What characteristic of Prog do you most value?
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Topic: What characteristic of Prog do you most value?
Posted By: HackettFan
Subject: What characteristic of Prog do you most value?
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 12:24
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There are a number of commonly held characteristics of Progressive Rock. I attempted to list them below as best and completely as I could, although I certainly could have missed something: A commitment to: •Innovation in timbre •Innovation in structure/composition/juxtaposition of material in general •Freedom from composition/free-form/improvisation •Innovation in time, rhythm, meter, polyrhythms... •Exceptional musicianship, well-demonstrated capability with instruments •Incorporation of varied styles and genres •Innovative lyrics, subject matters, themes •...Other Which do you find to be the most highly valued, or what do you yourself most highly value? Why? No, you don't have to associate yourself with just one. I don't. But maybe there is one (or two) that you rank above the others. What might it be? Please understand that this thread is NOT intended as another tired discussion on the definition of Prog. The question is which one of its commonly accepted properties particularly stands out for you? I biased the list with my highest ranked commitment on top. I am most delighted and inspired by the use of interesting timbres. This might be through employing unusual instruments or non-instruments, creating unusual sounds from well-known instruments, sound synthesis, the use of found sound samples, and so on. I always gravitated to things like Genesis’ The Waiting Room with all its breaking glass and such, Jamie Muir’s use of anything and everything on Lark’s Tongues, Zappa’s early forays into musique concrete, and some of the sounds Henry Kaiser would get from guitar torture on Moose and Salmon and on his collaborations with Fred Frith. Synthesizers were always cool to me, and when they began to have guitar synthesizers, cooler still. I still have a great deal of affection for Adrian Belew’s album, Desire Caught By the Tail, where he seemed to do every odd thing he could think of with a guitar synthesizer. For myself, I am constantly buying and messing around with effect pedals and guitar synthesizers. I receive extra delight when I run across a particular sound that comes not from a single effect but from some combination of effects, and I’ve always considered this sort of resourceful fiddling to be an essential of the creative process. How about you? |
Replies:
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 12:32
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^Great question. For me, it's simply any artist or band that possesses qualities above the average rock band, which can encompass any (or more) of the attributes that you have listed.
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 13:20
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Of course I love the whole package. But I'll stick with this three: •Innovation in structure/composition/juxtaposition of material in general •Incorporation of varied styles and genres •Innovative lyrics, subject matters, themes Personally, I like the works that goes beyond music. That kinda of thing that, when you're reading a book you go "aaahh, thats the thing about that music from Gentle Giant!". And when you come back to the music, you find new stuff that you didnt notice in the first place. That goes on music structure, lyrics and design of covers. The albums I have most sense this feeling are: "A Passion Play", "Octopus", "Arbeit Macht Frei", everything from Henry Cow and some things from Genesis. ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 13:40
| It's of course a complex question. To me prog is as much about attitude as anything else. I like its tendency to move beyond the superficial or ordinary musically or lyrically. I also like the variation, the contrast between lightness and darkness, joy and pain. Melody is also usually important to me, but what I find neat about that is that people all have different ideas on what is a good melody and what isn't |
Posted By: Smurph
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 13:46
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Creativity over record sales. Creativity over looking cool. Creativity over getting laid. Creativity over everything. ------------- http://pseudosentai.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - http://pseudosentai.bandcamp.com/ wtf |
Posted By: emigre80
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 14:15
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For me it's the complexity of the music, aligned with the exceptional musicianship. It's great to be challenged, perplexed and occasionally frustrated, but never bored. Also I'm a big fan of the flaky lyrics. I really do enjoy assessing points to nowhere, leading every single one, and knowing what I like in your wardrobe.
