Prog Rock

I think everyone eventually ends up liking And You And I more than CTTE :D

(Best bit of the title-track is the first four minutes btw)

VdGG aren't SO MUCH about the scream-lull push-pull imo (altho NV is the world authority on them) as the organic growth and development of mood. They're a rare example of the lyrics absolutely augmenting the music's drama, and given how good the music is, well, phew.

It's kind of more about emotional violence than purely musical - a lot of it literally is Hammill screaming into the void, and I think my opinion is coloured by seeing them on the reunion. The lull specifically I was thinking of was "My Room". It's kind of disarming in its context, I think.

I think you'll dig it, with perseverance

I think that's the thing: I'm genuinely interested in this stuff and can see myself coming back to it. (Hellfire, I'm listening to CTTE again already.)

Would post more but GAH need to get a shitload more work done and then go to the pub (where, I imagine, I'll spend a lot of time arguing with my best mate about this stuff). Interestingly, I had an e-mail exchange with an old school friend earlier today during which he said that, at 15, he really liked the idea of MUSIC AS ART and was sneakingly fascinated by prog, but decided he should toe the NME line. So yeh, perhaps the whole year-zero myth has become a self-fulfilling prophecy that's long overdue a dismantling. (Then again: do THE KIDS today give a shit about a) prog; b) 1970s UK punk rock?)

The myth of PUNK still taints a tremendous amount of journalism and the Indie Ethos, so I'd say yes. Sadly.

Emotional violence, absolutely. That's pretty much what I was trying to say. For example, "La Rossa" is one of the most emotionally violent things that will ever be written.

*hoping someone heeds the Still Life love-in*

The myth of PUNK still taints a tremendous amount of journalism and the Indie Ethos, so I'd say yes. Sadly.

Well exactly. It's not like I don't love most of the Punk bands, it's just that Punkism - to coin a word that we must bury now and never speak again - is so bleeding tedious.

Bill Bailey and Mark Radcliffe's Top 10 Prog. Far more interviewees....

Camel/King Crimson

Hawkwind/Rush

Rush/ELP/Yes

Yes/Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull/Moody Blues/Genesis

Genesis/Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

A shame that Floyd were at the no1 spot, they're a bit too well known to profile in a list like that.

...this Dog singing with Floyd on stage is crazier than anything I have seen from any other Prog band though.
That clip of Jim Davidson almost put me off even considering buying ELP! Yuck!

I've read that there is Youtube footage of this...
http://www.daveling.co.uk/docdt.htm
...Steve Howe, members of Napalm Death and Dream Theatre and more. Greenway talked about funny looks on the face of Howe when they covered Metallica.

What do you guys think about Magnification by Yes? I loved it more than some of their 70s albums,, especially "Dont Go".

Noodle write me?

I have never interfered with anyone's Peter Gabriel.

Sheepishly admit to not having heard Magnification cos I thought the orchestra seemed like a lame idea.

Better check your email, Hongro fan.

I will mister, but I am sore hungover and going to spend the evening watching Police Squad and eating ice cubes.

See the thing about the "punk destroyed prog", whether it was a myth or not it didn't particularly matter as the interviewees were commenting on the punks as if that was a big component of what actually happened (the other being proggers got more stadium focused), and since the show was history from word of mouth of the people that were there...

I think that there probably was a lot more said about Punk and other interesting things but ultimately cut out. Even though I enjoyed the programme, it was sort of a wasted oppurtunity in that it seemed content to go along with the standard model of how they think Prog should be portrayed on TV to a certain audience. I dont think it was on their agenda to produce a genuinely insightful and accurate portrayal of the time.
I dont think there was some evil scheme by the BBC or anything,, but there must have been a reason why all those guys made fun of themselves so much,,,, because they dont usually do it to that extent,, say in the... Yes classic Rock dvd that I bought. Which was quite good and very long.

I forgot to mention that Thurston Moore mentions his love of Yes from time to time. I think someone already mentioned that here about him liking "Gates of Delirium",, which is my favorite Yes song too.

In just over an hour that Timeshift Prog special will be on and we'll have double to moan about.

