So what exactly is a "Progressive Rock Band"??? (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Rogers]

Do they play at 480p or something?
NO really...I have wondered what that means for a while.........

 

[Philip Hamm]

Perhaps the music area would be a better place.
My answer would be King Crimson.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

We do have a music area on this forum you know...

Moving on out...

 

[mike_decock]

Allmusic has a little Blurb about Progressive/Art rock. I would agree that King Crimson really defined the genre.
I used to listen to Progressive Rock almost exclusively when I was in high school: Emerson Lake & Palmer, RUSH, Yes, Pink Floyd, etc. Early Rock was generally straight-forward 4/4 meter with standard chord progressions and song structures.
You could say that The Beatles did a lot to break down those boundaries and King Crimson took it a step further. Prog Rock is more experimental in style, borrows influences from Jazz and Classical (among other styles) and is often more about the musicianship/artistry than anything else.
-Mike...

 

[Jeff Rogers]

so ummm. about the title of the thread..........
What exactly is progressive rock?
Edit : Nevermind. I see now

 

[Mike Broadman]

Ah, prog, my old musical mainstay.
Progressive rock music was born out of the rubbles of psychedelic pop and rock music of the 60s. The Beatles' experimentation, the Moody Blues' use of an orchestra and mellotron, and the acid trippiness of Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd all laid the grounds for the desire to turn rock into a "serious" art form.
Psychedlic music died down due to the culture shift in the 70s, but the idea of experimentation and breaking the boundaries of rock merged with the crop of trained, virtuoso musicians, mostly from England.
The most popular type of prog is called "symphonic rock," because the music was composed with classical themes and structures in mind. The biggest symph rock band is Yes, who pretty much define the genre. With extended suites of music, virtuose playing, unique sounds, a spacey look, and incomprehensible lyrics, they held the prog spotlight in the 70s.
Pink Floyd is sometimes considered "prog," therefore making them the most successful such band.
Many would argue that King Crimson's first album, In the Court of the Crimson King, is the first real prog album. Released in 1969, it certainly raised the bar for this type of music. Crimson never reached the heights of success of Yes and Floyd, probably due to the constantly shifting lineup (resulting in weaker material for a couple of albums) and eventual move to more challenging, darker, improvised (and better ) music.
Other well-known bands that are lumped into the "prog" category are Jethro Tull, Rush, Dreamtheater, ELP, and Genesis (when Peter Gabriel was singing).
Gentle Giant is a prime example of English prog: very involved vocal arrangements, incredibly involved counterpoint and use of themes in various ways to express an abstract concept, and simply some of the most outstanding multi-talented musicians around.
King Crimson is the greatest band that ever existed.
Some prog gets really weird, like Henry Cow, which eschews classical (18th & 19th century) music and conventional rock formats for atonal composition and free-form improv.
While most prog is English, there were also wonderful Italian bands, like Premiata Foreneria Marconi and Banco Del Mutia Sucurso (there is no chance in hell I spelled those correctly), the extremely out-there French band Magma (who made up their own language ), and American band Kansas. Sometimes, Frank Zappa is lumped in the category because of his extreme experimentation and eclectic sound.
Prog staples and themes include: keyboards, orchestras and other weird instrumentation, concept albums, very long songs (sometimes taking up an entire album side or album), weird lyrics, complexity, odd time signatures, and grand stage shows.
Some popular rock bands are considered prog by some because of certain qualities in their music, like Rush (early stuff had extended pieces), Marillion (early music had a Genesis-type feel, though they have since changed their music drastically), Radiohead (lots of studio experimentation and layered sound), Queen (bombastic arrangements and vocals), Iron Maiden ("prog" type arrangements and lyrics in some of their music), and Supertramp (I don't really know why, though).
With the advent of the punk movement, prog took a walloping hit and has not recovered since, though there is a very encouraging and delightful crop of newer bands that grew up listening to the 70s greats and are proud to call themselves progressive rock: Dreamtheater, The Flower Kings, and Spock's Beard are among the most popular.
NP: Jethro Tull, Too Old To Rock & Roll, Too Young To Die- prog

 

[Tony_Woods]

Prog rock is some of my favorite stuff too. Dream Theater is one of my favorite bands, I'm going to see them in concert for the 3rd time in Denver on August 13th!! The first show I went to, Spocks Beard opened for them and I've been hooked ever since. I can't wait to hear their new album (Snow) I heared it's supposed to be amazing. King Crimson, Marillion, Rush, Genesis, Pink Floyd, are all great examples of prog music. Dream Theater tends to border on Prog Metal/Prog Rock depending on the song. Towards the heavier end of the scale, I would say that Tool is an amazing prog metal band.