 |
Posted By: aglasshouse
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 14:19
This pretty much sums up my feelings as well. ------------- http://fryingpanmedia.com |
kenethlevine wrote:Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 14:28
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A complex question, indeed. From your list, "Incorporation of varied styles and genres." Genesis' 'Lamb' reflects that aspect quite nicely. ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: twseel
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 15:10
Mostly these:
also true:
------------- 
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Posted By: *frinspar*
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 15:24
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Fearless experimentation. The results may not always be absolutely pleasing from a favorite band when they branch out and explore a different approach to making music, but it means they haven't gotten complacent, playing the same thing over and again. To be frank, and maybe expose myself as a bimbo , lyrics, themes and grand purposes have never had much appeal for me. The experience of the group dynamic to create sounds that make my brain tingle and my heart feel things is greater than understanding why they did it. |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 15:57
| Thanks for all the great responses so far. I would just like to ask Smurph and Frinspar if there's any particular sort of "creativity" or any particular sort of "experimentation" that you frequently return to or actively keep an eye out for? |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 16:10
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Posted By: Svetonio
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 16:35
| For me, prog rock is way more fun than all other genres. |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 16:41
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Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 22:25
| I like subversion in art in general but preferably within a structure. It so happens that prog has plenty of artists that fit these 'requirements'. |
Posted By: brainstormer
Date Posted: June 25 2015 at 22:38
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Great question and worded very skillfully. Classical has sort of ruined prog for me. There is no turning back, after listening to someone like William Schuman or Roy Harris, I keep wanting prog to "get there" but after listening to the classical greats, it doesn't seem able to. It doesn't mean that I don't indulge anymore in prog, it just means that all those things aren't answered enough by prog. I feel ok with that because I feel that "proggers" are kind of stuck in a high school type of mentality that only classical music can free oneself from. ------------- -- Robert Pearson Regenerative Music http://www.regenerativemusic.net Telical Books http://www.telicalbooks.com ParaMind Brainstorming Software http://www.paramind.net |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: June 26 2015 at 00:49
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Freedom. ------------- |
Posted By: Formentera Lady
Date Posted: June 26 2015 at 07:40
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The most important thing for me is the composition. That it has a scored approach, with intro/outro/middle parts/climax/finale or something similar and how the parts fit together. ------------- http://theprogressiveweb.blogspot.de" rel="nofollow - Visit me in Second Life to talk about music. |
Posted By: *frinspar*
Date Posted: June 26 2015 at 10:00
Not really. Not in any major conscious way. Genesis, mostly due to lineup subtractions, presented something a bit different with each album and I appreciate them all. Dream Theater, starting with Scenes 2, started to bore me, because they sounded exactly the same from album to album at that point and beyond. Some things that have excited me through the years are groups like Naked City and other John Zorn projects, Secret Chiefs 3, Estradasphere, to name a few. |
Posted By: PrognosticMind
Date Posted: June 26 2015 at 10:04
This! Also, I love when I feel like I'm listening to a surrealism painting, or something super abstract. I'm one of those proggies who abides by the axiom "the more crazy-creative, the better!". Trout Mask Replica and Bitches Brew immediately come to mind. I like feeling like I'm listening to a Chirico or Pollock painting. Prog is the only genre that really exemplifies this quality for me.
------------- "A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?" |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: June 26 2015 at 11:31
With one problem ... music has been "progressive" for at least 2000 years ... what we describe here, half the time, is nowhere near "progressive" and in fact it is a gross distortion of the term, and the time and place when it was first observed. And surrealism, btw, by the time you define it, is no longer surrealism, and even Bunuel had problems with his friends about this!
------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: PrognosticMind
Date Posted: June 26 2015 at 11:34
This is correct. I was just trying to define it within the general framework of what I consider "progressive rock" from the late 1960's onward. You are correct with your assertions here. Still, I like to hear paintings, lol  ------------- "A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?" |
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: June 26 2015 at 13:17
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The idea of "expect the unexpected". The idea that now you are listening to some folky chords and songs, but the next minute heavy guitars may be coming in, or a sudden salsa (the "I am senor Valasco" part of Spock's Beard's The Light), or some jazzy blues part may come out of nothing (like in "Yours Is No Disgrace"). Maybe you can also call it "adventure". That would be my nr. 1 prog element. Maybe "unpredictability" is also a good description. I always named for myself the three best elements in music: power, beauty and adventure.
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Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: June 26 2015 at 16:44
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The things I look for in prog are the things I look for in any other genre.
