Are there any fans of progressive rock(prog)on here?

[Mystik]

Once thought of as a bunch of old dinosaur bands that did long tracks and often taken up an entire album side that was killed off by punk rock in the late seventies progressive rock(or prog)as it is called by it's devoted fans has found a home online for about as long as the internet has been around. In the past ten years in particular it has become very visible with bands such as Muse, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta, Coheed and Cambria giving the genre a big boost even though those aren't all full blown prog rock bands. Most on here will at least be familiar with Pink Floyd and Rush and possibly also King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, Genesis, Jethro Tull and of course Yes.

Here is an article I wrote online several years ago that serves as a primer for those who might not be that familiar with the genre:


It has occurred to me that there may be people who are fans of this genre but don't even know it(or at least not familiar with the term "progressive rock," "prog rock" etc). Some of you may have seen the section for "progressive rock" and not know what that means. So I decided to start this thread to help the newbies or fans of classic rock or those who want a primer.

Simply put, if you are a fan of Yes, Genesis(before they made frequent appearances in the top forty), Rush, Dream Theater, Jethro Tull(some of it anyway), Emerson, Lake and Palmer or King Crimson or even Pink Floyd then you may be a prog fan. Even the band Kansas could be lumped into the genre(especially their early stuff).

Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd and Rush are household names to most rock fans(if not then you need to get out more). However, there are tons of lesser known bands(such as Gentle Giant, Focus, Camel, Renaissance, Van der Graaf Generator(VDGG for short), Nektar, Gong and Caravan for starters)and newer bands such as Riverside, Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta, Dream Theater, Glass Hammer, Transatlantic, The Flower Kings and Spock's Beard(again, for starters).

A few essential albums(that would also make great introductions)would include:

Pink Floyd-Wish you were here (I suspect most already own Dark side of the moon;if not then go get it asap).

Emerson, Lake and Palmer(ELP)- Brain salad surgery

King Crimson- In the court of the Crimson King

Genesis- Selling England by the Pound

Yes-Close to the Edge

Jethro Tull-Thick as a Brick(Be warned as it's one long 45 minute track)

Now the next time someone asks you "do you know what progressive rock is?" You can say "why, yes, yes I do."

If someone asks you what is progressive rock and or how do you define it, well that's a different story. Prog typically is rock that operates outside the box so to speak. It's not that prog bands don't ever write short catchy songs since many of them did or do(especially in the waning days of prog's initial era when bands were urged to become more commercial and make more concise and radio friendly songs and albums)but the whole point of prog was to stretch boundaries and try new things musicially while still using a rock foundation. Songs could be as long as they needed to be and were often arranged more as suites often taking up an entire side of vinyl. Also instead of the usually 4/4 time signature, progressive rock often utilized unusual time signatures such as 7/8 etc. The basic rock instrumentation of guitars, bass and drums were augmented by adding more keyboards including synthesizers and mellotrons, strings, horns, woodwinds etc. Lyrics often dealt with topics not normally found in standard rock n roll such as philosophy, spirituality as well as the often cited fantasy and sci fi themes that often stereotype the genre. Progressive rock is music for those who want to take a journey and visit places they may not have thought possible from a so called normal rock band.

[Honza]

I'm a big fan of Genesis with Peter Gabriel. Plus Gong, Floyd, King Crimson.

Is Radiohead really progressive rock music?

[Mystik]

Originally Posted by Honza

I'm a big fan of Genesis with Peter Gabriel. Plus Gong, Floyd, King Crimson.

Is Radiohead really progressive rock music?

Radiohead get lumped into the genre as do Tool(well at least prog metal for Tool). I guess it depends on what you choose as your criteria for prog rock. For instance, some people consider Pink Floyd to be part of it and some don't. At the very least they often get that label and have sold a lot more than any other related band so if nothing else they serve as a gateway for many people to prog.

[Honza]

I like Tool. My bother in law keeps giving me Radiohead CDs, but I hardly ever listen to them. Perhaps I ought to give them more attention.

[Mystik]

Originally Posted by Honza

I like Tool. My bother in law keeps giving me Radiohead CDs, but I hardly ever listen to them. Perhaps I ought to give them more attention.

"Ok, computer" is considered to be the "dark side of the moon" for the younger generation. I think it's very good but I don't think it's the uber masterpiece some make it out to be. Still, you should check it out. Some of the later ones were even more experimental. Unfortunately I haven't kept up with them. For me personally I think Porcupine Tree were better at picking up where Pink Floyd left off than Radiohead especially the mid 90's PT albums. At some point they added a metal element and that(uncoincidentally imo)is when they started to get really big. Unfortunately they are no longer around though as Steven Wilson has decided to concentrate on his solo career.

Since this is a spiritual forum I would like to mention bands who have other worldly/spiritual lyrics. Those would be Yes(and especially their lead singer Jon Anderson's solo works being how he is one very spiritual dude), Kansas(some very spiritual lyrics on some of the seventies albums in particular), The Flower Kings(obviously inspired by Yes in this regard)and also the Moody Blues who are often lumped into the genre as well as considered to be one of the first to expand the boundaries of rock(by incorporating an orchestra) along with the Beatle's "sgt. peppers.." album.

[Honza]

Yes I have heard Ok, Computer and was not blown away by it like I was when I first heard Dark Side Of The Moon.

Radiohead strike me as being an average rock band and not as great as some make out. Maybe I just don't get them?

[Mystik]

Originally Posted by Honza

Yes I have heard Ok, Computer and was not blown away by it like I was when I first heard Dark Side Of The Moon.

Radiohead strike me as being an average rock band and not as great as some make out. Maybe I just don't get them?

Well, like I said, their later stuff is a bit more experimental. However, I haven't heard all of it or the more recent stuff so I can't really speak to that since(again) I lost track of them. Anyway, I suggest moving on to something else at this point. I suggest checking out some of the other bands I mentioned.

If you like Pink Floyd I suggest checking out the following bands(in no order): Eloy, Camel, Nektar, Alan Parson's Project, Can(if you like the early more experimental PF stuff), RPWL and Porcupine Tree(mid 90's albums as opposed to the later more metallish stuff). If you do like the metallish stuff get the later ones and also check out Opeth(later stuff is more pure prog)or maybe Pain of Salvation(earlier stuff). Also, there are tons of Genesis sounding stuff and I could recommend specific bands but it might depend on which era of the band you most enjoy. You also(if you are so inclined)could just check out progarchives.com and do a search on there or ask for some recommendations on the boards. Even if you are only a mild fan of this music you are sure to learn stuff and possibly discover some great new bands(not necessarily newer bands but just ones you never heard before). I could say there's a lot out there but that feels like an understatement to me.

[Serenity69]

Yes Topographic Oceans
https://youtu.be/_rwNe2QXwrU

[Honza]

I've listened to Caravan, Alan Parsons, King Crimson, Rush, Gong, Genesis, Jethro Tull.

[Mystik]

Originally Posted by Serenity69

Yes Topographic Oceans
https://youtu.be/_rwNe2QXwrU

Tales from Topographic Oceans is a really deep album(no pun intended). I think people on here would like it for it's mystical and spiritual lyrics and other worldly sound. It's worth noting that the album is actually inspired by a lengthy footnote from the book "autobiography of a Yogi" by Yogananda Paramahansa.