Prog Fans in Our 60's

Psychedelic Paul wrote: chopper wrote: Psychedelic Paul wrote: Art Rock wrote: I'm 62, but I only really got into prog when a friend introduced me to prog in 1981 to the gems of the 70s. It's been my favourite pop/rock genre ever since. I'm 62 too and the first and last prog band I ever saw in concert was Marillion at Rock City in Nottingham in 1984.  You've given them the thumbs down yet you gave the Script album 5 stars? Presumably they played much of that album at the gig? I think they were promoting my least favourite Marillion album "Misplaced Childhood" at the gig, as I recall "Kayleigh" was on "heavy rotation" on the radio at the time.

The first Prog album I got was ELP's Trilogy at the age of 15, and the year was 1972. I liked it very much, and I was also fond of Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd about that time, or a bit later . But it took 3-4 years more before I got hooked on other Prog bands/artists like Oldfield, Genesis, Wakeman, and Mahavishnu Orchestra (Birds of Fire) not to forget who's music I just thought of as the same kind as the other bands'.

Edited by David_D - February 02 2022 at 04:11

I take it all back to a middle school dance I was forced to go to in 7th grade (this was early winter of 1972). The live band played some long rockers like "Maggie May," "Locomotive Breath" and "Aqualung", "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" and "Stairway to Heaven." Though I was loathe to acknowledge, much less dance with, the girls who were pestering me, I remember mostly standing in place watching the band perform, basking in the wonderfully psychedelic light show. (This was an affluent suburb of Detroit.) 

^Another lie? Really ? How am I supposed to trust anything you say anymore David? I've tried and tried but you just don't make it easy anymore. I'm going to my mother's tonight, we'll talk about this later. 

I recall an abundance of interest in school. Most of the musicians in the high school band were amazed by ELP, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and others. Even though I was a musician and tied in with that circle ...I took notice of people who were not musicians also listening to Prog. Prog was popular and people took it seriously. This occurred in South Jersey..where the youth were forming Progressive Rock cover bands and performing 6 nights a week. During that time you could make decent money and invest in your own career and paying your dues. Several Progressive Rock cover bands would also perform as original bands. They would split the money to pay for studio time and find a label interested in signing them.

Maybe this kind of support and demand for Prog did not exist in other parts of the U.S. ? Idk? It was huge in South Jersey for sure. On one particular occasion....the band I was with were auditioning keyboard players. One of the keyboard players that showed up to audition had keyboards all around him. He played all of the early Vangelis and he had all the sounds. He also played all of Voyage Of The Acolyte by imitating guitar sounds that Steve Hackett produced with a volume pedal. You actually couldn't tell the difference between his playing and the album. Why would somebody go to great lengths to do that? I met many keyboardists that spent a fortune buying keyboards to sound like Emerson and Wakeman...and people say. "Oh it couldn't have been that popular " Really? Like in the H.G. Wells Time Machine. If it were conceivable you could visit South Jersey in 71' s and see for yourself.

JD wrote: ^Another lie? Really ? How am I supposed to trust anything you say anymore David? I've tried and tried but you just don't make it easy anymore. I'm going to my mother's tonight, we'll talk about this later.

Edited by David_D - February 02 2022 at 05:10

JD wrote: ^Just a joke about you changing your story...nothing more.

I'm 66 and became converted to prog as soon as I heard 'Meddle' back in 1972.

David_D wrote: David_D wrote: JD wrote: ^Just a joke about you changing your story...nothing more. okay, thanks   I can tell that my life is not easy, so I am touchy.

Well I'm one who 'tries' to bring a little levity to the forums when I can. God knows, life itself these days certainly doesn't do its part to make things happier. Watch the emoticons,(winks, thumbs LOL's) they'll tell you more about my posts than the words.