For the most part, this list looks like a list of bonuses to me. However, from that list two things in prog stand out for me:
+ Other: Exploration of harmony. If you can tastefully pull it off in a manner that does not allow quirkiness, then I'm sold. Fancy chords and chord changes are the pieces of the key to my soul.  |
Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: June 27 2015 at 02:11
Instrumentals, especially guitars (mostly), but also love drums, beautiful cymbals sound, Hammond and fantastic bass :) I love the piano tunes and brass instruments too  hug 
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Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: June 27 2015 at 02:35
| ^ Nothing more specific, like how these instruments are used (as broken down in the OP's list)? |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: June 27 2015 at 19:56
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•Innovation in structure/composition/juxtaposition of material in general •Freedom from composition/free-form/improvisation Out of the characteristics that I noted, these two are directly at odds with each other. A lot of people avidly seek strong and complex compositions in what they listen to. I like that too quite a bit, but I also appreciate a lot of free-form music, so I'm willing to exchange one for the other without great sorrow. I've always been intrigued by the metrical complexity of Zappa's phrasing, especially on guitar. He doesn't just have odd time signatures that change frequently, but his notes are accented in unpredictable ways. A lot of things that I listen to do not go down that road to such an extreme, and that's okay to an extent. The question of this thread is not whether you appreciate all the properties of Prog identified, but which characteristic do you find most essential? I'm sure everyone likes good musicianship, but if a musician is a little under skilled yet makes up for it with imaginative ideas, is that alright with you? I really am interested in people's reflections. |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: June 27 2015 at 21:04
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The characteristic about prog that I most value is the connection between it and composers from several centuries ago. I really dig it when prog musicians transcribe music of composer's like Bach or Beethoven or Mozart for a prog band. Then I kind of feel I am getting the best of several worlds in one, as I love Classical and Romantic orchestral (mainly symphonic) and keyboard music very much.
This is not the only thing I value, but what I value most.
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Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: June 27 2015 at 23:23
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Posted By: Svetonio
Date Posted: June 28 2015 at 03:24
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Posted By: lostrom
Date Posted: June 28 2015 at 20:54
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The classical music influences, the not straight forward drum playing and the quite parts. ------------- lostrom |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: June 28 2015 at 23:08
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Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: June 28 2015 at 23:13
aka the pauses and tempos added by crescendos
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Posted By: lostrom
Date Posted: June 29 2015 at 14:54
Many thanks! :) ------------- lostrom |
Posted By: lostrom
Date Posted: June 29 2015 at 14:55
Cheers to that!  ------------- lostrom |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: June 29 2015 at 15:06
 Rickenbacker basses, properly strung with RotoSound round-wound strings and played with a pick! RIP, Christopher Squire!
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Posted By: Rosscoe
Date Posted: June 30 2015 at 06:18
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Hi everyone •Exceptional musicianship, well-demonstrated capability with instruments •Innovation in time, rhythm, meter, polyrhythms... •Incorporation of varied styles and genres For me, these 4 sum it up, probably in that descending order. Overall, I like to be taken on a musical journey - not all round the world, but to move from section to section, not knowing what may be round the next bend. I like unusual time signatures, and unexpected key/chord changes - BUT only if it benefits the music. I've listened to a number of solo albums by virtuoso musicians, and they can be like "This one is written in the Phrygian mode". However, it sounds rubbish. There's no point setting out to write something in a certain mode, or time signature, if the result doesn't work. I see exceptional musicianship as the glue that makes these 2 things work (innovation in song construction and time). But again, the musicianship should serve the music, not the musician. There is a line where music becomes too self-indulgent, and I like prog in that it tends to let all the instruments take their turn, and not let one dominate.
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Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: June 30 2015 at 06:24
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I don't think about music like this. Interesting read though. With some bands the focus is on complex structures whilst others take the loose and esoteric route - some even mix the two. I love it all if it's done right. The most important thing for me is passion, and that goes for any kind of music. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: terramystic
Date Posted: June 30 2015 at 10:30
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Imagination and skill is characteristic for prog and art in general. I value these two but art is also a beautiful form of communication. Otherwise it's just an interesting experiment or show off. I have to feel some vibe, something I can connect to. And prog can have a very special vibe (I hope I'm using the right word). |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: June 30 2015 at 11:56
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Posted By: Lifeson2112
Date Posted: July 01 2015 at 19:27
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How they explore musical themes, they create soundscapes, music that conjures pictures in your mind's eye. |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: July 01 2015 at 22:18
Another overlooked characteristic, one that I also celebrate, as a matter of fact. Great first post!
