Why Do you prefer Prog over other music genres?

Dayvenkirq wrote: And what's with the attitude?

Maybe I think that the idea that culture would be safely invested in those who are only able to articulate their own eloquence and lack of experiential nous is somehow a bad thing.


Edited by ExittheLemming - July 12 2014 at 06:27

Because the prog genre has rock drumming and classical imagery on top of it.  My Per Un Amico and my Moonmadness keep me going.

Dean wrote: AtomicCrimsonRush wrote: Prog appeals to my senses...  Commercial radio stuff bores me to tears........thats it.  so there is nothing in between? Everything is either 'commercial radio stuff' or Prog ... that's a shame.

well I can answer for ya.  I've heard "Doolittle",  "Television Marquee Moon" and "Automatic for the People".  They are about as boring as commercial radio stuff.  

Chances are that the things "in between" will be boring.  Prog isn't.

tawny ant wrote: Here's a different opinion, I guess: progressive rock is my refuge from the typical diet of classic rock, folk and blues that are still collectively revered as the best music of the previous era. I'm afraid to say that the only way I can stomache the popular music of the sixties and seventies is if it's smothered in mellotron or subverted by ambition! Awed by composers who gamble on their audience's patience, sense of humour and taste for danger, my favourite music is not just prog, but also the wilder sides of post-punk, funk and industrial music.

Certainly true for me!

The only way I can stomach the "metal" genre is if it's progressive metal.
The only way I can stomach the "death metal" genre is if it's progressive+death metal bands such as Death, Cynic and Atheist.
The only way I can stomach the "black metal" genre is if it's progressive+black metal bands such as Agalloch, Arcturus and Moonsorrow.
The only way I can stomach the "power metal" genre is if it's progressive+power metal bands (many of the popular bands got it).
and so on.

Dean wrote: SteveG wrote: Dean wrote: SteveG wrote: I feel that posts like this are important regardless of the lack of objectivity or methodology as it shows if Prog fans are connected to genres outside of Prog like classical, jazz, etc., or exist in some type of 'prog music only ' vacumn. There was no deeper purpose to this exercise. It's a subjective topic, there can be little objectivity. Not sure what you're on about with methodology - would you care to elaborate further? It's as far from a scientific pole as you can get, just throwing out questions quickly in order to gauge a consensous. The poll takers are subjective. Ony the polster is objective (hopefully!) ...and now you've lost me completely. I'll just ignore your "methodology" comment .... and the "objectivity" one too.

Dean, you seem to want to ignore most of this thread so I'll give you more to ignore. I sympathize with your frustration over not being able to reach a definitive meaning as to the word 'progressive' in PA. That is because the current music addressed in this site is not progressive. Rock music was only truly progressive in the late 60's and early 70's. Everything produced after that is only an imitation of it's style. The Neo Progressive movement says it all. A copying of Gabriel era Genesis without condemation as to the fact that this was the polar opposite of what Prog is and should be and is why we are where we are at now. The name of this site claims to archive this past prog but does nothing of the sort. Furthermore, treating this retreaded music with the same reverence does little to help. As to the discussions being devoid of music, you should know clearly by now that members go off on tangents or are defensive about music that they themselves did not create. A truly childish attitude if there ever was one. As for discussing beats, bars, chords and notes, I've done that for most of my life and I'm more interested in what fans think of music now as opposed to what producers and musicians think, that's why I ask the questions that I do. We are on opposite sides on this and that's unfortunate. Again, I truly appreciate for frustration, but you are the one flogging a dead horse in all of this, so I will sincerely wish good luck and hope that music can again bring you the same joy that it brings to me.

Edited by SteveG - July 12 2014 at 10:50

Dean wrote: SteveG wrote: Dean wrote: SteveG wrote: Dean wrote: SteveG wrote: I feel that posts like this are important regardless of the lack of objectivity or methodology as it shows if Prog fans are connected to genres outside of Prog like classical, jazz, etc., or exist in some type of 'prog music only ' vacumn. There was no deeper purpose to this exercise. It's a subjective topic, there can be little objectivity. Not sure what you're on about with methodology - would you care to elaborate further? It's as far from a scientific pole as you can get, just throwing out questions quickly in order to gauge a consensous. The poll takers are subjective. Ony the polster is objective (hopefully!) ...and now you've lost me completely. I'll just ignore your "methodology" comment .... and the "objectivity" one too.  Dean, Well, you got my name right.

