Everything You Need to Know About Prog Rock, according to Discogs.

Quite an interesting read.

https://blog.discogs.com/en/prog-rock-genre-music-essential-history-guide/" rel="nofollow - https://blog.discogs.com/en/prog-rock-genre-music-essential-history-guide/

Thanks! That was a fascinating introduction to the world of Prog Rock and it was interesting to note that "Technically, the origins of Progressive Rock lay in Jazz", so that settles the long-running debate over whether or not Miles Davis should be included in the hallowed halls of Prog Archives. 

It's also good to see that two of my all-time favourite albums by Cressida and Fantasy are listed as two out of the ten most essential prog albums of all time.  

That's actually rather pisspoor. No mention of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and not even one reference to the Canterbury Scene.

Also no kudos to the experimental electronic music from the 1950s and completely left out the German Krautrock scene as well.

Thumbs down

I don't think it has ever been translated into English, but the book "PROG" by Donato Zoppo, an Italian journalist and reviewer is the most complete and well-done history of the genre that I've read.

Nothing to do with that blog thing, and also good for newbies.

It does mention Caravan and Egg.

I really do not think that all of Progressive Music is about indulgence. I'm of the opinion that the person that wrote that was simply trying to find something to say to get our attention.

All the arts, in their history have always had some form of what many considered indulgence, but it was never a fair comment, when the artist did it again and again, and it became an expression.

It could be said, by those around Mozart in the courts specially that they would think of his work as indulgent ... but 50 years later and certainly today no one really looks at him as indulgent!

Poor start and just another fan speaking out on social media like situation. Sad, because we will never elevte our music beyond the pop idiocy that it is described with.

Damn, I've lived under a misapprehension for the past several decades in thinking prog's main roots were 60's psychedelia.

well, a lot of prog is rooted in psychedelia. You are not wrong. 

The thing that makes prog what it is, is that it comes from all kinds of influences; rock, psychedelia, jazz, classical, world music, folk music, etc, etc, etc.  That's what makes it progressive is combining all of these influences, and then throwing in unpredictability and new ideas in composition and instrumentation.  The article mentions some of this, but then fails to include artists and albums that take influences from a lot of these influences.  A lot of people do the same thing.  That's why there are so many opinions about what makes music prog and what doesn't.  

No, you're absolutely right - prog's main roots were 60's psychedelia, but it depends how far back you want to go. After all, several classical composers could have been modern-day prog musicians..... For instance:- Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Ravel's Bolero & Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet suite have all now become prog epics. 

           That is just my feeling on it, as one of my feet is in the "known world" of progressive music, with another foot planted just as firmly in the appreciation of obscure and overlooked artists.

Exactly, same as the rock and roll of the 1950's evolved out of jump blues, with strong influences from jazz, R&B, country, gospel, country, swing, boogie-woogie  etc.

I'd also chuck Stockhausen and Cage into that mix, along with other avant-garde 20th century composers.

I sometimes define prog as 'music you endure and enjoy in equal measures'.

I will say, they incorrectly listed Hipgnosis as the artist on Rush's Hemispheres. Any major Rush fan knows Hugh Syme has done all their album covers from Caress Of Steel through the present. But any article on a major website attempting to cover that much ground is bound to have mistakes.

I don't find myself agreeing with you often, but yeah "indulgence" definitely caught my eye in the wrong way. Prog is art. It can be about "indulgence," but even Rush sounded pretty tongue in cheek when they gave that subtitle to La Villa Stangiato. 

Instrumental? I thought they had vocals!

Sacro_Porgo wrote: ... I don't find myself agreeing with you often, but yeah "indulgence" definitely caught my eye in the wrong way. Prog is art. ...

Hi,

Thx. My biggest worry with the identification with "songs", is that it is not exactly looked at as "art", unless, of course (how van we miss that?) it is a huge number one song in all the polls from here to the moon!

While I believe that many folks, even here, are really well versed in the quantity and quality of the music, my concern is that an article like that can not even look at BANCO and realize ... wait a minute ... there is no indulgence there! And even AD2, which was different in almost every album. Their indulgence? Not giving a damn about what we thought which is an artist's prerogative.

Thus I look at all the music as valuable and important, not just a song that got a number 55 years ago, and that we NOW think was indulgent. I don't think that term will go far in  the annals of music history!