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Posted By: sublime220
Date Posted: July 01 2015 at 22:32
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How you can make the most beautiful, yet most complex music ever. ------------- There is no dark side in the moon, really... Matter of fact, it's all dark... |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: July 01 2015 at 23:25
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Posted By: NutterAlert
Date Posted: July 02 2015 at 03:05
| partly its the contrast between noise/virtuosity/brio/technique and quiet/poetic/reflective/emotional moments, and when all that happens in one song, such as Plague of Lighthouse keepers, then I am happy. |
Posted By: A_Flower
Date Posted: July 02 2015 at 23:30
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I guess because I hate uniformity. Prog isn't all chord-verse-chord-verse stuff, and it doesn't have a similar beat to other songs, and the lyrics aren't about what most lyrics are about. With prog, you do whatever you want as long as it's creative. Also, along with how I hate uniformity, I don't want to be the same as all the people I know by listening to the same music. I want to be different, and progressive rock is my passion. |
Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: July 03 2015 at 00:43
Not sure, anyone find this to be a quality in there music  Must be a way to make creative music, without beeing a monk. ------------- Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: July 03 2015 at 01:22
| I personally value none of it |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: July 03 2015 at 16:37
Not sure where you're coming from on this. Let me know.
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Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: July 03 2015 at 21:45
anything that does not make me say that it was nice and that I am sure/believe "there were some guitars in there, somewhere.........". 
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Posted By: SaltyJon
Date Posted: July 03 2015 at 22:02
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The auditory characteristic, can't say I'm a fan of the taste or the smell...the touch is okay if I'm touching my bass to play some Rush, and the visual? Meh, I can live without it most of the time. So definitely the auditory. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Salty_Jon" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: July 04 2015 at 09:30
I have a problem with music when the guitar is lacking too, although sometimes it can still be nice.
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Posted By: Formentera Lady
Date Posted: July 04 2015 at 10:12
 ------------- http://theprogressiveweb.blogspot.de" rel="nofollow - Visit me in Second Life to talk about music. |
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: July 04 2015 at 11:50
| Music operates on so many different levels and for some people all they want or need is a good beat. Others demand more. I definitely need to be "involved" with the music on an intellectual level. If that happens I can then go on to pay attention to lyrics. If those are cool too then I've got a new favorite band (unless they all instrumental!!!) |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: July 04 2015 at 13:36
I do greet Greg Lake's acoustic guitar with some relief, but I find something missing in between, much as I give a bow to Emerson's talent (and David Jackson's for VDGG) and do find it an interesting listen from time to time. It's not the same, though, for me without at least some interplay with guitar. I love synths, but even in their case I warm up to them more with a guitar as controller. I understand if you don't concur.P.S. Upon further reflection, one of the things that I find redeeming about Emerson is his active role in consulting with testing out equipment for Robert Moog. That appeals to my superordinate interest toward innovation in timbre. This is something it seems that even the Emerson fans on this site typically gloss over, making almost exclusive reference to his playing ability. |
Posted By: WeepingElf
Date Posted: July 05 2015 at 06:09
All of them to some degree, but chiefly innvoation in composition etc., and innovative lyrics, subject matters and themes. I feel that prog is simply the most interesting and exciting music of our time. Sure, there's classical and jazz, but I feel that classical is pretty much a story that has run its course, and jazz to some degree too. Prog, in contrast, keeps progressing. ------------- ... brought to you by the Weeping Elf "What does Elvish rock music sound like?" - "Yes." |
Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: July 05 2015 at 06:37
exactly! That's it! Without guitars or lacking great tunes, it's nice, just nice. A big hug to you, HackettFan
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Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: July 05 2015 at 08:12
I have a great dislike for it...that's all
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Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: July 05 2015 at 11:29
It still seems like we're mis-communicating, though.
