Yeah, Jack White's and Ian McKaye's take on prog isn't very proggy.

I've always tried to follow my own motto, "To like the prog: you must learn to deal with the prog". Basically, I know it takes time to really enjoy a prog band. Case in point: HATED King Crimson the first time I heard them. A few accidental listenings later and finally having the stones to listen to all of 'In the Court', they were my favorite band within a year.

When it comes to Rush and ELP, I've given them plenty of time to grow on me, and I can't enjoy them beyond their bigger songs. With ELP, I think it's because there are so many times good ELP songs turn into Keith Emerson piano recitals and that really ruins it for me. I'm sure part of that has to do with me absolutely despising Karn Evil 9...

With Rush, it's the lyrics. Usually for me, the lyrics are secondary to the music. But so often I hear Rush's lyrics and they sound so awkward it really kills the feel of the whole song. Such as Red Barchetta, Limelight and the abomination that it the Trees.

Heh. I didn't realise this was in the prog section. I really should stop using tapatalk on here.

I'm the same with DT. To me, it just seems there's too much "showoffery", to invent a word, where everyone goes "Look at me! Look how long/complicated a keyboard solo I can do" or "Look how good I am on guitar!" without, it seems, taking enough care of and interest in the songs. More a showcase for how talented each is/think they are than a band trying to make proper music.

That's just me. And Jack. And probably thousands others....

Yep, totally agree. I always found his work with The Raconteurs and Dead Weather to be very dull and I've no real interest in his solo album.

Shame really, because Jack was amazing in The White Stripes

Dream Theater mostly appeal to people who were AOR and pomp rock fans of the 1970s and 1980s. They then added metal to the mix and hit the jackpot.

ELP were probably the most pretentious of all prog bands, they knew how good they were as musicians and made no secret about how good they were either. They're not a group I love but they do have some great albums and the tracks "Tarkus" and "Karn Evil 9" are two of their best.

Rush's lyrics can be pretty bad at times I agree,

I reckon this is one band I'll never get into. Their songs are just almost like too much work; can't enjoy them. Though that said, "Hollow years" off "Falling into infinity" is a great song. See? When they do it nice and simple...

I despise Tarkus, and consider ELP almost the forerunners to Dream Theater. Overly pretentious, preachy in a musical sense and just totally dead boring. IMO of course.
But then there's 2112. And "The necromancer". And what's wrong with "The trees" anyway? I love that track. That said, I'm not the biggest Rush fan, but I can certainly enjoy their music. Geddy's screeching can get on the nerves a little, all right.

I'm surprised you don't like Images and Words and Awake, two DT albums I would've said would be right up your street.

AS I said, I never ever liked ELP but I do appreciate their discography and it is one of the essential prog bands to listen to.

I like ELP far more than Dream Theater's original stuff.

Take A Pebble; Still, You Turn me On; From the Beginning; I love them all. I am firmly in the LOVE Tarkus camp. But yeah, Emerson was the weakest link for sure.

I also LOVE Rush. Especially the early stuff through Signals. I always thought The Trees was sort of clever. Basically shines the light on the fact that many human conflicts are over stupid stuff we can't control. At least that's what I got out of it. I will concede the Geddy voice CAN grate on the nerves sometimes. But overall a fantastic band.

My contribution to the actual question would be:

Gentle Giant, although I don't DIS like them, they just seemed kind of blah to me. I did recently see an awesome video of a live performance of them, and it makes me think I need to revisit the band now.

Another might be Hawkwind? I like a few songs but most of the stuff I've heard didn't do much for me. I still respect the trail they were blazing, but I could take em or leave em.

Yeah, people have been licking on his balls so much you'd think Blunderbuss was the second coming of Jesus Christ.
I don't get the hype, **** I don't even get the hype for the White Stripes, they're pretty average.