productivity , they have much better equipment & tool then before , some bands knows how to take advantage from that , but the majority is not !!   Anyway , some new release from 1999 till now are much appreciated , it includes some Masterpieces , but not even on the level of one Harvest of the 70's , so , why should i turn my back on what i call Genius to what i barely call Amateur !  i've never though for a while that things can turn this way !!   there are excellent bands nowadays trying very hard to keep the concept of Progressive living , but seems cannot be compared with what was fulfilled  yesterday !   Yesterday , i used to Appreciate moments and feel the Greatness of Music , but , today i'm only trying hard to Appreciate the Power of Music again !  it seems it can't be done  !!!!!

TODDLER wrote: Prog is definitely not as Prog as it used to be.

^ Nostalgia ain't what it used to be Interesting points in both posts certainly. I guess there are a few big factors which must affect the possibilities of hearing what might qualify as 'Prog' today e.g. the whole apparatus of disseminating music to the marketplace has changed now with internet downloads and artists selling/promoting their own product on line. You'd think that the foregoing would make more challenging and less commercially oriented music more viable but the evidence doesn't seem to support this (or is it just too many small fish slipping through the net?)  Digital technology brings higher fidelity within anyone's reach (talented and untalented) and love it or loathe it, the A&R system deployed by record companies of the past, did perhaps filter some of the wheat from the chaff?

There was clearly a large and (hence lucrative) audience in the 67-76 years who were receptive to risk taking and adventure in music but whether this demographic has been replaced by those with more conservative tastes is debatable. I'm sure that this type of 'generational' argument was in place for the years 57-67 also. We can't seriously expect that modern masterpieces should resemble those you consider unimpeachable from the past (that would be erm....regressive innit?)

To each their own.

There are many classic albums from the 70's that I love, just as their are many modern albums that I love. Without a doubt there is something very different about 70's music than music being produced today, even in the prog sphere, but it's just that, different, and the quality of such will always be in the ear of the listener. You may have to go a fair bit further today to find the experimental bands but they're definitely there and to me every bit as good as those of the 70's (well, those I like, but not everything worked in the 70's either so it evens out).  

It's just a proof that artistic inspiration has a lot to do with historical conjuncture. As much as I love much modern Prog, I feel the same way, I don't hear anything as wonderfully inspired as the classics. Possibly it's our mistake, just expecting to hear that again. I guess that historical conjunctural inspiration can also be found in contemporary music (not modern Prog I mean, but actual contemporary music reflecting today's culture), it's just that I don't like it 

Because if you don't care about the new stuff, how could it ever be as good as the old? Simple really....

Edited by Guldbamsen - July 11 2013 at 06:53

Guldbamsen wrote: Because if you don't care about the new stuff, how could it ever be as good as the old? Simple really.... Most of what constitutes our appreciation of anything relies solely on perception, and which associations you wish to paint the sucker in.  There is literally tons of music being produced today - every flavour you wish to taste, you just gotta take chances sometimes and go outside your box mentality - and reach for something different.  I don't agree with the 1968-1982 period (nor the 1967-76) of music as constituting the "ultimate" altar on which progressive music aficionados wilfully bows their head in eternal grace. I agree that it was a period of music that wrapped up a certain - let's just say style of music pretty well, and yes a lot of the attempts of bringing back that same sort of vibe very seldom supersedes the genuine deal - the real McCoy so to speak. BUT real progress in music - the new kids on the block of what was, at the time extremely progressive musically speaking, were to be found in the avantguarde n RIO territories - the post punk scene, as well as the resurgence of electronic music in the late 80s early 90s with the likes of The Orb, FSOL and Aphex Twin.  This is again all part of my perspective on things, but I find it increasingly painful to see people, whom evidently appears to dig music that pushes boundaries and explores new sonic ground, to never look further than a specific sort of sound. I simply love music, and the idea of it, too much to do that for myself. There's that and the fact that the current prog scene actually is incredibly diverse and sprawling - again, you just gotta look outside the tried and tested formulas, or conversely try picking up the exact same thing as you always do, and then continue to separate it from what you think its blueprint came from - and just listen to the thing. Hard thing to do, but then again I don't believe any musician out there deserves to be met by some 45 years of sonic scrutiny.

Nod and smile folks... now read the track listing:

trackstoni wrote:   between 1968 & 1982 ,  we've had the best Masterpieces of Progressive Rock from Bands living in every spot of the Earth .  i really believe today in 2013 , that we've had it all from those people , my full satisfaction ...

Dean wrote: Nod and smile folks... now read the track listing:   1 FREE - Wishing Well 2 KANSAS - Carry On Wayward Son 3 CRAZY HORSE - Beggars Day 4 MOTT THE HOOPLE - All The Way From Memphis 5 WISHBONE ASH - Blind Eye 6 JETHRO TULL - Locomotive Breath 7 PORCUPINE TREE - Trains 8 RENAISSANCE - Northern Lights 9 MOODY BLUES - Dawning is the 10 EMERSON LAKE & PALMER - Lucky Man 11 REO SPEEDWAGON - Keep On Loving You 12 JOURNEY - Who’s Crying Now 13 YES - And You and I 14 ARGENT - God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You 15 CURVED AIR - Back Street Luv 16 HAWKWIND - Silver Machine 17 FREE - Wishing Well 18 KANSAS - Carry On Wayward Son 19 CRAZY HORSE - Beggars Day 20 MOTT THE HOOPLE - All The Way From Memphis   ...now walk away.

dr wu23 wrote: Old ...new....in between.....it's all good if it's good prog to begin with.

This a million times over. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Never, NEVER, let a year dictate how much you like something. Sure, most of my favorite albums came from the 70s, but I'm not going to rule out the possibility that next year an album just might be released that topples the classic-era favorites in my book. It's all about keeping an open mind and enjoying the spirit and substance behind the music whenever it gets released.

This is PROGRESSIVE music we're talking about here after all. The music of today is different, yes, but by no means has it stagnated. If it had, it would be nothing but a bunch of cover bands and ho-hum acts generating material derivative of the classic eras of Yes or King Crimson. That would not remotely interest me in the slightest, particularly when I'm liking bands like Discipline, Riverside, and Opeth so much more than I ever liked Yes.