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Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: July 05 2015 at 22:30
I have the most difficult time liking Prog..so therefore I don't value too many of it's characteristics. Progressive Rock annoys me, but that's not to say by any means that it isn't good ...or...isn't good for other people in the world besides me. |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: July 06 2015 at 00:35
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Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: July 06 2015 at 03:27
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Innovation in composition. This is the reason why I listen to music. How else can a song progress through my ears? It's the strong melody which makes you want to hear it again. 70s proggers had the perfect influences to do this. Good recording sound and production is also important ------------- All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: July 06 2015 at 09:21
How is it possible to enjoy an album that you first heard in 1975 or 1980? Even if the album is timeless, it's like returning to an old photograph album of family pictures you know? Okay....this is how I looked in 1980...ha!ha!ha! You enjoy the glance for the moment, but will you return to it every week, month, or year?
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Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: July 06 2015 at 12:36
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The bore of Prog has often been cemented in my head from playing too many pieces on guitar over decades. Too much exposure to one style of music is unhealthy for a musician. I'm not making reference to Popol Vuh who are often categorized as Progressive Rock ...as I find that lame to begin with when clearly they can't be labeled in any sense or perhaps shouldn't be. Spiritualism comes to mind along with a theory that they created "New Age" , but I dislike the notion to associate Popol Vuh with a host of other bands/artists ...who fall into a specific category and proceed to spread a disease within it...while Popol Vuh ...Florian Fricke himself, was in a world of his own regarding his natural ability to create the most beautiful and mysterious music in the world. Performing in a Genesis Tribute band for example has it's letdowns in life. You are basically playing someone else's music and additionally emulating the style of Steve Hackett and backing a front person dressing in Gabriel's costumes. How much fun can that really be? Prog tribute bands are "in" on the music scenes scattered across the U.S. and they can profit from it , but as a serious musician very capable of playing any Genesis song/piece, you are being asked to personally take on a role playing game with one of the Genesis members and then your riding on their coat tails 25 to 30 years after the fact of existence and truly it is not for me. Forming a real Prog band that will record and possibly tour is a huge investment to gamble on and no matter how tight and precise you are on stage, you are constantly cutting losses and attempting to keep your head above water. Then after playing Progressive Rock in the 70's and 80's, it's possible to find that struggle to be pointless and equaling senseless. It is possible to relocate your thoughts and question yourself with the usual logical indications in your mind that tells you ...that you are either doing something wrong or something stupid. You might ask yourself..."Did I miss something?" or....Actually look at the sky and think..."I wish this sequence of events would repeat itself because I can't believe my eyes". |
Posted By: emigre80
Date Posted: July 06 2015 at 13:01
I don't know about that - I met my husband in 1980 and I still enjoy him....
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Posted By: RockHound
Date Posted: July 06 2015 at 17:14
Wow. There are musicologists who devote their life to studying specific pieces of music and earn very good livings doing so.
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Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: July 06 2015 at 17:25
Congratulations |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: July 06 2015 at 17:28
And there are also "Hip Hop" artists choosing the worst Classic Rock of our generation to place programmed beats to as they Rap dribble over top of it and they earn very good livings doing so
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Posted By: TGM: Orb
Date Posted: July 07 2015 at 02:12
| Weirdness and ambition is the stuff that makes it work for me. The rest is fluff. |
Posted By: PrognosticMind
Date Posted: July 07 2015 at 04:08
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Mellotrons or gtfo! I love reading this thread, all; thank you for the reading material.
------------- "A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?" |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: July 09 2015 at 14:24
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Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: July 09 2015 at 15:20
Thanks |
Posted By: Vaffi
Date Posted: October 28 2015 at 04:50
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I really like the complexity of the playing. Just the fact that you have to be good at the instrument to play prog is what I really like. This is very evident to me in the drums. I think its why I like KC more than Floyd, because Giles and McCulloch really just amaze me as they improvise on the snare drum but still keep the pulse and timing perfect. |
Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: October 28 2015 at 05:24
I don't quite agree with you here, Vaffi. The complexity (or virtuosity) of playing in not enough for me, the interconnection between musicians inc. lead and response within a band, the overflowing and crossing layers of the music, dynamic sound bottom and top end uncut, most importantly it has to have tunes (everything lacks meaning without tunes) also the built up of one or more crescendos (those that you feel rising up from within your stomach, up and up) this is what music is about to me.
