Is 70's prog a nostalgia thing?

A plain no - the music was better back then. It was a lot more daring. There are two factors which are responsible for this.
1) Back in the late 60s and early 70s there weren't that many bands around, and the few record companies that were around almost took on any band that played rock music and let them do whatever they wanted (often swindling them in their contracts, but that's another sad matter). The whole rock music industry was still in the build-up, and they were desperately in need of bands. And they let them more or less play whatever they wanted, just as long as they got an album out of the band. As a result many albums of that time were a lot more daring than today's albums. There are exceptions, but it can be said as a general rule of thumbs.
2) Modern production. Back in the late 60s and early 70s bands were glad when they got some studio time , and they definitely did not have the luxury to record a song several times; it was "first take or nothing". Today's production may be more perfect, but the spontaneity is gone; it all sounds sterile somehow, even music by my favourite artists. And music is a lot about spontaneity (which is why I usually prefer live albums to studio albums). Just read the liner notes of Dave Stewart on the only album of Arzachel or the biography of Amon Düül 2 or even the Genesis book by Armando Gallo and of course the VdGG book, and you will know what I am talking about.
There are some exceptions, but interestingly most of them come from low budget productions, which seems to confirm what I say. And interestingly there is often at least one "oldtimer" involved in these exceptions.


Edited by BaldFriede - April 23 2010 at 05:03

progpositivity wrote: Prog fans can be a cognitively dissonant, enigmatic bunch of music enthusiasts.  Philosophically we value creativity and *progress*...   In practice, however, many of us love 70's style Moog and Hammond sounds, and traditional ...

Maybe its because music has been on regressive mode ever since...

BaldFriede wrote: A plain no - the music was better back then. Ir was a lot morer daring. There are two factors which are rersponsible for this. 1) Back in the late 60s and early 70s there weren't that many bands around, and the few record companies that were around almost took on any band that played rock music and let them do whatever they want (often swindling them in their contracts, but that's another sad matter). The whole rock music industry was still in the build-up, and they were desperately in need of bands. And they let them more or less play whatever they wanted, just as long as they got an album out of the band. As a result many albums of that time were a lot more daring than today's albums. There are exceptions, but it can be said as a general rule of thumbs.

Atavachron wrote:  ^ you can add Ahmet Ertegun to that list

This is a very difficult question.

Having been in my teens when Prog started and being an ardent follower since then, it'd be difficult not to admit that nostalgia plays a great role. On the other hand, admitting it would be akin to confessing that my perception of later Prog is clouded, which I don't think it is, at least not substantially.

To my way of thinking, I'd say that the 70s and the 00's are on an equal level with a big slump inbetween.

But there are two big differences, and they're entirely personal:

1) Naturally I've had a few decades more time to become intimately aquainted with the 'classics' and familiarity breeds comfort.

2) The nostalgia connected doesn't only apply to this intimate aquaintance with the music, but to an equally large degree to the memory I have of friends long lost contact with, that I shared this music with and generally shared happy times with many years ago. How can anyone escape such nostalgia (and would anyone want to, if the memories are good)?

I suppose that for these reasons I will always regard the music of Floyd, KC, Genesis, Gentle Giant, and Yes with a fondness I could never muster with, say, Porcupine Tree and others, although I have to admit that their music, creativity, and especially technical prowess seems to surpass or at least be on a par with these.

Then again, this means that none of the old bands would possibly be able to produce any new recording that I'd regard with the same fondness as the now 35 or 40 year old classic recordings. They can't win.

Give me another 40 years, and I'll not be able to distinguish the new classics from the old classics on this level.

I feel a bit of a twit now, but at least I'm able to say that I didn't stop in the 70s and I love a lot of new artists's music, but new music will never be able to reach me as much through no fault of its own.


Edited by npjnpj - April 23 2010 at 03:01

jammun wrote: Old fart checking in.  I grew up with the stuff.   Nostalgia is me listening to something like The Beach Boys "I Get Around" or "Barbara Ann".  It takes me back to the old days, the innocence of being a kid listening to that music.  Or seeing my friend's band play a cover of The Animals "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" one summer, down on the college campus.  These are all decent songs, by the way.  But it's probably nostalgia that I consider them to be so.   Nostalgia is not me listening to something like Fragile or Tarkus or Wish You Were Here.  The really good albums from the '60s and '70s tend to not remind me of the old days.  They still stand in their own right.

Great post! Nostalgia also comes into my listening, and makes me remember the early 90s when classic rock was huge in Eastern Europe, and makes me imagine the 60/70s (that's because I wasn't there, I'm too young). However, when I want to have a very intense musical experience, nostalgia doesn't come into play no matter the release date of the record.

In any genre of music, the "post-classic" bands will be "good" (sometimes even as good) but never "great" as the "classic" bands were. It's natural.

Im 26, i came to genesis (early) a cupla years back and it was magical, I rarely have that experience with modern music (Opeth being a notable exception). For me it is getting rarer and rarer to get that magical experience. So yeah I do think there is something special about some of those 70s bands

I think the 70's had more good prog, because it was something new and people were inspired to make it back then. I am 20 so it can't be nostalgia for me.

Lately, I would have to say that overall, the 70's had more interesting music than today even though I have basically just touched the surface of 70's prog.  Though, this opinion probably changes after every few albums I listen to.  Let me raise another question.  If many of the big 70's prog bands never existed, would there even be a Marillion, Flower Kings, or any of the other previously mentioned bands?

rdtprog wrote: ... Is Genesis better than ... IQ, for example? ...

Sweet stinking b'jeez whiz yes Genesis were better than their pale imitation.