 

[Danny Tse]

My take on this "progressive rock" thing....started listening to (and enjoying) a live album by the Phil Collins-led Genesis during my workouts on the treadmill and 30 minutes later, it's still only Track #2....determined to finish the disc since there're "only" 7 tracks on the CD....another 40 minutes goes by and the CD still isn't done....

 

[MichaelAW]

A band listed here.

 

[Rich Romero]

Progressive rock is a band that has noticeably more technical talent than normal bands. Songs are generally a bit longer. Songs have odd time signatures and never follow a set pattern. Often, prog rock bands have keyboards or other instruments. Anything goes in prog. Personally my favorite type of music. I'll be at the Dream Theater/Joe Satriani show in Phoenix on the 8th!!!

 

[David Egan]

A prog rock song starts in one place and then progresses to someplace else. I think that bands from The Grateful Dead to Utopia to The Smashing Pumpkins feature progressive elements so my definition is rather wide.

 

[KyleK]

The Alan Parsons Project is an incredible prog rock band that I highly recommend. To a certain extent Electric Light Orchestra is prog and they are awesome too.

Kyle

 

[Mike Broadman]

Danny, many would argue that Genesis with Collins fronting isn't prog. This is especially true for the 80s material and after.

Michael,
Wow, Gibraltar! That takes me back.

Rich, I'm planning to go to the Boston show or the Jones Beach, NJ show... or both.

 

[Bob Turnbull]

Well, I won't argue the point Mike...Partially because I agree, but mostly because you'll hunt me down like a dog if I don't...

 

[Philip Hamm]

Danny, many would argue that Genesis with Collins fronting isn't prog.

Not anyone who's heard post-Gabriel Steve Hacket-era Genesis. Wind & Wuthering not prog? Say it ain't so!

 

[Mike Broadman]

Phil,
Yes, I was generalising of course. The first few post-Gabriel albums are considered prog, ie Trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering. And, prog or not, those are excellent albums.

Perhaps "post-Gabriel" should be replaced by "post-Hackett" in my original claim, then. After W&W, their direction moved towards a significantly more pop sound. ...And Then There Were Three cut the song lengths down and Banks' keyboards became more prominent. Many feel that Duke had the last remnants of prog.

However, Genesis' pop stuff is so darn catchy! I don't hate it as much as I used to and even like a lot of it, I just wish the older stuff got a little more notice.

 

[Joseph Young]

Progressive rock is a band that has noticeably more technical talent than normal bands.

I respectfully disagree. Prog rock, in my own personal opinion, is a genre in which technical talent is flaunted more brazenly and overtly. Suggesting that prog musicians have more technical talent is like saying that abstract painters had less talent than artists who created more opulent pictures. There are some extremely technically talented musicians who sometimes decide that less is more and consciously adopt a minimalist style. It doesn't make them less capable.
I enjoy King Krimson as much as anyone, it just seems spurious to devise a hierarchal talent ladder with prog at the top.
Joseph

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Prog Rock Rule of thumb: If a bass player is given 8 bars or more to solo and it does not make you want to shake your tuckus or bang your head, then you are listening to progressive rock.
Regards,

 

[Jack Briggs]

It should be noted that by 1967, rock/pop had been segmented into two broad categories: bubblegum (i.e., Herman's Hermits,Paul Revere & the Raiders, Tommy James and the Shondells, etc.) and progressive (The Beatles, Manfred Mann, Dylan, the Mothers, the San Franciso bands, Hendrix, etc.).