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Posted By: condor
Date Posted: October 28 2015 at 11:17
| The heroic nature of the songs. |
Posted By: Pastmaster
Date Posted: October 28 2015 at 12:16
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If I like it or not. While that was half-serious, I like music that can both be adventurous and easy to listen to at the same time. Hence why Gentle Giant, Rush, Yes, Eloy, Phish, Pink Floyd, etc. are among my favorite prog bands. I don't like bands that just try and be as technical and avant-garde as possible just for the sake of it, then they just come off as pretentious.
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Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: October 28 2015 at 12:23
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I love it when progressive rock redefines the way we think about music. It only rarely happens, but when it does, it's like tasting space or swimming in lava. Faust did that for me (along with many many others).  ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Rando
Date Posted: October 28 2015 at 14:23
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For me I think it all started with an album titled "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band" - It was the first time I heard string quartets, calliopes, sitars, farm animal sounds, found sounds, trains, mellotrons, and random laughing! With songs about getting help from friends, meter maids, running away from home, circus performers, suicide, fixing holes, mystical and spiritual discovery, and growing old - and that album covers could be art - There was no going back but at the same time going forward to what became Prog!  ------------- - Music is Life, that's why our hearts have beats - |
Posted By: twalsh
Date Posted: October 28 2015 at 15:03
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'More.' More dynamic than conventional rock or pop. More time signatures More virtuosity More instruments are acceptable and welcomed. I like my rock with woodwinds and bowed instruments. More range in what is considered an appropriate length for a track. A large range of song structures. Not always verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus or something like that. More experimentation, ambient noises. More fun with lyrics and concepts. Not all songs need to be love songs. It's music with elbow room! ------------- More heavy prog, please! |
Posted By: ProgressiveHypocrite
Date Posted: October 29 2015 at 15:35
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I like some of the more melodic compositions, such as those by Yes, Genesis, and even King Crimson, though sometimes I like going on a rollicking roller coaster ride , as with "Heart of the Sunrise", "Starless", "Gates of Delirium", and "2112". I also like how all the players get their moment; nobody is "just the drummer", or "just the keyboardist", or "just the bassist". I could go on. You get it, right? |
Posted By: ProgressiveHypocrite
Date Posted: October 29 2015 at 15:38
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Agreed. I feel Emerson Lake & Palmer, as good as they were, suffered from the lack of a mellotron. |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: October 29 2015 at 15:42
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To paraphrase the late Peter Banks... "More solos!"
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Posted By: Skalla-Grim
Date Posted: October 29 2015 at 16:27
Very easy to answer ...
In my opinion, this is what prog rock is really about, what it introduced to rock music, and what it still solely represents in rock music. |
Posted By: Otto9999
Date Posted: October 29 2015 at 16:41
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Removed due to PA's deliberated act of deleting threads as alleged featuring negative behaviour posts towards others.
