Is Prog Rock the New Folk?

No, it's the new disco. 

Hmmmm. Well I have heard people think of prog in the same way you would jazz or classical. Both jazz and classical aren't particularly popular(especially among younger folks)and yet both have been around for a while and both have staying power. Lots of genres have a resurgence but prog doesn't need one. As Nick Barrett from Pendragon said "it's never out because it's never in." 

Prog_Traveller wrote: Hmmmm. Well I have heard people think of prog in the same way you would jazz or classical. Both jazz and classical aren't particularly popular(especially among younger folks)and yet both have been around for a while and both have staying power. Lots of genres have a resurgence but prog doesn't need one. As Nick Barrett from Pendragon said "it's never out because it's never in."

Yeah, I think it's more important for Prog to command the underground than the mainstream.

Slartibartfast wrote: No, it's the new disco.

Some of you are interpreting it as whether Prog might become as popular as Pop. This will never happen and did not happen in the 70's either. When we say that 'Prog was huge' we mean that it was relatively popular, there were some radio stations playing Prog and a few bands filled stadiums. It was popular perhaps as we can say that Dream Theater has been popular in the last 15 years. They can fill big venues but it's not what you will likely hear from the car sitting next to you at the traffic lights. Look at the hits of the 70's (pre-punk) and what you will find are the Jacksons, The Bee Gees, Simon & Garfunkel, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Clapton, Don McLean, The Stones, Boston, Peter Cetera, Bonnie M, ABBA, Gloria Gaynor, Village People, Patrick Hernandez.... shall I continue? Pop and Disco (and a bit of mildly hard rock such as Purple, The Who etc) were by far THE popular music.

Edited by Gerinski - September 02 2014 at 13:54

chopper wrote: Svetonio wrote: Mr. Nick Barrett is awesome! If it were not his words of wisdom, I would still live in the false belief that prog was very IN at the beginning of the seventies.   It was - if you read the music papers at the time, the albums from bands like Yes and Pink Floyd were massive sellers and the various members of Yes, ELP etc used to win all the musician polls in Melody  Maker.

Atavachron wrote: moshkito wrote: Atavachron wrote: I'm afraid you have it backward.   Popular is popular because people go to it.   And unless you wanna accuse the music business of working with the CIA on mind control, there's no basis for thinking that a lack of exposure ~ which seems to be your main thesis here ~ is what prevents people from becoming jazz or classical or art music fans. Why is it so hard to accept that the world does indeed dance to its own tune?   The fact that we don't much like the tune doesn't mean the corporations are in control of tastes.   They are not the taste-makers, we and the journalists we like are.   We spend the money, we support the artists, we are the dream seekers, and we are the ones the corporations are watching.   They respond to the mass market, not the other way around.  I know that's a shock, but in reality far truer than most realize. People who don't like jazz know they don't like it, people who don't like electronic music know they don't like it.  Maybe someday they will, but until then no one's going to spend their hard-earned money on something they don't like and won't listen to.  Period. You really need to study and read about music that comes from non-commercial and oppressed systems, when the arts are the most important facet and force of information and opinion.   Since you are well versed in America and England, I have no say in your opinion, but I am not a great fan of the thinking that commercial societies ARE THE _______ DEFINITION OF ALL THE ARTS! Maybe, though your reaction seems defensive.   But what are you defending?   We currently live in a time when alternative musics are more accessible than ever, which is of course a good thing.   In fact it's a real breakthrough in artistic liberty, both for the artist and the observer, and it's our responsibility to support that new reality as best we can which most here seem to do.   And so the fight for what we want and think is great ensues as it always has, each artist scrambling for attention or for that new innovation, and each of us passionately consuming it.   To return to the food analogy (as I think it's something everyone can relate to); some of us like gourmet food and microbrewed beers, some prefer a cheeseburger and a coke.  I myself have had my fill of haute cuisine and genuinely don't care for it.   It no longer tastes good to me nor is satisfying.   But it's not because of ignorance or lack of exposure.   Just the opposite.   Does that make me an unsophisticated slob?   Probably to some people, but they'd be mistaken.   It's the same with anything else including music.  One may assume the person who's favorites include Paul Simon and Sting don't know any better, when they may be much farther along their journey than we think.

Metalmarsh89 wrote: Xonty wrote: I doubt it will become mainstream/popular, unless there's some incredible band or bands to come that can re-introduce prog to kids my age without alienating them. Prog's never really disappeared since the mid-70s anyway (Rush in late 70s, Peter Gabriel and Marillion in the 80s, Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree in the 90s, etc.) and definitely isn't fading into oblivion or anything. It doesn't need a huge revival or to be discovered by the public, because it's always there to be found for whoever wants to find it with the help of the Internet, so I won't be disappointed if this never happens. The whole Kate Bush thing might set off a spark if it's lucky, but that's the only real argument I can see in the article (Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings have been around for about a decade now, and the only people I know who watch Game Of Thrones are more into reading and art than music). Would be very interesting to see what would happen if it did, but the chances are slim. Thanks for posting this though Chopper!  The prog bands wouldn't complain though. Dream Theater is probably one of the few examples of current prog bands that continue to sell out theaters and arenas (do they play outdoors) without any trouble. I'm sure prog bands wouldn't mind a little more cashflow. What I wonder is if a prog revival does happen, will it be a result of the media deciding that these prog bands play good music and should be the next popular thing? Or will it come from the other side, with already popular rock, electronic, or folk bands deciding they want to explore there sounds and abilities further, and entering the realm of prog that way. Muse comes to mind, being not only popular, but rather eclectic in their styles.

Edited by Xonty - September 05 2014 at 14:49

^Okay. I actually deleted my post shortly after I posted it because I didn't think it was as brilliant as it could have been (and, unlike now, I was working off my iPhone, which got to be a bit fatiguing). I guess you got to it anyway - no problem. Entirely true about the time of Shock the Monkey (1982) and certainly not a news flash to me. I presumed we were talking about the make up of things in principle, since the thread is ultimately asking us to conjecture about the future. I just picked the first thing that popped (no pun intended) into my mind. (I love PG's album, Security.) Yes, very few individual Prog tracks were commercially successful. Then again, very few individual Pop tracks become commercially successful either. There were plenty of Prog songs that were intended for widespread consumption beyond the Prog niche, and generally they did not get the necessary promotion (e.g. Genesis - Dusk, Harold the Barrel, Harlequin...up to quite a few on the Lamb, Jade Warrior - Joanne, May Queen, Demon Trucker, and several others, several from JT, as already mentioned). Of course there was plenty that were not for widespread consumption too. I'm just saying that there are plenty of bridges that cross the river that separates them, figuratively speaking.

As far as the subject of manipulation, I continue to be baffled as to why some continue to think that what we like cannot be manipulated. It is happening right now with the excessive amounts of sodium generally added to our processed foods. As one comedian once said with regard to the Admiral's Feast at Red Lobster, the only time in our lives when we actually consume more sodium is when we are drowning. I love the Admiral's Feast, and yes, I have been manipulated along with many others to like high sodium food. The concept is not necessarily snobbish as Atavachron kept trying to promote.

There is manipulation on a macro level, due to so few organizations controlling most of mass media. We certainly have more access to more music from around the world, but one has to actively go out and seek it.

But most folk are as lazy in seeking good or at least alternative forms of music as they are in their TV viewing habits. Hence, the Kardashians.

Hmmm....lazy, or perhaps stupid.