Prog rock - Is it coming back?!

OK chaps - what are your views on prog rock? I'm really getting into The Decemberists and I think that we will soon be seeing the return of prog rock - obviously with a more modern sound. I don't mind admitting, I bought a copy of Rick Wakeman's Six Wives of Henry the Eighth (actually that was crap!). I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

ticky wrote:

OK chaps - what are your views on prog rock? I'm really getting into The Decemberists and I think that we will soon be seeing the return of prog rock - obviously with a more modern sound. I don't mind admitting, I bought a copy of Rick Wakeman's Six Wives of Henry the Eighth (actually that was crap!). I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

NOOOOOOO!!! Didn't like it first time round. But WOBLEwoble is not a chap !!!


It is a bloke thing !!! So the chaps will agree that it should return.

Sorry - chaps and chapesses!

Not a fan, but i love the Decemberists!

I'm a prog fan, but only of the better end of it. There is (or rather was) an awful lot of pretentious, self-indulgent bollocks released at its height in the 70's. Good prog is fantastic, complex and emotional. Bad prog is banal, twee and excrutiatingly dull.

It's always been around in a quiet way over the last 30 years. Are we set for a resurgence? Possibly but I think the days of 20 minute epics about Goblin kings are probably (and thankfully) behind us.

YES! I love it.

Floyd, Yes, Tull, ELP... OOO its brilliant

I agree with most of what people have said. I love a lot of what's generally known as prog (though I don't remember it being called that first time around (eee when I were a lass )) - including Genesis, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Yes (and actually I like Rick Wakeman's Six Wives and King Arthur, but that may be as much for nostalgic reasons as inherent quality...) though I agree there's been a lot of pretentious c**p and excesses produced within the genre - I suppose like any genre, there's good and bad in everything, and just as I don't like people generally dismissing a lot of good music under the label of pretentious crap, similarly you can't say it's all good.

I've often heard people say it's a supposed to be a male thing. All I can say is I know I'm not the only woman who likes a lot of prog.

As for a comeback, well one of the things I like about the music of recent years is the wide range of influences, diversity and breakdown of genre boundaries (gosh, apologies if I'm starting to sound like Howard Moon here ) - or perhaps it's just that I discover new music mainly on the Internet, through places like Last.fm or discussions on this and other forums of artists I like, so I'm mainly blissfully (stubbornly?) unaware of what's "in" or what it's supposed to be called.

Having been to a few gigs with my boyfriend I seem be surrounded by blokes. I work with a BIG prog rock fan and his wife refuses to go with him !!!

Lot of good comments on this subject.

Since the age of about 13 I have been into what is affectionately ( and sometimes not so affectionately ) called "prog" rock.

Whilst there was definately some over-indulgence at times, with 30 minute drums solos and meandering interludes , there was also some very accomplished musicianship and complex intelligent sounds.

It is the closest form of popular music to classical and oftens draws comparisions.

There is always a problem when labelling music as it tends to get stereotyped. This is the case with "prog" rock. It is just not fashionable.

What is really exciting is all this so-called post-rock, indie music around at the moment and which in my mind has definate similarities to what is judged "prog" rock.

Listening to the likes of Elbow, Radiohead, The Decemberists and such confirms this is IMHO.

So is prog rock coming back ? Did it ever go away in the first place ? Perhaps a makeover was all that was needed !

Anyway I will always enjoy this type of music, whatever they call it !

In the words of the Bard..."A rose by any other name....."

Glendarian wrote:

.... I'm mainly blissfully (stubbornly?) unaware of what's "in" or what it's supposed to be called.

Same here. If I like it then I'll listen to it and sod what everybody else thinks.

yesman wrote:

So is prog rock coming back ? Did it ever go away in the first place ?

I thought exactly the same. Every decade had its proggies.
70ies: the big ones like Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd ect.
80ies: Marillion
90ies: Radiohead
00s: a lot of retro proggies like Spock's Beard but also the Postrock-stuff

I sort of class Pink Floyd as being in a different category of thier own even though they fall into the prog thing, but before I came to my senses I was impressed by things like Brain Salad Surgery big drum kits Gongs, rugs, daft lyrics, Album covers that turned in to Tepees, and solo's that went on for 15 minutes.I find that whole episode of my life very embarrassing and best forgotten.
Although its almost sacrilege on here but apart from Peter Gabriel who redeemed himself with Womad, Genesis in general and Phil Collins in particular are reserved for particular scorn for representing all that is bad about music.

I would love to know what Phil Collins has done to deserve this scorn. Just a lot of people paying lip-service to a lot of ill-informed journalism in my opinion.

Chris de Burgh was always more deserving of the title "all that is bad about music", I think. Still, Don't Pay The Ferryman ain't a bad tune.

Guess the whole schick with Collins started when Genesis made that transistion through more-accessible prog post-Gabriel to pop. And as big selling as his solo stuff was, his creative credibility dipped with 'Easy Lover' with Philip Bailey and power ballad angst like 'Against All Odds'.

Back when they were released I thought his first couple of albums were good and probably still hold up in parts now. With 'Buster' & 'But Seriously', though, he was going way too commercial, mawkish and MOR. Another Day in Paradise got a huge panning in many quarters for being patronising and hypocritical, so it seems he never quite recovered any shreds of reputation until recently.

Fair play to him, but Collins' hip-hop following has to be the strangest clawing back of kudos seen for a long time. At least the Cadbury's promo link is easy to comprehend!

Genesis were my no. 1 favourite band in my teens (still love 'em, I'm just rooting it in history here ) but I've never been into Then There Were Three onwards which makes me think it's not just Phil Collins because I love Trick of the Tail (actually the first Genesis album I was introduced to) and Wind & Wuthering - while I personally really missed Peter Gabriel, it was when Steve Hackett left that the spirit of the band really changed (Peter Gabriel's and Steve Hackett's are the only Genesis members' solo work I like, too). I won't say the rest were bad (and from lots of comments elsewhere on here they're obviously not), just not for me - and I have tried, and tried relistening recently following comments people have made on here, but I just don't "get" it.

Back on topic (perhaps I should have resurrected the Genesis thread for the above), has anyone else head Yeasayer? I'm not sure if you'd call them prog really but there are elements of complexity in there, with kind of CSNY/Fleet Foxes harmony sound as well. I think they're wonderful.

On Finest Hour last night, the second hour featured some tracks including the mellotron. Guy's been talking to Craig and they are thinking of getting a mellotron simulator

Merry Christmas