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Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: October 31 2015 at 21:48
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[QUOTE=HackettFan]There are a number of commonly held characteristics of Progressive Rock. I attempted to list them below as best and completely as I could, although I certainly could have missed something: A commitment to: •Innovation in timbre •Innovation in structure/composition/juxtaposition of material in general •Freedom from composition/free-form/improvisation •Innovation in time, rhythm, meter, polyrhythms... •Exceptional musicianship, well-demonstrated capability with instruments •Incorporation of varied styles and genres •Innovative lyrics, subject matters, themes •...Other Exceptional musicianship is required in prog rock music one fine set of foundation stones. I like it when exceptional music breaks out of the narrow club member mentality e.g. Dark Side being so universal. Actually Pink Floyd are so universal that my local town civic square has the Dark Side pyramid as a centre piece. It has a moon too, looks good when lit up. Oh there's a pig as well (Roger's one). There's even a stone with a chain ("dragged down by the..."). Not sure if the local authority have realized what they've done but they have... Of course it's good when no hard rock/ prog rock fans know that Led Zeppelin is a band and not the guy who sang that song about Stairways... Most prog rock really is esoteric. Magma, non mainstream Genesis, Yes are worlds of their own. So many kids have not heard of Pink Floyd. (I know when someone thought I was making a death threat and all I was doing was murmuring the bridge lyrics from Run Like Hell). I like the beauty in the music (Focus II, Spectral Mornings, And You And I). Complexity, urgency (Heart Of The Sunrise). The world of surprise delights in Univers Zero (Combat), the left of mainstream centre of Roxy Music, Bowie and the ability of King Crimson to create prog rock in any guise they see fit. What does amuse me is the reactionary nature of fans (Yes, Crimson, Floyd) who won't accept things when their bands start playing different tunes. Progression implies change (which returns success according to Syd Barret, himself citing a bit of ancient Chinese wisdom). The poster who commented that classical ruins prog rock... yeah. I know. Check out Iannis Xenakis, Olivier Messiaen, Edgard Varese and a few others with that lovely weird anachic touch and the ability to push a composition and make an orchestra really work for it... after Xenakis' Kraanerg Zappa seemed (uh oh) like his work was not finished. Prog rock is about composition, not improvisation e.g. Miles Davis' band (as a prog rock artist), Can and KC excepted. It requires great keyboardist to be on board (King Crimson excepted). I like the harmonic variety of keyboards and orchestration. Guitar is where I strat, er, start I mean. Things like Can's Flow Motion with sweeping synths, a cool reggae rhythm and Michael Karoli's searing wah wah guitar is very me. The endless variety and the surprise of the accessibility of Riverside's trilogy without a chorus in sight over the three albums. Timbre in a really good voice when they turn up. I really like, prefer, instrumentals. Unless the voice is so effectively part of the number. So structure, composition, varied styles, metre and rhythm (Magma's Attakh). Styles and lyrical adventure running a close pair of seconds... As much as I like the "weird stuff" as Belew called it I also like a more mainstream song that has well thought out input, thinking of Bowie and Cat People for example. It's not the musicianship which is stellar but having a highly effective song. It's about not being limited or confined to a way of thinking. An extended work or a standard length song. Creativity... (P.s. The poster about Creativity over... everything else) with me, if you replace the over, with instead of pretty much sums me up...) Hey ho. cheers u |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: October 31 2015 at 23:03
| The trait I most cherish with most Prog bands is the musician's / singer's dedication to their respective instruments / voice. The rest just falls into place. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 01 2015 at 17:35
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Daring. And daring. Oh, and did I mention daring? Seriously, anything run-of-the-mill like for example Genesis quickly bores me. Anything that is weird or extremely unusual interests me. That's why I consider "Waiting Room" to be the best track Genesis ever made. For movies, books or any other media the same applies. -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: TheLionOfPrague
Date Posted: November 01 2015 at 19:10
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I like something that has the perfect blend of creativity + experimentation and listenability. If it's something weird or avant garde for the sake of it, it will interest me maybe but won't drive me crazy. If it's catchy and has a great melody but sounds a bit generic and not "special" enough the same. I like bands that sound unique, that I can't think of any other band and say it sounds similar. ------------- I shook my head and smiled a whisper knowing all about the place |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: November 01 2015 at 19:16
This is not uncommon. Annoys, bores, makes nervous, I've heard all these things. I remember a friend who did not like prog but loved The Wall when it came out, particularly things like ABitW pt ll. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: November 02 2015 at 13:45
The Waiting Room was always very central to what I conceived of as Progressive Rock. |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: November 02 2015 at 20:37
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Put simply, it's capacity for being "Off the beaten track". This I value most. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 03 2015 at 12:17
You probably mean the same as I do when I speak of "daring". ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: November 03 2015 at 12:54
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Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: November 03 2015 at 14:51
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All of the above.......I couldn't name just one thing for what draws me into prog and similar music. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: November 03 2015 at 19:00
| ^I imagine "all" is the choice most PA-ers could naturally choose, so as to embrace the entire package. Given that, I encourage posters to reflect on what they prioritize. What do you gravitate to? "All" may still be your answer, but maybe not. (It may also be a different answer at different times in your life). |