I've got more than just your name correct. Read my post again as the text dropped out.

ExittheLemming wrote: Dayvenkirq wrote: <span style="line-height: 1.2;">Two questions, though:</span> ExittheLemming wrote: This is why the lyrics to DSOTM are so brilliant i.e. some very unpalatable and complex ideas are presented in a way that practically anyone can understand irrespective of their intellect. <span style="line-height: 1.2;">Death, wasting time, the root of all evil?</span><span style="line-height: 1.2;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.2;">Unpalatable and complex? Where? Isn't it the absence of those qualities that actually makes the album an accessible piece of work?</span> ... and ... ExittheLemming wrote: It's also quite telling that the music on this benchmark Prog album is predominately simple both rhythmically and harmonically. Didn't they use some slightly unconventional chords on some of the songs on DSOTM ? The acceptance and/or realisation that there is no spiritual consolation afforded to mankind, that mental health is often exploited as a controlling mechanism by our rulers and that our labours on this earth are ultimately futile is certainly unpalatable and complex for most listeners in my book anyway. Funny thing about DSOTM for me is that the Beatles may have 'turned us on' but Floyd managed to deliver some of the worst news we'll ever hear in our lives without appearing to turn us off. How does 'some slightly unconventional chords' (and we can safely throw in the famous riff in 7/4) equate to ripping up the harmonic and metric rulebook?I also think the left/right brain dichotomy is getting really tired now fellas. This was a resilient myth perpetrated by the work of Nobel prize winning neuropsychologist Roger W. Sperry which has now been widely disproved as 'Pop' psychology: (or Prog psychology in our case)http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/left-brain-right-brain.htm

The article confirms that there are differences in the tasks that the left brain and right do, and that they are the same ones we'd always been told of. I don't know what the pop-science notion of left and right brain is. The article doesn't say-not a good article. It makes a great deal out of the left and right sides working together, but they do this by manning their particular specializations, so I can't hazard a guess as to what has been disproven.

rogerthat wrote: I am not saying that.  I firmly believe that the quality of the music depends on the artist and his/her/their creative vision and not on the genre. I am saying simply that there is something peculiar about both prog and its listeners in the sense that a large part of the rest of the music community seems utterly convinced it is pretentious and/or won't give it a chance.  So what is that thing that doesn't attract both hardcore rock and roll fans who want something kickass to listen to on the one hand and also classical/jazz listeners on the other?  It is that prog tries to take the left brained orientation of the latter and wed it to the rebellious, rhythmic quality of the latter.  Of course jazz too can be plenty rebellious but it is not built on driving rhythm the way rock is and that's an element prog too possesses.  We are a bunch of people who want some of the musical intrigue of academic music but don't want to completely let go of the driving, thumping quality of rock music either.  This is the niche that prog caters to.  It is the only non-academic genre that is by nature somewhat left brained.  In other genres, it is exceptional/eccentric (as applicable) artists who tend to do left brained stuff like a Beatles or a S Wonder.  In prog, it is the norm.  If it is not left brained in any regard whatsoever, we would have difficulty calling it prog.  Once you accept the idea of rock music that passes through different sections, combining both vocal passages and long instrumental interludes, with a somewhat linear rather than cyclical progression, then simplicity isn't really of essence.  Perhaps the ideas may have such clarity that they APPEAR simple to follow.  But prog as a rule cannot be compared to say Chris Rea's Road to Hell and called 'simple'.  Complicated and long winded is the appropriate word, I think.

For me, it's some version of this. Thinking music with a head of steam behind it.

HackettFan wrote: SteveG wrote: Rock music was only truly progressive in the late 60's and early 70's. Everything produced after that is only an imitation of it's style. That was depressing. Then I considered how Steve Hackett produced quite a bit of truly progressive material in the 2000s, and I got alright again.

Perception is what life is all about. If you think Hackett's style of work is truly progressive, inventive and something that never existed before than my hats off to you.

Edited by SteveG - July 12 2014 at 11:20

ExittheLemming wrote: (this is directed at  dayvenkirq. Just like rogerthat you split when anyone disagrees or confronts you with a perspective alien to your expectations. It goes with the territory, white guys who don't get laid pretend it''s not important and that their inner beauty will trump the villainous spectator sport that is attraction. Mercifully art trumps the intellect and you are clearly deaf to that which speaks to the heart.

Edited by rogerthat - July 12 2014 at 11:17