This has become an intellectual discussion of prog music - it's like reading the elephant talk newletters. bleh.

what's next, an intellectual discussion of IDM music? God forbid

Yes, there's far too much pseudo-intelectual widdle on this board.

I think everyone eventually ends up liking And You And I more than CTTE :D

Madness!

that bailey-radcliff special is fantastic. thanks for posting it. it's a treat to see those guys joking around and goofing off. critics have ignored them for too long, and no one ever interviews them, so their personalities are lost to people like me who were born after punk supposedly saved rock music

I actually dont like "You and I" as much as the other two tracks,,, but I obviously still love it. There is maybe only 2 mintues of that album that dont have me on the edge of insane excitement.

this is the worst thread. are you guys all british?

I'm british. I agree that this thread would have been amazing if more of us were from somewhere like Argentina.

Magnification is fantastic, but no interesting time signatures in sight.

Who recommended I listen to Gates of Delirium? You sort of changed my life.

More later, including wondering who the fuck Egg was.

lol i think that was me

more along the lines of drum heavy stuff as opposed to the pastoral mellotron soaked epic gnome and wizard shit

Then the answer is no because all good prog is all about "pastoral mellotron soaked epics" and not much about exaggerated drums.

IT'S THE YES EPICS POLL

so you got there in the end AA!

"this is the worst thread. are you guys all british?"

I'm Italian. I got prog in my blood.

That said, even if I'm not an avid fan of Genesis and Yes, I totally love King Crimson and VDGG, and all those semi-forgotten acts like Catapilla and Curved Air.

Yes! Yes I did.

(hur, YES, get it)

No.

(j/k)

I do think it's funny how some people don't care for early genesis but claim to be a prog fan. I bet those people are more fans of The Mars Volta side of the spectrum of prog music.

I'm not sure if you're referring to me but I love Foxtrot and Nursery Cryme (and Wind & Wuthering), so it's just one patch that I don't care for.

as long as you like some early genesis you're okay in my book

I mean, using three chords is unsophisticated, really

Tell that to Neu!, they made do with one for a lot of the time

Anway, I enjoyed this prog prog., even tho I kinda agree with whoever upthread said "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" was the best tune on it

Ever since this went out I've been getting I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE AND I BRING YOU in my head at spontaneous intervals ~20 times a day.

Tell that to Neu!, they made do with one for a lot of the time

One of the worst things about krautrock.

Finally got round to watching Prog Britannia on IPlayer today and was pleasantly surprised, given how condescending it could have been. One thing no-one really mentioned was the influence of Broadway musicals on prog, which had grown out of light opera which in turn was a more accessible version of "serious" classical music. I'm sure these guys all grew up hearing West Side Story etc (they played The Nice version of America a lot in the doc admittedly), and it seems like the big unacknowledged influence to me, probably because it's so astoundingly uncool.

Songs Of West Side Story Soundtrack Album Track Listing
14. Rumble, The - Chick Corea's Elektric Band Vs. Steve Vai Monsters

they also didn't mention (although i think i saw clips of it) rick wakeman's king authur on ice thing and his great anecdote about the time when, due to illness, one side had more members than the other...

Come to think of it, were there any women in this show at all?

Or in this entire series of programmes? Oh, I think I saw Anne Nightingale introducing King Crimson.

holy nerd! BBC's Prog Rock Britannia in three parts on youtube

The 25 Best Progressive Rock Songs of All Time
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/141547-best-25-rock-songs-of-all-time/P0

There are likely a song or two that some readers won’t recognize, but I endeavored to not make this an exercise in obscurity (a person willing to rank prog-rock songs does not—or should not—need to further bolster his ambiguous street cred by listing songs nobody is remotely familiar with).

Seems to me a cop out just cuz dude was too half-assed to bother checking out Van Der Graaf Generator, Gong, Gentle Giant, etc. So it should be qualified as best populist prog choons or something. I made a playlist of the ones I have of above, but it's begging for an additional 25....

that list is rope tbh

Dunno if this has been posted somewhere yet but this 5-part Slate series on prog is really nice

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/prog_spring/features/2012/prog_rock/history_of_prog_the_nice_emerson_lake_palmer_and_other_bands_of_the_1970s_.html